I’ll Name the Murderer

Gossip columnist Tommy Tilton is at Luigi’s Nightclub for its opening night, accompanied by photographer Smitty. He runs into his college friend Ted Benson, who is engaged to Vi Van Ostrum. The crowded evening introduces the key players and sets up the relationships that drive the mystery.

Behind the scenes, Valerie Delroy argues with Nadia Renee, and Luigi fires Valerie and her dance partner Walton. The quarrel shakes up the staff and foreshadows motives. The firing removes a key player from the lineup.

Nadia blackmails Benson with love letters he had written before his engagement to Vi. Tilton agrees to persuade Nadia to relinquish the letters, hoping to avert a scandal. Nadia agrees at first, but upon seeing Benson, she changes her mind.

Benson, enraged by Nadia's reversal, grabs a stiletto and makes a move against her just as the light goes out. The danger escalates until Luigi rehires Valerie Delroy and Walton, restoring some of the stage lineup. The internal tensions continue to drive the mystery.

Tilton goes to Nadia's dressing room to search for Benson and instead discovers Nadia dead. He retrieves the love letters, locks the dressing room door, and calls the police.

Police Captain Flynn arrives and begins questioning everyone involved. A cook claims to have seen a well-dressed man leaving the back way, adding a potential clue to the case.

After the questioning, Captain Flynn wants Benson brought in for questioning, but Tilton insists Benson is not the killer and vows to uncover the truth through his newspaper column.

Benson appears at Tilton's apartment later that night, suggesting the tensions remain high and the killer is still at large.

Valerie reads Tilton's column the next day and arranges to meet him, hoping to reveal the truth. Before they can talk, Valerie is murdered, deepening the mystery and raising the stakes for Tilton.

Tilton visits Vi Van Ostrum and her father, Hugo Van Ostrum, and shows them a receipt for a $15,000 diamond bracelet found in Nadia's dressing room, suggesting a motive tied to Vi's family.

With Valerie dead, Tilton encourages Benson to turn himself in for his own safety, and Benson complies. Tilton treats the turn as leverage to flush out the real killer.

The investigation reveals Nadia once worked for a Chicago nightclub called Rossi, later owned by Luigi. Nadia had a history of blackmail, and Luigi is cleared because of his airtight alibi.

Tilton promises to name the murderer the next day, a plan that makes him a target and drives the suspense toward a final reveal.