ondon the _next_ night, but----"

"Tell you he was there _that_ night!" insisted Cotherstone. "D'ye think
I could mistake him? Well, I went home--and you know what happened
afterwards: you know what she said and how she behaved when we went
up--and of course I played my part. But--that bit of newspaper I've
given you. I read it carefully that night, last thing. It's a column cut
out of a Woking newspaper of some years ago--it's to do with an inquest
in which this woman was concerned--there seems to be some evidence that
she got rid of an employer of hers by poison. And d'ye know what I
think, now?--I think that had been sent to Kitely, and he'd plagued her
about it, or held it out as a threat to her--and--what is it?"

The superintendent had risen and was taking down his overcoat.

"Do you know that this woman's leaving the town tomorrow?" he said. "And
there's her nephew with her, now--been here for a week? Of course, I
understand why you've told me all this, Mr. Cotherstone--now that your
old affair at Wilchester is common knowledge, far and wide, you don't
care, and you don't see any reason for more secrecy?"

"My reason," answered Cotherstone, with a grim smile, "is to show
Highmarket folk that they aren't so clever as they think. For the
probability is that Kitely was killed by that woman, or her nephew, or
both."

"I'm going up there with a couple of my best men, any way," said the
superintendent. "There's no time to lose if they're clearing out
tomorrow."

"I'll come with you," said Cotherstone. He waited, staring at the fire
until the superintendent had been into the adjacent police-station and
had come back to say that he and his men were ready. "What do you mean
to do?" he asked as the four of them set out. "Take them?"

"Question them first," answered the superintendent. "I shan't let them
get out of my sight, any way, after what you've told me, for I expect
you're right in your conclusions. What is it?" he asked, as one of the
two men who followed behind called him.

The man pointed down the Market Place to the doors of the
police-station.

"Two cars just pulled up there, sir," he said. "Came round the corner
just now from the Norcaster road."

The superintendent glanced back and saw two staring headlights standing
near his own door.

"Oh, well, there's Smith there," he said. "And if it's anybody wanting
me, he knows where I've gone. Come on--for aught we know these two may
have cleared out alr