Dead Reckoning

Father Logan, a renowned ex-paratrooper priest, stands outside the church as Captain Rip Murdock approaches him. Murdock says he needs to recount what happened in the past few days before his enemies can kill him. The exchange sets up the long flashback that will reveal the truth behind the danger he faces.

Just after World War II, Murdock and his close friend Drake are mysteriously ordered to travel from Paris to Washington, D.C., where Drake is to be awarded a Medal of Honor and Murdock a Distinguished Service Cross. Rather than comply, Murdock goes AWOL to pursue clues about Drake’s situation. The order hints at a larger conspiracy surrounding their past.

Murdock abandons the official route and trails the clues to Gulf City in the southern United States. There he discovers that Drake is dead, with a burned corpse recovered from a car crash. The discovery turns a soldier’s search for honor into a dangerous homicide investigation.

Murdock learns that Drake had joined the Army under an assumed name to dodge a murder charge. The charge stems from the killing of Chandler, a wealthy man, whom Drake loved; Chandler’s wife Coral is central to the motive. The past crime begins to explain present danger.

Murdock goes to a nightclub to question Louis Ord, a witness at Drake’s trial. Ord reveals that Drake left a letter for Murdock to read. At the club, Murdock meets Coral and Martinelli; Coral appears to dominate the night’s betting, while Murdock covers her losses and wins them back through his own winnings.

Murdock and Coral accompany Ord and Martinelli to Martinelli’s private office to retrieve Drake’s letter. Murdock drinks from a suspicious glass and is drugged, a plot designed to keep him from learning too much. The tension grows as danger closes in.

Murdock wakes to find Ord’s dead body planted in his hotel room. He hides the corpse before Lt. Kincaid and the police arrive to search his room. The frame-up deepens the mystery and increases the risk for Murdock and Coral.

Murdock teams with Coral to uncover why Martinelli is linked to Drake’s letter. They break into Martinelli’s office and discover the safe is already open. He is knocked unconscious by an unseen assailant, and the scent of jasmine hints at Coral’s involvement as they attempt to learn the letter’s content.

The flashback ends and Murdock returns to the present. He goes to Coral’s apartment, where she finally admits to shooting Chandler in self-defense but implies dark complicity with Martinelli. She also reveals that Martinelli has been blackmailing her.

Despite falling for Coral, Murdock decides to pull up stakes and flee town, but first to retrieve the incriminating weapon. He detonates napalm grenades in Martinelli’s office, forcing a confession: Coral is Martinelli’s wife and he killed Chandler to control the inheritance, having framed Drake to benefit Coral.

As flames erupt, Krause jumps through a window to escape the fire. Murdock finds and takes the incriminating gun and drags Martinelli toward the police. Coral, still dangerous, shoots when Martinelli is forced to face justice.

Murdock and Coral drive away together, but suspicion and anger explode into violence. Coral shoots Murdock, and the car crashes head-on into a tree. Murdock survives, while Coral suffers mortal injuries, ending their dangerous alliance.