The Methods of Maigret ( PDFDrive )
Paul’s a good chap. But there’s another reason. Look in the corner, on the left.The juke box. It’s mine, and I’ve got about fifty, from Marseilles to St. Raphael.It’s not very steady. From time to time these gents get naughty and steal one ortwo sous from me.”Poor Mr. Pyke, who had eaten his little birds to the bitter end, in spite of thesoftness of his heart! Now he was sniffing the garlic mayonnaise with illconcealedapprehension.“You’re wondering why I am talking so much, aren’t you?”“I haven’t wondered anything yet.”“It’s not a habit of mine. But I’ll tell you anyway. Here, I mean on the island,there are two characters who are bound to get blamed for the whole affair.They’re Émile and me. We’ve both seen trouble. People are very decent with us,more so as we are openhanded with drinks. They wink at one another. Theywhisper:“ ‘They’re regular crooks!’“Or: ‘Take a look at him. He’s quite a lad!’“Just the same, the moment there’s any dirty work it’s us they go for.“I realized that and that’s why I took it easy. I’ve two pals waiting for me onthe coast and I haven’t even tried to telephone them. Your little Inspector withthe dainty manner, who has been keeping his eye on me and for the last two dayshas been itching to put me inside. Well! I’ll tell you straight, to save you makinga blunder: it’d be a big mistake.“That’s all. After which, at your service.”Maigret waited for Charlot to go out, a toothpick at his lips, to ask quietly ofhis Scotland Yard colleague:“Does it ever happen over there that you make friends among your clients?”“Not in quite the same way.”“How do you mean?”“We haven’t a lot of people like that. Certain things don’t happen in quite thesame way. Do you follow me?”Why did Maigret think of Mrs. Wilcox and her young secretary? Indeedcertain things did not happen in quite the same way.“For example, I had dealings, you might call them cordial, for a long timewith a notorious jewel thief. We have a lot of jewel thieves. It’s something of anational specialty of ours. They are nearly always educated men who come fromthe best schools and belong to the smartest clubs. We have the same difficulty as
you do with people like this man, or the one called Monsieur Émile: it is to catchthem in the act. For four years I kept on the track of the thief I was telling youabout. He knew it. We often drank whisky at the bar together.“We played a number of games of chess together too.”“And did you get him?”“Never. In the end we came to a gentleman’s agreement. You know theexpression? I got rather in his way, so much so, in fact, that last year he wasn’table to do anything and he was genuinely in a state of penury. On my side, Iwasted a lot of time on his account. I advised him to go and exercise his talentselsewhere. Is that how you say it?”“Did he go and steal jewels in New York?”“I rather think he’s in Paris,” Mr. Pyke corrected him calmly, selecting atoothpick in his turn.A second bottle of the island wine, which Jojo had brought without beingasked, was more than half empty. The patron came over to suggest:“A little marc-brandy? After the garlic mayonnaise, it’s essential.”It was balmy, almost cool in the room, while a heavy sun beat down on thesquare.Charlot, probably for his digestion, had just begun a game of pétanque with afisherman, and there were half a dozen others to watch them play.“Will you be doing your interrogations at the town hall?” inquired thediminutive Lechat, who didn’t seem at all sleepy.Maigret all but answered: “What interrogations?”But he mustn’t forget Mr. Pyke, who was swallowing his marc almost withoutdistaste.“At the town hall, yes…”He would have preferred to take a siesta.CHAPTER 3« ^ »Monsieur Félicien Jamet, the mayor (of course people just called him Félicien),came along with his key to open the town-hall door for them. Twice before,seeing him cross the square, Maigret had asked himself what it was about hisappearance that was abnormal, and he suddenly realized; perhaps because healso sold lamps, paraffin oil, galvanized iron wire and nails, Félicien, instead of
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you do with people like this man, or the one called Monsieur Émile: it is to catch
them in the act. For four years I kept on the track of the thief I was telling you
about. He knew it. We often drank whisky at the bar together.
“We played a number of games of chess together too.”
“And did you get him?”
“Never. In the end we came to a gentleman’s agreement. You know the
expression? I got rather in his way, so much so, in fact, that last year he wasn’t
able to do anything and he was genuinely in a state of penury. On my side, I
wasted a lot of time on his account. I advised him to go and exercise his talents
elsewhere. Is that how you say it?”
“Did he go and steal jewels in New York?”
“I rather think he’s in Paris,” Mr. Pyke corrected him calmly, selecting a
toothpick in his turn.
A second bottle of the island wine, which Jojo had brought without being
asked, was more than half empty. The patron came over to suggest:
“A little marc-brandy? After the garlic mayonnaise, it’s essential.”
It was balmy, almost cool in the room, while a heavy sun beat down on the
square.
Charlot, probably for his digestion, had just begun a game of pétanque with a
fisherman, and there were half a dozen others to watch them play.
“Will you be doing your interrogations at the town hall?” inquired the
diminutive Lechat, who didn’t seem at all sleepy.
Maigret all but answered: “What interrogations?”
But he mustn’t forget Mr. Pyke, who was swallowing his marc almost without
distaste.
“At the town hall, yes…”
He would have preferred to take a siesta.
CHAPTER 3
« ^ »
Monsieur Félicien Jamet, the mayor (of course people just called him Félicien),
came along with his key to open the town-hall door for them. Twice before,
seeing him cross the square, Maigret had asked himself what it was about his
appearance that was abnormal, and he suddenly realized; perhaps because he
also sold lamps, paraffin oil, galvanized iron wire and nails, Félicien, instead of
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