Chapters (156)
- A DATE WITH DEATH
- Also by Mark Roberts
- A Date With Death
- Copyright Page
- Contents
- The Past
- 1977
- Day OneWednesday, 1st December 2021CatoptrophobiaFear of mirrors
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
- 24
- 25
- 26
- The Past
- 1979
- Day TwoThursday, 2nd December 2021OneirophobiaFear of dreams
- 27
- 28
- 29
- 30
- 31
- 32
- 33
- 34
- 35
- 36
- 37
- 38
- 39
- 40
- 41
- 42
- 43
- 44
- 45
- 46
- 47
- 48
- 49
- 50
- 51
- 52
- The Past
- 1980
- Day ThreeFriday, 3rd December 2021MonophobiaFear of being alone
- 53
- 54
- 55
- 56
- 57
- 58
- 59
- 60
- 61
- 62
- 63
- 64
- 65
- 66
- 67
- 68
- 69
- 70
- 71
- 72
- 73
- 74
- 75
- 76
- 77
- 78
- 79
- 80
- 81
- 82
- 83
- 84
- 85
- 86
- 87
- 88
- 89
- 90
- 91
- 92
- 93
- 94
- 95
- 96
- 97
- 98
- The Past
- 1982
- Day FourSaturday, 4th December 2021ThanatophobiaFear of Death
- 99
- 100
- 101
- 102
- 103
- 104
- 105
- 106
- 107
- 108
- 109
- 110
- 111
- 112
- 113
- 114
- 115
- 116
- 117
- 118
- 119
- 120
- 121
- 122
- 123
- 124
- 125
- 126
- 127
- 128
- 129
- 130
- 131
- 132
- 133
- 134
- 135
- 136
- 137
- About the Author
- An Invitation from the Publisher
Clay skimmed and scanned Ezra’s and Towers’ words, eyes flicking left and right, staying right and back to left, and read, ‘Ezra, initial dialogue; Towers, initial dialogue. Ezra, getting to know each other a little better; Towers, getting to know each other a little better. Both of them, if you don’t feel comfortable with this… wishing you all the best in finding a man… worship the ground you walk on…’
Clay looked up as Poppy Waters entered the incident room.
‘I’ve got the full transcripts from Amanda Winton’s communication with Thomas Saddler. Like the others, Eve, the trail goes somewhat cold after he gets her mobile phone number and tells her he’s going to ring her.’
‘Let me guess. Michael Towers, just like Richard Ezra and Thomas Saddler after him, didn’t want to get hurt again because his wife had died. He didn’t tell her he was a childless widower because he didn’t want to make emotional capital out of his tragic misfortune. Did Amanda ask him if it was possible to die of a broken heart?’
‘No, he volunteered the information willingly.’
‘If this wasn’t so vile, there’d be a funny side to it. If he was just a guy playing fast and loose on the internet – I mean, think of it, Poppy. He comes over as a nice young widower wearing his heart on his sleeve. He could have wiped up. It could’ve been pussy galore for him.’
‘Under the name Thomas Saddler, did he say anything different, anything that stood out?’ asked Poppy.
‘No. Same guy. Different alias,’ said Clay.
‘Same old language?’
‘Same old shit,’ concluded Clay.
51
8.45 pm
As she made her way from the Albert Dock and past the Marina, heading for her car, Francesca Christie felt completely stupid.
Stupid cow, standing in the wind and the rain, waiting for a man who would never show up. Ha ha ha… Even the waves of the river seemed to laugh at her.
Half an hour earlier, she’d called him but he was unable to take her call. Phone off. Try again later.
She felt the rising storm of tears as humiliation sank its teeth into her heart, and wondered what was so terribly wrong with her that the world, in the form of a solitary man, could treat her so very badly.
Hand in hand, a couple laughed as they walked past her, their happiness and closeness drilling a nail into her head that sank down and spiked her heart.
Hi, Francesca! Bryony’s voice. How did the big date go?
He was OK, I guess. He asked me out on a second date. I’ll make excuses, let him down gently.
As she manufactured the lie, she took a left turn towards the place where she’d parked her black Vauxhall Corsa. She walked towards her car, opening the doors with her fob.