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[ Waltz-musette music playing I]

[ Woman vocalizing ]

[ Slow jazz music playing ]

[ Indistinct conversations ]

[ Electricity zapping ]

WOMAN: Wait for me. Wait for me.

[ Coughs ]

Excuse me.

I want to make a report.

There's going to be a murder.

LUCAS: You made it up?

Ugh, I told you -- I was drunk.

Ask anyone at the Picratt Club. They'll tell you.

And those police at the other station --

They must have seen that I was drunk.

So you slept on their bench, you sobered up,

and now you're saying --

-Morning, Lucas. -Morning, Chief.

Ah, morning, mademoiselle.

This is Arlette, Chief --

Jeanne Lileu, according to her II.D.

I told you, Arlette's a professional name.

Profession -- stripper at the Picratt club.

Chief Inspector Maigret.

-MAIGRET: Hello. -Please, I'd like to go home.

She's just been sent over from La Rochefoucauld station.

Seems she went there at 4:00 this morning

and told them a countess was gonna be murdered.

-MAIGRET: Countess? -I told you -- I was drunk.

LUCAS: Perhaps you were, but not too drunk to be very detailed.

You'd just finished your act.

You were sitting at a table with a young man -- Albert.

He's a bit of a regular, very keen on you.

And while he was holding your hand

and whispering sweet nothings,

you overheard this conversation from the table next door.

I never been to Picratt's, Chief.

Seems the tables are separated by screens

to give the customers privacy.

Ah.

You heard two men's voices -- one young, the other older.

The older one you heard called Oscar.

No.

I never mentioned any Oscar.

LUCAS: It's down here -- "Oscar."

Well, I don't know what I was talking about.

You got a back view of him when he left --

"well-built, dark hair."

You said you heard him say,

"The countess still has some of her jewels,

but at the rate she's going, they won't last long.

I've decided to finish it tonight."

He said "finish it tonight." He didn't say "kill her."

She says she can't remember exactly what he said,

but she's sure he meant "kill."

Has anyone been killed?

Well, not any countess, far as I know.

Well, there you are, then.

What time did Arlette say she heard this conversation?

Oh, around 2:00. Just after she finished her first act.

So you overheard someone threatening to murder someone,

and you waited two hours before you went to the police.

Rather strange behavior, isn't it?

Well, of course it's strange. I didn't hear it.

How much had you had to drink?

A lot of champagne at the club.

Then afterwards I went to a bar,

and I'd been drinking before I went to work.

Mm. Do you often drink that much?

Not always.

[ Sniffs ] Yesterday I just felt like it.

Any special reason?

I felt like it.

I live alone. Sometimes I feel like it.

And the whole story -- You just made it up?

Look, I'm not saying I didn't hear a conversation!

But it was just bits and pieces, that's all.

God, do you always remember everything

when you've been drinking?

What about this young man you were with, um...?

-Albert. -Albert.

Did he hear the conversation too?

-He was talking to me. -We could always ask him.

No. Look, I don't know who he is.

He's just a customer.

I don't know people.

I just know faces.

You said he was making love to you.

But lots of people make love to me.

Now, please, can I go?

I don't know what you're doing here in the first place.

You made a statement. You're now retracting it.

Well, if you'll excuse me, mademoiselle,

I've got a desk full of crimes I'm sure were committed.

Hello. Incident room.

Maigret.

Listen -- Any countesses murdered anywhere?

No, this century, in fact.

Today.

No?

Thank you.

[ Dog barking ]

[ Glass clinks ]

Janvier, come with me. Where's Lapointe?

He's tidying up the Javet case.

He's on his way back.

Lucas, tell him to meet me at Arlette's apartment.

Trace the family.

Find out everything you can about her.

What's happened?

[ Clinking ]

MAIGRET: Can you say when?

DOCTOR: Not more than an hour and a half ago.

There's no stiffness yet.

She was probably attacked from behind.

No sign of any struggle.

I'll send my report as soon as I can.

Thank you.

[ Sighs ] Anyone see anything?

There's a woman on the floor below,

said she heard someone on the stairs

about an hour or so ago.

Just happened to open the door, look out,

see a man going down.

Description?

Probably about 50, burly, wearing a dark suit.

Only got a back view, of course.

Well, that's a start.

Janvier, what do you make of this room?

Strange.

Doesn't look like a stripper's place.

No. He must have been here before.

Could have hidden in this wardrobe,

grabbed her by the throat.

JANVIER: No break-in, so chances are he had a key.

Must have trusted someone she shouldn't have.

Doesn't seem like the sort of girl who'd trust anyone.

Lapointe. Number 8. Janvier will fill you in.

Right, Chief.

[ Dog barking ]

-Janvier? -Oh, you're here at last.

I got here as quick as I could.

What's up? Never seen a body before?

-Who is she? -Stripper from Picratt's Club.

Nice-looking.

By the name of --

Lapointe?

Lapointe, what the hell? What's going on?

[ Vomiting ]

You all right?

[ Notes playing on piano ]

[ Metal clanking ]

Good morning.

Is the proprietor here?

-Why do you want to know? -I'd like to talk to him.

He's still in bed.

I'm his wife.

I'm Chief Inspector Maigret, Police Judiciaire.

Would you like a drink, Inspector?

No, thank you.

Did you get many customers in here last night?

Monday? Never many on Monday.

Hardly worth opening, we sometimes think.

Your dancer -- Arlette...

Yeah?

When she finished her first act last night,

she sat down at a table with a young man.

Do you remember him?

-That's right. -Was he a regular?

Oh, he's been in a few times. Thinks he's in love with her.

She has a lot of trouble like that --

not that she seems to mind, this one.

Which table did they sit at?

Over there, number 6, by the wall.

-Over here? -Yeah.

-Which chair did she sit on? -That one.

-This one? -Mm-hmm.

He was holding her hand all night,

talking away with that soppy expression they get

when they're in that mood.

Two men were sitting at the next table.

Do you remember them?

I don't remember anyone at that table.

[ Man coughs ]

Rosel

Is there any coffee? I've got a headache.

Uh, this is Chief Inspector Maigret.

My husband, Freddie.

-FREDDIE: Oh. -Good morning, monsieur.

I'm looking for two men

who might have been your customers last night.

Uh, which ones?

Over here, number 5.

Next to Arlette and her young man.

Was there someone there last night?

-I didn't think so. -Oh, I'm sure there wasn't.

Um...two couples at this table here, come in about 3:00.

Never seen them before.

Obviously not their kind of place.

One bottle of champagne, away they went.

No, before that. Two men on their own.

One of them was called Oscar.

-Oscar. -Mm.

Do you know Oscar?

No.

Do you?

Dark-haired man, square-set, good-looking.

Bit like you, in fact.

If you come clean, Inspector, I might be able to help you.

-What's it all about? -Arlette is dead.

Huh?

MAIGRET: Found strangled this morning.

And w-who could have, um...?

That's what I'm here to find out.

Just tell him everything.

He's not a monster. He won't eat you.

And he has to be told.

And give him this. He'll find it very interesting.

-[ Indistinct conversations ] -[ Dog barks ]

How would you describe your usual clientele?

FREDDIE: Oh, all sorts.

Foreigners mostly, when they've tried everything else.

Seen our card?

"Finish the night at Picratt's --

Hottest spot in Paris."

Half-drunk when they come in here,

expect to see something sensational.

The only sensational thing was Arlette's strip.

Mm.

And when she finished, she'd be asked to one of the tables.

Yes, to persuade the customers to, uh, buy champagne.

-All the girls do that. -ROSE: Yes. Thank you.

Do they sleep with them?

-ROSE: Good day, monsieur. -Not during working hours.

-MAN: Good day, madame. -May arrange to meet them later.

Did Arlette?

Must have done now and then.

And with the young man she was with last night?

I don't know.

-[ Door closes I] -Shouldn't think so.

He was just love-sick.

Tell me something.

Did you yourself ever...?

FREDDIE: Don't be embarrassed, Inspector.

Rose is not jealous. She got over all that years ago.

Yes, I made love to Arlette.

In her apartment?

Never set foot in the place.

Here, in the kitchen.

It's always that way with him.

Hardly notice he's gone, and he's back again.

FREDDIE: So shall I open tonight, as usual?

[ Door closes ]

If you want to talk to the other girls, you can.

Excuse me, Chief.

Can I have a word?

Good God.

It's Albert -- Arlette's young man.

[ Steam hissing I]

[ Indistinct conversation ]

-This will do you good. -Thank you.

How did you meet her?

I was with an old school friend who'd come to Paris,

who wanted to go and do the town, you know?

[ Sighs ]

Someone had given us a card for the Picratt Club,

and we'd had a few drinks, so we went in.

How long ago?

It was only about three weeks ago.

And she came to sit at our table.

My friend took her for a tart.

We had a row about it when we got outside.

About Arlette?

Yes, I mean, I realized at once

she was completely different from the others.

Tell me, what had he said about her?

He'd offered her money to sleep with him.

She refused?

Of course.

I went back the following night. I wanted to apologize.

And they weren't very busy, so she let me buy her a drink.

A drink or a bottle?

Well, it has to be a bottle, and it has to be champagne.

Aha. I see.

No.

It's not what you're thinking.

She wasn't like the others.

She never asked me for money once,

and she never ordered the most expensive drink.

The other girls drink apple juice most of the time

but still charge you for the champagne.

Arlette needed to drink.

Well, I mean, she had to, didn't she?

It was the only way she could do her act.

I wanted her to give it all up.

I was in love with her.

Did you want to marry her?

I don't know.

Hadn't thought about that.

I don't suppose that I would have

married her right away, but...

Did you tell her you were a policeman?

No. I said I was a civil servant.

She love you?

Last night, for the first time, I felt sure that she did.

Why?

Because she'd -- she'd...

She'd never talked about her past [Sniffles]

her past life before, and last night she did.

And she said that there was this man

and she hadn't been able to shake him off and...

it was all her own fault, apparently,

and that it was too late now, she was trapped,

and that I must stop coming to see her

because there wasn't any point in it

and it only made her unhappy.

[ Sniffles ]

She seemed terrified of him, whoever he was.

Oscar?

No, she never mentioned his name.

And I swear that she didn't overhear

any conversation last night -- not while I was there, anyway.

We were -- We were totally...

It was just me and her,

and I'm sure that there was no one at the next-door table.

She must have made all that up

because she wanted to report something

that she must have heard somewhere else.

That must be it, mustn't it?

Did you stay until closing time?

She wouldn't let me.

She knew I had to be up early for work.

Did you go to bed with her?

-No. -Why not?

Because everyone wanted to do that.

All the men...

...watching her act.

Could see it in their eyes.

I wanted something different.

[ Cries ]

Why didn't you give her protection?

She came to you. You knew the danger.

You must have done.

Come on, Lapointe.

It was your job.

She wouldn't be dead now if...

Oh, to hell with you alll

If you can't find that bastard, I'm going to!

Lapointe, sit down!

Sit down!

-[ Indistinct conversations ] -[ Crying 1]

[ Exhales sharply ]

-I'm sorry, Chief. -Pull your bloody self together.

Arlette denied she was ever in danger.

You're a policeman yourself. You know what it's like.

If we gave protection to everyone

who thought their life was in danger,

then half the population of Paris

would be on the police force.

Yes.

Now, I want you to take some leave.

A week at least.

No, Chief.

No. I-1 must be on this case.

I'm going soft, you know?

Get back to the office.

See if Lucas needs some help.

Thank you, Chief.

Oh.

Janvier gave me this for you.

He found it in Arlette's room.

Thanks for remembering.

Back to the office.

I'll look after this.

MAN: I keep receipts for everything I buy.

Oh, here we are.

That's right. 10,000 francs to Mme. Du Bois.

Du Bois?

That's the name I was given.

Ah.

And what did you give the money for?

An emerald and diamond brooch.

How long ago was this?

Four weeks, Chief Inspector.

Oh, I hope you -- you don't mean this is stolen property.

As you can see, I took all the precautions I could.

Did you ask for an identity card

or proof of ownership of the brooch?

No, Chief Inspector. One can hardly...

Is that it over there, by any chance?

Well, let me see.

Why, so it is.

That's lucky. [ Chuckles ] I haven't sold it yet.

-May I see it, please? -Certainly.

Please.

MAIGRET: 50,000 francs. Pretty big mark-up.

Do you have an eyeglass, please?

Oh, of course.

-Please. -Thank you.

Ah.

Can I use your phone?

LUCAS: 18 Rue Victor Masse.

That hallmark was the signature of a jeweler in Cannes.

Cannes?

It was one of several pieces he made for -- Guess who.

A countess.

Yeah. Countess Von Farnheim.

She lives quite near.

Better get a move on.

Quick as you can.

Just 'round here, on the --

Hello?

Looks like we're too late.

DOCTOR: Busy day, Chief Inspector?

Yes, it is.

DOCTOR: Very similar to the last one.

Strangled from behind.

Oh, could you photograph this, please?

[ Flashbulb pops ]

Somebody's robbed her bank, I'd say.

How long has she been dead?

Can't be too definite yet.

Sometime in the night.

5:00 or 6:00 this morning at the latest.

[ Flashbulb pops ]

Morphine. Been at it for years.

Marks all over her body.

Countess.

Thank you, madame.

She lived here alone?

Who'd live with her?

Was she really a countess?

Oh, so it would seem.

Any rate, she was married to a count.

Before that, she can't have been any great shakes.

She go out often?

No. She sometimes stayed in for a week or more.

Wouldn't be any sight or sound of her.

Must have been lying in a stupor on that filthy bed,

either drunk or drugged.

Then she'd dress up, put on hat and gloves,

and out she'd go, almost like a lady.

How about visitors? She get many of those?

There was one, long-haired boy. He came here sometimes.

Nice-mannered, but scruffy.

He called her "aunt."

Was this boy here last night or today?

Not that I saw.

I don't see everything. How can anyone?

You recognize this young woman? She been here?

[ Sighs ]

Never.

How about a middle-aged man, good-looking, thickset?

No.

Does the name Oscar mean anything to you?

My son's called Oscar.

How old is he?

-He's 17. -[ Whistle blows ]

-He's apprentice to a -- -Excuse me, madame.

[ Whistle blows ]

OFFICER: Up here, Chief Inspector.

What is it?

I was checking the building, sir.

He's hiding up here. He's run out on the roof.

All right, all right.

[ Birds chirping ]

Don't touch mel

Don't come near mel

-If you do, I'll jump! -No one's gonna hurt you.

Don't come near mel

Look, you don't want to kill yourself, son. Come on.

-What's the point in that? -I didn't do it.

Do what?

I didn't. I didn't.

Did anyone say you did?

You didn't kill the countess?

No. No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Your fingerprints were all over her flat.

Well, yes, I-I mean, II-l went there often.

I -- 1 was a friend of hers.

But you didn't kill her?

N-No. She -- She was dead when I got there.

I-1t was horrible.

Why did you hide?

Why didn't you call the police?

Oh. [ Chuckles ]

I knew what you'd think.

I had to hide.

Did you provide her with drugs?

This is your bag.

You're on the records, Philippe.

You're a known addict, Philippe.

MAIGRET: Did you provide her with drugs?

I didn't kill her.

-We -- We were friends. -What sort of friends?

-Was she your mistress? -No. For God's sake.

You drank wine together. You took morphine together.

I am a writer. She took an interest in my work.

You call this rubbish writing?

Yeah, well, I can't help it if you're pig-ignorant.

-Don't you talk to me like that! -Now, now, now, Lucas.

No, no, Lucas. No, please.

I'm sure he writes very artistically.

Tell me all you can about the countess, Philippe.

After all, you were friends. You must have talked together.

You tell me all you can about her.

um...

[ Clears throat ] Well, um, we, um...

She -- You know, she was, um...

She was rich. Well...she was very rich.

Well, I mean, she was poor until she, you know, met the count.

[ Chuckles ] You know, the Riviera.

That's where it was. [ Clears throat ]

Well, uh, he was old -- uh, much older than her.

Um, 65, you know? Something like that.

Well -- Older, perhaps. Um, older.

MAIGRET: How long ago was that?

Oh, uh, long time, long time. Before the war.

I mean, he's been dead a-a long time.

Not married long. 15 years. Something like that.

And she was, oh, not 30.

I mean, she was beautiful, you know?

You should see her pictures.

He left her his money?

Oh, yes. I mean, she was rich.

But everybody tried to grab it from her.

Who's everybody?

Oh, you know,

gamblers, gigolos, people called friends.

Did she mention any names?

No.

Well, I mean, not that I remember any.

You -- You know how it is when you're...

When you're high.

Yes.

Did she still have money?

Not much.

I think she was gradually selling the jewels.

Did she give them to you to buy drugs,

and did you give them to Arlette?

Who?

And did Arlette give them to Oscar?

O-Oscar?

Who is Oscar, Philippe?

I-1 -- 1 don't know an Oscar.

Hmm.

Oh, I think you do.

PHILIPPE: No, I don't. I don't.

Don't know anyone called Oscar. [ Chuckles ]

[ Laughs ] I don't.

I [Clears throat] I don't.

Please, um, can I -- can I go now?

I -- 1 don't. I don't.

[ Door closes ]

Well, at least we know Oscar exists.

And that little pansy's terrified of him.

Do me a favor.

I know it goes against the grain,

but, uh, do your best to be his friend.

Yes, Chief.

He's so desperate for a fix, he's bound to spill the beans.

Stick with him, even if it takes all night.

-[ Door opens I] -LUCAS: Right, Philippe.

-Let's try it again. -[ Door closes I]

-Found anything? -LAPOINTE: Yes.

The count and countess -- That's their house on the Riviera.

-How about that for a place? -Wouldn't like the upkeep.

And that's her as she was.

There were rumors of several love affairs

while the old man either sat in the shadows

or was dragged along in tow.

He and the countess had separate suites.

Look, that's him with her.

How did he die?

Well, they found his body one morning

at the foot of the cliff.

It seems he went for a stroll in the middle of the night

and -- and fell off.

Or he jumped or was pushed.

Well, it was investigated, of course,

but there was nothing suspicious ever found.

And then after he died, she just spent money like water.

And then when most of it was gone, then she moved to Paris.

And that's when the police lost track of her.

Mm. Any papers or documents in the flat?

Yes. Dozens of letters from the count to her.

Beautiful love letters.

He was pleading with her to marry him.

"I know it won't last long," he says.

"I am old and sick,

but that means that in a few years you'll be free.

You'll still be beautiful, and you'll be rich."

He seems to have written to her every day.

It's just "I love you" some of the time.

Poor old fool.

It's your job, Lapointe.

If you can't do it professionally,

you should take some leave.

I've asked Nice to let us have

as many names as they can from those days --

uh, any friends and hangers-on.

Good.

Well done.

Thank you, Chief.

[ Door opens I]

[ Sighs ]

[ Door closes ]

Chiefl Going out?

Picratt's Club. Any news?

-Oh, yes. -Beer on the way?

Right.

I've been doing the by-the-hour hotels.

Arlette was known in several of them.

Used to turn up with a client about 5:00 a.m.

What, after the club had closed?

Right. Stay for about an hour, move on.

-She get paid for that? -That's what I asked.

-They laughed. -Two beers.

What do you think they said?

Poor Lapointe.

Well, don't tell him yet. He can't face that.

-No. -Mm.

You know, this case isn't all that straightforward.

What do you mean?

Oh, I like to know people. I don't know her.

She doesn't fit any stereotype.

Well, is there any news of Arlette's family?

No, the I.D. was false,

but her picture will be in the paper tomorrow,

so something might come of that.

There you go.

Thank you.

Yeah.

The clients she took to hotels -- any regulars?

Only one at one place -- the Hotel Picardy.

And sometimes she used to stay with him all day,

leave about 9:00 in the evening.

That doesn't sound like business.

Description?

Middle-aged. On the heavy side.

-Oh, not him again. -Right.

Look, get a photograph of Freddie, the club proprietor.

Show it to them. See what comes of it.

Right, Chief.

Do you think Freddie could be Oscar?

-[ Saxophone plays I] -Come on! Come on! Come on!

We're open! Play properly!

Anyone hears that racket, they'll be off straightaway.

-Tania, ready to dance? -Course I am.

First customer in, I want you on.

-Trust me, Freddie. -Gentlemen.

You can have brandy if you prefer,

but Freddie insists on there being champagne on show.

You should be getting ready soon, Betty.

Better go off to your dressing room.

Won't keep you long, madame.

Dressing room.

That's for your benefit.

The only dressing room ‘round here is their bedroom.

What did Arlette make of it all?

BETTY: It's a job, isn't it?

But she really got a kick from doing her act.

Seemed to excite her to turn men on.

Did she have a lover?

I'm pretty sure there was a man.

Long-term, I think.

Had some sort of power over her, I'm sure.

And I think he used to beat her up.

Either that, or he had some funny perversions.

What makes you say that?

Well, she used to have bruises.

I mean, she covered them up with powder and cold cream,

but I saw them, all right.

Apart from him, the nearest I've seen her come to love

was with this young man who's been coming in lately.

She seemed very upset last night when he left.

Told me she thought she was a fool

and that if she'd made up her mind,

she could have had a very different life.

MAIGRET: Do you really think she was gonna run away with him?

I asked her what she meant, but she just clammed up.

Tell me, how does Freddie manage to get so many women?

BETTY: [ Laughs ]

He's the boss.

And he's got a certain something, don't you think?

Well, he's certainly got a certain something.

[ Mid-tempo jazz music playing ]

FREDDIE: Champagne, monsieur?

Only the very best. Only the best at Picratt's.

TANIA: We weren't particularly friendly, I'm afraid.

Why was that?

Well, she gave herself airs. I didn't care for that.

What sort of airs?

She couldn't believe that anyone else

could be the least bit interesting.

Thought she was the only one in the world.

And she couldn't even dance. Never had a lesson in her life.

All she could do was take her clothes off.

If she hadn't shown them everything she'd got,

she wouldn't have had an act at all.

Did Arlette have a lover?

Depends what you mean.

She was a bit of a nymphomaniac.

But, then, she was a convent girl,

and when they go bad, they really go.

MAIGRET: How do you know she was a convent girl?

Well, I don't, really. She must have said so once.

But she didn't have a permanent lover?

There was some goof been hanging around lately

for the last couple of weeks,

but we all get that from time to time.

MAIGRET: And no other powerful relationship in her life?

She might have imagined that there was.

But, then, that would be her all over, you see?

Definitely Freddie. The hotel recognized him at once.

And sometimes he used to spend all day with her.

And he told you it was only in the kitchen.

We gonna pick him up?

-PHILIPPE: [ Grunting ] -Well, are we?

-Morning, Chief. -Anything out of Philippe?

All night I spent with the little bastard.

He's obviously dying for a fix,

but he's still giving nothing on Oscar.

Want me to book him for pushing?

No, not yet. No.

I'll grab some breakfast, if that's all right.

Yeah, get us a beer, will you?

One night in that club, my head's thumping.

But surely, Chief, Freddie and Oscar have got to be one.

We've got a physical description that absolutely fits,

and now we know he was lying about his relationship with her.

I'm listening to you, Janvier.

Morning, Lapointe. Feeling better?

Yes. Something here might be interesting.

In the list from Nice,

the countess's chauffeur, a M. Bonvoisin --

first name, Oscar.

Soon as I saw her picture in the newspaper,

I thought it was my duty to come.

Her mother never would.

She disowned her daughter four years ago.

Why was that?

My brother made a very unsuitable marriage.

His bride was the daughter of an ironmonger

and a nouveau snob of the very worst sort.

I suppose the poor girl rebelled.

She was expelled from her convent when she was 15.

She was just 16 when she left home for good.

-What brought that about? -I couldn't say.

I did hear that, um, she'd been seen visiting Dr. Potut.

Dr. Potut is a gynecologist.

Was she pregnant?

Well, not for very long.

Is the father known or rumored?

How can one say?

All I know is that for two months

before she visited the doctor,

she was away at a little place called La Bourboule.

Yes.

That's my niece.

Her real name is Anne Marie Trochau.

Oscar Bonvoisin. That little bastard.

You've no idea where he is?

No desire to.

What about the domestic agencies?

You found me that way. Can't you find him?

No one's heard of him since you both worked for the countess.

Some poor girl will have done. You can bet on that.

A devil with women, Oscar was.

Just assumed they'd fall for him, and enough of them did.

God knows why.

He wore built-up shoes.

How did he and the countess get on?

Two days after the old count died,

I saw him coming out of her bedroom.

And that wasn't the first time, you can be sure.

It got so open after that, I soon gave my notice and left.

I wasn't having a chauffeur lording it over me.

Do you think the count fell off the cliff?

Oh, he fell, all right.

But which of them pushed him?

I was just wondering

whether you, uh, might recognize him.

Could that be Oscar?

Oh, no. No, I don't think so.

Same sort of build, mind.

15 years since I saw him, of course,

but I don't think he's changed as much as that.

Well, there's some more. Have a look.

Oh, that's him, isn't it?

Are you sure? You can hardly see him in that one.

Oh, no, no, no. Not that one.

Him.

JANVIER: That's Oscar.

-LUCAS: That is? -JANVIER: Yes.

-MAIGRET: So he's not Freddie? -JANVIER: No, it's not Freddie.

And the cook heard he'd moved to La Bourboule.

JANVIER: He bought a house there.

I checked with the local police. He only used it in the summer.

And, uh, he sold up and left four years ago.

And when did Arlette go to La Bourboule?

Five years ago.

So Oscar was the father of her child.

That's a fair assumption.

But why did he kill her?

Well, perhaps somehow he knew she'd been to the police.

Or perhaps Oscar knew

that she was thinking of running away with Lapointe.

-Do you think she was? -I don't know.

Mm. That doesn't explain why he killed the countess.

If he was supplying her with drugs,

with Philippe as the go-between, why would he need to kill her?

He was getting the money anyway.

Because the jewels were nearly all gone.

And when they had, she'd be craving for drugs

she couldn't pay for.

He'd have to keep supplying her,

or she'd tell someone he killed the count.

Look, I don't think we should distribute that photograph yet.

If he gets wind we're onto him, he'll run away.

There are two routes.

I think, between them, we'll get him.

-FREDDIE: No, I don't know him. -[ Piano music playing ]

Face could be vaguely familiar, but, um --

No, no, slower, slower. It's supposed to be sexy.

New stripper. Hopeless.

Got to have one.

Makes you realize how great Arlette was.

Slow. Slow.

Um, when was this taken?

MAIGRET: Dated about a month ago.

Do you think Tania will know him?

FREDDIE: I shouldn't think so.

It's their job to sit on customers' knees.

-Ask her. -Mm.

Tried her lodgings. She's not there.

Well, she'll be in at 9:00.

I'm hoping it'll be too late by then.

Can I use your phone?

ROSE: Trail the boa.

Mm-hmm.

JANVIER: We're in here, Chief. Front page.

Says we've questioned Philippe about the murder,

he's told us nothing

and, for the time being, we're releasing him.

Good. Let's hope Oscar reads it.

If he does, he's bound to want to find Philippe

in case we drag him in for another little chat.

How is Philippe?

ROSE: Good. Now, there are customers here.

Ah. Then he'll be looking for supplies.

He hasn't got any money to buy them,

so Oscar's bound to be his main source.

Hopefully he'll lead us straight to him.

ROSE: Much better.

MAIGRET: Let him go now, and don't lose him.

Trust me, Chief. What about Lapointe?

Take him with you. Tell him it's his job.

You're in.

Why did you lie to me about Arlette?

Lie?

You told me you'd never seen her outside the club.

Ah.

You've, uh, been making inquiries.

Tact.

ROSE: Better. Better.

She can cope with it when it's here on the premises --

with her permission, so to speak.

But if she got to know about sessions outside, in a hotel,

same girl every time -- especially Arlette...

She'd be afraid you were going to leave her.

And down.

FREDDIE: For some reason, she doesn't want that.

MAIGRET: Was it serious?

[ Exhales sharply ]

Well, I've known hundreds of girls,

maybe even thousands...

...but I've never known one like Arlette.

She was the only girl I ever asked to go away with me.

So you were serious?

Oh, yes.

Turned me down flat.

This bloke -- Oscar or whoever he was --

didn't stand a chance against him.

ROSE: Slowly, slowly.

But if he had so much power over her,

why did she go with so many men?

Don't know.

Don't know what game they were playing

if that's him in the picture.

He has Tania on his knee in full view of her.

What was he doing in the club, anyway?

To see his creation, I should think.

ROSE: Better. Much better.

His creation?

ROSE: Slowly!

I never really knew who Arlette was.

Sometimes I wondered if she even knew herself.

He'd taught her things I'd never even heard of.

What's more, she enjoyed it.

But she never revealed herself.

Not really.

ROSE: Make it fly.

She was special.

And it wasn't just sex. She was more to me than that.

ROSE: Now go one more time.

FREDDIE: This one's a bit different, God help us.

Not bad, not bad.

Upstairs. Put your clothes on. I'll come and help you.

Um, if you find that Oscar bloke tonight,

come back for a bottle on the house.

Right.

[ Door closes ]

Still in that one, is he?

Yeah. He's been there half an hour.

Before that, it was 'round and 'round the same few bars,

obviously asking for drugs, but getting nowhere.

This is the third time he's been in here.

Now all he's doing is squatting, drinking red wine.

Mm. Easiest way of stopping the shakes.

Anyway, we thought you'd want to come out.

I mean, we're getting nowhere doing this.

There's no sign of Oscar, and for all we know he could --

I'm sorry, Chief.

All right, let's get back to the plod.

Get some copies of that photograph and --

Good God.

Who's that?

LAPOINTE: That's Tania from the club.

-Stay here, Lucas. -Right, Chief.

Come along with me, mademoiselle.

Pick him up, boys.

TANIA: Someone gave it me to give to him.

Just a packet, that's all. I don't know what's in it.

MAIGRET: Who gave it to you?

I don't know.

-I don't. -[ Indistinct shouting I]

And what did this unknown person want you to do?

Just go to the bar and ask for Philippe.

-MAIGRET: Nothing else? -No.

Just tell him everything will be all right and to go home.

PHILIPPE: Nol

JANVIER: What's Philippe's address?

21 Boulevard Rochechouart. It's above a bookshop.

Anyone else live there?

Young girl who works in the shop has the only other room.

God, I'm a fool.

He killed Arlette and the countess in their own home.

I should have worked out he'd try to kill Philippe in his.

Stay outside, Janvier. Cover the front.

[ Dog barking ]

[ Clatters ]

[ Muffled scream ]

-OSCAR: Don't move. Don't move. -MAIGRET: Lights.

Or I'll kill her.

MAIGRET: All right. All right.

I'll kill her.

All right.

[ Whimpers ]

Put your gun down.

Put it down.

[ Gun thuds ]

And the other one.

[ Exhales sharply ]

This building is surrounded, Oscar.

You fire a single --

[ Dog barks ]

-JANVIER: Chief! -It's okay!

Is that Albert?

No, it isn't.

Shame.

I wanted to see him.

They never leave me.

-[ Whimpers ] -Any of them.

Oscar, we can talk about this. Put the gun down.

-What's happening? -Wait.

Back off.

Do what he says.

OSCAR: Go on.

Move.

I'll kill her.

You know I will.

Oscar.

[ Woman screams I

Again!

[ Woman screams I

[ Gunshot ]

[ Body thuds ]

Take care of her, Lucas.

LUCAS: Come on, love. It's all over.

[ Dog barking ]

You're all right.

Mind yourself.

We'll soon get you sorted out.

I've killed him.

MAIGRET: Thank God. What else could you do?

It's your job.

Yeah.

[ Slow jazz music playing ]

[ Indistinct conversations ]

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