The Borough Treasurer · Chapters

Chapters explained

Chapter companions for The Borough Treasurer by J. S. Fletcher.

Read with companions Book page

Each chapter has a companion in the reader — open a free preview to see notes beside the text.

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.

Free preview

26 more chapter companions sit beside the text in BetterReads — open a free preview to unlock the rest.

26 more companions → free preview

I: Blackmail

II: Crime—and Success

III: Murder

IV: The Pine Wood

The Cord