The Guilty

Mike Carr returns to his old neighborhood and goes into Tim McGinnis' bar to wait for Estelle. He starts having flashbacks about Linda's death as memories flood back. The bar becomes the thread between the present and the past.

Estelle and Linda both want Johnny, who has just started dating Linda after previously dating Estelle. The two sisters clash for Johnny's attention, creating tension that resonates through the circle. Mike witnesses Estelle arriving before Linda and tries to keep the two from being pulled apart.

After the confrontation, Linda goes to see Johnny, rekindling their romance. Estelle attempts to intercept and win Johnny back first, further complicating the love triangle. Mike's role as a mediator situates him at the center of the escalating tension.

Estelle calls Mike from her home to report that Linda never came home. This turn of events marks the first real clue that something is terribly wrong. Mike's concern for Johnny deepens as the mystery unfolds.

Johnny, drunk and distraught, begs Mike to verify his alibi — that Linda left after an argument and that he heard her whistle for a taxi. Mike tries to reconstruct the night to help his friend. This is the moment where the truth begins to blur and doubt creeps in.

The police arrive and find a buckle from Linda's trench-coat on Johnny's apartment floor, leading to Johnny's questioning and possible arrest. Moments later, Linda's body is discovered in the apartment building. The investigation tightens around Johnny as the prime suspect.

Mike discovers another buckle outside the McGinnis bar window, suggesting Johnny's memory might have failed him the night of the murder. The new clue adds to the case's uncertainty and pushes Mike to search further. The tension escalates as police move closer to an arrest.

Police arrest Johnny, causing him to panic. Mike helps him escape through the back, choosing loyalty to a friend over the system. The two flee to remain free while they try to piece the night together.

Detective Heller takes Mike to the morgue to show Linda's body and recount the brutal details of her death — strangulation, the incinerator, and the final placement in a barrel on the roof. The gruesome revelation shakes Mike and forces him to confront the possibility that Johnny could be innocent. This scene cements the investigation's brutal stakes.

Disarming Johnny with a revolver Mike had lent him, Mike convinces him to come forward and clear his name. They decide to face the truth, despite the danger and risk. The plan changes as they navigate a widening maze of clues.

Back in the present, Estelle arrives at McGinnis' bar and Mike drags her to his old apartment to question her alibi. Tremholt, an older man living there, accompanies them, adding a new layer of tension. The scene intersects the past with the present and reorients the pursuit of the killer.

Mike hands Tremholt the revolver and leaves to investigate the mysterious whistler he heard earlier. Tremholt tries to call the police to arrest Johnny but manages to escape again. The sequence heightens the peril and keeps the suspect in flux.

Detective Heller reveals that Linda's necklace was found in the incinerator chute with Mike's fingerprints, pointing to Mike as the killer. The truth emerges that Mike killed Linda, believing she was Estelle. Tremholt's earlier involvement is overshadowed by this shocking revelation.

Heller escorts Mike away, past Estelle, as the final truth settles in. The evidence confirms Mike's guilt in Linda's death, ending the immediate pursuit of Johnny. The film closes with Mike facing the consequences of his actions.