Chapter 7 Chapter 7 The Letter G in the Sky
Spade's bedroom became a living room when the wall-mounted bed was turned upside down.He took Bridget O'Shaughnessy's hat and coat, seated her comfortably in a cushioned rocking chair, and called the Belvedere Hotel.Kylo hasn't returned from the theater yet.Spade left a phone number and asked the front desk to call Kylo back as soon as he returned.
Spade sat down in an armchair by the coffee table and began to tell the girl an incident that had happened in the Northwest Territories a few years ago.He did not make any foreshadowing, nor did he make any introductions or comments. He spoke in a steady, unemotional tone, almost in a straightforward manner, with few emphasis or pauses. He just adjusted a sentence and repeated it from time to time, as if making every relevant detail It's important to get everything right.
Bridget O'Shaughnessy didn't pay much attention at first, evidently more surprised than interested by his telling the story.She was more curious about his purpose in telling this story than the story itself.But as the plot unfolded, her attention was gradually drawn away, and she listened intently, without moving.
A man named Flycraft left his real estate office in the Port of Tacoma for lunch one day and never returned.He had an appointment to play golf after four o'clock that afternoon, but he missed the appointment, even though he had voluntarily booked it less than half an hour before heading out for lunch.His wife and children never saw him again.His relationship with his wife should be pretty good.He has two children - two boys, aged five and three.He has his own house outside the Tacoma Harbor and a brand new car, everything a successful person should have.
Flycraft inherited $70,000 from his father.He was very successful in real estate.When he disappeared, the property under his name was already about 200,000 yuan.His business situation is reasonably organized, but there are still many unfinished business, suggesting that he did not disappear preparedly.For example, a deal that was about to bring him a considerable profit was originally scheduled to be closed the day after his disappearance.He left with fifty or sixty dollars at most.His habits of life for the preceding months had been thoroughly investigated, sufficiently to rule out any suspicion of a secret crime, or the possibility of another mistress, although the possibility of both was inherently remote.
"He just disappeared," Spade said, "like when you open your hand and the fist disappears." As he said that, the phone rang.
"Hello," Spade said into the phone, "Mr. Carol? I'm Spade. Can you come over to my place? Post Street, now... yes, I think so." He looked The girl, pursing her lips, said quickly, "Miss O'Shaughnessy is here. She wants to see you."
Bridget O'Shaughnessy frowned and moved restlessly in the rocker, but said nothing.
Spade put down the phone and said to her, "He'll be here in a few minutes." And then it was 1922. In 1927 I was working for a big detective agency in Seattle. Flickroff Mrs. Tate came to the door and told us someone saw a man in Spokane who looked like her husband. I went to see it. It was Flycraft, yes. He's lived in Spokane for several years. , uses the name Charles Pierce, Charles is his real name. He has a car dealership that makes $20,000 to $25,000 a year; a wife, a young son, and a house outside of Spokane , when the weather is good, I often play golf after four o'clock in the afternoon."
No one told Spade exactly what to do if he found Flycraft.They chatted for a while in Spade's room at the Davenport Hotel.Flycraft felt no guilt.He left enough property for the first family, and what he did seemed reasonable to him.The only thing that bothered him was whether he could explain it to Spade.He never told his story to anyone, so he never tried to make it clear.Now he's going to try it.
"I totally understand what he's saying," Spade said to Bridget O'Shaughnessy, "but Mrs. Frycraft doesn't. She thinks it's a stupid thing to say. Maybe. Anyway, the end result Not bad. She didn't want to make a scandal out of her family, and after he'd tricked her once—so she thought—she didn't want to be with him anymore. So they divorced quietly, and all was well.
"Here's what happened to him. He was going to lunch and he passed an office building that was under construction--just scaffolding kind of thing--and a beam or something fell from the height of the eighth or ninth On the sidewalk next to him, brushed past him but didn't touch him, only a small broken sidewalk brick jumped up and hit him in the cheek. Just scratched the skin, but when I saw him, He still has a scar on his face. When he told me about it, he ran his fingers over the scar, loving it. He said he was petrified, of course, but it was more shock than fear. He It felt like someone had lifted the lid off of life and given him a glimpse of what it was like inside."
Flycraft had been a good citizen, a good husband, a good father, not because of external pressure but simply because he was a man of his own.That's how he was brought up, and that's how everyone he knew was brought up.The life he knew was sane, responsible, and methodical.Now a beam that falls from the sky reveals to him that life is not what it is.He, a good citizen, a good husband, a good father, could have been killed by a beam falling from the sky on the road between the office and the restaurant.He realized that people have good and bad times, and that being alive is just a fluke.
Injustice of fate was not the main reason for his uneasiness.After the initial shock, he quickly accepted the fact.What disturbed him was that the harder he tried to arrange the small and big things in his life, the more he lost touch with the truth of life.He said he hadn't walked twenty feet from the falling beam before he realized he would never be at peace until he adjusted to this new perspective on life.As he ate his lunch, he found a way to fit in.His life could end unexpectedly on a beam that fell from the sky, but he could also change his life unexpectedly, all he had to do was walk away.He said he felt he still loved his family as much as he had ever done, but he knew he had left them enough and that his love for them would not in itself make the separation unbearable.
"He went to Seattle that afternoon," Spade said, "and from there he took a boat to San Francisco. He wandered there for a few years, then wandered back to the Northwest, settled in Spokane, and ended Married. His second wife didn't look like his ex, but she was the same kind of woman. You know, the kind of woman who played golf and bridge well and loved new salad recipes. I'm not sorry. It all makes sense to him. I don't think he's even aware that he's slipping back into the kind of life he jumped out of Tacoma. But that's My favorite part of the whole story: He first adapts himself to the falling beam, and then nothing else falls, and he starts to adapt to life without anything falling."
"It's fascinating," Bridget O'Shaughnessy said.She got up from her chair and stood next to Spade in front of him.Her eyes are large and deep-set. "I don't need to tell you what a utter disadvantage you're putting me in here to meet him--if that's what you want--?"
Spade smiled with his lips closed. "That's right, you don't need to tell me." He agreed.
"You know, I would never have put myself in this situation if I hadn't trusted you with all my heart." Her thumb and forefinger twisted a black button on his blue coat.
Spade pretended to be resigned and said, "Here we go again!"
"But you know it is," she insisted.
"No, I don't know." He patted the hand that twisted the button. "We're here because I need a reason to trust you. Don't confuse things. You don't have to trust me, as long as you can convince I just trust you, no matter what method you use."
She looked at his face, her nostrils trembling slightly.
Spade laughed, clapped her hand again, and said, "Don't worry about that now. He'll be here in a minute. Get this thing between you and him over and we'll figure out what to do next."
"Then you let me - deal with him in my own way?"
"certainly."
She turned over the hand that was under his hand, put their fingers together, and said softly, "You are truly sent by God."
Spade said, "Don't exaggerate." She gave him a complaining look, despite the smile on her face, and went back to the rocker.
Joe Kylo was so excited that his dark eyes almost filled their sockets.Spade had only half opened the door before he babbled a long stream of words in a high-pitched voice. "Mr. Spade, that lad is out watching the house—the lad you pointed me to, or the one you pointed me to, was in front of the theater, Mr. Spade. What are you What do you mean? I came here sincerely, and I never thought of any tricks or traps." "We sincerely asked you to come, too," thought Spade, frowning, "but I should have expected him to show up. Did he see you come in?" "Of course. I could have gone, but that doesn't seem to help, now that you've let him see us together." Bridget O'Shaughnessy came into the hall and asked anxiously behind Spade, "What boy? What's the matter?" Kylo took off his black hat from his head, bowed stiffly, and said in a serious voice: "If you don't know, ask Mr. Spade. I don't know anything. He told me everything." .” "There's a kid who's been following me tonight," Spade said casually, without turning to Bridget. "Come in, Carol, we don't have to stand here and tell the neighbors." Bridget O'Shaughnessy grabbed Spade's arm and asked eagerly, "Did he follow you to my apartment?" "No, I dropped him on the way. So I guess he came back here trying to catch up with me again." Kylo held his black hat in both hands, pressed against his stomach, and walked into the hallway.Spade waited for him to come in and closed the door, and the three of them went into the living room together.Then Carol bowed stiffly again and said, "It's nice to see you again, Miss O'Shaughnessy." "I know you'll be very pleased, Jo," she answered, offering him a hand.He held her hand and bowed formally, then quickly let go of her hand.She sat in the cushioned rocking chair she had been sitting in before, and Kylo sat in the armchair next to the coffee table.Spade hung up Kylo's coat and hat in the closet, then sat down on the sofa by the window and started rolling a cigarette. Bridget O'Shaughnessy to Carol: "Sam told me you'd pay him for the eagle. How soon will you have the money ready?" Kylo's eyebrows twitched.he laughed. "The money is ready." He smiled at the girl again, then looked at Spade.The latter was lighting a cigarette with a calm expression. "Cash?" she asked. "Oh, yes," Kylo replied. She frowned, licked her lips, and asked, "If we give you the eagle, will you give us five thousand dollars now?" Kylo raised a hand and waved it lightly. "Excuse me," he said, "I didn't make my words clear. I don't mean I have so much money in my pocket, but I have money ready, and as long as it is bank business hours, I can get it at a moment's notice." Come." "Oh!" She looked at Spade. Spade puffed down his cigarette and said, "He's probably right. When I searched him this morning, he only had a few hundred dollars in his pocket." Her eyes were wide and round, and he grinned at them. The Levantine leaned forward in his chair, unable to contain the eagerness in his eyes and tone of voice. "I can have the money ready for you at, say, ten-thirty in the morning, eh?" Bridget O'Shaughnessy smiled at him and said, "But I haven't got the eagle yet." Kai Luo's face was covered with an annoyed shadow.He stretched out two ugly hands and grabbed the arm of the chair, the little skeleton body was straight, and the black eyes were full of anger.He didn't say a word. Bridget gave him a mocking reassuring look. "I can get it in a week at most, though," she said. "Where is it?" Kylo politely expressed doubts. "Where Floyd hid it." "Floyd? Thursby?" She nodded. "Do you know where that is?" he asked. "I think I know." "Then why do we have to wait a week?" "Maybe it won't be a whole week. Who are you buying for, Joe?" Kylo raised an eyebrow. "I told Mr. Spade to buy it for its owner." The girl's face was full of surprise. "So you went back to him again?" "Of course." A chuckle escaped her throat, and she said, "I should have expected that." Kylo shrugged. "It's logical." He rubbed the palm of one hand on the back of the other, his eyelids drooped to cover his eyes, "Can I ask a question instead, why are you willing to sell me ?” "I was afraid," she said dryly, "after what happened to Floyd. That's why it's not in my hands now. I wouldn't even touch it unless it was given to someone else immediately." Spade leaned one elbow on the sofa, watched them, listened to their conversation, and couldn't tell which was more important.He seemed relaxed and at ease, his face at ease and calm, without any hint of curiosity or impatience. "Floyd, what the hell..." Kailo asked in a low voice, "What happened?" The tip of the index finger of Bridget O'Shaughnessy's right hand drew a G in midair. Kylo said, "I see." But there was a hint of doubt in his smile. "Is he here?" "I don't know," she said impatiently. "What's the difference?" The doubt in Kai Luo's smile deepened. "That's a huge difference," he said, shifting his hands on his knees, pointing a clumsy forefinger at Spade intentionally or unintentionally. The girl glanced at the finger and shook her head impatiently. "It could be me," she said, "or it could be you." "Exactly. Shouldn't we also count the boy outside, who is more likely?" "Yeah," she agreed, laughing, "unless that's the guy you had in Constantinople." Kai Luo's face turned blue and red.He screamed in a rage, "You mean the one you didn't hook up with?" Bridget O'Shaughnessy jumped up from her chair.She bit her lower lip, her eyes widened on her pale face, and the pupils of her eyes turned dark.She rushed to Kai Luo in two steps, just as he was about to get up, she stretched out her right hand and slapped him loudly, leaving five fingerprints on his cheek. Kylo grunted and slapped her too, causing her to stagger and let out a short, suppressed scream. Spade has stood up from the sofa with a wooden face and walked to them.He grabbed Kylo by the throat and shook him.Kylo made a "clack" sound and put a hand inside his coat.Spade grabbed the Levantine by the wrist, pulled his hand out of his coat, forced him to straighten his arm out to the side, and twisted his wrist until the limp fingers released, allowing the black The pistol fell on the carpet.Bridget O'Shaughnessy picked up the pistol quickly.Kai Luo's throat was stuck, so he had to say with difficulty: "This is the second time you have done something to me." Although his eyes were swollen due to the pressure of his throat being stuck, they were shining coldly and menacingly. "That's right," Spade growled, "and when I slap you, you have to bear it." He let go of Kylo's wrist and slapped Kylo's face hard with his thick palm. three times. The Levantine wanted to spit in Spade's face, but his mouth was parched and he could only make a show.Spade slapped him on the mouth again, breaking his lower lip. The doorbell rang. Kai Luo's eyes turned suddenly, staring at the porch leading to the outside.His eyes were no longer angry, but cautious.The girl was panting, and turned her face to the entrance, showing a look of fear.Spade stared sullenly at Kylo's bleeding lips for a moment, then stepped back, removing his hand from the Levantine's throat. "Who is it?" the girl whispered as she approached Spade.Kai Luo's eyes turned back suddenly, with the same question in his eyes. Spade replied irritably, "I don't know." The doorbell rang again, more firmly this time. "Well, keep quiet," Spade said, going out of the room and closing the door. Spade switched on the hall light and opened the door, where Inspector Dundee and Tom Burrows stood. "Hello, Sam," said Tom, "we thought you might be up." Dundee nodded, but said nothing. Spade said kindly, "Hello. You guys really pick your time. What's up this time?" Dundee said quietly, "Speed, we want to talk to you." "Really?" Spade blocked the door, "Let's talk." Tom Burrows stepped forward and said, "We don't need to stand here and talk, do we?" Spade stood in the middle of the door and said, "You can't come in." There was not much apology in his tone. Tom was about Spade's height, and his rough face had a kindly mocking expression, but there was a gleam in his shrewd little eyes. "Sam, what the hell?" he protested, placing a large hand playfully on Spade's chest. Spade leaned on the hand that pushed him, and grinned slyly. "Are you going to be hard with me, Tom?" Tom complained, "Hey, for God's sake!" He took his hand away. Dundee gritted his teeth and said, "Let's go in." The corners of Spade's mouth twitched, showing his canine teeth.He said: "You can't come in. What's the matter, want to force your way in? Do you want to talk here, or die?" Tom snorted unhappily. Dundee still gritted his teeth: "It will be to your benefit if you cooperate with us, Spade. You can't hide forever." "Stop me if you can." Spade replied arrogantly. "That's exactly what I mean," said Dundee, putting his hands behind his back, and thrusting his grim face close to the private detective's face. "It's been rumored that you and Archer's wife are cheating on him." Spade smiled: "This is what you imagined." "That means there is no such thing?" "No." "It is said," said Dundee, "that she wants to divorce him so that she can be with you. But he won't, is there such a thing? It is even said," continued Dundee indifferently, "that it is That's why he was sent there." Spade looked slightly amused. "Don't be too greedy," he said. "You shouldn't have several murders on me at the same time. You think I killed Thursby at first because he killed Miles. But if you think Miles I also killed it, and your previous statement is not valid." "I didn't say who you killed," replied Dundee. "You kept saying so yourself. Even if I thought so, it's possible that you killed both, and that would explain it." "Aha, I killed him for Miles' wife, and then Thursby so Miles' death would fall on him. That's a fucking complete theory. If I could kill someone else It would be more fulfilling to put Thursby's death on this dead man. How long am I going to keep doing this? Are you going to blame me for all the murders in San Francisco from now on?" Tom said, "Well, stop kidding, Sam. You know we don't like it as much as you do, but we have work to do." "Hope you guys have something else to do, other than come here every morning and ask a bunch of goddamn stupid questions." "And getting a bunch of bloody lies in answer," Dundee added knowingly. "Don't get excited," Spade warned him. Dundee looked him over from head to toe, then looked him straight in the eyes and said, "If you say there's nothing going on between you and Archer's wife, I tell you, you're a liar." Tom's small eyes looked startled. Spade licked his lips with the tip of his tongue and asked, "Is this the big clue that got you here in the middle of the night?" "This is one of them." "What else?" The corner of Dundee's mouth twitched. "Let's go in." He nodded meaningfully toward the door Spade was blocking. Spade frowned and shook his head. The corners of Dundee's mouth were raised, and there was a contented grin. "There must be something wrong in there," he said to Tom. Tom moved his feet, without looking at the other two, and said vaguely, "God knows." "What's that?" Spade asked. "A game of words and actions?" "Come, Spade, here we go," said Dundee, buttoning up his overcoat. "We'll come for you any minute. Maybe you're not unreasonable in your opposition to us. Think about it." "Ha," Spade grinned, "I'd love to see you anytime, Inspector, and I'll let you in when I'm not busy." From Spade's living room came a scream: "HELP! HELP! POLICE! HELP!" The voice was piercing, and it was Joe Kylo. Inspector Dundee was about to turn away, then stopped, facing Spade, and said firmly, "I think we must go in." The sound of a brief struggle, a punch, and a muffled cry reached their ears. A wan smile crept across Spade's face."I think you have to come in," he said, moving away from the door. After the detectives had entered, he closed the door and followed them back to the living room.
Notes:
Joe Kylo was so excited that his dark eyes almost filled their sockets.Spade had only half opened the door before he babbled a long stream of words in a high-pitched voice. "Mr. Spade, that lad is out watching the house—the lad you pointed me to, or the one you pointed me to, was in front of the theater, Mr. Spade. What are you What do you mean? I came here sincerely, and I never thought of any tricks or traps." "We sincerely asked you to come, too," thought Spade, frowning, "but I should have expected him to show up. Did he see you come in?" "Of course. I could have gone, but that doesn't seem to help, now that you've let him see us together." Bridget O'Shaughnessy came into the hall and asked anxiously behind Spade, "What boy? What's the matter?" Kylo took off his black hat from his head, bowed stiffly, and said in a serious voice: "If you don't know, ask Mr. Spade. I don't know anything. He told me everything." .” "There's a kid who's been following me tonight," Spade said casually, without turning to Bridget. "Come in, Carol, we don't have to stand here and tell the neighbors." Bridget O'Shaughnessy grabbed Spade's arm and asked eagerly, "Did he follow you to my apartment?" "No, I dropped him on the way. So I guess he came back here trying to catch up with me again." Kylo held his black hat in both hands, pressed against his stomach, and walked into the hallway.Spade waited for him to come in and closed the door, and the three of them went into the living room together.Then Carol bowed stiffly again and said, "It's nice to see you again, Miss O'Shaughnessy." "I know you'll be very pleased, Jo," she answered, offering him a hand.He held her hand and bowed formally, then quickly let go of her hand.She sat in the cushioned rocking chair she had been sitting in before, and Kylo sat in the armchair next to the coffee table.Spade hung up Kylo's coat and hat in the closet, then sat down on the sofa by the window and started rolling a cigarette. Bridget O'Shaughnessy to Carol: "Sam told me you'd pay him for the eagle. How soon will you have the money ready?" Kylo's eyebrows twitched.he laughed. "The money is ready." He smiled at the girl again, then looked at Spade.The latter was lighting a cigarette with a calm expression. "Cash?" she asked. "Oh, yes," Kylo replied. She frowned, licked her lips, and asked, "If we give you the eagle, will you give us five thousand dollars now?" Kylo raised a hand and waved it lightly. "Excuse me," he said, "I didn't make my words clear. I don't mean I have so much money in my pocket, but I have money ready, and as long as it is bank business hours, I can get it at a moment's notice." Come." "Oh!" She looked at Spade. Spade puffed down his cigarette and said, "He's probably right. When I searched him this morning, he only had a few hundred dollars in his pocket." Her eyes were wide and round, and he grinned at them. The Levantine leaned forward in his chair, unable to contain the eagerness in his eyes and tone of voice. "I can have the money ready for you at, say, ten-thirty in the morning, eh?" Bridget O'Shaughnessy smiled at him and said, "But I haven't got the eagle yet." Kai Luo's face was covered with an annoyed shadow.He stretched out two ugly hands and grabbed the arm of the chair, the little skeleton body was straight, and the black eyes were full of anger.He didn't say a word. Bridget gave him a mocking reassuring look. "I can get it in a week at most, though," she said. "Where is it?" Kylo politely expressed doubts. "Where Floyd hid it." "Floyd? Thursby?" She nodded. "Do you know where that is?" he asked. "I think I know." "Then why do we have to wait a week?" "Maybe it won't be a whole week. Who are you buying for, Joe?" Kylo raised an eyebrow. "I told Mr. Spade to buy it for its owner." The girl's face was full of surprise. "So you went back to him again?" "Of course." A chuckle escaped her throat, and she said, "I should have expected that." Kylo shrugged. "It's logical." He rubbed the palm of one hand on the back of the other, his eyelids drooped to cover his eyes, "Can I ask a question instead, why are you willing to sell me ?” "I was afraid," she said dryly, "after what happened to Floyd. That's why it's not in my hands now. I wouldn't even touch it unless it was given to someone else immediately." Spade leaned one elbow on the sofa, watched them, listened to their conversation, and couldn't tell which was more important.He seemed relaxed and at ease, his face at ease and calm, without any hint of curiosity or impatience. "Floyd, what the hell..." Kailo asked in a low voice, "What happened?" The tip of the index finger of Bridget O'Shaughnessy's right hand drew a G in midair. Kylo said, "I see." But there was a hint of doubt in his smile. "Is he here?" "I don't know," she said impatiently. "What's the difference?" The doubt in Kai Luo's smile deepened. "That's a huge difference," he said, shifting his hands on his knees, pointing a clumsy forefinger at Spade intentionally or unintentionally. The girl glanced at the finger and shook her head impatiently. "It could be me," she said, "or it could be you." "Exactly. Shouldn't we also count the boy outside, who is more likely?" "Yeah," she agreed, laughing, "unless that's the guy you had in Constantinople." Kai Luo's face turned blue and red.He screamed in a rage, "You mean the one you didn't hook up with?" Bridget O'Shaughnessy jumped up from her chair.She bit her lower lip, her eyes widened on her pale face, and the pupils of her eyes turned dark.She rushed to Kai Luo in two steps, just as he was about to get up, she stretched out her right hand and slapped him loudly, leaving five fingerprints on his cheek. Kylo grunted and slapped her too, causing her to stagger and let out a short, suppressed scream. Spade has stood up from the sofa with a wooden face and walked to them.He grabbed Kylo by the throat and shook him.Kylo made a "clack" sound and put a hand inside his coat.Spade grabbed the Levantine by the wrist, pulled his hand out of his coat, forced him to straighten his arm out to the side, and twisted his wrist until the limp fingers released, allowing the black The pistol fell on the carpet.Bridget O'Shaughnessy picked up the pistol quickly.Kai Luo's throat was stuck, so he had to say with difficulty: "This is the second time you have done something to me." Although his eyes were swollen due to the pressure of his throat being stuck, they were shining coldly and menacingly. "That's right," Spade growled, "and when I slap you, you have to bear it." He let go of Kylo's wrist and slapped Kylo's face hard with his thick palm. three times. The Levantine wanted to spit in Spade's face, but his mouth was parched and he could only make a show.Spade slapped him on the mouth again, breaking his lower lip. The doorbell rang. Kai Luo's eyes turned suddenly, staring at the porch leading to the outside.His eyes were no longer angry, but cautious.The girl was panting, and turned her face to the entrance, showing a look of fear.Spade stared sullenly at Kylo's bleeding lips for a moment, then stepped back, removing his hand from the Levantine's throat. "Who is it?" the girl whispered as she approached Spade.Kai Luo's eyes turned back suddenly, with the same question in his eyes. Spade replied irritably, "I don't know." The doorbell rang again, more firmly this time. "Well, keep quiet," Spade said, going out of the room and closing the door. Spade switched on the hall light and opened the door, where Inspector Dundee and Tom Burrows stood. "Hello, Sam," said Tom, "we thought you might be up." Dundee nodded, but said nothing. Spade said kindly, "Hello. You guys really pick your time. What's up this time?" Dundee said quietly, "Speed, we want to talk to you." "Really?" Spade blocked the door, "Let's talk." Tom Burrows stepped forward and said, "We don't need to stand here and talk, do we?" Spade stood in the middle of the door and said, "You can't come in." There was not much apology in his tone. Tom was about Spade's height, and his rough face had a kindly mocking expression, but there was a gleam in his shrewd little eyes. "Sam, what the hell?" he protested, placing a large hand playfully on Spade's chest. Spade leaned on the hand that pushed him, and grinned slyly. "Are you going to be hard with me, Tom?" Tom complained, "Hey, for God's sake!" He took his hand away. Dundee gritted his teeth and said, "Let's go in." The corners of Spade's mouth twitched, showing his canine teeth.He said: "You can't come in. What's the matter, want to force your way in? Do you want to talk here, or die?" Tom snorted unhappily. Dundee still gritted his teeth: "It will be to your benefit if you cooperate with us, Spade. You can't hide forever." "Stop me if you can." Spade replied arrogantly. "That's exactly what I mean," said Dundee, putting his hands behind his back, and thrusting his grim face close to the private detective's face. "It's been rumored that you and Archer's wife are cheating on him." Spade smiled: "This is what you imagined." "That means there is no such thing?" "No." "It is said," said Dundee, "that she wants to divorce him so that she can be with you. But he won't, is there such a thing? It is even said," continued Dundee indifferently, "that it is That's why he was sent there." Spade looked slightly amused. "Don't be too greedy," he said. "You shouldn't have several murders on me at the same time. You think I killed Thursby at first because he killed Miles. But if you think Miles I also killed it, and your previous statement is not valid." "I didn't say who you killed," replied Dundee. "You kept saying so yourself. Even if I thought so, it's possible that you killed both, and that would explain it." "Aha, I killed him for Miles' wife, and then Thursby so Miles' death would fall on him. That's a fucking complete theory. If I could kill someone else It would be more fulfilling to put Thursby's death on this dead man. How long am I going to keep doing this? Are you going to blame me for all the murders in San Francisco from now on?" Tom said, "Well, stop kidding, Sam. You know we don't like it as much as you do, but we have work to do." "Hope you guys have something else to do, other than come here every morning and ask a bunch of goddamn stupid questions." "And getting a bunch of bloody lies in answer," Dundee added knowingly. "Don't get excited," Spade warned him. Dundee looked him over from head to toe, then looked him straight in the eyes and said, "If you say there's nothing going on between you and Archer's wife, I tell you, you're a liar." Tom's small eyes looked startled. Spade licked his lips with the tip of his tongue and asked, "Is this the big clue that got you here in the middle of the night?" "This is one of them." "What else?" The corner of Dundee's mouth twitched. "Let's go in." He nodded meaningfully toward the door Spade was blocking. Spade frowned and shook his head. The corners of Dundee's mouth were raised, and there was a contented grin. "There must be something wrong in there," he said to Tom. Tom moved his feet, without looking at the other two, and said vaguely, "God knows." "What's that?" Spade asked. "A game of words and actions?" "Come, Spade, here we go," said Dundee, buttoning up his overcoat. "We'll come for you any minute. Maybe you're not unreasonable in your opposition to us. Think about it." "Ha," Spade grinned, "I'd love to see you anytime, Inspector, and I'll let you in when I'm not busy." From Spade's living room came a scream: "HELP! HELP! POLICE! HELP!" The voice was piercing, and it was Joe Kylo. Inspector Dundee was about to turn away, then stopped, facing Spade, and said firmly, "I think we must go in." The sound of a brief struggle, a punch, and a muffled cry reached their ears. A wan smile crept across Spade's face."I think you have to come in," he said, moving away from the door. After the detectives had entered, he closed the door and followed them back to the living room.
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