The Maltese Falcon · Chapter
XIV: La Paloma explained
Spade returns to his office at dawn to find Effie Perine asleep there.
What happens
Spade returns to his office at dawn to find Effie Perine asleep there. After tending to his bruised temple from the knockout drops, he dictates the history of the falcon to Effie and sends her to consult her historian cousin. He then visits Brigid's empty apartment, the Alexandria Hotel (where Gutman's party is staying), and the Belvedere, where he and hotel detective Luke search Joel Cairo's room. In Cairo's wastebasket, Spade finds a torn newspaper clipping listing ship arrivals, including the La Paloma from Hong Kong, which he cuts out and investigates.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Duplicity
Spade's careful search of Cairo's room and the hidden newspaper clipping reveal layers of concealment and false identities.
The Quest for Authenticity
Spade seeks to verify the falcon's history by consulting an academic, highlighting the search for truth amid lies.
Characters to notice
- Sam Spade
Returns to his office at dawn, dictates the falcon's history to Effie, searches for Brigid and Gutman, and discovers the La Paloma clue in Cairo's room.
- Effie Perine
Found asleep at her desk; takes dictation of the falcon's history and agrees to visit her cousin at the university to verify it.
- Joel Cairo
Absent from his hotel room; Spade and Luke search his belongings and find a torn newspaper clipping about ship arrivals.
- Luke
Hotel detective at the Belvedere; helps Spade search Cairo's room and discusses the case.
- Casper Gutman
Mentioned as having sent a message to Spade; his party is staying at the Alexandria Hotel.
Key passages
“Spade, coming around the corner from the elevator at a few minutes past six in the morning, saw yellow light glowing through the frosted glass of his office door.”
At just after six in the morning, Spade turned the corner and noticed a yellow light shining through the frosted glass of his office door.
Sets the early morning scene as Spade returns to his office.
“He put his hand on the knob and turned it with care that permitted neither rattle nor click.”
He turned the doorknob very carefully, making no sound at all.
Highlights Spade's cautious and stealthy approach.
“He went to Brigid O'Shaughnessy's apartment at the Coronet. Nobody was in the apartment. Nothing had been changed in it since his last visit.”
Spade visited Brigid's apartment at the Coronet, but found it empty and exactly as he had left it.
Shows Spade's continued search for Brigid and the lack of new clues there.
“He read the list slowly and when he had finished he underscored 'Hong Kong' with a fingernail, cut the list of arrivals from the paper with his pocketknife, put the rest of the paper and Cairo's sheet into the wastebasket, and returned to his office.”
After reading the list carefully, he marked 'Hong Kong' with his nail, cut out the arrivals section, discarded the rest, and went back to his office.
Spade identifies the La Paloma as a key clue from the torn newspaper.