The Maltese Falcon: Chapter 6 Summary & Analysis

After Cairo leaves, Spade contemplates the offer and commits himself to searching for the statue. When Spades leaves the office, he notices a young man watching him. As Spade makes his way to the opera to find Cairo, the young man follows him. Outside the opera house, Spade find Cairo and asks him about the young man, but Cairo responds that he has no knowledge of the boy’s identity or his intentions. Cairo returns to the opera as Spade and his shadow board the same trolley. To lose the young man, Spade enters an apartment building, goes out the back entrance, and walks another few blocks to Brigid’s hotel.

In Brigid’s room, Spade tells her that he’s decided to protect her identity from the police. With the suspicion that she is somehow connected to Cairo’s mysterious appearance, Spade nonchalantly mentions Cairo and his offer about the statue. Frightened and upset, she accuses him of failing to protect her, but Spade responds that she had given him no indication that Cairo even existed. After Spade says he’ll only reject Cairo’s offer if she pays him more than $5,000, she offers to instead pay him with her body. Spade disdainfully refuses her offer and tells her if she wants him to continue working for her, then he needs more information about the nature of her problem. Brigid says that before she can tell him anything else, she first must speak to Cairo. She and Spade agree that they should call Cairo from Spade’s apartment.

When they arrive at his apartment building, Spade notices Iva Archer waiting in a car out front. He ushers Brigid into the lobby before returning to talk to Iva at her car. On the verge of tears, she says they need to talk, but Spade tells her he is too busy. As she drives off in anger, Spade notices the young man watching him from the shadows.