Maigret's Doubts by Georges Simenon

Author:Georges Simenon
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9780141985909
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2017-12-06T00:00:00+00:00

6. An Evening at the Cinema

‘Lucas?’ Maigret asked, nodding towards the connecting door between the two offices.

Not only did Lapointe understand the meaning of the question, he understood that at that moment the chief had no desire to form long sentences.

‘He went to take Torrence’s place on the embankment. Since Torrence wasn’t in the picture …’

Maigret abruptly changed the subject, and once again Lapointe followed him without difficulty.

‘What do you think?

Apart from Janvier, whom he had always addressed as a familiar, Maigret used the informal tu with only a very few people, and then only in the heat of action, or when he was very worried. Lapointe was always pleased when it happened, because it was a little as if the two men were suddenly exchanging confidences.

‘I don’t know, chief, I was listening but couldn’t see him, and the two things are very different.’

That was exactly why Maigret was asking him his advice. They had heard the same words. But the young man, behind the door, had not been distracted by a face, eyes, hands as Maigret had been. He felt a little as if he was in the situation one of the usherettes in the theatre, who hears the play from the corridors, and for whom the soliloquies have a different resonance.

‘He sounded sincere to me.’

‘Not slightly mad?’

‘It must be difficult to explain yourself, with someone like you sitting right in front of you …’

Lapointe had hesitated before saying that for fear of being misunderstood, even though in his mind it was a compliment.

‘You will have a clearer understanding of what I mean when you read through your replies. It’s only at the end …’

‘What do you mean, at the end?’

‘… that he was probably lying. At least from my point of view. The sister-in-law must have known he was coming here. He knew she knew. What he didn’t know was that she had followed him and was waiting for him on the embankment. I think that made him angry. Do you want me to type the text out straight away?’

Maigret shook his head and added:

‘I hope you won’t need to type it out.’

Maigret was starting to lose patience and wondered why Lucas wasn’t coming back up. There was no reason to follow the couple to Avenue de Châtillon. Maigret couldn’t wait to know how the encounter had gone, and Lapointe shared his curiosity.

‘I wonder,’ Lapointe murmured, ‘why he claimed that his sister-in-law knew nothing about it.’

‘There may be a reason.’

‘What?’

‘His desire not to compromise her, to ensure that she isn’t accused of complicity one day.’

‘But she could only be complicit if …’

Lapointe broke off and looked at his boss with surprise. Maigret’s words assumed that something was going to happen, something that would make Xavier Marton look bad. There was no time to talk about it any further, because they heard the sound of quick, short footsteps that could only have belonged to Lucas. He passed through the inspectors’ office and stood framed in the half-open door.

‘Can I

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