There’s Always a Price Tag

Glyn Nash rescues Erle Dester from being run over in a drunken state on a city street. Dester takes Nash home and hires him as his personal assistant and chauffeur, despite warnings from his wife Helen. Nash agrees to the job, hoping to learn what is really going on.

Dester reveals that he is a heavy drinker and broke, warning that he may lose everything. Nash observes that Helen is 'up to no good' and senses trouble in the marriage. The director's fragile situation becomes a catalyst for Nash's growing suspicion.

Helen repeatedly warns Nash to leave and even offers him money to quit, but her threats only push him to stay and pry further. Her manipulation hints at a deeper plot surrounding Dester's wealth. Nash begins to realize that she is dangerous.

Nash decides to join with Helen to pursue Dester's money, and perhaps the wife herself. He confronts Helen, admits that he knows her schemes, and they secretly agree to eliminate Dester. The two plot the murder in a bid to gain control of the director's fortune.

Dester calls them to his room and declares that he will kill himself unless murder can be proven, noting that his lawyer and the insurance agent will detect any fake claims. He then shoots himself, leaving Nash and Helen stunned by the turn of events.

Shocked but pragmatic, Nash and Helen decide to cover up the suicide as a murder. They hide the body in the freezer and start spreading the story that Dester is out of town, buying time to plan the alibi. The cover-up marks the beginning of a creeping web of deception.

Nash devises a plan to make Dester appear ill and to take him to a sanatorium, followed by a staged ransom kidnapping. They recruit Marian, the housemaid, to act as a witness in the house and bolster their ruse. The plan aims to accelerate the narrative of Dester's disappearance.

They drive to a remote area where Nash ties Helen to stage the kidnapping, while telling the police she is missing. Before tying her, Nash beats her to make injuries look real, but the beating unintentionally results in her death.

Nash discovers Dester's will, which leaves everything to him, including the insurance money. This revelation threatens the legality and credibility of their alleged murder scheme.

In the ensuing investigation, police chief, Maddux, and Detective Harmas close in on the case. Nash tries to twist the story by claiming Dester murdered his wife and then killed himself, while he hides the will to maintain the hoax.

Nash confides in Marian, who leaves the house in shock, signaling that the truth may be slipping away. With Marian gone, Nash doubles down on his deception to salvage his position and escape exposure.

Nash places Dester's preserved body in the study and fabricates a typed suicide note to reinforce the murder-suicide illusion. The police review the scene, realize the web of lies, and Nash is arrested.