Reggie, an employee of Shell Gordon, gets Cleo involved in a crime. In Lady in the Lake, Josiah Cross plays Reggie.
Before Tessie Durst disappeared, she was last seen entering a fish store where Reggie, a man close to the local kingpin Shell Gordon, was also present.
Reggie is Gordon’s right-hand man. He is deeply trusted by his boss, who knows that Reggie would never betray him.
Gordon loves Reggie like a son and, while Reggie is involved in Gordon’s illegal activities, Gordon avoids making him commit murder, intending to keep Reggie’s conscience and hands clean.
Involving Cleo in an assassination
When Gordon orders Reggie to have Myrtle Summer, a state senator threatening his business, assassinated, Reggie has to find someone to carry out the assassination.
He is already in hot water due to his presence at the fish store on the day Tessie disappeared, so he decides not to make the payment to the assassins himself.
Instead, he sends Cleo, who has recently stopped volunteering for Summer and is now trying to curry favor with Gordon, to do the job.
Reggie lies to Cleo, claiming that the orders for the money drop have come from Gordon and that it is a test of her loyalty. Cleo agrees to the job, but it goes horribly wrong.
The assassins force Cleo at gunpoint to drive them to Summer’s house. The assassination attempt fails, but Cleo knows that it is only a matter of time before the police arrest her.
Cleo, unlike Reggie, is not loyal to Gordon and might name him if arrested. As Cleo becomes a threat to Gordon, Reggie earns Gordon’s disapproval.
Cleo, who is now under threat from both the police and Gordon, promises Reggie that if she goes down, she will take him with her.
Cleo then proposes a deal that would benefit them both: she knows that Gordon’s betting game is rigged and asks Reggie to give her the winning number. She promises to leave town and disappear if Reggie helps her win.
Reggie initially refuses to betray Gordon, but Cleo persuades him by holding him responsible for the state of her best friend, Dora, Reggie’s girlfriend, who has been turned into a drug addict by Gordon to keep her from leaving.
Cleo’s pleas change Reggie’s mind, and he eventually agrees to give her the winning number, leading to Cleo winning a huge sum.
However, before Cleo can leave town, Gordon orders Reggie to clean up his mistakes and kill Cleo. Although reluctant, Reggie has no choice but to go through with it.
Reggie’s sacrifice
Reggie disposes of a body in a fountain in the lake without getting caught by the police. It is later revealed that the body is not Cleo’s.
Reggie did not want to kill Cleo, and he found a way out when Dora overdosed. Unable to save Dora, he decides to save Cleo, even if it means sacrificing himself.
He dresses Dora in Cleo’s clothes, disposes of her body, and helps Cleo disappear. The body is found only when Cleo reports the park lights are not working.
By then, the body is unrecognizable, and it is assumed to be Cleo’s. Reggie and Cleo then join forces against Gordon. They not only steal Gordon’s illegal books but also set his hotel on fire.
Reggie allows Cleo to escape with the accounts, which can be used as evidence against Gordon, while he holds Gordon at gunpoint until the police arrive.
Reggie testifies against Gordon in the murder case of Cleo and the attempted assassination of Summer, allowing Cleo and Slappy to live the life he could never have with Dora.
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