The Lady in the Lake

In the privacy of his office, Kingsley admits that he asked Sheriff Petersen, who is connected to M’Gee, to find him a detective. Marlowe discusses his rates and conditions—he doesn’t get involved in divorces. Kingsley wants Marlowe to find his wife, Crystal, who has been missing for a month, and suggests Marlowe investigate Kingsley’s cabin in Little Fawn Lake, up in the nearby mountains and near a man named Bill Chess. Kingsley shares a telegram from Crystal that says she is leaving him and marrying Chris Lavery. Two weeks after this telegram arrived, Kingsley was contacted by the Prescott Hotel and told that Crystal’s car was sitting unclaimed in their garage. He sent them a check and didn’t think much about it until he ran into Chris Lavery a few days prior to the meeting. Lavery claimed not to know where Crystal was, and Kingsley believed him because Lavery usually sleeps with multiple women and is known for being unwilling to settle down.

Kingsley doesn’t want to go to the police because Crystal has a history of shoplifting and drinking. He worries that without his protection, Crystal has landed in prison. Marlowe doubts this is the case and suggests that Crystal might have broken up with Lavery or been “met with foul play” (11). Kingsley and Crystal have separate bank accounts, so Kingsley can’t get information about Crystal’s spending, and they have no children. Marlowe agrees to talk to Lavery and Bill Chess, and Kingsley writes a letter for Marlowe to give to Chess. Fromsett gives Marlowe details about Lavery’s address, and Marlowe notices that she seems to dislike Lavery.

Marlowe knocks on the door of Lavery’s place in Bay City, but gets no response. Lavery’s neighbor across the street drives out of his garage and looks at Marlowe. Eventually, Lavery answers the door but refuses to talk to Marlowe. After Marlowe shows Lavery the telegram from Crystal, Lavery lets him in to talk. Lavery says he hasn’t seen Crystal in several months and didn’t plan to go to El Paso to marry her like the telegram says. When Marlowe asks more questions, Lavery insults Marlowe’s profession. Marlowe says he’ll be back because Lavery is withholding something, and Lavery spits on the floor. Marlowe goes outside and looks at the house across from Lavery’s.

The house has a nameplate that says, “Albert S. Almore, M.D.” (19). Almore returns in his car and stares at Marlowe as he walks inside. Marlowe sits in his car, smoking, and Almore watches through his window. Marlowe watches Almore make phone calls, then watches Lavery leave in his car and head toward the beach. Another car arrives, and its driver, Detective Lieutenant Degarmo, gets out and walks up to Marlowe’s car. Degarmo asks for Marlowe’s identification, Marlowe gives it to him, and Degarmo questions Marlowe about “casing Almore’s place” (23). Marlowe denies this accusation, and Degarmo spits on the ground. Then, Degarmo asks about “her folks” (24), and the narrative later reveals he is referring to Almore’s late wife’s parents. Marlowe says he has no interest in Almore, and Degarmo tells Marlowe to leave.

Marlowe goes back to Los Angeles to meet with Kingsley. After hearing what happened, Kingsley tells Marlowe that Almore was Crystal’s doctor for a while, and that Almore’s wife died by suicide. Kingsley assures Marlowe that he has enough daylight to get to the cabin by the lake.

Marlowe drives through San Bernardino and the past the armed sentries guarding the Puma Lake dam. When he arrives in Little Fawn Lake, he gives Kingsley’s “note of introduction” (28) to Bill Chess. Chess says that Crystal was last at the cabin a few weeks ago and that he hasn’t seen her since. Marlowe makes a joke about Chess knowing if the mattresses in Kingsley’s cabin are comfortable, implying that Chess slept with Crystal. Chess is offended by this, but admits that he is hungover. Marlowe offers him a bottle of rye.

As Chess drinks, he shares that his wife Muriel, left him on June 12, the same day Crystal was supposed to attend a party in town. Chess tells Marlowe that he cheated on Muriel with Crystal, and that the two women look somewhat similar. After Muriel discovered the affair, she left Chess. Chess shows Marlowe the note Muriel left behind, which says: “I’d rather be dead than live with you any longer” (33). Then, Chess thanks Marlowe for the drink and gives the bottle back.

Marlowe and Chess walk around the lake. Chess says that a movie production built the pier and millwheel they see. They go into Kingsley’s cabin, where Marlowe looks through Crystal’s clothes, admitting to Chess that he is investigating her disappearance. Marlowe asks if Muriel and Crystal could have gone off together, but Chess thinks this is highly unlikely. Then, Marlowe shows Chess the note from Crystal. Chess says Lavery has been to the lake once, but he doesn’t believe they ran off together. At the pier, Chess looks into the water and sees an arm poking out from under the boat landing. He tosses a rock in the lake, and the body is freed from underneath. It rises to the surface, and Marlowe can make out blond hair and jewelry, but not facial features, due to the body decomposing underwater. Chess identifies the corpse as Muriel. (The end of the novel reveals that this is not Muriel’s body but Crystal’s.)

Marlowe visits the local police station, meets Sheriff Patton, and reports finding the corpse in the lake. Patton gathers some bottles of alcohol to bring to Chess then heads out to pick up Doc Hollis. Marlowe follows Patton in his car.

Patton picks up Hollis and brings him to the lake. Chess sits on the pier, naked, having just retrieved the corpse out of the water. Patton gives Chess a bottle of alcohol. Patton’s deputy, Andy, covers the corpse, then vomits behind a tree. The corpse is too deteriorated for Hollis to learn much at this point. Patton says there has only been one murder in their community—Dad Meacham, killed over a small bag of gold. The killer, Guy Pope, had died of pneumonia before the police discovered Meacham’s body. Patton and Andy argue about how many years ago the murder took place. Chess gets dressed and tells the police to take him in. Patton doesn’t think Chess killed Muriel. The note she left is undated, and Patton thinks it might have been written earlier than Chess thinks. Chess hits himself in the face, then asks to change clothes before going to the station for questioning. Andy goes with Chess to his cabin.