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It was a facer for both of us to be recognized, and to have all that thrown up against us, after thirty years' honest work!" The three listeners looked silently at each other. A moment of suspence passed. Then Tallington put the question which all three were burning with eagerness to have answered. "Mr. Cotherstone! do you know who killed Kitely?" "No!" answered Cotherstone.
It was a half-sheet which he had found on Cotherstone's desk when he went into the partners' private room to tidy things up on the morning after the murder of Kitely. It lay there, carelessly tossed aside amongst other papers of clearer meaning, and Stoner, after one glance at it, had carefully folded it, placed it in his pocket, taken it home, and locked it up, to be inspected at leisure.
"No, sir we've been chiefly making out for certain where the actual murder took place before the dead man was dragged behind that rock," answered the detective. "As far as we can reckon from the disturbance of these pine needles, the murderer must have sprung on Kitely from behind that clump of gorse there where it's grown to such a height and then dragged him here, away from that bit of a path.
"We aren't suggesting aught, you know, Miss Avice," remarked the sergeant. "Don't go for to think that at present. But, you see, Harborough, he might have one o' those cords hanging about somewhere, and do you understand?" The girl had become very quiet, looking steadily from one man to the other. Once more her eyes settled on Bent. "Do you know why Kitely was killed?" she asked suddenly.
Wraythwaite, with a nod at Avice. "I'll tell this young lady all about that myself. In the meantime " "Ah, just so!" responded Carfax. "In the meantime, we have something not so interesting or pleasing, but extremely important, to tell Mr. Brereton. Brereton how are things going? Has any fresh light been thrown on the Kitely murder? Nothing really certain and definite you say?
He heartily wished that Kitely was dead dead and buried, and his secret with him; he wished that it had been anywise possible to have crushed the life out of him where he sat in that easy chair as soon as he had shown himself the reptile that he was. A man might kill any poisonous insect, any noxious reptile at pleasure why not a human blood-sucker like that?
"What's certain sure is that he'll have to be quietened. I must go I've an appointment. Are you coming out?" "Not yet," replied Cotherstone. "I've all these papers to go through. Well, think it well over. He's a man to be feared." Mallalieu made no answer. He, like Kitely, went off without a word of farewell, and Cotherstone was once more left alone.
Kitely had come to him, one day about three months previously, told him that he had come to these parts for a bit of a holiday, taken a fancy to a cottage which he, Cotherstone, had to let, and inquired its rent. He had mentioned, casually, that he had just retired from business, and wanted a quiet place wherein to spend the rest of his days.
"Well," she answered, still more hesitatingly, "he he always said that as he'd no relations of his own, he'd leave it to me." Brereton leaned a little closer across the table towards the witness-box and dropped his voice. "Do you know if Mr. Kitely ever made a will?" he asked. "Yes," replied Miss Pett. "He did." "When?" "Just before we left London." "Do you know the contents of that will?"
Besides, in your case there's another thing there's your daughter." Cotherstone groaned a deep, unmistakable groan of sheer torture. But Kitely went on remorselessly. "Your daughter's just about to marry the most promising young man in the place," he said. "A young fellow with a career before him.
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