Sherlock Holmes Investigates

He told us that the six busts were exactly the same as all the other casts. the other casts. He could not think of a reason why anyone would want to destroy them - in fact, he laughed at the idea. The wholesale price of a bust was was six shillings, but the retailer would get twelve shillings or more. The cast was made from two parts, one from each side of the face. Then these two halves were joined together to make the complete bust. The work was usually done by Italians. In fact some were working in the room where we were at that moment. When the busts were finished, they were put in the passage to dry.After that they ere taken to a storeroom. That was all the manager could tell us.

But when the manager saw the photograph from the murder scene, his face went red with anger, and his eyebrows came down over his blue eyes. 'Ah, the rascal!' he cried. 'Yes, indeed, I know him very well. This has always been a respectable place. The only time that the police have ever been here was because of this man. It was more than a year ago now. He stabbed another Italian in the street. Then he came in here with the police chasing after him, and he was arrested here. Beppo was his name - I never knew his surname. It was my fault for employing a man with a face like that. But he was a good workman - one of the best. The man he stabbed did not die. Because of this Beppo got just a year in prison. I am sure he is out of jail now. He has not dared to show his face here. We have a cousin of his who works here, and I am sure he could tell you where Beppo is.'

'No, no,' cried Holmes, 'the matter is very important. The more I discover, the more important it seems to become. When you looked in your business records to see about the sale of those casts, I saw that you sold them on June 3rd of last year. Could you give me the date when Beppo was arrested?'