“Well, sir, there we were–stumped again. Miss O’Shaughnessy had opened the door for Mr. Cairo and me after she had shut the window behind Jacobi, and she–” He broke off to smile at a memory. “We persuaded–that is the word, sir–her to tell us that she had told Jacobi to take the falcon to you. It seemed very unlikely that he’d live to go that far, even if the police didn’t pick him up, but that was the only chance we had, sir. And so, once more, we persuaded Miss O’Shaughnessy to give us a little assistance. We–well–persuaded her to phone your office in an attempt to draw you away before Jacobi got there, and we sent Wilmer after him. Unfortunately it had taken us too long to decide and to persuade Miss O’Shaughnessy to–”
The boy on the sofa groaned and roiled over on his side. His eyes opened and closed several times. The girl stood up and moved into the angle of table and wall again.
“–cooperate with us,” Gutman concluded hurriedly, “and so you had the falcon before we could reach you.”
The boy put one foot on the floor, raised himself on an elbow, opened his eyes wide, put the other foot down, sat up, and looked around. When his eyes focused on Spade bewilderment went out of them.
Cairo left his armchair and went over to the boy. He put his arm on the boy’s shoulders and started to say something. The boy rose quickly to his feet, shaking Cairo’s arm off. He glanced around the room once and then fixed his eyes on Spade again. His face was set hard and he held his body so tense that it seemed drawn in and shrunken.
Spade, sitting on the corner of the table, swinging his legs carelessly, said: “Now listen, kid. If you come over here and start cutting up I’m going to kick you in the face. Sit down and shut up and behave and you’ll last longer.”
The boy looked at Gutman.
Gutman smiled benignly at him and said: “Well, Wilmer, I’m sorry indeed to lose you, and I want you to know that I couldn’t be any fonder of you if you were my own son; but–well, by Gad!–if you lose a son it’s possible to get another–and there’s only one Maltese falcon.”
Spade laughed.
Cairo moved over and whispered in the boy’s ear. The boy, keeping his cold hazel eyes on Gutman’s face, sat down on the sofa again. The Levantine sat beside him.
Gutman’s sigh did not affect the benignity of his smile. He said to Spade: “When you’re young you simply don’t understand things.”
Cairo had an arm around the boy’s shoulders again and was whispering to him. Spade grinned at Gutman and addressed Brigid O’Shaughnessy: “I think it’d be swell if you’d see what you can find us to eat in the kitchen, with plenty of coffee. Will you? I don’t like to leave my guests.”
“Surely,” she said and started towards the door.
Gutman stopped rocking. “Just a moment, my dear.” He held up a thick hand. “Hadn’t you better leave the envelope in here? You don’t want to get grease-spots on it.”
The girl’s eyes questioned Spade. He said in an indifferent tone: “It’s still his.”
She put her hand inside her coat, took out the envelope, and gave it to Spade. Spade tossed it into Gutman’s lap, saying: “Sit dn it if you’re afraid of losing it.”
“You misunderstand me,” Gutman replied suavely. “It’s not that at all, but business should be transacted in a business-like manner.” He opened the flap of the envelope, took out the thousand-dollar bills, counted them, and chuckled so that his belly bounced. “For instance there are only nine bills here now.” He spread them out on his fat knees and thighs. “There were ten when I handed it to you, as you very well know.” His smile was broad and jovial and triumphant.
Spade looked at Brigid O’Shaughnessy and asked: “Well?”
She shook her head sidewise with emphasis. She did not say anything, though her lips moved slightly, as if she had tried to. Her face was frightened.
Spade held his hand out to Gutman and the fat man put the money into it. Spade counted the money–nine thousand-dollar bills–and returned it to Gutman. Then Spade stood up and his face was dull and placid. He picked up the three pistols on the table. He spoke in a matterof-fact voice. “I want to know about this. We”–he nodded at the girl, but without hooking at her–“are going in the bathroom. The door will be open and I’ll be facing it. Unless you want a three-story drop there’s no way out of here except past the bathroom door. Don’t try to make it.”