Maigret

- Good morning, Philippe. - Good morning, sir.

How can we help, Monsieur?

- I'd like to see Chief Inspector Maigret.

So would many people.

I'm afraid you'll have to make do with me.

What's your problem?

I'm Joseph Gastin.

I live in a village on the Seudre estuary, near La Rochelle.

I've been travelling all night.

I need Monsieur Maigret's help.

Well, first of all,

we have no authority in La Rochelle

and secondly, Chief Inspector Maigret is very busy.

I need his protection.

I'm about to be arrested for murder.

I'm a schoolmaster in a place called St. Andre-sur-Mer.

It's tiny.

We're famous for our oysters and mussels.

And, that's all.

Who are you supposed to have killed,

one of your pupils?

Leone Birad.

She used to be our postmistress.

When did she die?

Two days ago, Tuesday morning.

She was shot through the eye.

Did you do it?

- No, of course not, but they think I did.

- Well, I'm afraid Inspector Janvier is right.

It has nothing to do with us. - Number please.

- Give me the gendarmerie at La Rochelle.

Certainly, sir.

- And Chief Inspector Maigret certainly has no time to--

Morning, boys.

Chief Inspector Maigret?

You are Chief Inspector Maigret, aren't you?

Captain Danielou told me not to go away,

even though he doesn't have enough evidence to arrest me.

Not yet, anyway.

- If the Captain doesn't have enough evidence

to arrest you, why did you go?

Because he'll get hold of it.

They'll find it for him somehow.

- They? - The villagers.

They hate me and my wife.

We weren't born there, you see.

They've never forgiven us.

- Tell me about this Leone Birad.

She was a terrible woman.

She hated everyone and everyone hated her.

- Why, wasn't she born there, either?

- No, because when she ran the post office,

she'd read people's mail, listen in on phone calls,

and then she'd use all the secrets to cause trouble.

It was her hobby, turning people against each other.

Was she married?

Leone?

- So why is Captain Danielou so sure you killed Leone Birad?

- Well, for one thing, my son, Jean-Paul,

has an air rifle like the one that killed her,

but quite a few of the boys do.

It was a craze they had last year.

Any other reason?

- When they questioned me, I said it was in his room.

It wasn't.

They found it in my tool shed.

Well, Jean-Paul must have left it there.

- The schoolmaster in the village I grew up in

wasn't much liked, either.

Perhaps it goes with the job.

Pardon?

- I was very fond of him, though.

I shall always remember him,

Monsieur Gastin.

Maigret. - May I have a word, sir?

Yes, I'll be straight through.

- Look, I shan't run away, I promise.

And you know you are my only hope.

- Just been on with Captain Danielou at La Rochelle.

He wants Gastin back.

Says he's got more than enough evidence to arrest him.

Some kid's just come in with new evidence.

One of Gastin's pupils.

- I think I'll go down and take a look.

- You're not gonna get involved with this, are you?

- I believe the oysters are very good

in that part of the world, Marcel.

Is there anything else?

When they asked me where I was

when the shooting happened,

I said I was in the classroom, but I wasn't.

I completely forgot.

It must have been nerves, I suppose.

Where were you?

- After the break, I went out for a couple of minutes.

I'm secretary at the town hall

as well as being schoolmaster.

I had to get a paper for one of the farmer's

for his pension.

- Would he corroborate that? - Oh, yes.

And then I popped in on my wife for a couple of minutes.

She hasn't been very well lately.

She was asleep.

- And that's when the shooting happened?

- Apparently so, I'm afraid to say.

- It's an honor to meet you, sir.

Thank you.

No need for that.

Monsieur.

- You realize, Captain, I'm not here

in any official capacity.

- Oh, no, anything you can do to help, sir.

No, no, please.

Although I do think we now have conclusive evidence.

- From one of the pupils? - Yes.

Yes, he saw Gastin coming out of the tool shed

where the rifle was found.

Just five minutes after the shot was heard.

Odd, though.

And the shooting was on Tuesday.

The boy waited 48 hours before he reported it.

Well, he was frightened.

Imagine, your own teacher.

What must it be like?

- Tell me, Captain, is there an inn in St. Andre

where I can get some good country food?

Only if you're going that way yourself, of course.

Well...

No mussels or oysters.

There was a neap tide on Tuesday.

Nobody gets mussels or oysters at neap tide.

- Just the wine, then. - Right.

How many nights?

Two or three, who knows?

- Till you prove the schoolmaster innocent, huh?

Do you think he's innocent?

Well, why else would you be here?

- Let me buy you a drink, Monsieur Paumelle.

Oh.

A brandy, thank you.

The one with the broken nose.

He heard the shot.

He was in his garden.

Theo, you heard the shot, didn't you?

Why shouldn't I have heard it?

What time was it?

Do you remember?

10 past 10:00.

He told me.

Good health, Monsieur.

- He's the Deputy Mayor, you know.

When he remembers to be.

To hell with the lot of you!

And especially people who come here

making trouble for us!

Marcellin, the butcher.

Is he always like that?

- Only when the first half-bottle of Pernod's got to him.

By lunch time, usually.

- They were swimming in the sea only this morning, Monsieur.

Look how fresh they are.

- Huh. - Good morning.

- Good morning, Monsieur. - Good morning, Monsieur.

Good morning, Monsieur.

- Chief Inspector Maigret? - Ah?

- The Captain told me you were coming.

I'm Doctor Bresselles.

As a matter of fact, I've just been to see Madame Gastin.

The murderer's wife.

Or isn't he the murderer?

- Yes, he told me she wasn't well.

Is that the Gastin's house?

- At the risk of betraying my Hippocratic Oath,

she is never well.

Ah, good morning, Madame Marcellin.

Morning, Doctor.

The butcher's wife.

How did you?

Of course, that scoundrel Paumelle

has been filling you in on all the gossip.

So, has he told you about Chevesoux?

Who?

Ah, well.

The Gastins used to live at Courbevoie.

They were both teachers at a very good school,

and Chevesoux was a local town councilor.

Strong, handsome fellow, apparently.

Unfortunately, Madame Gastin developed

what one can only call a devouring passion for him,

to which he responded with great enthusiasm.

He could do what he liked with her, and did.

At every opportunity.

Good morning. - Morning.

- Until one day, Chevesoux's wife turned up

at the school and shot Madame Gastin.

Hit her right in the shoulder.

At which point the Gastins developed a sudden craving.

Hello.

They developed a sudden craving for fresh country air,

and ended up here.