The Pyx

Elizabeth Lucy falls to her death from a Montreal tenement, and the scene is punctuated by religious imagery. Police discover a crucifix and a small metal pyx clenched in her hand, hinting at a Catholic thread to the case. Detective Sergeant Jim Henderson is assigned to investigate and quickly learns Elizabeth was a heroin-addicted prostitute and that the apartment she leapt from was unoccupied, with the building also serving as a brothel.

Henderson interviews Meg Latimer, the brothel's madam, who explains Elizabeth often worked outside the establishment and Meg had warned that this was unsafe. Meg portrays Elizabeth as fragile, chasing dangerous clients and money while trying to stay afloat. The interview begins to reveal the dangerous underworld surrounding the victim.

Returning to Meg for a follow‑up, Henderson discovers Meg and one of her employees dead, their throats slashed. The brutal discovery deepens the mystery and binds the case to a network of powerful clients and secrecy. Henderson starts to link Elizabeth's life to the brothel’s operations and the occult rumors swirling around them.

Henderson interrogates the building superintendent and shows him Elizabeth's crucifix, hoping for a witness or clue. The superintendent refuses to talk, adding to the wall of silence around the building. This lack of cooperation pushes Henderson to consider hidden powers at work behind the scenes.

Henderson meets Jimmy, Elizabeth’s gay roommate, who recalls her rare kindness and their long friendship. Jimmy hints at a new, wealthy client and Elizabeth’s increasingly erratic behavior in the days before her death. His recollections provide a personal glimpse into the victim’s life and fears.

Henderson escorts Jimmy back to Elizabeth's apartment, but they are ambushed by an unseen assailant who shoots Jimmy dead. A tense shootout then unfolds as the attacker flees, eventually taking to a docked boat. The violence underscores the reach of the case beyond the immediate crime scene.

Parallel to the investigation, Elizabeth visits Sandra, a fellow heroin addict detoxing in the hospital, seeking help and information. The hospital scenes expose the depth of her addiction and isolation from the world she’s trying to leave behind. This helps illuminate Elizabeth’s state of mind in her final weeks.

Elizabeth meets Keerson, a mysterious French-Canadian man who owns the building that Meg runs from. She expects a transactional encounter, but Keerson instead has her disrobe and tells him her life story. The meeting marks a turning point toward an occult framework rather than a simple sexual exchange.

Elizabeth grows paranoid after suspecting Keerson’s associates are following her, though Meg tries to reassure her and downplay the danger. The fear tightens around her; a sense of surveillance foreshadows the ritualistic events to come. The tension blends with Elizabeth’s deteriorating mental state.

Elizabeth arrives at the brothel for the promised large payoff, the prelude to the occult rites. Meg drugs Elizabeth’s drink to subdue her ahead of the ritual. Elizabeth senses something is wrong but is overwhelmed by fatigue and fear as the night unfolds.

Keerson, revealed as a Roman Catholic priest, and other occultists begin a Black Mass inside the brothel. He offers Elizabeth a desecrated host from a pyx, a ritual act that shatters her resolve. Moments after taking the host, Elizabeth leaps from the window to her death, interrupting the ceremony.

Henderson follows Keerson’s trail to his parish, convinced he is behind Elizabeth’s death. Keerson admits forsaking his faith for Satan and reveals that he performed the Black Mass that night. The confession marks a shift from criminal investigation to spiritual warfare in Henderson’s mind.

In a climactic confrontation, Keerson reveals telepathic knowledge of Henderson’s life and hints at possession. Henderson shoots Keerson multiple times, and the priest dies with the line, You have set me free. The act closes the fragmentary case but leaves Henderson changed by the encounter.