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As he had made his money he had invested it in easily convertible, gilt-edged securities, which would be realized at an hour's notice in London or New York, Paris or Vienna. It would be the easiest thing in the world for him, as Mayor of Highmarket, to leave the town on Corporation business, and within a few hours to be where nobody could find him; within a few more, to be out of the country.
Why to show these Highmarket folks that they're wrong!" The superintendent sighed. He was a plain, honest, simple man, and Cotherstone's reason seemed a strange even a wicked one to him. To tell the truth merely to spite one's neighbour a poor, poor reason, when there was life at stake. "Aye, Mr. Cotherstone, but you ought to tell the truth in any case!" he said.
But the Highmarket police, to whom it would be handed, would know it at once to be the Mayor's: it was one which Mallalieu carried almost every day a plain, very stout oak staff. And the police would want to know how it came to be in that quarry. Curse it! was ever anything so unfortunate! however could he have so far lost his head as to forget it?
He firmly believed that they would pay pay at once, in good cash. And if they did well, he would take good care that no evil chances came to him! If he laid hands on five thousand pounds, he would be out of Highmarket within five hours, and half-way across the Atlantic within five days.
All the same, Brereton had a strong notion that neither Mr. nor Mrs. Bent would ever revisit Highmarket. As for himself, his thoughts went beyond Highmarket to the place amongst the hills which he had never seen. After Harborough's due acquittal Brereton, having discharged his task, had gone back to London.
Bent had come with uneasy feelings and apprehensions; one of the men who had been at the Highmarket Arms had chanced to be in the station when he and Lettie arrived, and had drawn him aside and told him of what had occurred, and that Cotherstone was evidently going on the drink. But there were no signs of anything unusual about Cotherstone when Bent found him.
That thought was with him whenever he woke in the night, and as he strolled round Darlington next morning, it was still with him when, after an early dinner, he set off homeward by an early afternoon train which carried him to High Gill junction; whence he had to walk five miles across the moors and hills to Highmarket.
At that moment so far as Brereton knew there was only one person in Highmarket who was likely to know anything about Kitely: that person, of course, was the queer-looking housekeeper. He accordingly determined, even at that early stage of the proceedings, to have Miss Pett in the witness-box.
"MR. GIFFORD BRERETON, Having learnt from the newspapers that you are acting as counsel for John Harborough, charged with the murder of a man named Kitely at Highmarket, I send you the enclosed £900 to be used in furthering Harborough's defence. You will use it precisely as you think fit. You are not to spare it nor any endeavour to prove Harborough's innocence which is known to the sender.
At the furniture remover's, and in such other shops as he visited, and in the bar-parlour of the Highmarket Arms, where he stayed an hour or so, gossiping with the loungers, and sipping a glass or two of dry sherry, Christopher picked up a great deal of information.
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