Lila Crane (Vera Miles)’s Timeline and Summary
- Lila returns from a business trip to discover that her sister has disappeared, and has perhaps stolen money.
- She goes to Fairvale California to see if Sam Loomis, her sister's boyfriend, is involved.
- Detective Arbogast shows up and tells Lila and Sam that he is going to find Marion and the money on behalf of Marion's boss.
- Arbogast agrees to work with Lila and Sam. After looking around town, he calls them and tells them he's traced Marion to the Bates Motel.
- Arbogast then disappears. Lila convinces Sam that the two of them need to act.
- Sam goes to the Bates Motel, but can't find Arbogast.
- Lila and Sam contact the local sheriff, who does nothing. So they go to the Bates Motel, pretending to be man and wife.
- Sam distracts Norman while Lila searches the house.
- Norman gets suspicious and knocks Sam out.
- Norman returns to the house, forcing Lila to hide in the fruit cellar.
- There she discovers Mrs. Bates' corpse. She screams, and Norman, dressed as his mother, bursts in with a knife to kill her.
- But Sam appears at the last minute and disarms Norman.
- Norman is taken into custody. Sam and Lila listen to the psychiatrist explain Norman's pathology.
- Lila learns that her sister is dead. The psychiatrist isn't very gentle about telling her… but it's not a gentle movie.