Vern infiltrates the Philcott abode, determined to uncover the truth about his father-in-law's alleged murder. Alma attempts to deflect suspicion with Isabel's confession, yet Vern remains unswayed. He reveals to Alma the existence of a photograph, possibly snapped by the murderer, leaving Alma bewildered about how a killer could gain access to such items.
Alma, pondering how a murderer might have procured those drugs, rushes upstairs in search of Bertram's diary. She remembers that Isabel had entrusted Carlo's cat to Bertram on the day Carlo met his demise. Vern refuses to let Alma escape scrutiny, and her evasive tone only heightens his curiosity.
The thought of eliminating Vern consumes Alma's mind. Suddenly, she receives the news that Bertram has been shot. Dee informs Vern that she's heading to the store for eggs, both of them harboring secrets they wish to share. However, their encounter is abruptly cut short by Detective Roman, who escorts Dee to the station for a discussion regarding Mrs. Yost.
Rita, desperate for money to aid Scooter, discovers that Catherine has fled, leaving her home securely padlocked. Seeking a fresh start, Rita invites Scooter to join her in New York. Their passionate kiss is interrupted by Scooter's dream of becoming a writer.
Vern's landlord approaches him, voicing his dissatisfaction with renting to Dee, whom he deems unsavory. Bertram, miraculously unharmed, reveals that his flask had saved him from the bullet's impact, eliciting a chuckle from the attending doctor.
Alma jolts Bertram from his slumber with her grim news, including the urgency of eliminating Vern. Ignoring her, Bertram drifts back into slumber. Alma scrambles to devise a plan, only to be interrupted by Rita emerging from Scooter's room.
Alma visits Scooter, revealing that the child he had unknowingly fathered is his own. The shocking revelation leaves Scooter stunned. Alma slyly pockets one of his cufflinks before exiting.
Dee's fingerprints are discovered on all the valuables she had returned to Mrs. Yost's house. She concocts a lie, but Roman sees through her deception, sensing she's shielding someone. He brings up her parents, just as Vern bursts into the room.
Vern and Detective Roman, comrades in arms, fought valiantly in Marseille, with Vern enduring enemy fire to carry the detective a mile to safety. Now, Vern leverages that tale of bravery. Both Vern and Dee hold knowledge of Dee's parents that the other lacks.
Outside a gun shop, Alma unexpectedly bumps into Mavis. Alma has hastily arranged a vote for garden club president tonight, as she's unopposed. She's plotted every detail. Bertram returns home, and Alma grasps a firearm in her hands. Tonight, Alma intends to eliminate Vern, devising a plan to pin the blame on Scooter.
Scooter is displeased that Rita kept the secret of his child from him. He reasons that if Dee doesn't need him, perhaps his unborn child does. Rita hopes he'll meet her at O'Dwyer's Tavern around six to provide her with the latest news. "Geez, Rita," he mutters. "I wish you'd told me sooner about the baby."
Dee is incredulous at Vern's revelations. She refuses to believe a word he says and begs him to keep the truth hidden. She's an accomplice, unless he confesses. Does she want their child to be born in a jail cell? She denies it, saying she needs time to think, to find a solution.
Dee encounters Scooter on the street, who has brought a cuddly teddy bear for the unborn baby. Rita sits alone on a park bench, holding two tickets, when Grace approaches her. Grace is ashamed by how the club turned its back on her, especially now realizing the true meaning of betrayal. She left the club, unable to bear Alma's coronation.
Rita is astonished by Alma's social prowess. Grace then plants a seed of suspicion. Who benefitted more from Rita's imprisonment than Alma?
Bertram calls Vern to the clinic, inviting him to ask any questions he might have. Dee doesn't want to hinder Scooter's dreams. Though he considers abandoning his plans to move to New York, Dee insists he should go. She hopes to tell their child about Scooter when they're older.
Scooter rushes to the tavern, searching for Rita, but she's nowhere to be found. Paparazzi swarm outside the garden club event, delighting Alma. But Rita interrupts, asking Alma to meet her behind the restaurant.
Bertram and Vern engage in casual conversation. Bertram admits that Alma would want him to spin another lie, and then he aims a gun at Vern. Rita has deduced that Alma murdered Carlo and framed her. Alma isn't surprised it took Rita so long to figure it out. Women like Rita always underestimate women like Alma, who only desire to be seen.
Rita realizes with a shudder that Alma was the one who had also taken her life. Intent on exposing the truth to the world, she prepared to speak out. But Alma, seizing an ice pick, silenced her forever.
With a defiant speech on scandal, Alma raises her arm, revealing a stole stained with crimson. She decides to flee, just as Scooter arrives, searching for Rita.
Alma returns home to a dimly lit abode, filled with the flicker of candlelight. Her accomplice, who had assumed the blame for every heinous act, had confessed to Vern that he was the guilty party. He knew that if Alma had killed Vern, she would have been caught. He begged Vern to bid him farewell before he summoned the authorities. Vern, always sparing others, would now spare Alma the ordeal of a trial.
As Alma notices the blood on her stole, Bertram offers to take her with him. She agrees, their departure timed to the blaring of sirens in the distance. He turns on the music, a fitting soundtrack for a beautiful death—even for them.
Just as he injects himself with a fatal dose, Alma pulls away. She can still salvage this! She excels in thinking on her feet. While beauty is admirable, being cunning and just a touch ruthless is far superior.
Dee and Vern arrive at Bertram's lifeless body, only to find Alma tinkering with his glasses. She desired a small keepsake, and so she affixed a tag to them. Alma, now the most renowned murderer in American history, basks in the glory, imagining herself at a grand premiere rather than walking towards her inevitable fate.
