In chapter 16 of Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt, the constable planned to accompany the man in the yellow suit when he went to Tucks' house to retrieve Winnie. Plans change when the man in the yellow suit is too impatient to wait for the constable and rides ahead to reach the Tucks' house first, instead of the pair of them making the journey together.

The reason that the man in the yellow suit wants to get to the Tucks' house first is not for the safety of Winnie. If fact, he is only using Winnie's return to get ownership of the forest so that he can sell the spring water that appears to cause eternal life. He does not want to wait for the constable because the sooner he finds and returns Winnie, the sooner he gets ownership of the forest. Despite the fact that this is his true motivation, he tells the constable that he should go ahead because he can get there faster than the constable, who is older, and he can stand watch until the constable gets there.