The namesake mystery

“What’s wrong, Davis?” Alfred Bates, the famous detective, asks his friend as the duo exits the car. “We have a problem,” Inspector Davis tells the detective. “And when the police have an unsolved problem, we call you!” “Oh!” Bates exclaims. “Why are you taking me to the watch store?” “That’s where the problem is,” Davis says as he moves towards the store. “An hour ago, the constable arrested three people outside this place.” “One of them must surely be the owner, or employee?” Bates asks after inspecting the three suspects. “That’s the problem, Bates. They all claim to be the owner!” Davis says as he discloses the problem. “Don’t they have any identification?” Bates asks the routine question. ‘Yes they do… but they all carry a badge that has Bob written over it, while they all carry papers in which they are named Robert Brown.” Davis explains. “What should we do?” “Let me read them and I will give you the owner,” Bates tells Davis. “Read what?” the inspector was quick to ask. “Their personality!” Bates inspects the three men before giving the verdict. “The one on the far left is the owner. The other two are thieves.” “How did you know, sir?” the real Robert Brown comes forward and asks the detective. “I have my methods,” Bates says without disclosing the methods. “He is lying!” the fake Bobs shout together. “His hands told me that he was the watchmaker,” Bates discloses the secret. “His hands?” Davis couldn’t resist asking. “A watchmaker has to have steady hands, and while the other two were trembling with fear, this one kept his cool,” the detective says as he spills out his deduction. “Why are they all named the same?” Davis asks his friend. “These two are experienced thieves,” Bates points to the fake Bobs. “Carrying Bob’s badge and Robert Brown’s identity was part of their plan, if they got busted, which they did. They didn’t count on one thing, and that’s me!” “So what should we do now?” Davis continues his line of questioning. “Book them and from their fingerprints you’ll find out their real identities,” Bates advises the inspector. “Then you can deal with them as per their records. As for the original Robert Brown, release him.” “Thank you, for helping me,” the real Robert Brown says as he thanks the detective. “Thank Davis, he convinced me to come here,” Bates says as he turns to depart. “Otherwise you would have been rotting in jail with your namesakes for sure!”