Fly Away Baby (1937) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Sonny Croy became a prime suspect because he had a confrontation with Milton Devereux over gambling debts and a looming loan. However, an alibi from the victim's business partner Guy Allister initially cleared Sonny, claiming they were lunching together at the time of the murder.

Foreshadowing: Earlier scenes established Sonny as a trouble-prone young man with significant gambling debts, making him a logical early suspect.

• sonny croy
• suspect
• gambling debts
• milton devereux

The cryptic marks on the menu indicated that Sonny was touring the world by air and Zeppelin as a publicity stunt. This explanation connected the restaurant clue to his global journey and led Torchy to pursue him worldwide.

Foreshadowing: The menu clue first appeared when Torchy and Steve questioned restaurant staff about the lunch meeting.

• menu notes
• restaurant clue
• world tour
• publicity stunt

The diamonds were fake because there was never a real diamond theft. Guy Allister murdered Milton Devereux and staged the entire robbery to cover his crime. Sonny was unknowingly carrying worthless fakes as part of Allister's elaborate scheme to divert suspicion.

Foreshadowing: The investigation initially assumed a real diamond theft, which drove the entire global chase.

• fake diamonds
• sonny suitcase
• diamond theft
• scheme

Guy Allister, Milton Devereux's business partner, was the actual murderer. He killed Devereux, staged the diamond theft, and used the fake robbery as cover while framing Sonny Croy to clear his gambling debts.

Foreshadowing: Allister's alibi for Sonny seemed helpful but actually served to redirect suspicion away from himself.

• guy allister
• real murderer
• milton devereux
• business partner

After discovering the diamonds were fake and Sonny was dead, Torchy realized someone had manipulated the entire chase. She deduced that Allister had provided the false alibi and boarded the airship under a false name, exposing him as the mastermind behind the crime.

Foreshadowing: Allister's convenient alibi for Sonny and his sudden appearance on the airship became suspicious details Torchy connected later.

• torchy blane
• identify killer
• deduction
• evidence

When Torchy and Steve closed in on the truth and exposed his role as the killer, Allister attempted to flee the airship by parachute. However, the parachute failed to open, killing him and sealing his fate.

Foreshadowing: Allister's use of a false name on the airship suggested he was preparing for an escape route.

• guy allister
• parachute escape
• airship
• failed parachute

Sonny Croy was working for Guy Allister to pay off his gambling debts. Allister had recruited Sonny to participate in the fake diamond scheme, using the young man's financial desperation to carry the phony diamonds across the world without questioning their authenticity.

Foreshadowing: Sonny's gambling debts were established early, explaining why he would agree to carry someone else's luggage.

• sonny croy
• guy allister
• gambling debts
• working for

During a layover in Honolulu, Torchy searched Sonny's room and discovered a note indicating that items would be exchanged in Stuttgart. This concrete clue confirmed the international scope of the diamond scheme and the next location where the fake diamonds would change hands.

Foreshadowing: The Hawaii stop was a planned airship refueling point, giving Torchy access to Sonny's quarters.

• stuttgart
• note
• exchange
• honolulu
• clue

Ila Sayre initially claimed Sonny was on the phone with her during the murder, providing him with an alibi. Later, she admitted she never actually spoke to Sonny on the phone, undermining her earlier claim and further confusing the timeline.

Foreshadowing: Ila's relationship with Sonny and her willingness to help him suggested she might be hiding something.

• ila sayre
• phone alibi
• sonny croy
• false alibi

Detective Steve McBride joined Torchy aboard the airship to assist in closing in on the suspect. Together, they used the conflicting alibis and physical evidence, like the restaurant's back door aligning with the jewelry store's back door, to build their case against Sonny before the murder revelation.

Foreshadowing: Steve's presence allowed Torchy to combine police resources with her investigative instincts.

• steve mcbride
• airship
• detective
• investigation

When Torchy accidentally dropped her lipstick in Sonny's room during the Hawaii stop, Sonny discovered it and realized Torchy had been searching his belongings. This alerted him to her investigation and made him more cautious, though it was too late to change the outcome.

Foreshadowing: Torchy's thorough search of the room while Sonny was occupied demonstrated her determined investigative style.

• lipstick
• sonny room
• torchy
• alert
• discovered

After learning about Sonny's menu notes revealing his world tour, Torchy convinced her newspaper to fund her pursuit of the story. She wanted to uncover the evidence the police missed and prove she could solve the case faster than rival reporter Hughie Sprague.

Foreshadowing: Torchy's competitive relationship with other reporters and her determination to beat the police to the story drove her globe-trotting pursuit.

• torchy
• world chase
• newspaper
• hughie sprague
• investigation