Mme. Maigret's recuperation from an appendectomy on holiday at Les Sables d'Olonne leaves Maigret with time on his hands until the death of the patient in #15, her relation to Dr. Bellamy, and the appearance of a strange little girl send him scurrying into action. The great man from Paris listens to many stories, looks for connections with another death and gets a confession that winds up an unexpected case. Compact.