48 Hours a Day

“Conspirator?”

Gregson was surprised.

“Didn’t you say that this was a crime of passion? The suspect obviously did not plan. The reason why he killed Molly was that she resisted fiercely. It frustrated the killer. And as you said earlier, there were only two people left in the textile factory.”

“This is the last key that complements my reasoning, and it is also the most important key,” Sherlock deduced with surety in his voice.

“I found the answer later in the chemical plant. Paul lived in a shared house, and his roommate also worked in the chemical factory. These guys leave work half an hour later than the textile factory. Paul had left the chemical factory first, intending to look for Molly as usual. However, Molly wasn’t at the place where they often met. Paul felt that something was not right. So, he went to the textile factory and saw that it was closed. In the end, he returned to the chemical factory.”

“Huh?”

“His roommate, Pearson, was still there at that time, so Paul fetched Pearson to go find Molly with him,” Holmes went on.

“Something interesting is coming next. Paul and Pearson split up to look for Molly. Now, Paul didn’t manage to find her, but his roommate, Pearson, accidentally ran into John, who happened to be dragging Molly’s body to the river to be disposed of. Naturally, when most people come across a situation like this, they would either call the police or if they are good fighters, they would have tried to try to apprehend John first. Unfortunately, Mr. Pearson chose another path.”

“Which path?”

Gregson couldn’t help asking.

“Much like Paul, Pearson came to London when he was very young. This was his fourth job. Previously, he polished shoes on the streets, washed dishes at a restaurant, and helped to look after horses. At night, he would sleep in the stable. Such lads must have experienced the hardships of life at a very young age. Knowing there was no one he could rely on, he had to seize every opportunity before him. On that fateful night, when he saw John by the river, he realized the opportunity he had been waiting for all this while had finally arrived.

“Pearson persuaded John, now in an extreme state of panic and anxiety. He told him he could help with this matter, and although John naturally didn’t trust strangers, but the situation at that time wasn’t in his favor. There were not many options for him to choose from, and as a last resort, he could only choose to believe Pearson.

“After that, Pearson proved that he had lived up to this trust,” said Holmes, as he turned to Gregson again.

“Remember how you told me that you found Molly’s clothes under his bed? I thought it was weird at that time. Since he dumped the body into the river, why did he have to take her clothes off and put them under his bed?”

Gregson was embarrassed. “This... is a problem... Why didn’t I notice it before?!”

“But if Pearson were the one who did it, then everything would make perfect sense. At first, he persuaded John to take the clothes off Molly. He then brought them home and put them under Paul’s bed so the police would question Paul but not Mr. John. As for the carpet in his office, John handed that task to Pearson too. This guy seized every last opportunity in front of him. In a way, his plan was a huge success. I thought we had to wait a long time to slip up, but to my surprise, he ends up making such a low-level mistake.

“He didn’t even think of burning the carpet in the first place. Instead, he pawned it.”

Holmes shook his head.

“The article published in the Echo might not be a bad thing, after all. At least, it paralyzed his nerves. Considering his previous living conditions, it is not incomprehensible for him to make such a mistake. It does save us a lot of trouble. Now, we just need to get the blanket and apprehend Pearson. With that, we have everything we need to prosecute the real murderer. Then, the case will be over.”

The three then got off the carriage in front of the chemical factory. This time, there was no need for Holmes to bribe the guard anymore. Gregson revealed that he was a policeman, and they managed to find Pearson, who was still working in the factory at that hour. However, they ran into a small hitch while trying to apprehend him.

Perhaps it was because the police had arrested their protesting colleagues. Now, all the workers had turned hostile towards them. Pearson recognized Gregson and realized that something wasn’t right. As a result, he had persuaded his fellow workers to surround Gregson and Holmes.

Seeing Pearson disappearing into the crowd, Gregson went after him without much thought. He drew his revolver and was about to shoot into the air when Holmes abruptly caught his arm. Gregson stomped in frustrated fury.

“Why are you stopping me for?! He is getting away!”

“Don’t worry. He can’t run far,” replied Holmes nonchalantly, not showing the slightest bit of anxiety.

Pearson ran out of the factory after he had created a mess. He was deeply frustrated. Paul was his friend, where the two stood up for each other whenever they were broke. Because of that, Pearson did not want to live like that anymore. However, no matter how hard he tried, life always handed him the short end of the stick, kicking him down over and over again.

It wasn’t until the previous night when he met John that Pearson finally made up his mind to stop living like this. He decided that he’d become famous in the metropolis, and for that reason, he didn’t hesitate to turn against Paul and help John instead. At least, he could become a manager there without working his arse off. He could not wait to quit his job at the chemical factory.

And with the thought in his hand, his dreams suddenly seemed possible. Only two days later, however, his dreams were shattered to smithereens. Although he had managed to escape the factory, he was now perplexed, and he did not know where he should go next.

Suddenly, he saw an Asian man standing not far ahead. “Pearson?” the Asian man asked as he looked at him.

“Get lost!”

Pearson was in a rut and wasn’t in the mood for a conversation at the moment.

“It seems we have found the right person,” the Asian man nodded, “Just sit down and rest for a while.”

“I’m frustrated, man. Don’t blame me for being impolite if you don’t get lost.”

Pearson clenched his fists.

The Asian man smiled when he saw it.

“Sure. This makes things easier.”

Five minutes later, Holmes and Gregson finally came out of the chemical factory. Gregson’s clothes were ripped, and his hat was lost. He was cursing nonstop, and then was when they spotted Zhang Heng standing under a tree with Pearson, now crouching and hugging his stomach.