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connections . . . Before he came to see me, I had had a call from the American Embassy who gave me a very good account of him . . . So you see what I mean? . . . In a case like this, one must be careful not to make a mistake . . .
    â€œMonsieur Clark was with his solicitor and insisted on his statement being taken down . . .
    â€œHello! Are you still there, superintendent?”
    â€œYes, sir, I’m listening . . .”
    The sound of forks in the background. The conversation had ceased. No doubt the deputy’s guests were listening attentively to what the magistrate was saying.
    â€œI’ll put you briefly in the picture . . . Tomorrow morning my clerk can let you have the text of the statement . . . Monsieur Clark did have to go to Rome, then on to various other capitals, for business reasons . . . He had recently become engaged to Miss Ellen Darroman . . .”
    â€œExcuse me, sir. You said engaged? I thought Monsieur Clark was married . . .”
    â€œYes, yes . . . That doesn’t mean that he didn’t intend getting divorced shortly . . . His wife didn’t know yet . . . We can therefore say engaged . . . He took advantage of the trip to Rome to . . .”
    â€œTo spend a night in Paris first with Miss Darroman . . .”
    â€œQuite. But you’re wrong, superintendent, to indulge in sarcasm. Clark made an excellent impression on me. Morals aren’t quite the same in his country as in ours, and divorce over there . . . Well, he made no secret of how he had spent the night . . . In your absence, I referred the matter to Inspector Ducuing for verification, to make doubly sure, but I’m certain Clark wasn’t lying . . . Under the circumstances, it would be unfortunate if . . .”
    Which meant, in fact:
    â€œWe are dealing with a man of the world, who has the protection of the American Embassy. So in the circumstances, don’t interfere, because you’re likely to be tactless and offend him. See the people in the basement, the maids and so on. But leave Clark to me—I’ll deal with him myself!”
    â€œI understand, sir! Of course, sir . . .”
    And turning to his wife:
    â€œYou can serve the soup, Madame Maigret!”
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    It was nearly midnight. The long corridor at Police Headquarters was deserted, and so dimly lit that it seemed to be filled with a dense smog. Maigret’s patent-leather shoes, which he seldom wore, creaked like those of a first-time communicant.
    In his office, he began by raking the stove and warming his hands, then, pipe in mouth, he opened the door of the inspectors’ office.
    Ducuing was there, busy telling Torrence a story which seemed to be amusing them both highly; both men were in great good humour.
    â€œWell, lads?”
    And Maigret sat down on a corner of the wooden, ink-stained table, tapping the ash from his pipe on to the floor. He could relax here. The two inspectors had had beer sent up from the Brasserie Dauphine and the superintendent was pleased to see they hadn’t forgotten him.
    â€œYou know, chief, that man Clark’s an odd bloke . . . I went to have a good look at him in the Majestic bar, so that I could see him at close quarters and register his appearance . . . And at that point I thought he looked the typical businessman, rather a tough customer in fact . . . Well, now I know how he spent last night, and I can assure you he’s a bit of a lad . . .”
    Torrence couldn’t help eyeing the superintendent’s gleaming white shirt-front, adorned with two pearls, which he didn’t often see him wearing.
    â€œListen . . . First he and the girl dined in a cheap restaurant in the Rue Lepic . . . You know the kind I mean . . . The proprietor noticed them, because he doesn’t often get asked for real champagne . . . Then they asked where there was a merry-go-round . . . They had difficulty in explaining what they wanted . . . He finally directed them to the Foire du