The Late Show

In Los Angeles, Ira Wells, an aging private detective, is writing his memoir at his boarding house when his ex-partner Harry Regan is mortally wounded and dies soon after. Harry's death pulls Ira into a new case as he starts to untangle the mystery surrounding his partner's fate. The incident sets a dark tone for the story.

At Harry's funeral, Ira is introduced to Margo Sperling by a mutual acquaintance, Charlie Hatter. Margo asks Ira to locate her stolen cat Winston, hinting at danger behind the missing pet. The meeting pulls Margo into Ira's orbit and marks the beginning of a working relationship.

Margo explains that Brian Hemphill hired her to transport merchandise to Bakersfield, but on the last run she stole the money and Brian kidnapped her cat Winston in retaliation. Ira tells her to expect Brian's call and to set up a meeting when he does. The case ties the cat to a broader criminal scheme.

Margo and Charlie inform Ira that Brian is after him. A man shows up outside Ira's house, another shoots at the home, and shots are fired as the assailant flees. Ira watches a tire get punctured and a car explode in the ensuing chaos. The assault confirms the danger is escalating quickly.

Back at Ira's house, he confronts Charlie about a removed item from the corpse: a collectors' book of postage stamps stolen during a robbery in which Walter Whiting's wife was murdered. Charlie confesses that Harry had seen the robbery while trailing Brian, and that he and Harry planned to split the $15,000 reward. The stamp clue begins to unlock the layered conspiracy behind Harry's death.

Margo explains Brian and Ray Escobar were making deals with fence Ron Birdwell. Ira visits Birdwell's residence and is escorted by his bodyguard Lamar to see Birdwell. Birdwell reveals that Brian's real name is Earl Hampton, deepening the web of connections behind the case.

Charlie reveals that Escobar is hiding in Santa Monica and that Birdwell's wife Laura has been having an extramarital affair. Ira and Margo drive to Santa Monica, where Margo finds her cat. Laura holds Ira at gunpoint but relents, admitting Escobar had been blackmailing her.

Moments after locating Escobar, Margo finds his body inside a refrigerator, and Laura escapes. Ira and Margo pursue a vehicle they believe she fled in, leading to a high-speed car chase through a residential neighborhood that ends in a crash.

Back at Birdwell's residence, he explains that Mrs. Whiting had asked him to stop the affair and that Whiting had been threatened but not killed. Birdwell and Lamar plan to retrieve Escobar's revolver, adding another layer to the mounting danger at the theater scene.

At an adult theater, Birdwell and Lamar press Charlie to retrieve Escobar's revolver used in the murder, intensifying the stakes as the conspirators close in. Ira's suspicions about Birdwell grow deeper as the trail tightens.

Ira's relationship with Margo grows, but Laura reveals she had given Whiting her gun to protect him, which Escobar had used to threaten her. The pair then head to Mr. Whiting's residence, where they find Whiting murdered, confirming the deadly stakes of the scheme.

At Margo's apartment, Charlie, Birdwell, and Lamar arrive asking for the revolver, prompting Ira to电话 Margo and reveal his conclusion that Birdwell killed Harry. Ira then heads to Margo's apartment to confront the conspirators in person.

Ira pieces together that Laura killed Mrs. Whiting, Escobar was killed by Lamar, and the stamp robbery was a decoy meant to mislead the police. He ties together the personal motivations behind each killing and the overall plot.

A gunfight erupts at Margo's apartment, killing Birdwell and Lamar and wounding Charlie. Ira calls the police to intervene, leaving the survivors to absorb the carnage and its consequences.

Following Charlie's funeral, Ira and Margo wait at a bus stop. Ira's landlady has asked him to move out, so he decides to move in with Margo, signaling a new personal and professional partnership as the case closes.