The Big Sleep Chapter 15 Summary

  • Brody hands his gun to Agnes so that she can keep Marlowe in check. And then he takes out a second gun. Blackmailers always have to be well-armed—it's a job requirement.
  • When Brody opens the door, Carmen pushes her way through, holding a small black revolver. Our gun count is up to three now. Yikes.
  • Carmen has come to retrieve her photos, claiming that she saw Brody kill Geiger. This is a big fat lie, but now the tables are turned as the blackmailer is being blackmailed.
  • With Brody caught off guard, Marlowe grabs the gun from Agnes.
  • A scuffle for the gun ensues: Agnes tries to get her gun back, but Marlowe hits her on the head. A shot goes off between Brody and Carmen, and somehow in all the mess, Marlowe ends up with all three guns. (If we're ever in a gunfight, we want Marlowe on our side.)
  • Marlowe makes Brody hand over all the pictures and negatives. Carmen is making a strange hissing sound between her teeth, and there is froth at the corners of her mouth.
  • She coyly asks Marlowe for the photos, but he tells her that he'll hang onto them for now and makes her go home.