Read Lock No. 1 for Free Online

sort of misgiving took root, though he could not say what it was
     exactly.
    Around him, the room was big, with
     varnished pine everywhere. In one corner was a bed with a quilt over it, and above
     the headboard hung an ebony crucifix. The middle section of the cabin was used as a
     dining area, and the table was laid for two.
    â€˜Sit down,’ said the young
     woman.
    Her voice too was quite unexpected, and
     yet, from Ducrau’s window, Maigret had already had had a sense of
     Aline’s strangeness. From a distance, there seemed to be something ethereal
     about her.
    But she was not slim, nor was she
     fragile And close to, her body was noticeably healthy and firm, fully alive. Her
     features were regular, and her tanned complexion formed a contrast with the fairness
     of her hair.
    So why did the sum
     of the parts suggest frailty and make one want to protect and console her?
    â€˜Is the child yours?’
    For something to say, Maigret nodded
     towards the baby, whose turned-wood cradle stood next to him.
    â€˜My godson.’
    She smiled politely, with a lingering
     trace of fear.
    â€˜You’re Gassin’s
     daughter, aren’t you?’
    â€˜Yes.’
    She had a child’s voice and the
     meekness of a good little girl who is answering the questions she is being
     asked.
    â€˜I’m sorry to disturb you at
     this time. Since you were here the day before yesterday when the incident occurred,
     I would like to know if anyone came on board earlier that evening. Such as Émile
     Ducrau.’
    â€˜Yes.’
    Maigret had not been expecting her
     response at all and wondered if she had understood the question.
    â€˜You’re sure Ducrau came
     here on the evening he was attacked?’
    â€˜I didn’t open the door to
     him.’
    â€˜Did he come on board?’
    â€˜Yes. He called. I was about to go
     to bed.’
    Maigret glimpsed a second cabin,
     narrower than the first, and the fixed bunk in it. As she spoke, the young woman
     gently eased the child away from her breast, wiped its chin and then buttoned her
     blouse.
    â€˜What time was that?’
    â€˜I don’t know.’
    â€˜Was it a long time before your
     father fell into the canal?’
    â€˜I
     don’t know.’
    She was, for no apparent reason,
     becoming frightened. She got up to lay the baby in his cradle and as he was opening
     his mouth and starting to cry, she gave him a red rubber dummy.
    â€˜Do you know Ducrau
     well?’
    â€˜Yes.’
    She stoked the fire in the stove and
     added salt to a saucepan of potatoes. It was then that for Maigret, as he watched
     each of her movements closely, the penny dropped. She was not mad perhaps, but there
     was a veil between her and the external world. Everything about her was insulated,
     damped down, her actions, her voice, her smile, for she smiled apologetically when
     she stepped directly in front of her visitor.
    â€˜Do you know what Ducrau came
     for?’
    â€˜Always the same thing!’
    Maigret’s unease deepened, and it
     made his hands feel clammy. Each of the girl’s words might have serious
     consequences. With every question he asked, the mystery was becoming less tangled,
     and yet he was afraid of questioning her. Did she really understand what she was
     telling him? Would she say yes to every question?
    â€˜Are you talking about
     Ducrau’s son?’ he said, to test the hypothesis.
    â€˜Jean didn’t
     come.’
    â€˜So is it his father who’s
     been coming to … see you?’
    For a moment her eyes settled on
     Maigret’s face. Then she looked away.
    He wanted to finish this quickly. He was
     too close to a possible breakthrough to stop now.
    â€˜When he
     comes here, that’s what he’s after, isn’t it? He pesters you. He
     tries to …’
    He stopped abruptly, for she was crying,
     and he did not know what to say next.
    â€˜I’m sorry. Don’t