The killing of the two Mexican enforcers at the Cahuilla Club exposes the violence surrounding the search for Nico Peterson and implicates his father, Wilberforce Canning. The event is recounted later by Philip Marlowe, whose return to the club during the killings leads to his own coercive interrogation.

Causes and Background

Marlowe went to the Cahuilla Club to ask about Peterson and spoke with Floyd Hanson, who proved unhelpful. Later, two Mexican men arrived looking for Peterson. Marlowe identifies them as the men who had killed Peterson’s sister, Lynn. Their search brought them into the hands of Peterson’s father and Bartlett, the butler.

What Happens

As Marlowe recounts it to Peterson, Canning and Bartlett seized the two men and forced information from them. Marlowe made the mistake of returning to the club while this was underway. He was then dunked in the swimming pool to pressure him into disclosing what he knew about Peterson and his supposed whereabouts. The account establishes that Marlowe was caught up in the same effort to obtain information that had targeted the two enforcers.

Consequences and Aftermath

Marlowe tells Peterson that Canning had killed the men or arranged their deaths. Peterson appears amused by the news that his father is on the run and speculates that Canning has gone to Europe, where he has money hidden, and is operating under a false name. His confidence that Canning will not be found leaves the killing tied to a wider flight from accountability. Because the episode reaches the reader through Marlowe’s later report, the violence is not staged directly; its significance emerges through the connections it reveals among the men seeking Peterson, Canning’s household, and Marlowe’s investigation.