The Borough Treasurer · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for The Borough Treasurer by J. S. Fletcher.
Chapter 1
I: Blackmail
In the first chapter, the reader is introduced to the prosperous building firm of Mallalieu and Cotherstone in Highmarket. The two partners are inspecting new carts when a visitor, Mr. Kitely, arrives. Kitely, an ex-detective, reveals that he recognizes Cotherstone and Mallalieu as former convicts who defrauded a Building Society thirty years ago. He threatens to expose their secret, including to Cotherstone's daughter, unless they pay him an annuity. Cotherstone, realizing he is being blackmailed, demands a price, but Kitely insists on involving Mallalieu first.
Chapter 2
II: Crime—and Success
Cotherstone is left reeling after Kitely's revelation that he recognizes him and Mallalieu as men convicted of embezzlement thirty years ago. He reflects on their past crime, their successful reinvention in Highmarket, and the threat Kitely poses to their respected positions and to his daughter Lettie's future. He meets with Mallalieu to discuss paying blackmail to silence Kitely.
Chapter 3
III: Murder
Cotherstone, preoccupied with the blackmail threat from Kitely, reluctantly hosts a supper for his daughter Lettie, her fiancé Windle Bent, and Bent's friend, the young barrister Brereton. During the evening, their neighbor Garthwaite bursts in with the news that Kitely has been found murdered in the coppice above Cotherstone's house.
Chapter 4
IV: The Pine Wood
News of Kitely's murder reaches Cotherstone's home during a social gathering. Cotherstone reacts with visible shock and distress. Garthwaite leads Cotherstone, Bent, and Brereton to the body in the pine wood, where signs of strangulation and robbery are evident. The police and doctor confirm murder, noting the killer's expertise. Brereton observes that the victim's clothing has been rifled, suggesting robbery as a motive. The body is brought to Kitely's cottage, where Miss Pett receives the news with grim resignation.
Chapter 5
The Cord
Brereton observes Cotherstone's oddly elated reaction to Kitely's murder. The police discover that Kitely was strangled with a pig-killer's cord, leading suspicion toward John Harborough. The group visits Harborough's cottage and encounters his daughter, Avice.
Chapter 6
VI: The Mayor
Bent and Brereton inform Mallalieu of Kitely's murder, and Mallalieu, as chief magistrate, resolves to investigate. Later, they visit Avice Harborough to inform her of the murder and the discovery of a cut cord from her father's shed, which implicates John Harborough. Brereton argues the evidence is too obvious to be genuine, suggesting a frame-up.
Chapter 7
VII: Night Work
Mallalieu, convinced that Cotherstone murdered Kitely, rushes to the police station to direct the investigation. He manipulates the authorities to focus suspicion on Harborough, using the cord from Harborough's shed as evidence. Mallalieu learns from the bank manager that Harborough was present when Kitely withdrew money, and from the doctor that the strangulation showed expert knowledge. He orchestrates a manhunt for Harborough while protecting Cotherstone, and later observes Cotherstone's nervous demeanor at work.
Chapter 8
VIII: Retained for the Defence
Mallalieu and Brereton arrive at the police station where John Harborough has voluntarily presented himself after being suspected of Kitely's murder. Harborough refuses to reveal his whereabouts during the night, despite mounting circumstantial evidence including a piece of cord from his coil and a boot tip found at the scene. He is detained. Brereton, impressed by Harborough's demeanor, offers to defend him pro bono, while Avice Harborough urges them to find the real murderer.
Chapter 9
Antecedents
Brereton decides to investigate Kitely's past and calls Miss Pett to the witness stand. Her testimony reveals that Kitely was secretive about his life and business, had no known relations, and had made a will leaving his property to her. Brereton's questioning aims to shift suspicion away from Harborough, who remains stubbornly silent about his alibi, insisting that the truth will come out if Brereton delves into Kitely's past.
Chapter 10
X: The Hole in the Thatch
Brereton discusses the murder case with Bent, suggesting that Miss Pett could be a suspect alongside Harborough. He reveals his private suspicion of Cotherstone, noting that Cotherstone led the group directly to the murder scene despite only just hearing of the death. Brereton visits the crime scene and learns that incriminating evidence—banknotes and papers from Kitely—has been found hidden in the thatch of Harborough's shed.
Chapter 11
XI: Christopher Pett
Brereton and the superintendent discuss the murder of Kitely, theorizing that the killer used an electric torch to examine the papers from the pocketbook at the scene. Later, Christopher Pett, a sly lawyer and Miss Pett's nephew, visits Bent and Brereton to clarify Miss Pett's innocence. He reveals that he was Kitely's legal adviser, that Kitely was a former detective who left his property to Miss Pett, and that he is the sole executor of the will. Pett also mentions a small bequest to Bent from Kitely.
Chapter 12
XII: Parental Anxiety
Cotherstone's growing irritation with Mallalieu boils over into a heated confrontation, where mutual suspicion about Kitely's murder is barely concealed. Mallalieu warns Cotherstone to keep calm for his daughter's sake. Later, Cotherstone pressures Lettie and Windle Bent to marry sooner, claiming health reasons, but Lettie resists altering her wedding plans. Meanwhile, Brereton and the superintendent discuss a scrap-book left by Kitely, and Brereton privately suspects both Cotherstone and Mallalieu know more about the murder than they admit.
Chapter 13
XIII: The Anonymous Letter
Brereton takes stock of the case three weeks before the Norcaster Assizes. Harborough has been committed for trial, and Brereton clashes with Christopher Pett, who is overly familiar and pessimistic about Harborough's chances. Harborough refuses to reveal his alibi, hinting at a secret. Brereton receives a mysterious registered letter containing £900 and an anonymous offer of unlimited funds to prove Harborough's innocence, with instructions to offer a reward. He shows the letter to Avice Harborough, who is astonished.
Chapter 14
XIV: The Sheet of Figures
Stoner reflects on why he stole a sheet of figures from Cotherstone, driven by suspicions about Cotherstone's connection to Kitely's murder and the repeated mention of 'Wilchester.' He deciphers the figures as compound interest calculations on £2,000 over thirty years. Motivated by a £500 reward for information about Kitely's murderer, Stoner decides to investigate further and travels to Darlington.
Chapter 15
XV: One Thing Leads to Another
Stoner visits his friend Myler in Darlington and, by chance, meets Myler's father-in-law, Mr. Pursey, who reveals that he knew the murdered Kitely from thirty years ago during the Wilchester Assizes case of Mallows & Chidforth. Stoner deduces that Mallalieu and Cotherstone are the former Mallows and Chidforth, and that they likely killed Kitely to silence him. Myler advises Stoner to take his evidence to solicitor Tallington rather than seek hush money. On his way back to Highmarket, Stoner encounters Mallalieu on the moors.
Chapter 16
XVI: The Lonely Moor
Bert Stoner, after consulting his friend Myler, decides to blackmail his employer Mallalieu rather than claim the reward for information about Kitely's murder. Confronting Mallalieu on a lonely moor, Stoner reveals he knows Mallalieu and Cotherstone were convicted frauds and that they killed Kitely to silence him. Enraged, Mallalieu strikes Stoner with his stick; Stoner falls backward through a rotten railing into a quarry and lies motionless below.
Chapter 17
XVII: The Medical Opinion
Brereton visits the police station and learns that the doctors have determined Stoner was felled by a savage blow before falling into the quarry, suggesting another murder. A railway ticket-collector reports that Stoner arrived at High Gill junction on Sunday afternoon and was seen heading toward Highmarket in broad daylight, contradicting any theory of an accidental fall in darkness. Brereton discovers a cryptic entry in Stoner's pocketbook referencing 'M. & C.', fraud, and 'K.', linking Stoner's death to Kitely's murder. Meanwhile, Mallalieu, present at the medical examination, is visibly shaken by the doctor's conclusion that the blow was deliberate, and he later secretly returns to the quarry to search for the incriminating oak stick.
Chapter 18
The Scrap Book
Brereton, alone after dinner, reflects on the cryptic entries in Kitely's memoranda and Stoner's pocketbook, realizing they point to a shared secret. He discovers Kitely's scrap-book and deciphers the code 'M. & C. v. S.B. cir. 81' as a reference to a newspaper clipping about Mallows and Chidforth, convicted of fraud in 1881. Brereton concludes that Mallalieu and Cotherstone are the same men, and that Kitely and Stoner were murdered to silence them. He grapples with the painful duty of exposing Cotherstone, whose daughter is engaged to his friend Bent. Later, Avice Harborough meets him with urgent news.
Chapter 19
XIX: A Tall Man in Grey Clothes
Brereton and Avice walk across the moor, where Brereton shares his confidential theories about the case. Avice reveals that Mallalieu had been harassing her and that her father, Harborough, angrily ordered him away. They visit Mrs. Hamthwaite, who claims she saw Harborough near Good Folks' Lift on the night of the murder, and also saw a tall man in grey clothes with a companion. She advises Brereton to find the tall man. Brereton later learns that Lettie has been persuaded to set a wedding date.
Chapter 20
At Bay
Brereton learns of Bent's impending marriage to Lettie Cotherstone and becomes determined to prevent it until Cotherstone's past is cleared. He confides in Tallington, who insists on telling Bent and confronting Cotherstone. In a tense meeting, Cotherstone reveals his role in the old Wilchester fraud as Mallalieu's catspaw, admits to paying back the stolen money the day after Kitely's murder, and accuses Mallalieu of killing both Kitely and Stoner, claiming he witnessed Mallalieu strike Stoner. The chapter ends with police arriving to arrest Cotherstone and Mallalieu for Stoner's murder.
Chapter 21
The Interrupted Flight
Mallalieu, having witnessed Stoner's fall into Hobwick Quarry, decides to flee. He carefully inspects the quarry to ensure his walking stick is not found, then plans a public departure under the guise of town business. He prepares his valuables in a specially made waistcoat and arms himself with a revolver. After a morning of routine activity, he attends a committee meeting, only to be arrested at its conclusion by Norcaster detectives on a warrant for Stoner's murder.
Chapter 22
XXII: The Hand in the Darkness
Mallalieu is arrested for murder and brought before a bench of magistrates alongside Cotherstone. During the hearing, Mallalieu demands bail but is refused, and both are committed to Norcaster Gaol. While awaiting transfer, Mallalieu tricks the superintendent into leaving him alone, uses a hidden key to escape through a private staircase, and flees into the orchard and coppices at the foot of the Shawl. As he makes his way through the dark woods, he hears voices below and suddenly feels a hand grip his wrist.
Chapter 23
Comfortable Captivity
Mallalieu is hidden by Miss Pett in Kitely's old cottage, where she assures him of safety and provides comfort. She drugs his drink, searches his waistcoat, and later admits her nephew Christopher Pett at midnight.
Chapter 24
Strict Business Lines
Christopher Pett arrives at his aunt's cottage and learns that Mallalieu, the escaped mayor, is hiding there. Miss Pett plans to profit from harboring him. Christopher goes into town to gather information and assess the situation, while Mallalieu remains hidden.
Chapter 25
No Further Evidence
Cotherstone, imprisoned in Norcaster Gaol, resolves to fight the charges against him rather than flee like Mallalieu. He hires a solicitor and barrister, and later testifies at the inquest for Stoner's murder, swearing he witnessed Mallalieu strike Stoner. The inquest returns a verdict of wilful murder against Mallalieu. At Cotherstone's subsequent hearing, the prosecution withdraws the charge, and he is discharged.
Chapter 26
The Virtues of Suspicion
Mallalieu, confined in Kitely's cottage and dependent on Christopher Pett for news, learns that a coroner's verdict of wilful murder has been returned against him, largely due to Cotherstone's evidence. Christopher and Miss Pett manipulate Mallalieu with fear and false hope, eventually proposing a plan to smuggle him to Norcaster in a furniture van. Mallalieu, growing suspicious of his captors, realizes they may be drugging his drink and resolves to outwit them.
Chapter 27
Mr. Wraythwaite of Wraye
Brereton is summoned by solicitor Carfax to meet Mr. Wraythwaite, who reveals he is the rightful heir to the Wraye estate and can provide Harborough with an alibi for the night of Kitely's murder. Carfax also hints at new light on the murder case, bringing in detectives.
Chapter 28
XXVIII: Pages from the Past
Mr. Wraythwaite and Mr. Carfax reveal the results of private investigations into Miss Pett's past. Inquiry agents Stobb and Leykin report that Miss Pett was previously suspected in the death of Major Stilman, from whom she inherited money, and was charged with strangling a Eurasian girl in India. The evidence suggests she may have murdered Kitely for his legacy, and Carfax plans to present the findings to the Highmarket police.
Chapter 29
Without Thought of Consequence
Mallalieu, confined by Miss Pett and Christopher Pett, grows increasingly paranoid and suspicious of their intentions. He discovers they have been drugging him and fears they have searched his belongings. In a tense confrontation, he shoots and kills both Miss Pett and Christopher Pett. Hearing knocking at the doors, he sees Cotherstone among the men outside and realizes he must flee.
Chapter 30
XXX: Cotherstone
Cotherstone, having been discharged from court, faces public scorn and isolation in Highmarket. He attempts to celebrate with his barrister at the Arms hotel, but is met with cold silence and contempt from the townspeople. Later, he visits the police superintendent to confess his knowledge of Kitely's murder, revealing that he discovered Kitely's body and was subsequently blackmailed by Miss Pett, who threatened to expose his and Mallalieu's criminal past.
Chapter 31
The Barrister's Fee
Six months after the tragedies, Brereton returns to the northern hills to visit Avice Harborough at Wraye, where she and her father have settled. He avoids looking at Highmarket, haunted by memories. He learns that Bent married Lettie and moved abroad, and that Harborough was acquitted and became steward at Wraye. Brereton, acting on a sudden impulse, travels to Wraye to ask Avice to leave it—and their meeting culminates in a kiss and a mutual understanding of their love.
