The Methods of Maigret ( PDFDrive )

hanging in line at the Louvre or an Amsterdam museum!
“We shall be seeing your latest works. We’ll have them sent from Fiesole. At
the Assizes the experts will argue over them. You’re going to live through some
great moments, De Greef!”
It was almost amusing to see Philippe’s expression, at once disgusted and
angry, during this little speech. The two of them looked more and more like
schoolboys. Philippe was jealous of the words Maigret was addressing to his
classmate and had to hold himself in so as not to protest.
“Admit, Monsieur de Greef, that you aren’t really annoyed that it’s all come
unstuck!”
Even down to the “Monsieur,” which wounded Moricourt to his very soul!
“When one is the only person who knows, it ends by no longer being
amusing. You aren’t in love with life, Monsieur de Greef!”
“Neither yours, nor the one people wanted me to lead.”
“You don’t love anything.”
“I don’t love myself.”
“Nor do you love that little girl whom you only carried off by way of a
challenge, to infuriate her parents. Since when have you been wanting to kill one
of your fellow creatures? I don’t say from necessity, to gain money or to
suppress an embarrassing witness. I’m speaking of killing for the sake of killing,
to see what it’s like, what reactions one has. And even to hit the body afterward
with a hammer to prove that one has strong nerves.”
A thin smile twisted the Dutchman’s lips, and Philippe was furtively watching
him, without understanding.
“Would you like me to predict now what’s going to happen? You’ve decided,
both of you, to keep silent. You are convinced that there are no proofs against
you. There was no witness of Marcellin’s death. Nobody on the island heard the
shot, because of the mistral. The weapon hasn’t been found—probably it’s safe
at the bottom of the sea. I haven’t taken the trouble to make inquiries.
Fingerprints won’t tell us anything more. It will be a long affair. The magistrate
will question you patiently, will find out about your antecedents, and the
newspapers will talk a lot about you. They won’t fail to play up the fact that you
are both of good family.
“Your Montparnasse friends, De Greef, will emphasize that you are talented.
You will be represented as a fantastic misunderstood being.
“People will also talk about the two slim volumes of verse which Moricourt