The Geiger Murder

The Big Sleep

The killing of Arthur Gwynn Geiger generates competing explanations, an erased crime scene, and an eventual identification of Owen Taylor as the shooter.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

A Watchful Stakeout A Watchful Stakeout from "The Big Sleep". A Watchful Stakeout Following Geiger Philip Marlowe watches Arthur Gwynn Geiger leave his bookstore and follows him to his hillside home.

A Watchful Stakeout from "The Big Sleep". A Watchful Stakeout Following Geiger Philip Marlowe watches Arthur Gwynn Geiger leave his bookstore and follows him to his hillside home.

A Watchful Stakeout Following Geiger Philip Marlowe watches Arthur Gwynn Geiger leave his bookstore and follows him to his hillside home. Carmen Sternwood arrives later in a separate car. The turning point A burst of light, a scream, and gunshots transform surveillance into a murder scene. Marlowe has to decide whether to enter before the evidence vanishes.

The Crime Scene The Crime Scene from "The Big Sleep". The Crime Scene Geiger’s death Philip Marlowe finds Arthur Gwynn Geiger shot beside a camera aimed at Carmen Sternwood.

The Crime Scene from "The Big Sleep". The Crime Scene Geiger’s death Philip Marlowe finds Arthur Gwynn Geiger shot beside a camera aimed at Carmen Sternwood.

The Crime Scene Geiger’s death Philip Marlowe finds Arthur Gwynn Geiger shot beside a camera aimed at Carmen Sternwood. The girl is incapacitated by drugs and cannot give a reliable account. Missing evidence The camera has no plateholder. Someone has taken the photographic evidence, leaving the murder scene vulnerable to competing stories.

The Body Disappears The Body Disappears from "The Big Sleep". The Body Disappears Evidence removed Philip Marlowe returns to Arthur Gwynn Geiger’s home and finds the corpse gone.

The Body Disappears from "The Big Sleep". The Body Disappears Evidence removed Philip Marlowe returns to Arthur Gwynn Geiger’s home and finds the corpse gone.

The Body Disappears Evidence removed Philip Marlowe returns to Arthur Gwynn Geiger’s home and finds the corpse gone. Furniture and wall hangings have been rearranged to conceal what happened. A private investigation The removal convinces Marlowe that someone is managing the evidence. He keeps the coded notebook and continues without alerting the police.

Lundgren’s Revenge Lundgren’s Revenge from "The Big Sleep". Lundgren’s Revenge A mistaken conclusion Carol Lundgren believes Joe Brody murdered Arthur Gwynn Geiger.

Lundgren’s Revenge from "The Big Sleep". Lundgren’s Revenge A mistaken conclusion Carol Lundgren believes Joe Brody murdered Arthur Gwynn Geiger.

Lundgren’s Revenge A mistaken conclusion Carol Lundgren believes Joe Brody murdered Arthur Gwynn Geiger. He shoots Brody in retaliation, turning suspicion into another homicide. The actual killer Marlowe establishes that Owen Taylor shot Geiger, not Brody. Lundgren’s violence grows from misinformation created by the concealment of the original crime.

The Body Restored The Body Restored from "The Big Sleep". The Body Restored A change of conscience After hiding Geiger’s corpse, Owen Taylor returns it and arranges it in the unused bedroom.

The Body Restored from "The Big Sleep". The Body Restored A change of conscience After hiding Geiger’s corpse, Owen Taylor returns it and arranges it in the unused bedroom.

The Body Restored A change of conscience After hiding Geiger’s corpse, Owen Taylor returns it and arranges it in the unused bedroom. The gesture suggests guilt and attachment rather than calculated disposal. A clue to motive The body’s return supports Marlowe’s reconstruction of Taylor as the jealous protector of Carmen. The concealment had delayed the truth without erasing it.

the first rainy afternoon

the first rainy evening, around 7:20 p.m.

after Marlowe returns from taking Carmen home

the second evening

later that night