Continental Op Stories · Chapter
I: “Do You Know… Emil Bonfils?” explained
The Continental Op arrives at Leopold Gantvoort's home for an appointment, but Gantvoort is absent.
What happens
The Continental Op arrives at Leopold Gantvoort's home for an appointment, but Gantvoort is absent. After waiting two hours, his son Charles receives a phone call informing him that his father has been killed. The Op is hired by Charles to investigate. At the police station, Detective Sergeant O'Gar presents the victim's personal effects, including a bloodied typewriter, and Charles identifies his father's belongings. The investigation reveals that Gantvoort had been seeing a young woman named Creda Dexter, whom Charles suspected of being a fortune hunter, and that Gantvoort had received threats, leading him to contact the detective agency.
Themes in this chapter
Crime and Detection
The chapter opens with a murder investigation, the collection of evidence, and the hiring of a detective.
Class and Power
The victim's wealth and his son's suspicion of fortune hunters highlight class tensions and the power dynamics of inheritance.
Deception and Identity
The mysterious reference to Emil Bonfils and the unknown items among the victim's effects suggest hidden identities and deceit.
Characters to notice
- The Continental Op
Arrives for an appointment with Leopold Gantvoort, waits, and is hired by Charles Gantvoort to investigate the murder.
- Charles Gantvoort
Son of the victim; receives the news of his father's death, identifies his father's belongings, and hires the Continental Op.
- Detective Sergeant O'Gar
Bullet-headed detective-sergeant in charge of the investigation; works with the Op and questions Charles about the victim's relationships.
- Creda Dexter
Young woman with whom Leopold Gantvoort was infatuated; Charles suspects her of being a fortune hunter.
- Madden Dexter
Brother of Creda Dexter; mentioned as being in New York on business for the victim.
Key passages
“a small portable typewriter, bent and twisted, and matted with hair and blood.”
A small portable typewriter was found, damaged and covered in blood and hair.
Key piece of evidence from the murder scene.
“I am connected with the Continental Detective Agency. Your father called up this afternoon and asked that a detective be sent to see him tonight.”
The Op reveals he is from the Continental Detective Agency and that the victim had requested a detective due to threats.
Establishes the Op's role and the victim's premonition.