The Maltese Falcon Scene 10 Summary

  • Mr. Gutman is in room 12C.
  • The young boy answers the door, and Gutman shakes hands with Spade.
  • He's a very fat man—he lives up to his name.
  • Gutman and Spade have a drink and sit near the fireplace.
  • Spade wants to get right to the point and talk about the black bird.
  • Gutman says he's the only man who knows exactly what the bird is, but he won't tell Spade what it is, unless Spade tells him where it is.
  • Spade flips out, throws a glass, and storms out of the room.
  • But in the hallway he grins. Maybe it was all an act.
  • As he gets into one elevator, Cairo gets out of another on the same floor.