We were invited to sit on a lumpy velvet sofa which faced the windows, and Colangelo took a seat on a high-backed wooden chair, sharply silhouetted. It put us, or at least me, at a distinct disadvantage, for the man’s features were hard to make out.

Holmes hesitated to join me and moved instead to the windows, where he pulled back the curtain and glanced out at the street.

Colangelo regarded him strangely.

‘Do sit, Mr Holmes,’ he said.

Holmes scanned the room once more, then joined me on the sofa and proceeded to waste no time.

‘Mr Colangelo, you know that I am here on behalf of Madame Ilaria Borelli. She is concerned about the incident in which you lost a finger from a small device provided to you by the Borellis. She believes that you blame her husband for this accident. Do you, in fact, believe he tampered with the device in order to cause you injury?’

The magician shrugged. The coin continued to dance across the fingers of his left hand.

‘She fears retribution,’ continued Holmes. ‘We all are wondering if perhaps you were behind the accident which befell Mr Borelli the night before last. You know of it?’

‘Of course. The police questioned me.’ His English had only the slightest trace of an Italian accent.

‘And—?’

The man snorted. ‘If I were guilty, I would hardly say so.’

‘Where were you throughout that day?’

‘Here. Practising.’

‘Alone?’

The man nodded. But his sideways glance gave evidence, even to me, that he was lying.

‘Then you have no alibi?’ persisted Holmes.

‘The police did not ask for one.’

‘But I do.’

‘I … Yes, all right then. I do have an alibi. She will prove I was here. A young lady. She was with me all day.’

‘Will she vouch for you?’ said the detective.

‘Her reputation—’

‘Will she vouch privately for you, to me?’

A pause. ‘Yes.’

‘Her name?’

‘Eloise Marchand.’ Colangelo continued to weave the coin through the fingers of his left hand. I noticed he did so without looking.

‘Summon her,’ said Holmes.

‘I cannot, she works in the daytime at a milliner’s.’

‘And the day before yesterday—?’

‘Her day off. Easy to confirm. I tell you, she was with me all day. And late, past ten.’ He smiled. The mysterious glint was revealed as a small diamond embedded in one of his canines. A theatrical touch!

‘And the name of the shop where she works?’

‘Capital Toppers. In Soho.’

‘I will check,’ said Holmes. ‘But back to the sad accident causing damage to your finger. Do you blame Borelli for the incident?’

Colangelo’s smile dropped. ‘No! That idiot. Borelli could not have done so. He is an ignoramus.’ He pronounced it ‘ig-nor-a-moose’. ‘I thought Ilaria sent you to find who actually did tamper with the device.’

‘So then Madame Borelli has no reason to worry that you intend her husband harm?’