The Lady in the Lake

Marlowe calls Kingsley to update him about Bill and Muriel Chess. Kingsley says Muriel and Crystal were friends, but he’s never heard of Mildred Haviland. As he leaves the phone booth, Marlowe has to walk around a deer that blocks the sidewalk. He also passes by Patton’s office as he walks around the area.

Marlowe goes to Bill Chess’s cabin, hits a window frame with a rock to open it, and pulls himself inside. Patton is there, sitting in a chair and shining a flashlight at Marlowe. Patton researched Marlowe’s identity and figured that, as a private detective, he would eventually break into the cabin. Marlowe shows Patton his detective’s license and admits he’s working for Kingsley and looking for Crystal. They talk about the possibility that Chess may have murdered his wife and taken her clothes and car somewhere else. Marlowe asks Patton if he thought Muriel and Mildred looked alike when he saw Mildred’s picture. Patton admits that he withheld information about their similarities from De Soto, and he reveals that Muriel’s car and clothes were found at “Coon Lake” (65). Then, Patton shows Marlowe the chain of an anklet he found hidden in the sugar bowl. Marlowe believes a woman, not Bill Chess, hid it. Patton doesn’t believe Chess is guilty of premeditated murder, but he believes that he may have accidentally killed Muriel when he meant only to hurt her.

After watching Patton drive off, Marlowe doubles back to Chess’s cabin. Inside, he notices a brand-new slip and finds it suspicious. Marlowe looks through other baking supplies for more hidden objects. He is startled by a deer outside, but eventually finds the charm from the anklet in the sugar. It is engraved “Al to Mildred” (71). Marlowe concludes that Muriel and Mildred are the same person. He takes the charm, and his conclusion, to Patton. Marlowe now thinks Muriel was murdered by someone from her previous life, when she was known as Mildred.

Around 11, Marlowe arrives at the Prescott Hotel in San Bernardino. He has a drink with the bellhop who brings in his luggage. Marlowe gives the bellhop, whom he calls “Big Tex” (75), some money to ask around about Crystal, trying to discern whether she was staying in the hotel on June 12. Big Tex finds the person who checked her out, Les, and sends him to Marlowe’s room. Marlowe gives Les a drink and a dollar, but Les doesn’t like talking to private detectives and won’t even agree that Les is his name before he leaves the room.

Big Tex returns to Marlowe’s room and admits that he is Les and that he asked the other bellhop to pose as him. He says that he only watched Crystal’s things in exchange for a tip. Marlowe shows Les a picture of Crystal, but Les thinks that she looks like many other blond women. Lavery is also in the picture, and Les, after obtaining a couple more dollars, confirms that Lavery was with Crystal in the hotel lobby. However, he is not completely sure about every little detail about Crystal, and this makes Marlowe think he is telling the truth. Les has a few more drinks, and Marlowe gives him a few more dollars before he leaves Marlowe’s room. Marlowe decides to drive home, and the man who doesn’t like detectives checks him out.

Marlowe dreams about being underwater with the blond corpse. He gets up to smoke a cigarette, then goes back to sleep. In the morning, he cleans up and is starting to eat breakfast when there is a knock on his door. Floyd Greer, a lieutenant from the “Central Detective Bureau” (80), is there. Marlowe is under suspicion because he was present when Muriel’s corpse was discovered. Marlowe says he’s shared all his information with Patton. Greer tells Marlowe that they are fingerprinting the corpse for positive identification. Marlowe won’t reveal the nature of his case, and Greer tells him to not leave town. After Greer leaves, Marlowe confirms that Greer—but not De Soto—works for the police over the phone. This is because De Soto is merely an alias used by Degarmo, as the reader later learns. Marlowe calls Kingsley and informs him about Lavery being with Crystal at the hotel and Greer’s visit. They also talk about Mr. and Mrs. Chess. Kingsley believes the corpse in the lake has nothing to do with his case and tells Marlowe to drop it. After their call, Marlowe begins driving to Bay City.

Marlowe returns to Lavery’s apartment and finds a woman with a gun. She introduces herself as Mrs. Fallbrook, the owner of the building, but it is later revealed that this is a false identity. After she says she is there for the rent, Marlowe claims to be there for a car payment and calls himself Philo Vance. Mrs. Fallbrook claims she found the gun on the stairs, then gives it to Marlowe. He notes that it is empty and has been fired relatively recently but doesn’t share this information. Marlowe asks Mrs. Fallbrook if she shot Lavery, and she claims she didn’t. She asks him to leave and he refuses. After they argue, she runs off, and Marlowe begins his search of the apartment.

As Marlowe looks through Lavery’s apartment, he discovers both men’s and women’s clothing. He breaks open the bathroom door lock and discovers Lavery’s corpse, with several bullet holes, in the tub. Marlowe thinks the scene points to a female murderer. He finds another clue—a handkerchief embroidered with the initials “A.F.”—and connects these initials with Adrienne Fromsett. Marlowe leaves the apartment after hiding all signs that he has been there.