The Methods of Maigret ( PDFDrive )

Maigret toyed with a pencil.
“Hallo!… Do I know a Marcellin?… What Marcellin? … What? A
fisherman?… Try to speak more distinctly, Lechat… I can’t understand what
you’re talking about… A character who lives in a boat… Yes… Go on… He
claims to be a friend of mine?… What?… He claimed?… That’s not my
business, Lechat, old man… It’s not my area… He had talked about me all
evening?… And you say that is why he’s dead?…”
He had dropped his pencil and was trying to relight his pipe with his free
hand.
“I’m making a note, yes… Marcel… It’s not Marcellin any more… As you
say… P for Paul… A for Arthur… C for cinema… yes Pacaud… Have you sent
off fingerprints?… A letter from me?… Are you sure?… Headed paper?… What
heading… Brasserie des Ternes… It’s possible… And what did I say?”
If only Mr. Pyke hadn’t been there looking at him so earnestly!
“I’ve written it down, yes… ‘Ginette leaves tomorrow for the sanatorium. She
sends her love. Cordially…’ It’s signed Maigret?… No, it’s not necessarily a
forgery… I seem to remember something… I’ll go and look on the files … Go
down there?… You know perfectly well it’s nothing to do with me…”
He was just going to ring off but he couldn’t resist asking one question, at the
risk of shocking Mr. Pyke. “Is the sun shining, down there?… Mistral?… But
there’s sun as well?… Right… If I’ve any news I’ll call you back… I
promise…”
If Mr. Pyke asked few questions he had a way of looking at you that obliged
Maigret to speak.
“You know the island of Porquerolles?” he said, lighting his pipe. “They say
it’s very beautiful, as beautiful as Capri and the Greek islands. A man was killed
there last night, but it’s not in my district. They found a letter from me in his
boat.”
“It really was from you?”
“Very likely. The name Ginette seems to ring a bell. Will you come up with
me?”
Mr. Pyke already knew all the departments of the Police Judiciare, which he
had been shown round. One behind the other they walked up to the attics, where
files are kept of everyone who has had dealings with the police. On account of
the Englishman Maigret was suffering from a sort of inferiority complex and he
was ashamed of the antiquated clerk in long gray overalls who was sucking
cough drops.