The Methods of Maigret ( PDFDrive )
“Including the big money?”“Including the big money.”After which, lighting a fresh cigar, Charlot threw out:“Big money has always interested me. Do you catch on now?”“That’s why you visited the Dutchman this morning?”“He’s flat broke.”“Which means it’s not him?”“I don’t say that. All I say is that Marcellin couldn’t have hoped to get moneyout of him.”“You’re forgetting the girl.”“Anna?”“Her father is very rich.”That made Charlot think, but he finally shrugged his shoulders. TheCormorant was passing by the first rocky promontory and entering the harbor.“Will you excuse me? I am expecting someone, maybe.”And Charlot touched his hat ironically and headed for the jetty.While Maigret was stuffing his pipe Mr. Pyke declared:“I think he’s a highly intelligent fellow.”“It’s very hard to succeed in his job without being.”The page boy from the Grand Hotel was taking the luggage of a youngmarried couple. The mayor, who had gone aboard, was examining the luggagelabels. Charlot was helping a young woman ashore, and was taking her towardthe Arche. So he really was waiting for someone. He must have telephoned theday before.As a matter of fact, where had Inspector Lechat telephoned Maigret from twodays before, to tell him about it all? If it was from the Arche, where the walltelephone was placed just beside the bar, everyone overheard him. He mustremember to ask him.The dentist was there again, in the same clothes as in the morning, unshaven,perhaps unwashed, an old straw hat on his head. He was gazing at theCormorant, and that was enough for him. He seemed happy to be alive.Were Maigret and Mr. Pyke to follow the general movement, stroll up to theArche, make for the bar and the white wine which would be served up withouttheir being asked what they wanted?The Chief Inspector studied his companion from the corner of his eye, and on
his side Mr. Pyke, though impassive, seemed to be studying him.Why not follow the others, after all? Marcellin’s burial was in process atHyères. Behind the bier Ginette took the place of family and she would bemopping her brow with her handkedchief screwed tightly into a ball. There wasa heavy heat in the air over there in the avenues lined with motionless palms.“Do you like the local wine, Mr. Pyke?”“I should be very happy to drink a glass.”The postman was crossing the bare stretch of the square pushing a barrowpiled with the mailbags. Lifting his head, Maigret saw the windows of the Archewide open and, in one of the openings on the first floor, Charlot leaning on thewindow sill. Behind him in the gilded half-light, a young woman was in the actof removing her dress, which she was passing over her head.“He talked a lot and I wonder if he was hoping to get more out of me.”That would emerge later. People like Charlot cannot easily resist adopting anadvantageous position. Just as Maigret and Mr. Pyke were sitting down in theterrace they saw Monsieur Émile, more of a small white mouse than ever,advancing on to the square with mincing little steps, a panama on his head, andheading diagonally for the post office to the left of the church, high up. The doorwas open. Four or five people were waiting while the girl behind the countersorted the mail.It was Saturday. Jojo was giving the red squares of the dining room a goodscrubbing. Her feet were bare, and rivulets of dirty water were draining onto theterrace.Paul brought, not two glasses of wine, but a whole bottle.“Do you know the woman who went up to Charlot’s room?”“That’s his girl friend.”“Is she in service?”“I don’t think so. She’s some sort of a dancer or singer in a Marseilles nightclub. It’s the third or fourth time she’s been here.”“Did he telephone her?”“Yesterday afternoon, while you were in your room.”“Do you know what he said?”“He simply asked her to come and spend the weekend. She accepted at once.”“Were Charlot and Marcellin friends?”“I don’t remember having seen them together; I mean just the two of them.”
- Page 30 and 31: wearing a butcher’s yellowish apr
- Page 32 and 33: stayed, perhaps even wrote home for
- Page 34 and 35: “They prefer not to think about i
- Page 36 and 37: “It’s she who runs the Sirènes
- Page 38 and 39: friendship, I sometimes act as her
- Page 40 and 41: “Of course.”“Were there other
- Page 42 and 43: that it was all futile, that he oug
- Page 44 and 45: for the open air.<P“Le Petit Var
- Page 46 and 47: “What about?”“I know perfectl
- Page 48 and 49: to her apron strings and that is wh
- Page 50 and 51: “When?”“When Justine dies.”
- Page 52 and 53: “You must do as you wish,” she
- Page 54 and 55: be heard calling in the distance:
- Page 56 and 57: one probably doesn’t come across
- Page 58 and 59: CHAPTER 5« ^ »He had thought abou
- Page 60 and 61: Marcellin ever happen to go up to s
- Page 62 and 63: It is always ridiculous to play the
- Page 64 and 65: could be heard. Only the movement o
- Page 66 and 67: had only had occasion to visit Porq
- Page 68 and 69: again the coughing sound which made
- Page 70 and 71: imagined to be unique.“Won’t yo
- Page 72 and 73: He understood now why Ginette had m
- Page 74 and 75: This did not seem at all surprising
- Page 76 and 77: bare toes and his hands, as nimble
- Page 78 and 79: The page from the Grand Hotel was t
- Page 82 and 83: “I would like you to try to remem
- Page 84 and 85: “She hasn’t left me for a secon
- Page 86 and 87: “Inspector Lucas. If he’s not t
- Page 88 and 89: “Are you taking notes?” Mr. Pyk
- Page 90 and 91: “ ‘Is that you?… it’s me…
- Page 92 and 93: which she waited for several months
- Page 94 and 95: working the slot machine while his
- Page 96 and 97: “What are you thinking about?”
- Page 98 and 99: Paris.”He didn’t trouble to ret
- Page 100 and 101: It sometimes happened to him, espec
- Page 102 and 103: An odd sort of job, his! He was onl
- Page 104 and 105: Nothing else had happened. Charlot
- Page 106 and 107: uncombed, his eyes still puffy with
- Page 108 and 109: In the end there was a noise from t
- Page 110 and 111: “And did Monsieur de Moricourt kn
- Page 112 and 113: The latter still didn’t stir.“E
- Page 114 and 115: “Nothing. I shall say nothing mor
- Page 116 and 117: yacht as well as the North Star. I
- Page 118 and 119: hanging in line at the Louvre or an
- Page 120 and 121: Lunch had begun at the Arche. Jojo
- Page 122 and 123: and they were handing a pair of bin
“Including the big money?”
“Including the big money.”
After which, lighting a fresh cigar, Charlot threw out:
“Big money has always interested me. Do you catch on now?”
“That’s why you visited the Dutchman this morning?”
“He’s flat broke.”
“Which means it’s not him?”
“I don’t say that. All I say is that Marcellin couldn’t have hoped to get money
out of him.”
“You’re forgetting the girl.”
“Anna?”
“Her father is very rich.”
That made Charlot think, but he finally shrugged his shoulders. The
Cormorant was passing by the first rocky promontory and entering the harbor.
“Will you excuse me? I am expecting someone, maybe.”
And Charlot touched his hat ironically and headed for the jetty.
While Maigret was stuffing his pipe Mr. Pyke declared:
“I think he’s a highly intelligent fellow.”
“It’s very hard to succeed in his job without being.”
The page boy from the Grand Hotel was taking the luggage of a young
married couple. The mayor, who had gone aboard, was examining the luggage
labels. Charlot was helping a young woman ashore, and was taking her toward
the Arche. So he really was waiting for someone. He must have telephoned the
day before.
As a matter of fact, where had Inspector Lechat telephoned Maigret from two
days before, to tell him about it all? If it was from the Arche, where the wall
telephone was placed just beside the bar, everyone overheard him. He must
remember to ask him.
The dentist was there again, in the same clothes as in the morning, unshaven,
perhaps unwashed, an old straw hat on his head. He was gazing at the
Cormorant, and that was enough for him. He seemed happy to be alive.
Were Maigret and Mr. Pyke to follow the general movement, stroll up to the
Arche, make for the bar and the white wine which would be served up without
their being asked what they wanted?
The Chief Inspector studied his companion from the corner of his eye, and on
Change language