Liberty Bar by Georges Simenon Read Free Book Online Page A

you have lunch?’
    Boutigues would have been very surprised if
     Maigret had told him the truth, if he had told him about the
mutton and
     the garlic salad in Jaja’s kitchen, and the small glasses, and Sylvie …
    ‘The examining magistrate
     doesn’t want to do anything without consulting you … Plus, there’s
     news – the son has arrived …’
    ‘Whose son?’
    And Maigret gave a grimace, because he had
     just drunk a mouthful of gentian.
    ‘Brown’s son … He was in
     Amsterdam when …’
    ‘Brown has a son?’
    ‘More than one … By his real
     wife, who lives in Australia … One of them is in Europe, taking care of the wool
     …’
    ‘The wool?’
    Right at this moment, Boutigues must have
     had a dim opinion of Maigret. But the latter was still in the Liberty Bar! More
     precisely, he was remembering the waiter who bet on the horses and to whom Sylvie had
     spoken through the window …
    ‘Yes, the Browns have one of the
     biggest businesses in Australia. They raise sheep and export the wool to Europe. One of
     the sons oversees the ranches; another, based in Sydney, takes care of the exports; the
     third, in Europe, travels from port to port, depending on whether the wool is destined
     for Liverpool, Le Havre or Hamburg. He’s the one who …’
    ‘And what did he have to
     say?’
    ‘That his father should be buried as
     soon as possible and that he would pay … He has a very busy schedule … He
     has to catch a plane tomorrow evening …’
    ‘Is he in
     Antibes?’
    ‘Actually, in Juan-les-Pins …
     He wanted a luxury hotel, with a suite solely for his use … It seems he needed a
     telephone link throughout the night to Nice, so that he could call Antwerp, Amsterdam or
     who knows where else.’
    ‘Has he visited the villa?’
    ‘I suggested that to him. He
     refused.’
    ‘So what has he done,
     then?’
    ‘He has seen the magistrate.
     That’s all. He insisted that everything should expedited. And he asked how
     much.’
    ‘How much what?’
    ‘How much it would cost.’
    Maigret scanned Place Macé with an absent
     air. Boutigues went on:
    ‘The magistrate has been waiting for
     you at his office the whole afternoon. He can hardly refuse the request for a burial now
     that the post mortem has been completed … Brown’s son phoned three times and
     in the end he was told that the funeral could go ahead first thing tomorrow morning
     …’
    ‘First thing?’
    ‘Yes, to avoid the crowds …
     That’s why I was looking for you … They are going to close the coffin
     tonight. So if you want to see Brown before they …’
    ‘No.’
    No, Maigret really didn’t want to see
     the body. He felt he knew William Brown well enough without it!
    The terrace was full of people. Boutigues
     noticed that several tables were observing them, a fact that didn’t exactly
     displease him. Nevertheless he murmured:
    ‘Let’s keep
     our voices down …’
    ‘Where will they bury him?’
    ‘At Antibes cemetery … The
     hearse will be at the mortuary at seven o’clock in the morning … I just have
     to confirm it officially with Brown’s son.’
    ‘And the two women?’
    ‘We haven’t decided …
     It’s possible the son might prefer …?’
    ‘What hotel did you say he was
     in?’
    ‘The Provençal. Do you want to see
     him?’
    ‘Until tomorrow!’ said Maigret.
     ‘I suppose you will be at the funeral?’
    He was in a strange mood, at once joyful
     and macabre! He got a taxi to the Provençal, where he was met by a doorman, then another
     employee in a braided uniform, then finally by a thin young man in black, lurking behind
     a desk.
    ‘Monsieur Brown? I will see if he is
     available … Would you care to tell me your name?’
    Bells ringing, the porter coming and going.
     Maigret had to wait at least five minutes before someone came to fetch him and led him
     down interminable corridors until they reached a door marked 37. From behind the door
     came the sound of a