The carriage stopped outside John's textile factory.
Zhang Heng and Holmes got out of the carriage, and a man with a protruding mouth and rotting teeth came up to them. "Gentlemen, is there anything I can help you with?"
"We need to go in and look for someone," Holmes said.
"I'm afraid that's not very appropriate. There are only girls inside, and you two are men …" The monkey-like man shook his head. "This is outrageous. This is outrageous."
Holmes reached into his pocket, took out a half-pound gold coin, and tossed it to the monkey-like man. "It will only take a quarter of an hour."
The latter frowned and pretended to be in a difficult position.
Holmes, however, was too lazy to play along. He reached out to take the gold coin back.
"Don't, don't, don't. Since the boss isn't here, I can think of a way to help you … But let me tell you first, you only have 15 minutes, no more," the monkey-like man said hurriedly and quickly put the gold coin back into his pocket.
He then led the two into the textile factory.
Since Watt's invention of the steam engine started the Industrial Revolution, the steam engine gradually replaced the previous water-powered spinning, and textile factories no longer needed to be built by the river. Since John's textile factory was established earlier, it had not been relocated. It was still in its original location, but the equipment had been upgraded.
It was Zhang Heng's first time seeing such a scene. The huge factory was filled with machines, with pipes running under the ceiling, and caterpillar tracks rotating along with pulleys, pulling sewing machines. The female workers wore hats and aprons, standing in front of the machines and repeating the tedious work, like marionettes.
Here, there was no difference between humans and machines.
The monkey-like man asked, "Who are you looking for? I might be able to help you. There's no one here that I don't know. "
Holmes and Zhang Heng exchanged a look, and Zhang Heng put his arm around the monkey-like man's shoulder. "To tell you the truth, we also want to open a textile factory. This time, we are here to learn from you."
The monkey-like man immediately became alert. "That won't do. If you had said so earlier, I wouldn't have let you in!"
"Don't be so absolute," Zhang Heng said. "We want to recruit a group of skilled workers. If you can help us, the price is negotiable."
The monkey-faced man was moved, but he said, "No, how can I betray Mr. Stotts? You have to know that my job was given to me by Mr. Stotts, and he's my distant relative. I can't do anything that's disadvantageous to him."
"If it's done well, it's a lot of money," Zhang Heng said. "It's enough for you to eat, drink, and have fun for a long time."
…
Just as the two of them were talking, Holmes also quietly left the spot.
Twenty minutes later, Zhang Heng and Holmes met up again outside the textile mill. The monkey-like man walked them to the road and said excitedly, "I will come up with a list of names soon. I guarantee that they are all hardworking, honest people with no ulterior motives."
"That's great. We will come back to you after we decide on the location," Zhang Heng said.
Seeing that the monkey-like man turned around and returned to the textile mill with satisfaction, Holmes said again, "Not bad. I was right about you. You are born to do this. With a little training, those idiots from Scotland Yard will be no match for you."
"What about you?"
Holmes chuckled. "I'm pretty sure who the murderer is."
"Oh? Who is it? "
"There's no need to rush. When I gather enough evidence, I'll naturally announce the conclusion. In a sense, Gregson is right. It's a taboo in our profession to make inferences without sufficient evidence. Once you presume that someone is the murderer, you'll subconsciously ignore the evidence that's unfavorable to your inference. Gregson himself made this mistake. He believed that the kid named Paul killed Molly, so all the evidence he gathered was against him."
Holmes paused and said, "The basis of deductive reasoning is observation. First, you need to use excellent observation skills to see the small details that others have overlooked. Each small detail is like a dot on a white paper. Finally, you draw a circle on the paper and frame all the dots. This is the answer you are looking for."
"Vivid," Zhang Heng said. "The chemical plant where Paul works is just next door. Shall we go and have a look?"
"Couldn't be better," Holmes said. "I do have someone there to look for."
The two then went to the chemical plant next door. The workers here were mainly men, so the supervision was not as strict as the textile factory. However, there were still supervisors. Holmes spent another half a pound to talk to a few people in the factory about Paul. When he came back, he touched his chin and said, "Interesting."
"Why?"
"Here, different people have completely different opinions about Paul, but that's normal. I've probably guessed it before. Gregson has been here before, and he asked the factory manager. The conclusion he got was that Paul is a wily old fox, always causing trouble, lazy, and insidious. But I've asked his workmates, and they all speak highly of him. They say that he has a good heart, is always willing to help others, and will stand up for others … Maybe that's why the factory manager doesn't like him," Holmes said.
"Where was he on the night of the incident?" Zhang Heng asked.
"This is the problem. The chemical plant closed half an hour later than the textile factory. After the chemical plant closed, Paul went to look for Molly as usual. This is a well-known fact. However, no one was with him after that, and no one can testify for him. But it doesn't matter. When we catch the murderer, we will naturally clear his name."
"Where are we going next?"
"We have done all the investigation we can do. The rest will be left to the Baker Street Detective Unit," Holmes said. "Let's call it a day and go home."
…
Naturally, Zhang Heng was no stranger to the Baker Street Detective Squad. Every time those filthy, smelly, and noisy kids appeared, Mrs. Hudson's face would darken, and she would have to keep an eye on them, afraid that something would go missing in the living room if she wasn't careful.
Holmes took out three shillings and handed it to the kid named Wiggins. "This is your fare. Keep an eye on the guy named Pearson who works at the Wood Chemical Plant. Find out what he has done and report to me. Also, from now on, you can come to see me alone. Ask the others to wait outside, or Mrs. Hudson will kill me."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
