14 - (Maigret) The Flemish Shop by Georges Simenon

Author:Georges Simenon [Simenon, Georges]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

He walked along aimlessly. He had come out just to be out of doors, or, more precisely, to plunge once more into the atmosphere of the town, and he didn’t care where his legs carried him. It was just a matter of luck that he suddenly found himself staring at a brass plate on which was engraved:

Docteur VAN DE WEERT

Consultations de dix heures à midi

A few minutes later, in spite of the three patients who sat waiting their turn, he was ushered into the presence of a little man, whose complexion was childishly pink, and whose hair was as beautifully white as Madame Peeters’.

“I’m glad to see you, Inspector. But I hope it’s nothing disagreeable…”

He rubbed his hands together as he spoke. A buoyant optimism radiated from his whole person.

“My daughter told me about you. It’s very kind of you to…”

“I’d like first of all to ask you a question: Does it require much force to smash a woman’s skull with a hammer?”

The little man’s consternation was a sight to see. He wore a morning-coat of a cut that had long been out of fashion. A massive watch-chain was stretched across his stomach.

“A woman’s skull? … How should I know? At Givet, I’ve never had occasion to consider such a question.”

“Do you think, for instance, that a woman would be strong enough?”

It was altogether too much for the doctor, who gesticulated excitedly.

“A woman?… My dear sir!… You’re surely not suggesting that a woman would think of…?”

“Are you a widower, Dr. Van de Weert?”

“I have been for twenty years. Fortunately my daughter…”

“What do you think of Joseph Peeters?”

“What could I think? He’s an excellent fellow… I would certainly have preferred him to take up medicine, as he could have taken over my practice… But there you are. He seems to be gifted for law. And it’s a fine profession.”

“What about his health?”

“Quite all right. Of course he’s been working very hard, and he may be a bit run down. And then being so tall… He shot up a bit too quickly, perhaps…”

“There’s no taint in the Peeters family?”

“A taint?”

He pronounced the word with such alarm that one might have thought he’d never heard of hereditary diseases.

“Really, Inspector! Your questions take me rather by surprise. You’ve seen my cousin, Madame Peeters. If you ask me, she’ll live to a hundred.”

“And your daughter?”

“She’s more delicate. She takes after her mother… May I offer you a cigar?”

A real Flemish type. He could have stepped straight out of a picture or an advertisement for some brand of schnapps. Full, bright red lips, and clear blue eyes that revealed all the simplicity of his soul.

“And Mademoiselle Marguerite was due to marry Joseph?”

The doctor’s face clouded ever so slightly.

“Yes. We were expecting them to marry one day or another, if it hadn’t been for this… this unfortunate…”

He couldn’t find the right word for it. But for him it was just something unfortunate.

“Strange, isn’t it?” he went on. “They couldn’t see how much better it would be for

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