Maigret's Rival by Georges Simenon

Author:Georges Simenon [Simenon, Georges]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Georges Simenon
ISBN: 9780156551410
Google: Xfi2AAAACAAJ
Amazon: 0156551411
Barnesnoble: 0156551411
Goodreads: 140591
Publisher: Harvest
Published: 1943-12-31T11:00:00+00:00

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6—Alban Groult-Cotelle's Alibi

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Before dinner that evening, an incident occurred which, although insignificant in itself, nonetheless gave Maigret food for thought. Etienne Naud had still not sat down, as though afraid of being even more at the mercy of the Superintendent if he did not move. They could hear voices in the dining room. Madame Naud was reprimanding the maid for not cleaning the silver properly. Geneviève had just come downstairs.

Maigret saw the look her father gave her as she came into the room. It held a trace of anxiety. Naud had not seen his daughter since she had retired to her room the day before, saying she did not feel well. It was perfectly natural, too, that Geneviève should reassure him with a smile.

Just at that moment the telephone rang, and Naud went into the hall to answer it. He left the door open.

"What?" he said, in an astonished tone of voice. "Of course he's here, damn it. What did you say?… Yes, hurry up. We're expecting you."

When he came back into the living room, he was still shrugging his shoulders.

"I wonder what has got into our friend Alban. There's been a place for him at our table for years. Now he calls this evening to find out if you're here, and when I say you are, he asks if he can come to dinner and says he must talk to you…"

By chance, Maigret happened to be looking, not at Naud, but at his daughter, and he was surprised to see a fierce expression on her face.

"He did the same thing earlier today." she said crossly. "He came here for lunch and looked very peeved when he realized the Superintendent hadn't come back. I thought he was going to leave. He muttered:

"'What a pity. I had something to show him.'

"He took his leave as soon as he had gulped down his dessert. You must have met him in the town. Superintendent."

Whatever it was, was so subtle that Maigret could not pinpoint it. A hint of something in the girl's voice. And yet it was not really the voice. What is it, for example, that makes an experienced man suddenly realize that a young girl has become a woman?

Maigret noticed something of this sort. It seemed to him that Geneviève's peevish words conveyed something more than plain ill temper, and he decided to watch young Mademoiselle Naud more closely.

Madame Naud came in, apologizing for her absence. Her daughter took the opportunity to repeat:

"Alban has just called to say he's coming to dinner. But first of all he asked whether the Superintendent was here. He's not coming to see us. …"

"He'll be here in a minute," said her father, who had finally sat down now that his family was around him. "It will take him three minutes by bicycle."

Maigret dutifully remained seated, looking somewhat dispirited. His large eyes were expressionless, as was usual with him when he found himself in an awkward situation. He watched them

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