Arlette, a stripper at Picratt's in Montmartre reports to her local police station that she heard two men at her club talking about planning to kill a countess. She's sent over to the Quai des Orfèvres, where her report is taken, but since there's been no crime, not much is thought of it till a few hours later, when she is found in her room, strangled to death. It turns out there hadn't been two such men in the club that night, but her "boyfriend", a young man named Albert, turned out to be Lapointe. The next day the Countess von Farnheim, a drug addict living not far from Picratt's is found strangled.
Arlette's actual identity was unknown her papers had been false but a check on the Countess reveals that when she had lived in Nice, she'd had a butler named Oscar Bonvoisin, and "Oscar" had been the name Arlette had mentioned. However, he seems to be unknown in Montmartre. Eventually Arlette's picture is recognized from the papers, and a connection with Oscar is made. Another drug addict friend of the Countess, Philippe Mortemart is located, interrogated, and released. M feels he may lead them to Oscar, who would no doubt like to kill him to keep him quiet. The finale is a manhunt through Montmartre on the tail of Philippe, with M coordinating by telephone from Picratt's. Finally M is convinced that Oscar will be waiting at Philippe's, where he is found, struggles, and is eventually shot by Lapointe.
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Maigret of the Month: January, 2007
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