Time Table 1956

Train heist begins with Dr. Sloane on board

Paul Bruckner, posing as Dr. Sloane, boards a train passing through Arizona and gains access to a physician's bag. He blows the safe and steals a cash payroll of $500,000. This marks the start of a meticulously planned caper, not a spur-of-the-moment robbery.

Escape with the false patient and ambulance

Bruckner and the supposed patient Lombard disembark at a remote small town with a hospital. They escape in an ambulance with the money, far from any scheduled train stop. The getaway is staged to look routine while concealing the theft.

Phoenix learns of the robbery

Railroad officials realize the robbery only when the train reaches Phoenix hours later. The delay gives the thieves a head start and complicates the investigation. A nationwide search begins as the motive and method come into focus.

Investigators are assigned to the case

The insurance company assigns Charlie Norman as claim investigator, forcing him to postpone a Mexico vacation with his wife Ruth. Joe Armstrong, a veteran railroad policeman, joins him to unravel the case. They begin connecting the dots behind the elaborate scheme.

Evidence of an intricately timed plan emerges

Clues surface that the ambulance theft occurred before the robbery and was followed by a desert dump and a stolen helicopter escape. The evidence points to a timetable that the thieves rigidly followed. The caper reads as a carefully choreographed operation rather than a spontaneous crime.

Lombard shoots himself and disrupts the plan

During the escape, Lombard accidentally shoots himself, forcing Bruckner and the money to stay behind with him. This misstep disrupts the meticulously planned timetable and demands improvisation. The trio must adapt quickly to salvage the loot.

Charlie’s Mexico plan and Linda’s role

Charlie reveals his secret plan to disappear in Mexico with Linda, who pretends to be Lombard's wife. Bruckner joins the plot strictly for the cash, drawn by the opportunity to start anew. The trio begins aligning on how to press forward despite the setback.

They wait for the investigation to cool

Charlie decides that they should wait out the investigation before attempting another move to Mexico. Joe and Charlie continue piecing together the evidence while the window for a clean exit narrows. The waiting game tests loyalties and nerves.

Joe uncovers Wolfe; Charlie foresees double-cross

Joe discovers an accomplice who leads to Wolfe, the owner of the stolen helicopter. Charlie realizes that Bruckner and Wolfe have double-crossed him, and Lombard was killed to keep the deal intact. The betrayal signals that the loot will not be so easily divided.

Wolfe is silenced with a staged suicide

Charlie's confrontation with Wolfe turns fatal as he shoots Wolfe and makes it look like a suicide. The double-cross is silenced just as the net tightens. The killer’s own fate becomes entwined with the fate of the loot.

Bruckner attempts border crossing and dies; Linda escapes

Bruckner tries to cross the U.S.–Mexico border with Linda but is killed by police during a routine check. Linda escapes, leaving the border unimpeded for now. The investigators redouble efforts to track the remaining players and the loot.

Ruth uncovers the money and returns it

Meanwhile Ruth, Charlie's wife, discovers the stolen money after a prank involving fishing gear in the briefcase. She returns the money anonymously to the insurance company, removing a major obstacle from Charlie's plan. This twist complicates the heist’s balance of loyalties.

Charlie stash and plans to smuggle the loot

Charlie sees an opportunity to escape and stashes his cut of the money in a briefcase to smuggle into Mexico. He suspects Bruckner has already arranged for another escape with Linda. The stash marks a new ticking clock toward the final showdown.

Final pursuit toward Mexico

Joe and Charlie pursue Linda to Mexico, convinced she holds the rest of the loot. The chase intensifies as loyalties fracture and the plan unravels. The pursuit reveals that nothing can be kept hidden forever.