Payment Deferred

In a London bank, Marble is warned that he will be fired unless he settles a looming lawsuit. He is deeply in debt and anxious about his financial future. This pressure triggers his desperate attempt to find money.

A co-worker brings Marble a currency-market tip that promises a fortune if he can act. He lacks funds to speculate, so the opportunity remains out of reach. The possibility of a windfall gnaws at him.

That same evening, Marble hosts his rich Australian nephew James Medland, trying to persuade him to lend money or share in the profits. Medland is wary and uncomfortable with the proposal. The tension builds as the request is pressed.

Driven to desperation, Marble poisons Medland by lacing his whisky with cyanide and buries the body in the back yard under cover of darkness. He seizes Medland's cash and uses it to speculate on the currency tip.

Marble converts Medland's cash into a margin bet and quickly earns around £30,000, enough to retire. Yet the money brings paranoia and a sense that the crime could be discovered at any moment. He must keep the secret hidden.

Fearful of being found out, Marble becomes nervous and irritable. He buys books about crime and poisons and rereads a page about cyanide, rehearsing the mechanism of his deed. This fixation gnaws at his relationships.

Annie senses something is off and suspects Marble has embezzled from the bank. She maintains faith in him at first, despite the growing distance. Her unease foreshadows the tragedy.

To ease the strain, Marble sends Annie and Winnie away for a three-week vacation. While they're gone, Marble begins an affair with Rita Collins and she borrows £300 from him. The web of deceit tightens.

Winnie returns early and discovers Rita Collins in the house, but she keeps quiet about what she has learned. The family keeps the secret within the walls of Marble's home. The tension continues to mount.

Annie spots a newspaper advertisement about Medland's whereabouts and notices the cyanide page in Marble's book, realizing what he has done. She chooses to stand by him despite the truth. Her loyalty becomes a quiet tragedy.

Collins resurfaces and blackmails Marble for £500, threatening exposure if he does not pay. Marble weighs his options, fearing that the pressure could unravel his carefully maintained illusion. The coercion adds to the peril surrounding the Marble household.

Annie overhears and learns about Marble's affair, and chooses to end her life with more cyanide. Marble's world collapses as the consequences catch up. The tragedy seals the path toward the courtroom.

Marble is convicted for Annie's murder and is imprisoned awaiting execution. Winnie visits him in his cell on the day of his execution, seeking comfort.

On the day of his execution, Marble tells Winnie that he did not kill Annie but says he is at peace with his fate, convinced he has paid a bill that was only deferred. He accepts the outcome as payment for a debt he believes was postponed rather than erased.