Maltese Falcon Plot Summaries by Chapter
Post on 06-Jul-2018
217 Views
Preview:
Transcript
8/17/2019 Maltese Falcon Plot Summaries by Chapter
1/27
The Maltese Falcon Plot
Summaries by Chapter
by Dashiell Hammett
Chapter 1: Spade & Archer
Miss Wonderly hires Sam Spade, a private
detective, to reunite her ith her sister,
Corinne, ho is ith !loyd "hursby, ho
is described by Miss Wonderly as
dan#erous$ Also, the sister has a dar%past$
"he plan is or Miss Wonderly to meet
"hursby at ni#ht at the hotel, and or
Miles Archer, Spade's partner, to ollo
"hursby, ith the hope o bein# led to
Corinne$
Chapter (: Death in the !o#
Miles Archer is shot in the chest )*pump+
heart- rom close ran#e by one *pill+
)bullet-$ He brea%s throu#h the ence
railin# and alls don the hill$ His #un
and cash are still on his body, hichcomes to rest in an alleyay ).urritt
Street-, o/ .ush and Stoc%ton Streets in
donton San !rancisco
8/17/2019 Maltese Falcon Plot Summaries by Chapter
2/27
Same Spade tells "om Polhaus, the
investi#atin# police o0cer )the *#ood+
cop-, about the ob or Miss Wonderly$
"hen, ater tellin# Polhaus not to crodhim, Spade leaves )12-$
Spade instructs his secretary, 30e
Perrine, to notiy Miles' ie, 4va, ho
Spade ants to avoid$
50cer Polhaus comes to Spade's
apartment, ith 6ieutenant Dundy )the*bad+ cop-, ho is suspicious o Spade$
Ater pressin# Spade, the to o0cers
inorm him that !loyd "hursby as shot
outside a hotel in the middle o the ni#ht$
He as shot our times in the bac%, ith a
$77 or $78, rom across the street$ "here
ere no itnesses$ "hursby as earin#
a 6u#er in a shoulder9holster$ He had
been at the hotel a ee%$
Spade claims to have no %noled#e o
"hursby$ 6ieutenant Dundy tells Spade
*$ $ $ you'll #et a suare deal out o me,
and most o the brea%s+ )(8-$
Chapter ;: "hree Women
8/17/2019 Maltese Falcon Plot Summaries by Chapter
3/27
4va Archer, Miles' ie, is aitin# at
Spade's o0ce$ 30e Perrine recounts to
Sam her visit to 4va per his instructions$
She says that 4va had ust arrived homehen 30e #ot there, due to her clothes
and bed sheets$ Sam insists, hoever,
that 4va did not %ill Miles$
Sam sees 4va in his o0ce$ 4t is clear that
Sam and 4va have been havin# an a/air,
and thus each had a motive to %ill Miles$Ater 4va leaves, 30e and Sam discuss
Sam's predicament
8/17/2019 Maltese Falcon Plot Summaries by Chapter
4/27
tourin# car$ "he orardin# address as
the Ambassador, 6os An#eles$
Spade returns to his o0ce to =nd that
Miss Wonderly called, ants to seeSpade, and is at the Coronet Hotel on
Caliornia Street, apartment 11, under
the name Miss 6eblanc$ Spade burns the
paper ith the ino, and leaves$
Chapter 7: "he .lac% .ird
At the Coronet, Miss Wonderly admits her
real name is .ri#id 5'Shau#hnessy and
that the story about a sister as a lie$
Spade says he didn't believe the story,
only her ($ When 5'Shau#hnessy
pleads ith Spade or help and bemoans
the death o Miles Archer, Spade responds
by notin# that .ri#id 5'Shau#hnessy is a
#ood liar and a dan#erous person$
5$ recounts hat happened the previous
ni#ht: She ent to dinner ith !loyd
"hursby, returned to the hotel, then
atched Miles Archer ollo "hursbydon the street$ She o%e the neEt
mornin#, ent to brea%ast, sa the
nespaper headline o Miles death, then
returned to her hotel$ She mentions that
8/17/2019 Maltese Falcon Plot Summaries by Chapter
5/27
her room had been searched the previous
day hile she as at Sam Spade's o0ce$
Spade says he needs to %no more i he
is to help her$ 5$ indicates that she met!loyd "hursby in the 5rient, and came
ith him to San !rancisco rom Hon#
Fon# the previous ee%@ and that
"hursby betrayed her, thou#h she on't
#ive the details$ She describes "hursby
as alays armed and careul insae#uardin# his room beore retirin# to
bed, and she states "hursby is certainly
the one ho %illed Miles$
5$ does indicate that her lie is at sta%e,
but she on't #ive Spade anythin#
beyond that$ Spade ma%es to leave but
then sits bac% don and as%s ho much
money 5$ has$ He ta%es it all and tells
her to hoc% her eelry$
Spade sees a man about the possibility o
not cooperatin# ith police under the
#uise o privile#ed secrets beteen him
and his client$
Spade returns to the o0ce ith optimism$
30e tells Spade to trust Miss
5'Shau#hnessy, and arns him not to
bleed her dry o money$
8/17/2019 Maltese Falcon Plot Summaries by Chapter
6/27
Goel Cairo arrives in Spade's o0ce$ He
has 6evantine eatures, a hi#h9pitched
thin voice, sits primly, dresses neatly and
eEtrava#antly, and carries a scent ochypre, a perume that ori#inates in the
Mediterranean$ )Chypre is !rench or
Cyprus, an island in the Mediterranean$-
Alon# ith other characteriations o Goel
Cairo, he has a eminine uality$
Cairo eEpresses his condolences orArcher's death, then indicates he ould
li%e to pay Spade 8 or the recovery
o a blac% statuette$
Ater 30e says #oodni#ht and leaves,
Cairo pulls a pistol on Spade$
Chapter 8: "he 6evantine )"his ord
su##ests a Middle 3astern ori#in, such as
6ebanon, Syria, or 4srael$-
Spade ta%es the #un aay and punches
out Cairo, then eEamines the contents o
Cairo's poc%ets$ 4tems such as Arabic
ritin# and Chinese coins su##est orldtravels$ Cairo also has a nespaper
article on the deaths o Archer and
8/17/2019 Maltese Falcon Plot Summaries by Chapter
7/27
"hursby, as ell as Spade's o0ce and
home addresses$
Cairo re#ains consciousness$ Spade
a#rees to or% or Cairo: 8 i Spadecan =nd the blac% statuette$ 4n the
course o the conversation, another
unnamed person is mentioned as involved
in the pursuit o the blac% statuette$
Chapter : "he Indersied Shado
6ater on, Spade leaves his o0ce and isolloed by an *undersied youth o
tenty or tenty9one+ )87-$
At a theatre, Cairo says that he does not
reco#nie the youth, so Spade posits that
the youth *mi#ht be one o the others+
)8J-$
Spade sha%es the tail, and #oes to .ri#id
5'Shau#hnessy$ A lon# conversation
ensues in hich 5$ plays the part o the
ea%, vulnerable #irl, hich Spade sees
throu#h as a pretense$
He tells 5$ about Cairo's o/er o 8
or the blac% bird, his =rst mention o thestatuette, hich upsets 5$, ho acts as i
Spade %ne all alon# she as pursuin#
the bird$ 5$ then accuses Spade o bein#
8/17/2019 Maltese Falcon Plot Summaries by Chapter
8/27
disloyal@ on the other hand, Spade is
rustrated by her lac% o candor and trust
Spade and 5$ arran#e to meet Cairo at
Spade's apartment$ At the apartment,the youth is standin# on a corner$ 4va
Archer is in a sedan$ Spade spea%s ith
4va, ho ants to come up$ Spade says
no, so 4da drives o/$
Chapter J: K in the Air
Spade tells 5$ the story o a man named!litcrat, ho let his amily and suburban
lie ater he as almost hit by a beam
allin# rom a buildin#$ Ater comin# to
San !rancisco, he *andered around and
then drited bac% to the >orthest+ )-$
"hereater, he married another oman,
started another amily, and settled bac%
into the same predictable suburban lie$
Cairo arrives$ Discussion turns to the
*alcon$+ 5$ as%s Cairo i he is prepared
to #ive them 8 no i they )5 and
SpadeL- turn over the alcon$ 5$ says that
"hursby had hid it beore he as %illed,and that she thin%s she %nos here it is$
.ut both Cairo's payment and 5$'s
%noled#e are compromised hen each is
8/17/2019 Maltese Falcon Plot Summaries by Chapter
9/27
as%ed or promises to do the deal
immediately$
Cairo indicates he or%s or the bird's
oner, hose name is noted as K$ 5$ saysshe is sellin# to #et rid o it so she
doesn't end up li%e "hursby$
Cairo and 5$ snipe at each other over the
youth or *boy$+ 4t is su##ested they
ou#ht over the boy's a/ections, and
Cairo on$ 5$ slaps Cairo, ho slaps herbac%$ Spade #rabs Cairo by the throat
and disarms him, at hich point the door9
bell rin#s$
Dundy and Polhaus are at the door$ "hey
as% Spade i he as havin# an a/air ith
4va Archer$ He denies it, but Dundy calls
him a liar$ Ater conversation around the
li%elihood o Spade havin# %illed Archer
andor !loyd "hursby, Spade reuses to
let the o0cers in, but a scream rom
ithin leads to their enterin# Spade's
apartment$
Ch$ 2: Horse !eathers
Ipon enterin#, a lon# conversation occurs
amon# all involved$ Cairo truthully
recounts events, but bac%s o/ hen he is
8/17/2019 Maltese Falcon Plot Summaries by Chapter
10/27
as%ed to tal% about the bi# picture$
Spade ultimately says the three ere
playin# a o%e on the to o0cers, hich
ould be hard to disprove i the threestic% to the story$ Iltimately, Cairo ants
to leave, Dundy as%s hy Cairo is so
ri#htened to stay, and Spade as%s or
*his #un,+ hich is Cairo's but Spade has
said he lent to Cairo or the o%e$ Spade
#ets the #un$"his odd scene seems to ed Spade to
5'Shau#hnessy, a#ainst Cairo@ to
intereave Spade urther ith the
outstandin# uestions o the murders and
the blac% bird@ and to set up Spade as a
chie suspect and enemy o the police$
Ch$ B: .ri#id
Ater chec%in# to see i the youth is still
donstairs, Spade returns to his
apartment and as%s .ri#id 5$ to tell him
about the alcon$
5$ says =rst Cairo, then "hursby hado/ered her money to help each #et
possession o the alcon rom a Nussian
named Femidov$ Ater she discovers that
Cairo has no intention o payin# her, she
8/17/2019 Maltese Falcon Plot Summaries by Chapter
11/27
oins "hursby in cuttin# Cairo out o the
deal, only to =ne "hursby intends to cut
her out =rst$ She indicates that is hy
she came to Spade, or him to help her=nd the alcon$
Spade calls 5$ a liar, she admits she is,
then %isses Spade$
Ch$ 1: "he .elvedere Divan
Ater spendin# the ni#ht ith .ri#id,
Spade aa%ens and ta%es a %ey rom thesleepin# .rid#id's clothes$ He #oes to the
Coronet Hotel and searches every suare
inch o her room, loo%in# or but not
=ndin# the !alcon$ "hen he returns ith
brea%ast$
Ater droppin# o/ 5$ at home, Spade #oes
to the .elvedere Hotel, but Cairo is not in$
He sits don in the lobby neEt to the
youth, ho doesn't ant to tal%$ Spade
drops hints about antin# to spea% ith
K$ Ater the youth curses Spade, Spade
has 6u%e, the hotel detective, order the
youth outside$ "he youth leaves butpromises to remember the to o them$
4n the lobby, Spade intercepts Cairo, ho
has spend the ni#ht uestioned by Dundy$
Spade indicates Cairo and he should
8/17/2019 Maltese Falcon Plot Summaries by Chapter
12/27
attempt to =nd out the location o the
alcon rom .ri#id 5'Shau#hnessy$
Spade returns to his o0ce in the
mornin#, here 5$ aaits him$ Privately,30e Perine tells Spade that K$ has called
and ill call a#ain$
.ri#id tells Spade that someone has
searched her apartment and, thin%in# it
mi#ht have been the youth or Cairo, she
is araid to return to her room$ Spade,ho is the real culprit, arran#es or her to
stay ith 30e Perine$
Ch$ 11: "he !at Man
Spade returns to his o0ce and
immediately receives a call that seems to
pertain to meetin# Mr$ Kutman )*K+-
4va Archer is aitin# or Sam$ She says
that Phil Archer, Miles' brother, %nos
about the a/air beteen Sam and 4va$
She also admits she called the police to
stir up trouble or Sam$ !inally, she
claims she as home the ni#ht 30e cameto notiy her o Miles' murder$ Spade
sends 4va to Sid Wise to =#ure out ho to
deal ith the police hen they come see
her$
8/17/2019 Maltese Falcon Plot Summaries by Chapter
13/27
Spade #oes to see Kutman$ "he youth
ho has been olloin# Spade opens the
door$
Spade and Kutman share ci#ars anddrin%s$ Kutman voices approval at
Spade's attitude and orthri#htness$
"he to discuss the .lac% .ird's value<
ell beyond 1,$ Kutman says he
%nos hat it is@ Spade counters that he
%nos here it is$ "hen they discusshether Goel Cairo and .ri#id
5'Shau#hnessy %no hat it is$ "he
implication is that Kutman ill pay Spade
more than the others or the bird because
Kutman %nos its true value$
Spade declines to tell Kutman here the
.lac% .ird is@ Kutman declines to tell
Spade hat it is$
Spade rants, seemin#ly pretendin# he is
rustrated ith Kutman's lac% o
cooperation$ Spade says San !rancisco is
his tur$
"he youth interrupts Spade's tirade, andSpade threatens to %ill the youth i he
#ets in Spade's ay$ "hen Spade #ives
Kutman a deadline o 8:; to cooperate$
8/17/2019 Maltese Falcon Plot Summaries by Chapter
14/27
He leaves as the youth's curses, his voice
*not loud+ but *bitter+ )117-$
Ch$ 1(: Merry9Ko9Nound
Spade #oes to the o0ce o Sid Wise, ho
has uestioned 4va Archer$ We learn that,
accordin# to her, 4va olloed Miles the
evenin# he as murdered because she
thou#ht Miles as #oin# on a date$
4nstead, she sa him ollo a man andoman, the latter someone she sa ith
Sam Spade$ Presumably, this as .ri#id
5'Shau#hnessy and the man as !loyd
"hursby$ Ater trips to Spade's
apartment, the movies, her home,
Spade's apartment a#ain, and a
restaurant, 4va =nally returns home ust
beore 30e Perine arrives$ Spade does
not completely trust Sid Wise$ Spade's
anEiety mi#ht be shoin#$
Spade returns to his o0ce and =nds 30e
upset because .ri#id never made it to
30e's house$ Spade blos up at 30e,then apolo#ies$
Spade trac%s don the cab driver ho
pic%ed up .ri#id )Spade had been in the
cab or a part o the trip$-, ho says he
8/17/2019 Maltese Falcon Plot Summaries by Chapter
15/27
#ot her a copy o the nespaper The Call ,
then she redirected him to ta%e her to the
!erry .uildin#$
Spade combs throu#h a copy o "he Call$Several crimes are noted, and Spade
chec%s the obituaries loo%in# or clues$
Spade searches 5's apartment, and =nds
the eelry boE is empty$ Perhaps she
hoc%ed her eelry to raise money$
"he youth orces Spade at #unpoint to #oto the apartment o Caspar Kutman$
.eore enterin#, Spade disarms the
youth$
Ch$ 1;: "he 3mperor's Kit
Kutman tells Spade about the history o
the blac% bird$ "he story is convoluted$
"he outline is as ollos: Durin# the
Crusades )1s-, the 5rder o St$ Gohn
as established in the Holy 6and by
mon%s or the care o Christians on
pil#rima#e$ 6ater, the 5rder became
%ni#hts to deend these Christians romattac%$ 3ventually, the 5rder as
eEpelled rom Gerusalem, Oed to the
Mediterranean, and ultimately as #iven
control o three islands, one o hich as
8/17/2019 Maltese Falcon Plot Summaries by Chapter
16/27
Malta$ As a #it to 3mperor Charles, the
5rder made a alcon encrusted ith
valuable eels$ "his alcon as passed
rom hand to hand over the centuries, ata certain point covered ith enamel, and
=nally or#otten as to its true nature$
Caspar Kutman mi#ht be the only one let
ho %nos its true nature, and no
Samuel Spade does as ell$
As the conversation continues, Kutmano/ers Spade either to payments o
8, )one no and one later-, or one9
uarter o the ultimate value o the bird$
Spade continues to drin%$ Dru##ed, he
becomes obbly$ "he youth
8/17/2019 Maltese Falcon Plot Summaries by Chapter
17/27
tremendous memory$- 30e is eEcited by
the mystery o it all$ Spade sends 30e to
read the history to her cousin, a historian
at .er%eley, to =nd out i there isanythin# to the story$
Spade #oes to the AleEandria, here he is
told Kutman has not chec%ed out and had
arrived 1 days earlier$
Spade #oes to the .elvedere and
searches Cairo's room, here he =nds apiece o the Call nespaper torn out in
the section listin# ship arrivals$ He #ets a
copy at the Call o0ce and narros it
don to siE ships, then underscores the
one arrivin# rom Hon#%on# )rom here
Cairo had his hat manuactured-$
Spade uses the phone to arran#e
meetin#s ith Ser#eant "om Polhaus and
ith Mr$ .ryan, the District Attorney, then
calls Sid Wise to chec% on him to ma%e
sure Spade is o%ay ater the meetin# ith
.ryan$
30e tells Sam her brother says all theacts o the .lac% .ird history seem
authentic$ 30e tells Sam that upon her
return by erry, a ship as on =re and in
the process o bein# toed out to see$ 4t
8/17/2019 Maltese Falcon Plot Summaries by Chapter
18/27
as named 6a Paloma, hich is the ship
that had been scheduled to arrive rom
Hon#%on#$
Ch$ 18: 3very Crac%pot
Spade meets ith "om Polhaus$ Polhaus
says that "hursby shot miles, as proven
by the match beteen the a uniue
Webley seen in "hursby's room by a
bellhop the mornin# o the murders, andthe bullet that %illed Miles Archer$
Spade and Polhaus #o bac% and orth as
to Dundy's suspictions o Spade's
involvement in the murders$
Polhaus says they du# up "hursby's
record: He as a St$ 6ouis #unman as
part o the 3#an mob, as imprisoned or
robbery and pistol9hippin# a oman$
"hen he ent to or% as a body#uard or
DiEie Monahan, ho as in the #amblin#
business and didn't pay some debts$
Spade discovers that Cairo as not
interro#ated by the police *all ni#ht,+ butor less than a couple o hours$
Spade, as a#reed, meets Mr$ .ryan, the
District Attorney, ho tells Spade that all
he needs to crac% the case is the name o
8/17/2019 Maltese Falcon Plot Summaries by Chapter
19/27
the person ho hired Spade$ Spade
on't tal%$
.ryan pursues the an#le o "hursby bein#
Monahan's body#uard$ He has severalpossible motives or the murder o
"hursby$
Spade belittles these theories, reuses to
#ive inormation, and states his only
chance o clearin# himsel ith the police
is to solve the murders himsel$ Spadeleaves in a hu/$
As ar as 4 can see, none o these theories
8/17/2019 Maltese Falcon Plot Summaries by Chapter
20/27
Neturnin# to his o0ce, Spade recounts to
30e hat he discovered on the ship: that
.ri#id had a meal ith Captain Gacobi,
ho had earlier done some businessupton$ "hereater, they ere oined by
Kutman, Cairo, and the ?outh "here as
an ar#ument and a #unshot, and then
they all =ve let around midni#ht$ "he
Captain did not return, missin# an
appointment on board ship$
Suddenly, a man enters, ounded and
carryin# a pac%a#e rapped in bron
paper and tied ith a rope$ He alls to
the Ooor, dead, shot several times in the
chest$ Spade unraps the bundle to =nd
*the oot9hi#h =#ure o a bird, blac% as
coal and shiny here its polish as not
dulled by ood9dust and ra#ments o
eEcelsior+ )1;-$
30e and Sam are mesmeried by the
reco#nition that this is the Maltese
!alcon, so much so that Spade does not
realie he is standin# on the dead man'shand$ At that moment, the phone rin#s$
30e relates to Sam that it as .ri#id
5'Shau#hnessy, ho as in distress and
#ot cut o/, but as able to say that she
8/17/2019 Maltese Falcon Plot Summaries by Chapter
21/27
as at the AleEandria )Kutman's hotel-$
30e insists Spade #o to help her$ .eore
leavin#, Spade ill ta%e care o the
!alcon, and leaves eEplicit directions<ell9thou#ht out99 or 30e as to ho to
handle the body and the police hen they
arrive$
Ch$ 1J: Saturday >i#ht
Spade puts the Maltese !alcon in a saetyboE at a terminal, then mails the tic%et
or the boE to a post o0ce boE$
Spade #oes to the AleEandria, here he
=nds Kutman's dau#hter dru##ed$ She is
able to tell him that .ri#id needs his help
at ( Ancho in .urlin#ame$
Ater callin# the 3mer#ency Hospital
about the #irl, Spade hires a car, #oes to
.urlin#ame, and =nds a dar% house that
has not been visited in ee%s$ Sensin# a
ild #oose chase, he returns to the hotel
to =nd that there as no #irl ound in the
room ater Spade let$
Spade tells 30e hat happened$ 30e
tells Spade everythin# ent ell ith the
police and the dead body, but hen she
as ta%en to the police station, she sa
8/17/2019 Maltese Falcon Plot Summaries by Chapter
22/27
the youth there, ho Spade describes as
*a bad e##, that lad
8/17/2019 Maltese Falcon Plot Summaries by Chapter
23/27
murderer$ Spade ma%es an ar#ument or
#ivin# Wilmer, the youth, to the police$
Wilmer #ets a#itated, and threatens to
shoot Spade, ho uses his %noled#e othe hereabouts o the .lac% .ird to hold
Wilmer o/$
When Kutman resists the idea, Spade
su##ests to #ive the police Cairo, thou#h
Cairo is not as stron# a candidate as
Wilmer$ Cairo, in turn, su##ests .ri#id5'Shau#hnessy, hich Spade is illin# to
accept i .ri#id *can be ri##ed or the
part+ )12B-$
At a standstill, Cairo then hispers in
Kutman's ear
8/17/2019 Maltese Falcon Plot Summaries by Chapter
24/27
Ch$ 1B: "he Nussian's Hand
3veryone aits or the mornin#$ 4n the
meantime, Spade insists that Kutman
relate hat happened so he can orm acredible story or the police$
4n brie, Kutman says Wilmer, the youth,
%illed "hursby )ater "hursby presumably
%illed Miles Archer- because Kutman
believed that ould ma%e .ri#id
5'Shau#hnessy, havin# lost herprotection, consider oinin# Kutman in
pro=tin# rom the .lac% .ird$ )Previously,
.ri#id had #iven the alcon to Captain
Gacobi o the ship 6a Paloma, and she too%
a aster ship ith Cairo rom Hon#%on# to
the San !rancisco$-
Cairo oined orces ith Kutman$ Cairo
had seen a notice in the nespaper o the
arrival o 6a Paloma and recalled that
.ri#id and Captain Gacobi had been seen
to#ether in Hon#%on#, and put to and
to to#ether$
Kutman, Wilmer and Cairo indeed ent to6a Paloma$ Kutman thou#ht he had an
a#reement ith 5'Shau#hnessy to turn
over the alcon, but she and Gacobi
slipped aay ith the bird$ )Durin# the
8/17/2019 Maltese Falcon Plot Summaries by Chapter
25/27
meetin# on the ship, Wilmer had searched
the ship or the bird, and, accidentally or
not, set the ship on =re$-
Kutman and Wilmer located 5$ and Gacobiat 5$'s apartment, but this time Gacobi
slipped out the indo ith the alcon$
Wilmer, ho had been sent donstairs,
shot Gacobi, but a police o0cer appeared,
so Wilmer bac%ed o/ and Gacobi #ot aay
in a car$ )Wilmer ends up at the policestation, seen by 30e ater she noti=ed
the police about the body$- "hen Kutman
*persuaded+ .ri#id to reveal that she
as%ed Gacobi to ta%e the .lac% .ird to
Spade, at hich point .ri#id called Spade
and sent him on a ild #oose chase,
hopin# to %eep Gacobi rom deliverin# the
bird$
Kutman as%s or the 1, bac% rom
.ri#id beore she #oes inside, and
discovers one 1 bill is missin#$
Spade, ater havin# .ri#id strip, ma%es
Kutman admit he palmed it )in an attemptto create a disa#reement beteen Spade
and .ri#id-$
"he mornin# comes and 30e Perine
delivers the statuette$ "he bird is
8/17/2019 Maltese Falcon Plot Summaries by Chapter
26/27
unrapped and a poc%et %nie is used to
chip aay the enamel coverin#, only to
reveal that the alcon is made o lead$
4t's a a%e$Ater Cairo berates Kutman or his
stupidity, Kutman, philosophical, resolves
to #o on to Constantinople to continue his
pursuit o the Maltese !alcon$ 4t is noted
that Wilmer has slipped aay durin# the
drama$
Kutman insists on retainin# the 1,,
thou#h Spade does #et 1 or his
trouble$
Kutman and Cairo depart, leavin# Spade
and .ri#id 5'Shau#hnessy alone$
Ch$ (: 4 "hey Han# ?ou
Spade calls the police and tells Polhaus
about Kutman and the others so Polhaus
can arrest them beore they Oee$
Spade tells .ri#id they have to spea%
about hat happened beore the police
arrive, because they are both acin# the#allos$ Iltimately, Spade #ets .ri#id to
admit that she %illed Miles Archer$ "o
.ri#id's horror, Spade tells her she is the
all9#uy, and i she doesn't han# by her
8/17/2019 Maltese Falcon Plot Summaries by Chapter
27/27
pretty nec%, he ill ait or her@ i she
does han#, he ill alays remember her$
Spade and .ri#id have a lon#
conversation about their love, throu#hhich e see Spade as, =rst and
oremost, a detective hose
responsibility is to =nd the %iller o his
partner$ Also, e sense Spade has had
emotional trauma, perhaps ith a oman,
in the past99this is a uniue moment inthe novel
top related