The Green Man

Hawkins is contracted to blow up Sir Gregory Upshott. He begins gathering details on Upshott's routine and how to approach the hit without arousing suspicion. He formulates a plan around using a concealed bomb in a hotel setting.

Marigold, Upshott's secretary, visits Hawkins' place to warn him off, but the encounter reveals his ruthless determination. She confronts him with the danger he is courting. The scene foreshadows the peril hanging over Upshott's weekend.

McKechnie hides Marigold's body in a grand piano at the neighboring house after the attack. The act silences a witness and deepens the mystery surrounding Hawkins' plot. The hidden corpse will later surface as the investigation unfolds.

William Blake, a young vacuum cleaner salesman, arrives at the house and discovers Marigold's concealed body. He reports the finding and triggers a chain of reactions that pull Hawkins' plans into the open. The discovery raises the stakes for everyone involved.

Blake first goes to alert Hawkins about the corpse, then warns Reginald's fiancée, Ann, about the nearby danger. His warnings connect the murder to Upshott's evening and force the conspirators to react. The night begins to spiral toward a confrontation.

Reginald comes home to find Ann and William terrified and hiding. The discovery intensifies the emotional stakes and tests the fragile relationship between Reginald and Ann. The atmosphere grows tense as fear spreads through the household.

Sir Gregory Upshott arrives at The Green Man with his shy secretary Joan, intending to have a drink before the meal. The hotel becomes the stage for the planned explosion. The waiter notes the Catering Act rule, adding a practical wrinkle to the dinner scene.

Hawkins sits in the lounge, pretending to enjoy a violin recital by three mature ladies while the bomb sits concealed in a radio inside his suitcase. He moves among guests, maintaining a calm demeanor as the countdown looms. The hotel atmosphere masks the looming danger.

Ann and William locate Upshott by assuming the name Boughtflower, though they remain unsure of his exact registration. They race to warn him and evacuate the guests before the blast. The frantic pursuit tightens the suspense as the clock ticks down.

The hotel timepiece and the radio countdown clash, showing 22:24 as a warning that the timer is in the radio, not in a wall clock. Ann and William scramble to evacuate the lounge and identify the bomb's location. The chaos heightens the urgency of stopping the explosion.

William realizes the device is on a timer in the radio and hurls the radio toward the sea seconds before it explodes. Hawkins crashes into his assistant's car as the police intervene and halt their escape. The immediate threat is prevented, but the night leaves a stunned hotel and uneasy aftermath.

Driving back toward London, Ann and William hear Reginald speaking on the radio, delivering a venomous diatribe about Ann. He interrupts with a bitter tirade, but the moment shifts as Ann and William share a kiss. The scene ends on a personal note of connection amid the night's chaos.