The Carter of ’La Providence’ Read Online Free PDF Page B

said that 500 francs was charity. The colonel did not answer, leaving that to Willy. They were all drunk. The Negretti woman fell asleep on the roof, and Vladimir had to carry her into the cabin.’
    Standing at the window, Maigret let his eye wander along the black line of the canal. To his left, he could see the small-gauge railway, which was still used to transport earth and gravel.
    The sky was grey and streaked low down with shreds of blackish cloud. But it had stopped raining.
    â€˜What happened then?’
    â€˜That’s more or less it. On Friday, Mary Lampson supposedly travelled to Paris and met up with both girls at La Coupole, when she must have given them the necklace.’
    â€˜My, my! A teeny-weeny little present …’
    â€˜Not a present. She handed it over for them to sell on. They were to give her half of whatever cash they got for it. She told them her husband didn’t let her have much in the way of ready money.’
    The paper on the walls of the room was patterned with small yellow flowers. On it the basin was a splash of dirty white.
    Maigret saw the lock-keeper hurrying his way along with a bargee and his carter, clearly intending to drink a tot of rum at the bar.
    â€˜That’s all I could get out of them,’ said Lucas in conclusion. ‘I left them at two this morning. I sent Inspector Dufour to keep a discreet eye on their movements. Then I went back to the Préfecture to check the records
as per
your instructions. I found the file on Willy Marco, who was kicked out of Monaco four years ago after some murky business to do with gambling. The following year he was questioned after an American woman claimed he had relieved her of some
items of jewellery. But the charge was dropped, I don’t know why, and Marco stayed out of jail. Do you think that he’s …’
    â€˜I don’t think anything. And that’s the honest truth, I swear. Don’t forget the murder was committed on Sunday after ten at night, when the
Southern Cross
was moored at La Ferté-sous-Jouarre.’
    â€˜What do you make of the colonel?’
    Maigret shrugged his shoulders and pointed to Vladimir, who had just popped out through the forward hatch and was making for the Café de la Marine. He was wearing white trousers, rope sandals and a sweater. An American sailor’s cap was
pulled down over one ear.
    â€˜Phone call for Monsieur Maigret,’ the red-haired serving girl called through the door.
    â€˜Come down with me, Lucas.’
    The phone was in the corridor, next to a coat stand.
    â€˜Hello? … Meaux? … What was that? … Yes, the
Providence
 … At Meaux all day Thursday loading? … Left at three o’clock Friday morning … Did any others? … The
Éco-III
 … That’s a tanker-barge, right? … Friday night at Meaux … Left Saturday morning … Thanks, inspector! … Yes, carry on with the questioning, you never know … Yes, I’ll still be at this
address …’
    Lucas had listened to this conversation without understanding a word of it. Before Maigret could open his mouth
to tell him, a uniformed officer on a bicycle appeared at the door.
    â€˜Message from Records … It’s urgent!’
    The man was spattered with mud to the waist.
    â€˜Go and dry off for a moment and while you’re at it drink my health with a hot grog.’
    Maigret led Lucas out on to the towpath, opened the envelope and read out in a half-whisper:
Summary of preliminary analyses relating to inquiries into the murder at Dizy:
    â€” victim’s hair shows numerous traces of resin and also the presence of horsehairs, dark brown in colour;
    â€” the stains on the dress are fuel oil;
    â€” stomach contents at time of death: red wine and tinned meat similar in type to what is commercially available as corned