The Methods of Maigret ( PDFDrive )

“Was he hoping to take up the old life with you again?”
“At first, yes, I think so. Then he changed too. We didn’t change in the same
way, the two of us. He grew old very quickly, almost overnight. I don’t know if
you saw him again. Before, he was smart, particular about his appearance. He
was proud. It all started when he came to the Riviera, quite by chance.”
“Was it he who made you go into service with Justine and Émile?”
“No. I knew Justine by name. I applied to her. She took me on trial as a
manageress, as I wasn’t fit for anything else. I was operated on four times up
there, and my body is covered with scars.”
“I asked you why you had come today.”
He came relentlessly back to this question.
“When I found out that you were on the case I thought you would remember
me and try to get hold of me. That would probably have taken some time.”
“If I understand you correctly, since you came out of the sanatorium you had
no further relations with Marcel, but sent him money orders?”
“Occasionally. I wanted him to enjoy himself a little. He wouldn’t show it but
he went through some bad patches.”
“Did he tell you so?”
“He told me he was a failure, that he always had been a failure, and that he
hadn’t even been able to become a real crook.”
“Was it in Nice that he told you this?”
“He never came to see me at the Sirènes. He knew it was forbidden.”
“Here?”
“Yes.”
“Do you often come to Porquerolles?”
“Nearly every month. Justine’s too old, now, to inspect her establishments
herself. Monsieur Émile has never liked traveling.”
“Do you sleep here, at the Arche?”
“Always.”
“Why doesn’t Justine give you a room? The villa is large enough.”
“She never has women sleeping under her roof.”
He sensed that he was reaching the sensitive spot, but Ginette wasn’t giving in
completely yet.
“Is she afraid for her son?” he asked jokingly, as he lit a fresh pipe.
“Strange though it may seem, it’s the truth. She has always made him live tied