The Chinese Parrot · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for The Chinese Parrot by Earl Derr Biggers.
Chapter 1
I: The Phillimore Pearls
Alexander Eden recalls the history of the Phillimore pearls, which Sally Jordan now wishes to sell because she is broke due to her son Victor's poor investments. Eden values the necklace at $300,000. Sally reveals she has arranged for a Chinese detective, Charlie Chan, to bring the pearls from Honolulu. P. J. Madden arrives with his daughter Evelyn and secretary Martin Thorn to negotiate the purchase, offering $220,000. Madden insists the pearls be delivered to him in New York, not to his daughter in Pasadena. Eden tasks his son Bob with meeting the messenger.
Chapter 2
II: The Detective from Hawaii
Alexander Eden visits Sally Jordan's suite at the Stewart Hotel to discuss the delivery of the Phillimore pearls. P. J. Madden has changed his instructions, now demanding the necklace be delivered to his desert ranch at Eldorado instead of New York. Eden is uneasy about the desert setting and a suspicious phone call. Bob Eden arrives late, explaining he avoided a man in black spectacles who followed him at the dock. Charlie Chan arrives separately with the pearls, having missed Bob. Eden reveals a second suspicious call purportedly from Madden, traced to a San Francisco pay-station, heightening concerns. Despite the risks, Sally Jordan insists on sending the pearls with Bob and Chan to the desert.
Chapter 3
III: At Chan Kee Lim's
Charlie Chan and Bob Eden finalize their plan to approach P. J. Madden's ranch separately—Eden as himself and Chan disguised as a shabby old Chinese seeking work. They part ways in San Francisco. Chan explores the city, eats at a lunch-counter, and visits Chinatown on New Year's Eve. He meets his cousin Chan Kee Lim and his Americanized daughter Rose, sharing tea and conversation before departing for the desert.
Chapter 4
IV: The Oasis Special
Bob Eden arrives in Eldorado and loses track of Charlie Chan, who carries the valuable pearls. He explores the town, meets Will Holley and Paula Wendell at the Oasis Café, and learns about strange events at the Madden ranch, including a frightened prospector and a rude secretary. Holley offers to drive him to the ranch.
Chapter 5
Madden's Ranch
Bob Eden and Will Holley arrive at Madden's ranch, where they meet the financier alive and well, dispelling their fears of foul play. Madden agrees to give Holley an interview, but tensions rise when Eden reveals he did not bring the pearls. A parrot's chilling cry for help unsettles Eden, and Charlie Chan, disguised as the servant Ah Kim, signals caution. Eden decides to delay the delivery, planning to call his father in the morning.
Chapter 6
VI: Tony's Happy New Year
Bob Eden wakes late at the ranch, initially dismissing his earlier fears as foolish. Charlie Chan, disguised as Ah Kim, urges patience and warns that something is wrong, pointing to the parrot Tony's mysterious cries. Madden grows increasingly impatient for the pearl necklace deal to close. Eden tries to call his father but learns he is unreachable, playing golf. Madden's intense focus on the pearls raises Eden's suspicions about their true value. Will Holley arrives for an interview, and while examining Madden's gun collection, they discover a gun is missing.
Chapter 7
VII: The Postman Sets Out
Bob Eden and Charlie Chan decide to delay handing over the pearls and investigate the mysteries at Madden's ranch. Eden rides into Eldorado with Paula Wendell, who shares her love for the desert. Chan observes a suspicious man leaving the hotel. Eden initially doubts Chan's instincts after talking with Will Holley, but Chan's persistence and the strange events convince him to follow the detective's lead.
Chapter 8
A Friendly Little Game
Bob Eden defies P.J. Madden's demand to call his father, leading to a tense exchange. Later, Eden reveals to Charlie Chan (disguised as Ah Kim) that Shaky Phil Maydorf won $47 in a poker game, and Chan discloses he found Bill Hart's missing gun with two empty chambers in Thorn's room. Eden shares Paula Wendell's story of a black-bearded prospector seen on Wednesday night. Chan advises caution and asks Eden to have Paula watch for the prospector. That evening, a poker game among Madden, Thorn, and Eden is interrupted by Shaky Phil Maydorf, who joins the game, intensifying the competition.
Chapter 9
IX: A Ride in the Dark
Bob Eden rises early on Sunday and discovers Martin Thorn burying a can that once contained arsenic. Charlie Chan, disguised as Ah Kim, warns that one wrong deed leads to another. Madden pressures Eden about the pearl necklace, and Eden learns from his father that the necklace will be sent. Later, Eden meets with Will Holley and Paula Wendell at the Oasis, discussing marriage and Holley's past. That night, Eden drives Louie Wong back to the ranch, but during a brief stop at the gate, Louie is stabbed to death. Charlie Chan finds a tear in Thorn's coat, suggesting his involvement.
Chapter 10
Bliss of the Homicide Squad
Louie Wong's body is discovered in Bob Eden's car. P.J. Madden shows no grief, only anger. Constable Brackett and Doctor Simms arrive, and Madden dismisses the murder as unimportant because the victim is Chinese. Charlie Chan warns Eden that Louie's murder is a minor incident covering a darker deed. Captain Bliss arrives and immediately suspects Ah Kim (Chan in disguise), but Chan cleverly mocks him. Will Holley gives Eden a telegram from his father about a bluff involving a private detective named Draycott. They discover that someone has swept away all footprints near the car.
Chapter 11
XI: Thorn Goes on a Mission
Bob Eden observes the arrival of a mild-mannered scholar, Mr. Gamble, at the ranch. During lunch, Madden receives a troubling telegram, which Eden later learns is from his daughter Evelyn, announcing her arrival that evening. Thorn is sent to pick her up, but Madden makes no arrangements for her room. Doctor Whitcomb visits to report that a man named Henry McCallum, who arrived at her cabins on Saturday, left with an unknown driver on Sunday night around the time of Louie Wong's murder and has not returned.
Chapter 12
XII: The Tramcar in the Desert
Bob Eden rises early, reflecting on the strange events at the ranch, especially Evelyn Madden's whereabouts. He tells Madden he must go to Barstow on business, and Ah Kim drives him. En route, Eden reveals to Chan that Madden has changed his mind about the pearls again. They stop to see Will Holley, who reveals that Evelyn Madden arrived on the six-forty train the night before, but never reached the ranch. Eden then takes the train and meets Paula Wendell; they decide to ride horses to Lonely Canyon. During their ride, they discover an old abandoned tramcar in the desert, a relic of a failed development. As Paula photographs it, the old prospector from Madden's party suddenly emerges from the car.
Chapter 13
XIII: What Mr. Cherry Saw
Bob Eden and Paula Wendell encounter the old prospector William I. Cherry, who initially resists questioning but eventually reveals that he witnessed a murder at Madden's ranch on the previous Wednesday night. Cherry describes hearing a man cry for help, then seeing a figure with a smoking gun standing over a body. Eden, Chan, and Holley discuss the implications, concluding that Madden himself is the likely killer. Chan resolves to solve the case without involving the sheriff, while Eden maintains his deceptive mission with Madden.
Chapter 14
XIV: The Third Man
Bob Eden wakes with the realization that Madden killed a man out of fear. With Madden, Thorn, and Gamble gone to Pasadena, Eden, Chan, and Holley search the ranch for clues. They focus on the identity of the 'third man' shot on Wednesday night. Holley recalls that Madden was seen twelve years ago in Jack McGuire's gambling-house, linking the past to the present mystery.
Chapter 15
XV: Will Holley's Theory
Bob Eden, Charlie Chan, and Will Holley continue their investigation at Madden's ranch. They repack and hide a bag, then interview real-estate salesman Mr. De Lisle, who reveals that on Wednesday night a thin, pale man (likely Professor Gamble) drove a sedan to Madden's ranch with a passenger named Jerry. De Lisle also recounts his Thursday morning encounter with Madden, who was rude and dismissive. Holley develops a theory that Madden is being blackmailed by Delaney and his associates over the murder, but Chan remains cautious, noting inconsistencies such as Louie Wong's murder occurring after he left for San Francisco. Chan keeps an open mind, while Eden worries about Madden's return from Pasadena.
Chapter 16
XVI: The Movies Are in Town
Bob Eden and Charlie Chan experience a quiet evening on the desert, reflecting on loneliness and the vastness of America. Chan expresses homesickness for Honolulu. Paula Wendell calls to announce that the movie people have arrived in Eldorado, and Eden joins them at the Desert Edge Hotel for a lively gathering. The next day, the film crew visits Madden's ranch, where Eddie Boston makes a suspicious remark to Madden. Paula Wendell agrees to try to pump Boston for information about Jerry Delaney.
Chapter 17
In Madden's Footsteps
Bob Eden and Paula Wendell travel from the desert to Pasadena, discussing the mystery of Madden's murder of Delaney. Eden meets his old friend Spike Bristol, who reveals that Madden sold bonds for cash. With Chan's help, Eden investigates Madden's bank visit and meets caretaker Peter Fogg, uncovering evidence of blackmail and Madden's financial maneuvers.
Chapter 18
XVIII: The Barstow Train
Bob Eden and Charlie Chan visit P. J. Madden's empty palace, then travel to Hollywood where they meet Paula Wendell and tour a film studio. They learn that Eddie Boston has left for San Francisco, apparently paid by Madden. Bob Eden then interviews actress Norma Fitzgerald, who reveals she knew Jerry Delaney but becomes suspicious when Eden mistakenly describes Delaney as red-haired, contradicting her knowledge.
Chapter 19
XIX: The Voice on the Air
Bob Eden returns to Barstow and agrees with Charlie Chan to hand over the pearls by eight o'clock the next evening if no breakthrough occurs. The next day, Eden learns from Will Holley that Madden is receiving another fifty thousand dollars, supporting Holley's blackmail theory. Eden returns to the ranch, where he tells Madden he will deliver the pearls at eight. That evening, while listening to a radio broadcast, Norma Fitzgerald mentions receiving a letter from Jerry Delaney, revealing that Delaney is alive and well—shattering the theory that Madden killed him.
Chapter 20
XX: Petticoat Mine
Bob Eden and Charlie Chan realize their theory about Jerry Delaney is wrong after hearing his voice over the wireless. Their discussion is interrupted by Will Holley, who reports that Paula Wendell has gone missing after visiting the Petticoat Mine. Eden and Holley drive to the abandoned mining town, where they confront Shaky Phil Maydorf. After a struggle, Eden unlocks the jail and finds Evelyn Madden and Paula Wendell imprisoned. A mysterious figure is discovered locked in a second cell.
Chapter 21
End of the Postman's Journey
Charlie Chan reveals his true identity and confronts P.J. Madden, who is exposed as Jerry Delaney. Chan retrieves the Phillimore necklace, disarms Madden, and holds him, Thorn, and Gamble at gunpoint until Bob Eden returns. The chapter culminates in the arrival of the real P.J. Madden, confirming the impostor's identity.
Chapter 22
The Road to Eldorado
P. J. Madden recounts his kidnapping by Delaney, Thorn, and the Maydorf brothers, explaining how he was held at Petticoat Mine while the conspirators impersonated him. Charlie Chan reveals how he deduced the impostor's identity through a left-handed reflex. The criminals are arrested and taken to jail, while the characters prepare to leave the ranch.
