Fact1: beatnik named sits at table in coffee house with woman, Fact2: table announces engagement to younger woman, Fact3: Hess modus is to gain entry to home of married woman, Fact4: Hess is hit by car Leaving scene of first assault portrayed in film, Fact5: Culloran writes down name and address and word After getting out of Culloran 's car foreshadowing later rape of Culloran 's wife
Output: In the opening scene, a beatnik named Stan Hess Ray Danton sits at a table in a coffee house with a woman who begs him for his affection. He scorns her, then encounters his father at another table, who announces his engagement to a younger woman who had also pursued Stan. He insults his stepmothertobe and departs. Hess is established as a womanhating habitue of a stereotyped and sensationalized beatnik scene. Soon after, we learn that Hess is a serial rapist at large in Los Angeles. His modus operandi is to gain entry to the home of a married woman whose husband is away by pretending to be there to repay money loaned by the husband. Once inside, he feigns a headache, pulls out a tin of aspirin, and asks the woman for water. While she is distracted by this errand, he sneaks up behinds her, and then assaults and rapes her. He leaves the tin of aspirin behind as his calling card, leading the police to call him The Aspirin Kid. Leaving the scene of the first assault portrayed in the film, he is nearly hit by a car. The driver, who is a police detective named Culloran Steve Cochran, gives him a lift, and the two engage in conversation. The rapist calls himself Arthur Garret, and as the two talk, he learns that Culloran is married, and sees his address on an envelope on the car seat. After getting out of Cullorans car, he writes down the name and address, and the word married, foreshadowing his later rape of Cullorans wife. Coincidentally, the case of The Aspirin Kid is assigned to Culloran and his partner, Baron Jackie Coogan. Culloran is a twice married man whose first marriage has made him suspicious of women. They have a suspect, a Beatnik called Art Jester James Mitchum who fits a description of The Aspirin Kid but his alibi checks out. HessGarrett calls Culloran at the police station, and lures him to a rendezvous at a night club by promising to turn himself in. Instead of coming to the club, though, he goes to Cullorans home and attacks his wife, Francee Fay Spain, also telling her his name is Arthur Garret. Culloran becomes obsessed with catching the rapist on his own without telling his colleagues that his wife has been raped. Francee later finds out she is pregnant. The possibility that the child may have been fathered by the rapist sows discord between the Cullorans, and stokes Detective Cullorans obsession with avenging the rape. The couple argue over their ambivalence about the child and Francees desire to have an abortion, leading Francee to turn to Barons wife first, and then Baron for advice. Garrett persuades Jester to try to throw Culloran off the track by committing a similar attack on a woman named Georgia Altera Mamie Van Doren at a time when Garrett couldnt possibly be involved. But the cops know that Garrett is their man. Jester and Altera fall for each other. At a party near the beach, the deranged Culloran attempts to capture Garrett. After an elaborate scubadiving chase sequences, Culloran captures and beats up Garrett coming close to killing him before Baron intervenes. Culloran comes to his senses and returns to Francee, who gives birth.