by Alex Auswaks
I waited five minutes and followed them in. There was no vacant table next to them, so I had to occupy another that was one removed.
Gavriushka and Seriogin were, evidently, deeply involved in their own conversation and though they kept their voices low, from time to time some words reached me. They were haggling. The greedy Gavriushka would raise his voice quite considerably whenever money was mentioned.
‘No, fellow, I simply can’t. You know yourself how things are. Isn’t a quarter enough! You can check every penny on me, but that’s all I have. All that’d be left for me would be ten roubles for a return ticket and a cheap meal,’ he said heatedly.
But Seriogin wouldn’t give in, ‘As you wish, but I won’t settle for anything less than fifty,’ he said firmly.
‘Then feel free to go to anyone else,’ said Gavriushka angrily.
Seriogin shrugged, ‘Well, then, so we will. You’re not the only game in town. There’s plenty more,’ he said nastily.
They lowered their voices and renewed their haggling. Gavriushka haggled with such emotion that perspiration began to run down his face. But it appeared that he wasn’t getting his way. As their argument became more heated, their voices rose and became more and more hoarse.
Gavriushka became completely transformed. His face grew scarlet. His greedy eyes shone as if he were mad and his fingers convulsed into fists. ‘Just you wait then,’ he shouted, unable to contain himself any longer.
Seriogin looked at him and jeered, ‘Let’s see – who of us will wait and whom it’ll suit best is still to be seen, but I’ll say it’ll be the worse for you,’ he said and laughed in Gavriushka’s face.
‘So that’s how you intend to carry on,’ shouted Gavriushka, leaping out of his chair. And before the onlookers, who had begun to be interested in their quarrel, could react, he picked up a saucer from the table and let fly at Seriogin with it. If Seriogin hadn’t managed to duck, the saucer would have smashed into his face. But it had been thrown with such force that it hit the opposite wall and with a ring fell to pieces on the floor.
Seriogin, in turn, seized a cup of tea and threw the contents into Gavriushka’s face. ‘Freshen up with that and calm down, because I can smash all this china over your blasted head,’ he said, looking at the panic-stricken Gavriushka, now wiping his scalded face with a table serviette.
The hot shower, it seemed, had its intended effect on Gavriushka. He threw a series of curses at his friend and sat down again, curtly dismissing the waiter who had appeared, saying to him, ‘What are you doing here! Go about your own business! We have our own to look after and we know each other well enough. Don’t bother us.’
The brief outburst also seemed to have an effect on Seriogin. Both began to give ground and before long I noticed that they shook hands in the friendliest manner.
‘So, thirty-five,’ said Gavriushka
‘I’ll be bringing the stuff to the station in four hours,’ said Seriogin, ‘and then that’ll be that.’
Their haggling over, they ordered vodka and bits and pieces to eat and began to speak so softly I could no longer follow what they were saying.
Not wishing to arouse their suspicions, I left and walked my way to the railway station, where I waited for them to appear. There was still plenty of time to dine.
Soon Gavriushka appeared. An hour or so later he was followed by Seriogin in a cab with two sizable baskets. Gavriushka took the baskets and counted out thirty-five roubles. Judging by the expression on his face, he parted with the money only very reluctantly.
Seriogin left, while the thrifty Gavriushka, sitting on one of the baskets, patiently waited for a train. As soon as the train arrived, Gavriushka began to lug his cargo into the coach. Not one to spend so much as ten kopecks on a porter, he carried them in himself, perspiring from the effort, having also spent a good five minutes in a heated argument with the conductor who hadn’t wanted to let him on board with such large-sized baskets.
Eventually the matter was settled and Gavriushka, heaving and blowing, managed to accommodate his cargo on shelves above the seats. I lost him on the way to Moscow, as we travelled in separate coaches.
Before departing from Petersburg, I managed to send Holmes a telegram and he met me in Moscow. I described briefly for him everything I had seen and heard, and asked, shouldn’t we be watching Gavriushka further.
‘Oh, no, there’s no point,’ answered Holmes. ‘It goes without saying that he will take his goods to the bookstore, and we’re better off dropping in on him in an hour’s time, when he will be going through what he has brought with him.’
We hired a cab and drove back to our hotel, chatting and asking each other about the results of our endeavours during the last few days. Just as I had expected, Holmes had wasted no time during my two-day absence.
‘My dear Watson, it would appear we are dealing with a fairly large and well-organized gang, operating under Gavriushka’s leadership in major centres throughout the whole of Russia with the criminal, Fomka Nikishkin, graciously contributing to the success of the enterprise. They are meeting today and I have already taken steps by which I can enter into their conspiracy.’
‘How did you do it?’ I asked.
‘Very simply,’ said Holmes with a smile. ‘Once you find one end of the thread that, in itself, is enough to unravel the entire ball of thread. On this occasion I undertook a very simple action. As you know, at least temporarily I am assistant warehouse manager at Mr Kliukin’s place. That day, when we sat in the tavern opposite Gavriushka Voropayeff’s place, I saw one of Kliukin’s employees going in for some reason. I made inquiries, only to discover he hadn’t been sent by anyone. This was enough for me to conclude that this employee must be on the best of terms with Gavriushka. Two days’ work in the warehouse and I uncovered the fact that this chap, Ivan Buroff by name, also helps out packing cargo dispatched to the provinces. It was no problem for me to get to know him. An evening in his company in Zvereff’s Tavern in Kozitzky Alley and we were fast friends.’
‘You are, indeed, a wizard,’ I exclaimed, listening to Holmes’s account. ‘And what did your friendship lead to, then?’
‘First of all, we both got drunk, well, he more than I. He seemed to see in me a pack leader, and when I finally hinted that it would be mutually profitable to collaborate, he saw the point immediately. Finally, he showed his cards. He said he regretted I hadn’t appeared earlier. He found it difficult to work on his own, but he assured me that working with him, what with me as an assistant warehouse manager, could lead to us both making quite a lot of money. On the third day of our acquaintanceship, we managed to drag away a hundred books, which we temporarily placed in a room I had set aside in the warehouse.’
‘So far I am with you,’ I exclaimed. ‘But what about the conference?’
Holmes laughed merrily.
‘You have to understand that I am now, so to speak, one of the gang, having been inducted by working for it and, of course, having full right to attend general meetings of this all-Russia enterprise.’
‘Have you, at least, spoken to Kliukin?’
‘Of course, though mind you, he hadn’t even noticed the thieving that took place. He has so many books piled up in his warehouse that they cannot be properly sorted out and the only way to solve the crime is by a thorough stock-taking in the bookshop and warehouse. And that only takes place once a year.’
‘What time is the conference?’
‘At nine in the evening.’
At the hotel, we went up to our room and I lay down to rest. However short the journey, nevertheless it had tired me out and it was with considerable relief that I slept for a couple of hours on my soft bed.
VIII
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 a
sked, ‘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 bent towards Fomka, whispered something in his ear and, quickly leaving the tavern, was lost outside amidst the crowd.
Fomka waited a few minutes, settled his bill and also left. We followed him at once.
At the Strastniy Monastery, Fomka jumped aboard a tram car going to the Ustinsk Bridge. We hailed a cab and instr
ucted him to follow. At Yauza, Fomka jumped off and went into one of the cheap taverns along the banks of this smelly little river.
‘We’d better wait for him here,’ said Holmes. ‘Our appearance is bound to raise his suspicion.’
In the meantime, darkness was falling and we had to get nearer the tavern not to lose sight of Fomka when he emerged. Nine struck from a clock tower. A little while later and Gavriushka’s familiar figure appeared outside the entrance of the tavern. He looked round carefully, went in and a minute later emerged, accompanied by Fomka.
They turned right along the river bank. Luckily for us, there was no street lighting here, so we moved silently after them. Several hundred steps on, we found ourselves in a silent, deserted locality. The figures of Gavriushka and Fomka were now hardly discernable in front of us. They finally stopped and began to descend quietly down to the river.
‘Crawl!’ Holmes whispered.
We stretched out on the ground and, like snakes, followed for some twenty-five paces. The darkness helped us.
Gavriushka was talking to Fomka about something or other, but all we could hear were snatches of what he was saying: ‘Tomorrow … the damned fellow won’t get away … get nearer … Peterhof … you’ll counterfeit Yefimoff’s….’ From time to time he snarled in fury. He raved.
Fomka’s replies, delivered in a cold tone of voice, were short and sharp. ‘So, tomorrow at the Peterhof at three,’ we heard.
Then they dropped their voices again and we only heard the end of their conversation. ‘Everyone scattered … well, that’s to the good … let them look for witnesses if they can.’
There was more whispering about something and then they climbed up to the river bank again.
X
‘And so, my dear Watson, till tomorrow. At three in the afternoon we will most probably see something interesting at the Peterhof restaurant.’