‘Laroy, Texas’ Ending Explained: What Decision Did Ray Ultimately Make?

What happens when a hardware store manager is mistaken for a contract killer? Directed by Shane Atkinson, LaRoy, Texas is a comedy thriller that is all about the chaos that ensued after Ray was paid to kill a target by a random stranger outside a shady motel. Harry was brilliant at his job as a hitman, and the film began with a display of how smoothly he got his job done. Harry was appointed for a job at LaRoy, Texas, but strangely, the client did not stick to his end of the bargain. He was disappointed and also determined to ensure that he was paid for the time wasted.

Spoiler Alert

Was Adam LeDoux involved in the murder case?

Life had always been quite unfair for Ray, and his lack of confidence was often the reason behind all his trouble. He refused to believe that the ones who were supposed to love and take care of him were the ones plotting behind his back. When a private detective and Ray’s old pal, Skip, handed him pictures of his wife at a shady motel, Ray refused to believe that Stacy-Lynn could ever betray him. He saw through her lies, but he never found the courage to confront her. Instead, he decided to commit suicide outside the motel when, all of a sudden, a man got in his car and handed him cash to kill a target. Upon being called a pushover, Ray decided it was time that he proved to the world that he was capable of doing something as drastic as murder. Marrying Stacy-Lynn, a local beauty pageant winner, was the greatest moment in Ray’s life. He was not ready to let go of her, and his next best option was to hand her the money she needed to start a salon in the hopes that she would stay.

Ray did not care to dispose the body after he murdered lawyer James Barlow. The police discovered the body pretty soon, and they found a picture of Stacy-Lynn with the corpse. She was brought to the police station for questioning, and when Ray found out about it, he realized that he had made a rookie mistake. The only person who knew that Ray had murdered the lawyer was Skip. He could either inform the police about it or he could build a case out of it. He realized that if he found the missing cash from James Barlow’s office safe before the police did, the local policemen would finally pay him some respect. But Ray had other plans. He was hopeful that he could prove his wife’s innocence after getting to the bottom of the case, and he wanted to recover the missing cash to win her over.

During their investigation into the missing cash, they learned from James Barlow’s associate that the lawyer was dealing with a blackmail case for Adam LeDoux. Ray walked into the LeDoux car dealership store to have a word with Adam. The mention of the blackmail left Adam agitated, and Ray was forced to leave the store. LeDoux later met Ray and Skip in their car with a gun in his hand. Upon finding out that Ray’s wife was in trouble, Adam told them his side of the story. 

Apparently, Adam had an affair with a young dancer at the bar, and when he tried to break up with her, she started to blackmail him. She demanded 250,000 dollars to keep his secret from his wife. Adam had confessed the truth to his wife, but even then, he agreed to pay her the blackmail to keep the affair from his clientele. He had appointed James Barlow to hand over the cash to the girl, but before he could do so, he was murdered. Adam hoped to get the money back, and Ray and Skip decided to meet Angie, the exotic dancer, with whom Adam was briefly in love.

Who had paid Ray to murder James Barlow?

Skip was well familiar with Angie from Sunset Lounge, and he and Ray arrived at her place. Skip did not expect to walk into her house and find her boyfriend lying dead on the floor. They were told a hitman was responsible for the killing. When Skip questioned her about the blackmail money, she confessed the whole truth. Adam LeDoux had lied to them about him falling in love with Angie. He came up with a plan to fool his wife, and he was willing to pay Angie ten percent if she agreed to play her part. Adam’s wife had inherited a large fortune from her father, and Adam had devised a way to make her pay. He lied about his relationship with Angie and asked his wife for the blackmail money. The plan was for Angie to receive the money and hand it over to Adam after keeping her cut. But everything fell apart when Angie’s boyfriend started making decisions. He thought that ten percent was not enough, and that was why he hired a hitman to kill James Barlow. While he assumed he would get to keep all the money for himself, he ended up hiring the wrong guy and eventually getting himself killed by the actual hitman. After finding out about the money involved, Harry was hellbent on getting his hands on it.

Where was the money?

An unexpected turn of events left Ray and Skip completely shocked. They were at a bar when Ray was approached by men sent by Mrs. Midge LeDoux. They wanted Ray and Skip to accompany them to their employer’s house, and the duo agreed to it. Midge confessed that she had her men break into James Barlow’s safe, but quite surprisingly, they did not find the money there. Midge was not the timid wife that she appeared to be. She was well aware of her husband’s scheming ways, but leaving him was never an option for her. She looked forward to the good days with him, and they made her bad days bearable. She had inherited her father’s fortune, but she ended up draining most of it due to Adam’s gambling habits. When she refused to keep paying his gambling debts, he came up with the blackmailing plan. She initially believed him, but soon she figured out the truth. Midge continued with the pretense, and she planned to take back the money from the lawyer’s safe. But by the time her men checked the safe, the money was gone. She invited Ray and Skip, hoping that they would help her get back her money.

On their way back from Mrs. LeDoux’s place, Ray solved the puzzle. The conversation with Midge helped him realize that the money was handed to James Barlow, but it never made it to the safe; therefore, the money must have been with the lawyer when he shot him dead. James had a briefcase with him the night he was murdered, and Ray deduced that he was carrying the money in it. They realized that James’ car was towed the night he was shot dead, and Skip entered the official police garage to find the suitcase. Skip celebrated their win upon seeing the suitcase full of money, but he soon realized that Ray had other intentions. Ray pointed his gun at Skip and requested that he hand over the money. Skip reminded him that Stacy-Lynn was not worth ruining their friendship, but Ray never considered Skip his friend. Skip was heartbroken; after all that they had been through, he did not expect Ray to betray him. 

How did Stacy-Lynn and Junior betray Ray?

Ray was well aware that Stacy-Lynn was sleeping with his brother, Junior, but he refused to believe that she would ever leave him. He was hopeful that if he could arrange the money for her beauty salon, Stacy-Lynn would choose to be with him. Junior fooled him all his life, and Ray did not doubt him for a minute. Ray perhaps liked to believe his loved ones, or maybe he was a fool to never question Junior, even after it was evident that he stole money from their business. At the end of LaRoy, Texas, Ray decided to hand over the $250,000 to his wife to convince her to stay married to him. Just like Midge, Ray was desperate to hold on to his scraps of happiness. He took pride in the fact that his wife was once a pageant winner, yet she chose to be with him, and he was not ready to lose the one thing he was proud of. 

Ray called Stacy-Lynn and informed her that he had the money for her salon. When he reached home, Ray found Junior and Stacy-Lynn waiting for him. He realized that Stacy-Lynn had found the cash he received from Angie’s boyfriend, and she had discovered Ray’s connection to the James Barlow murder case. Stacy-Lynn never cared about Ray, and the minute she and Junior realized that they could get the money and put Ray away in prison, they jumped at the opportunity. Ray was arrested and was on his way to the police station when suddenly, a white sedan stopped the police car and Harry shot the officers dead.

What did Ray do with the money?

Harry was still after the money, and he knew that Ray could help him solve the puzzle. Ray managed to escape from the scene, while Skip found the car the police were after parked outside a motel. Harry used Skip’s phone to contact Ray and demanded that he bring the money to him. Ray checked every motel to find his wife and brother. Junior’s boat was an unmissable detail, and after spotting it, Ray walked into their room with his gun in hand. He was done being treated like a pushover. He shot Junior and asked Stacy-Lynn for a divorce. Ray always wondered why Stacy-Lynn married a man like him, and in the end, she admitted that she was at the lowest point of her life and had lost faith in herself when she married Ray. He realized that he could never be anything more than a disappointment in her life. Ray waited in the motel room for Harry and Skip. When they arrived, Harry instructed Ray to hand him the suitcase, and Ray, in return, asked him to let go of Skip. Ray realized that Skip was the only one he could truly trust. He had no ulterior motive and he genuinely considered Ray to be his friend. They had both failed in life, and maybe that was all the more reason Ray could relate to and sympathize with him. Surprisingly, Ray refused to hand over the suitcase to Harry; he had decided that the money must be handed over to the police, and he only trusted Skip with it. Harry and Ray engaged in a gunfight, and Ray was shot. 

During LaRoy, Texas‘ ending, Ray handed the suitcase to Skip in the hopes of doing the right thing. He also wanted to help Skip with his career as a detective, and he knew that solving the case would help him get the respect that he truly deserved. By then, Ray already knew that he would bleed to death, and while he could not do much with his life, he made sure that he at least got it right in the end. 

LaRoy, Texas ends with Harry and Ray shooting at each other after Ray realized that Harry would not leave town unless he got the money. Harry was a threat, and Ray had no other choice but to kill him. By the end of the film, both Harry and Ray were shot and they waited for their deaths. There was nothing more important than respect for Harry, and he chose to risk his life to be rewarded for the time wasted. Stacy-Lynn’s dream was shattered; she could neither start a new life with her lovers nor start her business venture. She found comfort in her past success, and we can imagine she is going to be telling stories about her pageant days all her life. Midge was happy to have her husband in her arms once again; this was the life she chose.