- At the office, Spade has a visitor: a man with a fancy cane named Mr. Cairo.
- Cairo is looking for a black statuette of a bird, and he'll pay $5,000 for its recovery. (That's over $80,000 in 2015 money.)
- Effie buzzes the phone, and Spade tells her she can go home for the night.
- When he returns to Mr. Cairo, Cairo has a gun pointed at him.
- He frisks Spade to make sure he's not armed, but Spade is better with his own arms than any firearms.
- He disarms Cairo and knocks him out.
- He looks at the man's passport. He is who he says he is.
- Cairo also has a fragrant handkerchief. Spade seems to recognize the scent.
- His wallet is a little slim. There isn't nearly $5,000 in there.
- Cairo regains consciousness, and says he'll still pay $5,000 to find the figure.
- He thinks Spade already knows where the bird is.
- Spade agrees to search for the bird. As Cairo leaves, Spade returns his gun.
- And Cairo pulls it on him again. He's going to search that office no matter what, it seems. "Go ahead," Spade says with a laugh. "I won't stop you."