Short Fiction · Chapter
Money Maze explained
Colonel Emilio Falcon, private secretary to the new president of Anchuria, arrives in Coralio to investigate the disappearance of the treasury money taken by the late President Miraflores.
What happens
Colonel Emilio Falcon, private secretary to the new president of Anchuria, arrives in Coralio to investigate the disappearance of the treasury money taken by the late President Miraflores. He interviews witnesses, including the barber Estebán and hotel proprietress Madame Timotea Ortiz, but finds no clear leads. Frank Goodwin, a powerful American, is suspected of knowing more. Goodwin and his wife discuss the situation privately, hinting that they possess the money but intend to keep it hidden. Meanwhile, the beachcomber Beelzebub Blythe considers blackmailing Goodwin but decides against it out of gentlemanly loyalty.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Appearance vs. Reality
The Goodwins outwardly appear honest and noble while secretly possessing the stolen money; Blythe's gentlemanly facade masks his intent to blackmail.
Crime and Consequence
The investigation into the missing treasury funds and the moral dilemma of blackmail highlight the theme of crime and its repercussions.
Social Class and Wealth
Goodwin's power and status shield him from suspicion; Blythe's fallen state contrasts with his former high station.
Characters to notice
- Beelzebub Blythe
A fallen idealist and beachcomber in Coralio who considers blackmailing Goodwin about the lost money but refrains out of a sense of honor.
- Frank Goodwin
American rubber prince and mahogany baron; hosts Colonel Falcon for dinner and discusses the hidden money with his wife, implying they know its whereabouts.
- Señor Goodwin
Alternate reference to Frank Goodwin in the context of his local standing.
- The Colonel
Colonel Emilio Falcon, private secretary to President Losada, sent to Coralio to recover the lost treasury funds.
- Unknown Narrator
Third-person narrator describing the investigation and the Goodwins' private conversation.
Key passages
“A gentleman can’t blackmail the man that he drinks with.”
A man of honor cannot extort money from someone he shares a drink with.
Blythe's internal decision to abandon his blackmail plan due to a sense of gentlemanly ethics.
“If they were to find out that we got the money do you think they would force you to make the amount good to the government?”
If the authorities discover we have the money, would they compel you to repay it to the government?
Mrs. Goodwin's anxious question to her husband about the consequences of their secret.