Too Late

Dorothy calls Mel Samson from a nature trail near downtown Los Angeles, saying she needs his help because bad guys are after her. She explains the danger and asks him to come as soon as possible. This call sets the stage for the events that follow in the film.

On the trail, Dorothy chats with Skippy Fontaine, a park ranger who seems friendly at first. Suddenly Fontaine attacks and strangles her. A dead body is later seen nearby, signaling that her death is not an accident.

Jesse and Matthew discover Dorothy's body and immediately fear that she overdosed on the drugs they gave her. They flee the scene to avoid being implicated in her death. Their panic triggers Samson's involvement as he begins his own investigation.

Samson arrives at the nature trail to assess the scene, but he is too late to save Dorothy. He surveys the aftermath and starts piecing together what really happened.

Samson goes to Gordy's home, claiming he was in a car accident and needs to use their phone. Inside, he talks with Gordy and his wife Janet, gathering information that could explain Dorothy's death. The visit marks a shift from a direct murder scene to uncovering a motive connected to Gordy.

Samson reveals that Dorothy had photographs of Gordy receiving oral sex from another stripper, exposing Gordy's infidelity. He presents this as the motive behind Dorothy's murder. Gordy, Roger Fontaine, and Janet react to the bombshell during the confrontation.

Provoked by Samson's revelations, Janet shoots Gordy and Roger and then turns the gun on herself. The house erupts in gunfire, and the trio's deaths alter the course of the investigation. Samson mutters about the fragility of life as the scene ends.

In a sequence that would have occurred earlier chronologically, Samson sits in a strip club and is offered a lap dance by Jill, which he declines. He then spots Dorothy and tries to invite her for a drink, but she diverts him and leaves without him noticing.

Samson goes to a neighboring club where a friend's band is performing. Dorothy waits for him and eventually joins him in a photo booth, where he plays guitar and they share a song.

In the late segment, Samson confronts Skippy Fontaine about the past. Fontaine stabs him with a broken bottle during a struggle, and Samson dies with Jill by his side. He shows Jill the Jilly Bean tattoo he got in her honor.

Samson visits Dorothy's grandmother and Mary to offer to take Dorothy's case for free, acting out of loyalty. In private, he hints at a past relationship with Dorothy's mother Mary, implying he is Dorothy's father.

After the private talk, Jesse and Matthew shoot Samson in the chest as they flee. He survives the wound, gets into his car, and drives off, energized by the photos he and Dorothy took the night they met.