This guy was made one through years and years of abuse." Then, it was reported that the charred remains in the house were not Dolarhyde""s, but were identified as from another Chromalux employee named Ralph Mandy (who wasn""t reported missing for a week because he was scheduled for a vacation) -- Dolarhyde had staged his own death...found him laying in a dry wash in the sun, shot right through the head...about two o""clock, but he must have been shot a lot earlier, ""cause they picked his horse up clear over near the ranch road.The beginning and end of the film are both marked with he ""death"" of a King/Queen.The elderly king of Sweden falls mortally wounded at the Battle of Lutzen, uttering his last words: "I was King of Sweden.Sean Regan had handled the first case of blackmail, but now that he is missing "without a word," Marlowe must be employed [as a substitute for Regan - one surrogate son hired to ascertain the whereabouts of another]:Sternwood: You knew him too?Marlowe: Yes, in the old days, when he used to run rum out of Mexico and I was on the other side.While sitting on the porch of the lodge, she shot and needlessly killed a porcupine in a tree (with a crack shot - an important plot point), prompting Moose to harshly criticize her.