Chapters 21-24 Summary

Marlowe and Second Planting arrive at the Amthor house in Chapter 21. Marlowe meets Mrs. Amthor for the first time. He recognizes her as the woman on the telephone who invited him there. Marlowe finds Jules Amthor to be vaguely annoying and somewhat showy. Marlowe returns the man's one hundred dollars. Amthor thinks Philip Marlowe is stupid and tells him so in no uncertain terms. Marlowe is unimpressed, and presses Amthor to explain how his business cards came to be rolled inside the mouthpieces of Lindsay Marriott's marijuana cigarettes. Amthor claims he does not know anything about the business cards. He does, however, admit to having done energy work with Mrs. Grayle. Marlowe accuses Amthor of being a blackmailer and of having played a part in the jade robbery. Shortly thereafter, the place goes completely dark.

At the beginning of Chapter 22, Marlowe...