Dear Murderer

Lee Warren comes back from a lengthy business trip to New York, feeling suspicious because Vivien has not written or called him. This fuels his paranoia and suspicion about her fidelity. He notices several cards addressed to Vivien signed 'Love Always,' which increases his distrust of her affair. His suspicions set the stage for his subsequent actions.

Lee discovers that Vivien is having an affair with Richard Fenton. He confronts Fenton, who admits to the affair but agrees to end it by writing her a farewell letter. Lee persuades Fenton to leave Vivien by staging a scene to look like a suicide, believing he has committed the perfect crime. This act marks the beginning of Lee’s criminal plans.

Fenton writes a farewell letter as instructed, and Lee kills him, staging the scene to appear as a suicide. Lee believes this deception will conceal his involvement, and he is confident that he has committed the perfect murder. However, his actions are driven by the desire to protect his marriage and eliminate his rivals.

Shortly after Fenton's death, Lee discovers that he and Vivien had already broken up some time before, and Fenton was merely humoring him with a fake farewell note. This guilt-ridden realization makes Lee aware that he has murdered an innocent man and complicates his plans further. It introduces doubt into his assumptions about the crime.

Learning that Vivien has a new boyfriend, Jimmy Martin, Lee plans to frame him for Fenton's murder. He manipulates evidence to make it appear that Martin is the culprit, aiming to shift suspicion away from himself. Meanwhile, Inspector Pembury begins to grow suspicious but is unable to prove Lee's involvement.

Vivien pleads with Lee to help save Martin from execution, promising to remain faithful if he can provide a way. Lee falsely agrees to change his testimony, claiming Fenton died by suicide and that he later manipulated the scene to look like a murder by Martin. This moment reveals Vivien's manipulative nature.

Vivien persuades Lee to write a letter intended as a suicide note, using a dose of his medication to fake his death. Her plan is to eliminate her husband without incriminating herself, with the hope of reuniting with Martin. Her manipulations show her growing deviousness and loss of morality.

As Lee overdoses on his medication, Vivien confesses to lying about her love for Martin and her involvement in the scheme. She attempts to reconcile with Martin, who rejects her. Lee’s death appears to be the climax of her manipulative plans and her descent into madness begins.

Vivien returns to her apartment, where she initially feigns distress but is ultimately arrested by Inspector Pembury for the murder of Lee. The evidence against her is overwhelming, and her cruel laughter symbolizes her complete moral collapse and mental deterioration. Her downfall is sealed.

The film concludes with Vivien laughing cruelly, indicating her madness and her full plunge into chaos. The ring given back to her with the words 'til death do us part' symbolizes her twisted perception of love and her tragic descent. Her character’s downfall underscores the tragic consequences of betrayal and deceit.