Carmen Kills Regan

The novel’s central hidden crime is reconstructed from Carmen’s shooting attempt, Vivian’s confession, and the body left in the oil sump.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

A Shooting Lesson Planned

A Shooting Lesson Planned A familiar outing Terence Regan takes Carmen Sternwood to the family’s old oil wells to teach her to shoot. He places a can on a target and stands nearby. An unseen reversal The outing looks like an ordinary private lesson until Marlowe later understands that Carmen may have turned the gun on Regan. The location becomes the key to the disappearance.

A Sudden Shot

A Sudden Shot A violent impulse Carmen shoots Terence Regan instead of the can, apparently reacting to sexual rejection or another intimate boundary. The General’s son-in-law dies without a public investigation. A family crisis Carmen’s condition and the circumstances make her sister fear that police questioning will expose the crime. The truth begins to pass from one family member to another in secrecy.

Vivian Seeks Help

Vivian Seeks Help A desperate decision Vivian Regan takes the problem to Eddie Mars instead of the authorities. She fears that the truth will devastate General Guy Sternwood. Concealment begins Mars’s people remove the body, and the family does not report what happened. Regan’s disappearance can now be mistaken for a voluntary departure.

The Body in the Sump

The Body in the Sump A confession Vivian tells Philip Marlowe that Terence Regan’s body lies in an oil sump. She admits that she chose concealment to protect her father from the knowledge. A final image The decayed body is the physical remainder of a crime disguised as a romantic disappearance. The family’s secret has lasted, but not without moral cost.

Marlowe Keeps the Secret

Marlowe Keeps the Secret A conditional silence Philip Marlowe gives Vivian three days to arrange care for Carmen and warns that he will reveal the truth if she fails. He does not immediately expose the murder. The unresolved burial Marlowe leaves the body in the sump, reflecting on how death makes its location meaningless to the dead. His silence protects the living but makes him part of the concealment.

September 16, the afternoon Regan disappeared

September 16, shortly after the lesson begins

the night Regan disappears

near the ending, during Marlowe’s confrontation with Vivian

the final pages