2. Behind him, he left millions in debts, missing instruments and dozens of angry customers, a Post-Dispatch investigation found,.

3. Federal investigators have estimated that Bearden left behind debts to as many as 50 people, in individual amounts ranging from $1,000 to $250,000, sources say.

4. So far, investigators estimate the total losses at $2 million to $3 million, say the same sources.

6. More that that, they trusted him with the instruments they depend upon for their livelihoods.

7. "We are shocked." John Sant'Ambrogio, the Symphony's principal cellist, said of his colleagues.

8. His wife, Nina Bodnar, a violinist and the Symphony's former concertmaster, was among those who lost money to Bearden last year, Sant'Ambrogio said.

10. This account is based on court documents and interviews with Bearden's friends and those who allege he bilked them. Bearden has been unreachable for weeks.

11. Professional musicians need top-quality instruments. A superior violin -- a Stradivari or Guarneri -- easily can cost millions of dollars. Even some of the most famous musicians can't afford such instruments, Yo-Yo ma, the world famous cellist, plays on a borrowed instrument.

12. A violinist good enough to play for the St. Louis Symphony may spend $100,000 or more on an instrument. Bearden bought and sold these expensive instruments, often on consignment. Musicians turned over their instruments to him; he would find a buyer and send them the money. Bearden had scores of customers here, across the country and around the world.

14. Last spring, some of Bearden's customers began complaining: They weren't getting paid, and they didn't know what had happened to their instruments.

15. Bearden assured them he'd take care of them, they said. For months, many believed him.

16. Late last year, his customers said, Bearden stopped returning phone calls. Then he dropped out of sight.

18. Shortly before Christmas, as complaints about Bearden's business began to circulate, the Symphony issued a warning letter to employees.

19. It was too late; by then, Bearden had flown to Japan.

Those who know him say Keith Bearden, 42, is one of the top 10 string bow makers in the world. He can turn raw wood and horse hair into a bow nearly indistinguishable from those of the finest 18th century French masters.

21. That is a great talent, but that is not where the big money is. A new bow, which takes a week to craft, can sell for $3,500.

22. The real money is in dealing -- buying and selling instruments. An important piece can fetch a commission of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

24. Keith Bearden grew up in O'Fallon, MO. While still in high school, he was and apprentice in the family shop. In the mid-1980's, he moveed to Los Angeles, where he honed his skills under one of the country's most respected craftsman.

25. By the time he returned to St. Louis in the late 1980's, Bearden had a national reputation. He opened his first store behind Powell Hall and did a vigorous business with Symphony musicians.

27. Throughout his career, among his strongest assets were an easygoing personality and trustworthiness.

28. He was never a clotheshorse. "I had to tell him not to wear a short sleeve dress shirt because he looked like a Xerox repair man," one friend recalled.

30. By early summer 1996, Bearden was behind in some of his bills. Sales taxes went unpaid. A camera shop took a $226 bill to small claims court. Customers with instruments on consignment wondered when he'd return their instruments, or pay them the money he's promised.

31. By September, when the phone rang in the orderly front office, it was usually somebody demanding money. Associates say he wanted to pay people and became edgy and unhappy when he couldn’t.

33. Weeks turned into months and calls to his phone in Tokyo went unanswered. The FBI began an inquiry and assigned the same agent who had investigated the Lieberman brothers' flight to Chile.

34. "No one would ever have expected Keith of going wrong," said Dan Terry, a friend and former employee.

Some of Bearden's clients never lost faith. Nina Bodnar has yet to take any legal action for the bow she left with Bearden in June. He still owes her $10,000, Bodnar's husband says.

36. "We always figured that he'd pay us back after his next big sale," he said.

37. Others, such as Cara Mia Antonello, the Symphony's principal second violinist, have gone in court.

38. Her suit says Bearden used $65,000 of her money to buy and then resell a violin bow at a profit. Antonello expected to make $16,500; instead she lost everything.

40. In a similar case, Richard M. Soskin, a doctor from Beverly Hills, Calif., lost a Vincent Panormo violin made in 1790. On Jan. 30, he won a judgment of nearly $200,000 after Bearden failed to appear in court here. The doctor's lawyer, Mark Pasewark is trying to find some way to collect.

41. Other customers were luckier. Insurance may cover some of their losses. Most will have to wait to retrieve whatever remains of Bearden's assets.

43. "We're taking this very seriously," he said.

44. Violin makers and dealers around the country worry about the impact the collapse of Beard's business will have on them. The American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers, an elite group, was established to set industry standards and protect members' reputations.

46. His dismissal and the mounting allegations have sent shock waves through the business.

47. "We finally started to do some self-policing." said one federation member. "That's why Keith's behavior is so offensive to us."

48. Also deeply concerned is Gene Bearden, Keith's uncle, who operates a separate local shop. The day before Christmas, he sent a letter to the Symphony pointing out that he had nothing to do with his nephew's business.

49. Meanwhile, Keith Bearden has set up a small shop in Tokyo. His store on Big Bend is shattered. Inside, the old gun safe, which once stored a $2 million instrument, is bare.