I woke from my nap to find Sherlock Holmes out. With nothing to do, I began to read the papers, which took up the rest of the day and part of the evening. Holmes returned that evening at ten, somewhat depressed and dissatisfied with something.
‘You look as if all is not well,’ I asked, ‘is that so?’
‘Indeed, the day has not been much of a success,’ he answered.
‘Perhaps you didn’t get to the meeting of conspirators?’
‘I got to it, all right, except that Gavriushka turned out to be much more cautious than I anticipated,’ Sherlock Holmes began. ‘He noticed my presence at once, and although he was somewhat reassured when Buroff announced that I had already taken part in their work, despite that he had me leave on the grounds that I was insufficiently known to him.’
For some minutes, Holmes paced up and down the room, deep in thought.
‘We’ll have to see Kliukin today. I want a sudden, unexpected inventory carried out. If he agrees, I shall also go to the criminal investigation department and ask for Gavriushka’s and Semionoff’s premises to be searched. Would you like to come with me, Watson?’
‘With pleasure,’ I answered.
Wasting no time, we dressed, stopped a cab and instructed the driver to take us to Vagankovsk Alley, where Kliukin lived. He was home and immediately took us through to his office and shut the door. Holmes gave him the results of his surveillance in a few words and asked whether he would like to turn to the investigation department with a request to make a sudden search of the shops belonging to Gavriushka Voropayeff and Semionoff.
‘And so, I await only your consent to carry out a search,’ said Holmes.
For some minutes Kliukin was deep in thought. ‘All right,’ he said at last. ‘If you consider it necessary, so be it.’
‘And I may make the request to the head of the criminal investigation department in your name?’
‘Of course.’
On this, the business part of our conversation ended and we turned to other matters. We stayed till half past eleven and returned to the hotel. That night Holmes didn’t sleep in the hotel and when I asked where he intended to stay the night, he said, ‘Shared lodgings. Perhaps I’ll learn something new and interesting from Buroff.’
I only saw him at two on the afternoon of the next day.
‘Well, my dear Watson,’ he said, entering our hotel room, ‘on this occasion we didn’t err.’
‘What happened?’ I asked, knowing perfectly well that a man like Holmes wasn’t likely to waste a night and half a day in vain.
‘I had a good time with Buroff in the tavern,’ answered Holmes.
‘And you found something out?’
‘Not all that much. Yesterday’s meeting was quite stormy. Gavriushka is very tight when it comes to money and he was nearly beaten up because of it. By the way, Fomka Nikishkin did land him one in the face. I suspect Fomka somewhat lords it over him.’
‘And what were they talking about?’ I asked.
‘Much as what I had assumed. First of all, Gavriushka explained to his suppliers which goods were most likely to move quickly and asked them to be good enough to devote their attention towards acquiring just these goods. Next he proceeded to pay off some and asked that employees of publishers not yet in his hands should be invited to join the operation. At the end, there was the usual wrangling over money. Gavriushka wanted to lower his payments, but was nearly beaten up so he gave way. He got so upset that he went off and got drunk with Buroff and some other fellow. The trio got to meet some young lady, who lifted a hundred roubles out of his pocket.’
As if remembering something very humorous, Holmes burst out laughing.
‘What on earth are you laughing at?’ I asked in surprise.
‘This is just the sort of thing that so clearly characterizes someone,’ Holmes said cheerfully. ‘Here is a man, Watson, who watches every penny, and from whom a hundred roubles is stolen. He only noticed the loss of the money after he got home with Buroff. It was a scene worthy of a great play. Imagine a man in the grip of such a state of rage that he forgot the presence of his lawfully wedded wife. “I’ll show her,” he yelled so loudly that he could be heard in every room. “I’ll see the police get on to her. She stole a hundred roubles!” And he kept on yelling he’d have the police on her.
‘So far his wife couldn’t understand what was going on, so she asked, “Who stole what?”
‘“What do you mean ‘who’? That woman I visited.”
‘It was so funny, my dear Watson! Here he was, hopping up and down in sheer rage, and unaware he was letting on to his wife what he had been up to!’
Now suddenly Holmes became serious, adding, ‘And, then, today, together with various ranks of the investigative police, we carried out a search of his and Semionoff’s business premises.’
‘And did you find anything?’
‘Of course. Nine thousand roubles worth of goods. Kliukin was able to recognize some six thousand roubles worth that belonged to him. But Gavriushka Voropayeff remains untouched. The shop is in Nikanoroff’s name and he’s not in Moscow. We have to have weightier evidence before Gavriushka can be charged.’
He fell silent for a minute and then went on, ‘Watson, if you were only to see the hatred with which he looked at Maxim Vasilyevitch Kliukin when the latter entered accompanied by members of the investigation department. I am sure that glance bodes ill and he will try to be avenged.’
‘Undoubtedly,’ I agreed.
‘Which is why we cannot let him out of our sight for a single moment.’
‘You are suggesting—?’
‘We have to take our places at our observation point without delay.’
‘I’m ready,’ I said.
‘In that case, let’s change.’ With these words, Holmes opened his suitcase, took out two well-worn suits and handed one to me saying, ‘The wigs and make-up are in the travelling bag.’
Within a few minutes not even our closest acquaintances would have recognized us. Wearing untidy black wigs and in well-worn clothes, we looked like a couple of roughnecks. The difficulty was to get out of the hotel without attracting the suspicions of the staff. This was not easy. We looked far from presentable, and the presence of a couple of such ill-dressed men wouldn’t pass unnoticed at the Moscow Grand.
But Holmes rose to the occasion. Included in his wardrobe were a couple of perfectly respectable overcoats and two English felt hats. Once we put them on, we looked fairly respectable. We hid a couple of fairly filthy peaked caps in our pockets and left our hotel room. But even so, we attracted the suspicions of the senior porter. ‘Where are you coming from?’ he accosted us roughly.
‘Number forty-three,’ said Holmes quickly. ‘From that British subject, Holmes.’
Such an answer, so boldly pronounced, evidently satisfied the man. He probably knew Holmes’s true profession and, deciding we were working for him in some capacity, let us pass.
In a quiet alleyway we changed our hats, substituting them for our torn caps and rubbed a little dirt into our coats. And now we could go to the tavern which was our observation post. At about five in the afternoon we were in place.
IX
Sitting by the window, we fixed our gaze on the window of the bookstore opposite. Gavriushka appeared at the window several times and looked as if he was anxious about something. We drank tea for the sake of appearance, while carrying on a desultory conversation.
Seven o’clock. No sooner had the hand of my watch reached seven than the tavern door opened and Fomka came in. He looked gloomy and sullen. He ordered tea and took a seat with his back to us in the most distant corner.
A few minutes later, we saw Gavriushka and two employees leave the shop and begin to lock up. This done, he cast a suspicious look round, said something to the other two, and made his way quickly into the tavern. He saw Fomka in his corner at once and went straight to him. Then, having made sure they were not under observation, he
