The Grand Banks Café by Georges Simenon Page A

must see him as soon
     as I can! I’ll talk to him, alone … You can arrange it, can’t
     you?’
    Before starting down the gangway, she
     looked back with eyes full of hate at the dark ship, which was no longer the
same to her now that she knew that a
     woman had been hiding on board.
    Madame Maigret watched her,
     intrigued.
    â€˜Come! You mustn’t cry! You
     know everything will all turn out all right.’
    â€˜No, it won’t,’ she
     said with a despairing shake of her head.
    She couldn’t speak. She could
     hardly breathe. She tried to look at the boat one more time. Madame Maigret, who did
     not understand what was going on, looked inquiringly at her husband.
    â€˜Take her back to the hotel. Try
     and calm her down.’
    â€˜Did something happen?’
    â€˜Nothing specific. I expect
     I’ll be back quite late.’
    He watched them walk away. Marie Léonnec
     turned round a dozen times, and Madame Maigret had to drag her away like a
     child.
    Maigret thought about going back on
     board. But he was thirsty. There were still lights on in the Grand Banks Café.
    Four sailors were playing cards at a
     table. Near the counter, a young cadet had his arm round the waist of the serving
     girl, who giggled from time to time.
    The landlord was watching the card game
     and was offering suggestions.
    He greeted Maigret with: ‘Hello!
     You back again?’
    He did not look overjoyed to see him.
     The very opposite. He seemed rather put out.
    â€˜Look sharp, Julie! Serve the
     inspector! Whatever’s your poison. It’s on me.’
    â€˜Thanks. But if it’s all the same to you,
     I’ll order like any other customer.’
    â€˜I didn’t want to get on the
     wrong side of you … I …’
    Was the day going to end with the mark
     of rage still on it? One of the sailors muttered something in his Norman dialect
     which Maigret translated roughly as:
    â€˜Watch out, I smell more
     trouble.’
    The inspector looked him in the eye. The
     man reddened then stammered:
    â€˜Clubs trumps!’
    â€˜You should have played a
     spade,’ declared Louis for something to say.

5.
     Adèle and Friend
    The phone rang. Léon snatched the
     receiver, then called Maigret. It was for him.
    â€˜Hello?’ said a bored voice
     on the other end of the line. ‘Detective Chief Inspector Maigret? It’s
     the duty desk officer at Fécamp police station. I’ve just phoned your hotel. I
     was told you might be at the Grand Banks Café. I’m sorry to disturb you, sir.
     I’ve been glued to the phone for half an hour. I can’t get hold of the
     chief anywhere. As for the head of the Flying Squad, I’m wondering if
     he’s still actually here in Fécamp … Thing is, I’ve got a couple of odd
     customers who’ve just turned up saying they want to make statements, all very
     urgent, apparently. A man and a woman …’
    â€˜Did they come in a grey
     car?’
    â€˜Yes, sir. Are they the pair
     you’re looking for?’
    Ten minutes later, Maigret was at the
     police station. All the offices were closed except for the inquiries area, a room
     divided in two by a counter. Behind it the duty officer was writing. He smoked as he
     wrote. A man was waiting. He was sitting on a bench, elbows on knees, chin in his
     hands.
    And a woman was walking up and down,
     beating a tattoo on the floorboards with her high heels
    The moment the inspector appeared, she
     walked right
up to him, and the man got to
     his feet with a sigh of relief and growled between gritted teeth:
    â€˜And not a minute too
     soon!’
    It was indeed the couple from Yport,
     both a little crosser than during the domestic shouting-match Maigret had sat
     through.
    â€˜Come next door with
     me.’
    Maigret showed them into the office of
     the chief inspector, sat down in his chair and filled a pipe while he took a good