Maigret’s Christmas
Originally published in 1951
It’s a chilly Christmas morning and Jules Maigret, Chief Inspector of the Paris Police Department, has the rare day off, much to his disappointment. His wife wants him to sleep in but once he is awake, he must get out of bed. Plus, in her good nature she tries to give him breakfast in bed which he is not a fan of as it makes him feel like he’s an invalid or a senile old man, so he quickly gets up and starts moving around. It’s a little melancholy around the apartment as Madame Maigret looks out the window and sees the children starting to come outside and play with their new toys. Years ago, the Maigret’s lost a child in its infancy and it’s a very brief somber moment for them.
They see two women from the building across the street approaching. Madame Maigret points out that she thinks the older woman has a crush on Maigret, which she is amused by. Just like in all of my favorite Maigret stories the loving relationship between Maigret and his wife is on full display here. It’s very sweet. But don’t worry because the story is about to dump grit in your eggnog.
The two women arrive at the Maigret’s apartment. The older woman is excited and the other whose name is Madame Martin, radiates apprehension.
Madame Martin unenthusiastically adopted the daughter of her husband’s brother. The little girl is bedridden with a broken leg. The older woman explains to Maigret that on Christmas Eve a man dressed like Santa appeared in the little girl’s room. He was lifting up floorboards and when he noticed the little girl was awake he gave her an expensive doll and made the international sign for shhhh.
Most curious Maigret thinks. He is intrigued and on the case. Looks like he won’t be pacing around the apartment like a caged animal all day after all.
And here we have the usual Maigret investigation. The gradual discovery of the players and suspects. Madame Martin’s husband is out of town on business. On Christmas day? Well, that’s odd. Where is the father of the little girl? Oh, he’s a hopeless drunk and has been ever since the death of his wife. Where was he last night? Seems like something a desperate drunk might do but then again wouldn’t the girl have recognized her own father. And the shadiest of all is Madame Martin herself. We need to look into her backstory. Hell, maybe it isn’t any of these clowns and it has something to do with who lived in the apartment before the Martins.
For a quick minute I was afraid it was going to be some custey family friendly Maigret where it was hinted at that the Santa in the story was real but thankfully this is your typical bleak and bitter Simenon, real criminals with nefarious motives that lead to desperate actions. It’s a classic Christmas tale with thieves, murderers, porn distribution and Santa!
Blind Man’s Hood by John Dickson Carr
Originally published in 1940
Muriel and Rodney Hunter are driving out to the country of the Weald of Kent in South East England for a Christmas party at their friends, the Bannisters. They are a young couple living their best lives so they made a stop at a local pub along the way to drink ale and sing carols which brought them late to their destination. When they approached the lonely old seventeenth-century Bannister home all of the lights were on and the front door was wide open.
The Hunters approach the door with apprehension. Where is the music, the voices, the kids playing outside? When they walk in, they see a healthy fire in the hearth. Rodney heads right for it to warm up while Muriel looks around. They hear someone approaching. It is a young woman. She is dressed very proper and is carrying a small bag of linen. The woman apologizes for not being at the door to greet them properly. She tells the Hunters that the Bannister’s are all at church.
“Even the servants?”
“Yes, everyone.”
For the last 60 years everyone that has even lived in the home leaves on Christmas Eve during these hours. Because obviously, this is when the murder occurred.
Rodney is like, what the hell are you talking about?
And the odd woman responds, “Oh, I’m not a crazy person.” And chuckles.
Rodney begins to wonder if this woman is a serial killer and has murdered the Bannisters and if he goes to take a look around the place will be littered with the bodies of his friends.
The woman leads them into the library for drinks. Out of the corner of his eye Rodney sees a curtain move. The woman notices that he noticed and laughs. She tells him, don’t even bother checking, no one will be there.
Muriel is beyond creeped out by this eerie woman and finally blurts out, who are you and what are you doing here?!
The woman then launches into the story of the murder that occurred at the house. And this is what John Dickson Carr is known for, the locked door mystery. We get a set up of a young couple who have recently moved into the house. We get what looks like a deadly love triangle but the problem is that the evidence clears all involved. Yet, inside the home, a woman is found dead. Head bashed in and lit on fire.
But the murder occurred in February. So what does this have to with Christmas Eve, Rodney asks.
The woman launches into the second story. Eight years after the murder there is a Christmas Eve party hosted by the new owners of the house. All of the big wigs in town are invited including some of the suspects of the murder. After all of the kids go to bed the adults play Blind Man’s Bluff. I guess a game like Marco Polo but on land. The person that is it must put a pillowcase over their head and try and tag someone else. There is a woman in a blue dress standing over by the fire. The host puts the pillowcase over her head.
With the bag over her head, she crouches low and starts to move forward, her body jerking around. She heads straight for one of the suspects.
This was one of the creepiest ghost stories I have ever read. The jerky movements of the woman with the pillowcase over her head were described in such an inhuman way. It reminded me of a Japanese horror movie. It literally made all of the hairs on my body stand up. They mystery is explained of course by the end and it really was a complex puzzle that makes sense once you know the answer.
I was floored by this one. Probably one of the best short stories I have ever read.
No comments:
Post a Comment