Free The Saint-Fiacre Affair by Georges Simenon; Translated by Shaun Whiteside

instructions!’
    He began to set off, then said,
     evidently with some considerable effort:
    â€˜See you shortly,
     inspector.’
    Passing in front of the presbytery,
     Maigret had the distinct sensation of being watched through the curtains. But he
     wasn’t sure because, since it was day, the lights were turned out.
    A taxi was parked outside Marie
     Tatin’s inn. In the dining room, a man of about fifty, dressed to the nines,
pinstriped trousers and a black
     silk-lined jacket, was sitting at Jean Métayer’s table.
    When he saw the inspector come in, he
     rose eagerly to his feet, extending a hand.
    â€˜I am told that you are a member
     of the Police Judiciaire … Allow me to introduce myself … Tallier, barrister-at-law,
     from the court at Bourges … Will you join us? …’
    Jean Métayer had got to his feet, but
     his attitude demonstrated that he didn’t approve of his lawyer’s
     conviviality.
    â€˜Innkeeper! … We’d like to
     order, please …’
    And, in a conciliatory voice:
    â€˜What would you like? Given how
     cold it is, I’d suggest hot rum for everybody? … Three hot rums, my girl
      …’
    The girl in question was poor Marie
     Tatin, who wasn’t used to such manners.
    â€˜I hope, detective chief
     inspector, that you will forgive my client. If I understand correctly, he has
     treated you with a degree of suspicion … But don’t forget that he is a boy
     from a good family, who is of good character, and who is outraged by the suspicions
     directed towards him … His bad mood yesterday, if I may say so, is the best proof of
     his absolute innocence …’
    With a man such as this, there was no
     need to say a word. He answered his own questions, while performing suave hand
     gestures.
    â€˜Of course, I’m still not au
     fait with all the details … If I understand correctly, the Countess of Saint-Fiacre
     died yesterday, during first mass, of a heart attack … On
the other hand, a piece of paper has been found in her
     missal which suggests that her death was caused by a violent shock … Did the son of
     the victim – who happened to be nearby – register a complaint? … No! … And such a
     complaint would, in my opinion, be rejected … The criminal act – if we may speak of
     a criminal act – is not in fact sufficiently clear for legal proceedings to be
     instigated …
    â€˜We are agreed, are we not? … No
     complaint! And hence no legal action.
    â€˜Which is not to say that I
     don’t understand the inquiry that you are pursuing on a personal, unofficial
     basis …
    â€˜My client will not tolerate being
     hounded in this way. He must be cleared of all suspicion …
    â€˜Listen to me carefully … What, in
     the end, was his situation at the chateau? … That of an adopted child … The
     countess, left on her own, separated from a son who had left her with nothing but
     problems, was comforted by the devotion and uprightness of her secretary …
    â€˜My client is no idler … He did
     not, as he might easily have done, lead a carefree life at the chateau … He worked …
     He looked for investments … He even looked into the latest inventions …
    â€˜Would he have derived any benefit
     from the death of his benefactress? … Need I say anything more? … No! Am I not
     correct? …
    â€˜And that, inspector, is what I
     want to help you establish …
    â€˜I should add that I will be
     putting some necessary measures in place in tandem with the notary … Jean Métayer
is a trusting young man … Never in his
     life would he have imagined such events taking place …
    â€˜His belongings