~***Marlowe meets the Sternwoods***~

It was about eleven o'clock in the morning, one day in October. There was no sun, and there were

rain−clouds over the distant hills. I was wearing my light blue suit with a dark blue shirt and tie, black

socks and shoes. I was a nice, clean, well−dressed private detective. I was about to meet four million

dollars.

From the entrance hall where I was waiting I could see a lot of smooth green grass and a white

garage. A young chauffeur was cleaning a dark red sports−car. Beyond the garage I could see a large

greenhouse. Beyond that there were trees and then the hills.

There was a large picture in the hall, with some old flags above it. The picture was of a man in

army uniform. He had hot hard black eyes. Was he General Sternwood's grand− father? The uniform

told me that he could not be the General himself, although I knew he was old. I also knew he had two

daughters, who were still in their twenties.

While I was studying the picture, a door opened. It was a girl. She was about twenty, small but

tough−looking. Her golden hair was cut short, and she looked at me with cold grey eyes. When she

smiled, I saw little sharp white teeth. Her face was white, too, and she didn't look healthy.

`Tall, aren't you?' she said.

`I apologize for growing.'

She looked surprised. She was thinking. I could see that thinking was difficult for her.

`Handsome, too,' she said. She bit her lip and half−closed her eyes. She waited to see what effect

that had on me. When I did nothing, she asked, `Who are you?'

`I'm a detective.'

`What?'

`You heard me.'

`I don't believe you.' She giggled suddenly, and put her thumb in her mouth like a baby. `You're so

tall,' she said.

Then she turned away from me and fell backwards into my arms. I had to catch her to stop her

from crashing to the floor. She held on to me and giggled again.

`You're cute,' she giggled. `I'm cute, too.'

I said nothing. At that moment the butler came in. He didn't look surprised.

He was a tall thin silvery man of about sixty, with expressionless blue eyes. He moved towards us

like a much younger man. In a moment the girl had gone.

The butler said, `The General will see you now, Mr Marlowe.'

`Who was that?' I asked him.

`Miss Carmen Sternwood, sir.'

`I think she should see a doctor. Does she often fall over like that?'

He looked at me coolly, but said nothing.

We went out and walked across the grass. The young chauffeur was cleaning a big black car now.

The butler opened a door, and we went into the greenhouse.It was hot in there, the air thick and wet and the light green.

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The place was full of plants with

heavy flowers and leaves like dead fingers.

From a wheelchair in the middle of the greenhouse an old

man with black eyes watched us. Although it was so hot, he was covered in blankets.

The butler said, `This is Mr Marlowe, General.'

The old man didn't move or speak. He just looked at me. Then he said, `Brandy, Norris. Please

bring some brandy.'

The butler went and the old man spoke again. He used his weak old voice as carefully as a poor

actress uses her last good pair of shoes.

`I used to like champagne with my brandy. Cold champagne. I can't drink now. Please allow me to

enjoy watching you drink. Take off your coat, sir. It's too hot in here for a healthy young man. You may

smoke. I like the smell of cigarettes.'

I took off my coat and lit a cigarette. The butler brought me brandy and I drank some. The General

watched me, with his eyes half−closed.

`Tell me about yourself, Mr Marlowe.'

`There's very little to tell. I'm thirty−three. I used to work for the District Attorney. His chief

investigator, Bernie Ohls, told me you wanted to see ,me. I'm not married. I don't like policemen's

wives.'

`Why did you stop working for the District Attorney?'

`I was fired. I don't enjoy taking orders from other people. I like thinking for myself.'

The old man smiled. `I feel the same myself, sir. I'm glad to hear you say that. What do you know

about my family?'

`Your wife is dead. You have two young daughters. They're both pretty and both wild. One of

them has been married three times − the last time to a bootlegger called Rusty Regan.'

The General smiled his thin smile.

`I was very fond of Rusty Regan. He was a big red−haired Irishman with sad eyes and a wide

smile. He spent hours with me. He was a grand story−teller and a grand drinker. Of course, he was not a

suitable husband for my daughter. I'm telling you our family secrets, Mr Marlowe.'

`They'll stay secrets,' I told him. `What happened to Regan ?'

The old man looked at me sadly. `He went away a month ago. Without saying goodbye. That hurt

me. I hope he'll come back. And now someone is blackmailing me again.'

`Again?'

He took a packet of papers from under the blankets. `Nobody blackmailed me while Rusty was

here, you can be sure. But nine or ten months ago I paid a man called Joe Brody five thousand dollars to

leave my younger daughter Carmen alone.'

`Ah,' I said.

`What does that mean?'

`Nothing,' I said.

He stared at me. `Look at this,' he said. `And have some more brandy.'

I took the packet. The address said: General Guy Sternwood, 3765 Alta Brea Crescent, West

Hollywood, California. There was a ...

continued ~

card inside it with the name Mr Arthur Gwynn Geiger, Specialist

Bookseller, but no address. There were also three notes signed by Carmen Sternwood. Each promised to

pay Geiger $1,000.

`Any ideas?' the General asked.

`Not yet. Who is Arthur Gwynn Geiger?'

`I don't know.'

`What does Carmen say?'

`I haven't asked her. If I did, she would put her thumb in her mouth and giggle.'

I said, `I met her. She did that to me. Then she fell over on to me.'

The expression on his face did not change.

`Should I be polite?' I asked. `Or can I be honest?'

`I think you can decide for yourself, Mr Marlowe.'

`Do the girls spend a lot of time together?'

`I don't think so. Vivian is intelligent but cruel. Carmen is just a selfish child. Neither of them ever

worries about the difference between right and wrong. Neither do I.'

`Do they have any money of their own?'

`Vivian has a little. I am generous to them both.'

I drank some brandy. Then I said, `I can take Geiger off your back, General, if you want me to.' I

told him how much money I wanted for the job.

`I see,' he said. `That seems fair. Very well, Mr Marlowe. The problem is now in your hands.'

`I'll fix Mr Geiger,' I said. `He'll think a bridge fell on him.'

`I'm sure you will manage excellently. And now you must excuse me. I am tired.'

He touched a bell, stared at me once more, and closed his eyes.

I picked up my coat and went out of that hot greenhouse full of flowers. The cool air of the garden

smelled wonderful. The butler was coming towards me.

`Mrs Regan would like to see you, sir. And the General has told me to pay you what is necessary.'

`Told you how?'

He smiled. `You are, of course, a detective, sir. By the way he rang his bell.'

`Why does Mrs Regan want to see me?'

His blue eyes looked straight into mine.

`She misunderstands the reason for your visit, sir.'

`Who told her about my visit?'

`She saw you enter the greenhouse, sir. I had to tell her who you were.'

`I don't like that,' I said. `Take me to Mrs Regan's room.'

It was a big white room, too big, too white. Long windows looked out onto the dark hills. It was

going to rain soon.

I sat on the edge of a deep soft chair and looked at Mrs Regan. She was lovely. She was trouble.

She was lying in a chair with her shoes off, so I stared at her legs. They were long and beautiful. She

was tall and strong−looking, with black hair and the hot black Sternwood eyes.

She was drinking, and looked at me coolly over her glass.

`So you're a private detective,' she said. `I imagined an awful little man.'

I said nothing.

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