he tells her to leave. Debby reluctantly returns to Stone's penthouse. He accuses her of talking to Bannion about his activities and throws a pot of boiling coffee in her face. Higgins, who had been playing poker with Stone and his group there, takes her to a hospital. Debby returns to Bannion at his hotel; the left side of her face badly burned and half-covered in bandages. For protection, he puts her in a hotel room close to his. Debby identifies the man who had arranged the planting of the car bomb as Larry Gordon, one of Stone's associates. She also tells him where Gordon is staying at. Bannion forces Gordon to admit to the car-bombing, and to reveal that Duncan's widow is blackmailing Stone and Lagana with incriminating documents. Bannion does not kill Gordon, but promises to spread the word that he talked. Afterward, Gordon is killed by Stone's men. Bannion then confronts Mrs. Duncan, accusing her of betraying Lucy Chapman and protecting Lagana and Stone. With his hands at her throat, Bannion tells Mrs. Duncan that if she is killed, the evidence she has against Lagana will be revealed. Before Bannion can follow through on his threats, cops sent by Lagana arrive, and he is forced to leave. Bannion goes to deal with Stone when Wilks arrives, now prepared to take a stand against the mob and his corrupt boss. Debby goes to Mrs. Duncan and starts talking about their respective associations with gangsters. When Mrs. Duncan attempts to phone Stone for help, Debby shoots her dead. Bannion tails Stone, who returns to his penthouse, where Debby has been waiting for him. She throws boiling coffee in his face in an act of revenge. In retaliation, Stone shoots her. After a short gun battle, Bannion captures Stone. As Debby dies on the floor, she confesses to shooting Mrs. Duncan. Stone is arrested for murder and officer Duncan's damning evidence in the note he left behind for the D.A. is made public. Lagana and Higgins are indicted, and Bannion is reinstated to his job as a homicide detective. Cast Production The film was based on a fictional serial by William P. McGivern, which appeared in the Saturday Evening Post from December 1952 and was published as a novel in 1953. Initially, McGivern's novel was to be produced by Jerry Wald, who wanted either Paul Muni, George Raft or Edward