One evening, the bell rings at Commissioner Maigret's house. Minister of Construction Puan asks the commissioner to come to his apartment urgently, keeping this request a secret from the police authorities. At the meeting, it turns out that a report disappeared from the minister's apartment, with which Puan was supposed to speak at a government meeting two days later.

In Closterham, Edwin Drood and Rose Button confront his uncle John Jasper, the church choir regent, and Edwin fights Neville Landles, who is in love with Rose, leading to his disappearance.