Character Relationship Map: Shoot to Kill

Characters

• Charlie Gill (played by Vince Barnett) — supporting

  A janitor who services a hidden Dictaphone in Lawrence Dale's office. He is connected to the recording that may expose Dale's dealings, but two thugs discover him, take him away, and push him down an...

• Gus Miller (played by Nestor Paiva) — supporting

  A powerful underworld figure who works with Lawrence Dale and other gangsters. He helps control the paid witnesses, supports threats against Marian, and uses violence to protect the criminal arrangeme...

• Ed Carter (played by Robert Riordan) — supporting

  A gangster allied with Gus Miller and Mike Blake. Lawrence Dale manipulates Carter by promising to help him against the other two men, then uses the arrangement to charge the gangsters and enhance his...

• Mike Blake (played by Harry Cheshire) — supporting

  One of Gus Miller's gangster associates and a participant in the criminal network surrounding Lawrence Dale. Dale separately persuades him to cooperate against the other gangsters, then charges all of...

• District Attorney John Forsythe (played by Charles Trowbridge) — supporting

  The ailing district attorney whose position Lawrence Dale hopes to inherit. Marian sends him the evidence against Dale, and he appears at Marian's bedside with that material after the crash. His recei...

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• District Attorney John Forsythe → Charlie Gill (Narrative Indirect Connection) — Forsythe becomes the official recipient of evidence arising from the criminal investigation.

  Forsythe receives the evidence that was mailed to him near the end of the story, while Gill's death is part of the chain of events that exposes the cr...

• Mike Blake → Ed Carter (Alliance Gang Associate) — Blake and Carter share membership in the criminal group surrounding Miller.

  Blake and Carter are present with Miller as fellow gangsters during the discussion about Gill and the secretary.

• Gus Miller → Ed Carter (Alliance Criminal Associate) — Miller and Carter initially cooperate as members of the same underworld group.

  Miller meets the prosecutor alongside Blake and Carter, who are identified as fellow gangsters.

• Gus Miller → Mike Blake (Alliance Criminal Associate) — Miller and Blake operate within the same criminal organization, although Miller later turns against him.

  Miller appears in the prosecutor's office together with Blake and Carter, and the three are described as fellow gangsters.

• Gus Miller → Charlie Gill (Conflict Criminal Adversary) — Miller is connected to the criminal side responsible for removing Gill as a perceived threat.

  Miller explains that Gill was killed because he was one of Logan's men. Gill is then abducted and pushed down an elevator shaft by gangsters.

Story Analysis

A criminal conspiracy surrounding a wrongful conviction expands into political manipulation, betrayal, and a fatal escape.

Plot Progression

1. The Crash And The Flashback — A fleeing vehicle crashes, leaving an injured survivor to recount the hidden events behind the disaster. The story moves backward to the prosecutor's office and the hiring of a new secretary.
2. A Recorder In The Shadows — A wrongful conviction and the presence of a powerful gangster establish the criminal network. Gill's death and the discovery of the hidden Dictaphone reveal that the secretary may possess dangerous kn...
3. Marriage And Blackmail — A marriage is followed by an assassination attempt and a private accusation of corruption. Secret evidence becomes leverage against the prosecutor and Miller's organization.
4. Confessions And Betrayals — Paid witnesses produce written confessions, but the evidence is withheld and the witnesses are killed. The prosecutor manipulates Miller, Blake, and Carter against one another while gaining political...
5. The Last Double-Cross — Evidence is mailed to Forsythe as Miller confronts the prosecutor. Their temporary alliance turns into a violent flight that leads back to the opening crash and a guarded resolution.