Chapter 490 - Baker Street Irregulars (2/2)

“Sounds like a plan! We will come to you again after we determine the location,” said Zhang

Heng.

Seeing that the man was contented and had returned to the factory, Holmes spoke again. “Not bad. I was right about you wasn’t I? You were born to do this. With a bit of training, you will outsmart those idiots at Scotland Yard in no time!”

“How about you?”

Holmes chuckled twice, “I who the murderer is.”

“Oh? Who is it?”

“Don’t worry. I will announce the conclusion once I gather enough evidence. In a way, Gregson is right. Gathering not enough evidence and announcing out our deduction is a big taboo in our line of work. Once you preconceive that someone is the murderer, you will subconsciously ignore the evidence that is not conducive to your deduction. Gregson himself made such a mistake. He wholeheartedly believed that the kid named Paul killed Molly. All the evidence he collected was set to go against that kid.” Holmes paused. “The basis of deduction is observation. First of all, you’ll need to look for small and often overlooked details through extremely detailed observation. Every small detail is like a dot on white paper. When you can connect all of them, you will be able to find the answer you are looking for.”

“It happens that the chemical plant Paul works is right next door. Shall we have a look too?” asked Zhang Heng.

“It couldn’t be better,” said Holmes. “I’m looking for someone over there as well.”

The two then walked to the chemical factory. With men as their main workforce, rules here weren’t as tight as the textile factory. There was, however, still a supervisor watching over the factory. Holmes had to spend half a pound to chat with a few people in the factory about Paul. He touched his chin as he returned.

“Interesting.”

“How did it go?”

“Different people here have a completely different opinion of Paul, but this is actually quite normal. I expected this outcome. Gregson was here, and he asked the factory manager and concluded that Paul is an old man. He’s a troublemaker, lazy, insidious, and cunning. But when I asked his fellow workers, they spoke highly of him, saying that he has a good heart, always willing to help others, and stand up for anyone getting bullied… perhaps it is why the factory manager does not like him,” said Holmes.

“Where was he when the murder happened?” Zhang Heng asked. “That’s the problem. The chemical factory workers leave work half an hour later than the textile factory workers. After Paul’s s.h.i.+ft ended, he went to look for Molly as usual. This is a well-known facy, but no one was with him during that time. Hence, he has no reliable alibi, but it still doesn’t matter. We will prove his innocence after we catch the murderer.”

“Where shall we go next?”

“We have completed all the investigations that we could do carry out. Let the Baker Street Irregulars do the rest,” said Holmes.

“Let’s go home.”

Zhang Heng was no stranger to the Baker Street Irregulars. The entire herd of urchins were dirty and smelly, to say the least, and Mrs. Hudson wasn’t pleased whenever they showed up. She would keep her eyes on them all the time, fearing that something would go missing in the living room.

Holmes took out three s.h.i.+llings to the leader of the group named Wiggins.

“Your carriage fees, I want you to keep an eye on the guy named Pearson who works at the Wood Chemical Plant. I want you to see what he does, then report back to me. Oh yes, come and see me alone the next time. Let the others wait outside, or Mrs. Hudson will put me on a stake.”

“Yes, Commander!” the group of children shouted while standing upright. After that, they were dismissed with a wide smile on their faces.