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
‘This is Eve Clay. Leave your name, number and message and I’ll get back to you.’
‘Hi, Eve, Karl Stone. Everyone and everything is in place at the Albert Dock. We need you down here to run through the dress rehearsal. The armoury sergeant’s got your Glock. Wants you to sign for it and a few rounds. Oh, and white van boy’s getting his picture shown on the local Granada and BBC news.’
Thomas put his hands on her shoulders.
‘I’m sorry, Thomas, really I am…’
‘You’ve got to go, Eve.’
‘I do love you, Thomas. You do know that, don’t you?’
‘Yes. And I love you. I must do.’ He smiled at her. ‘Or I must be barking mad. Maybe a bit of both.’
‘I’m sorry for leaving you high and dry. We’ll pick it up where we left off the next time I’m home. You’re on the biggest promise I’ve ever made you.’
She cupped her hand over his ear and whispered.
Thomas was silent for a moment and then he laughed.
‘That much?’ he asked.
‘And there’s a whole lot more where that’s coming from!’
80
5.15 pm
Wren looked out of his bedroom window at the falling rain and the yellow street lights as they spluttered into life. He felt like he’d been locked up in the house for five years, rather than the not yet five hours he’d actually been there.
Downstairs, the landline telephone rang out and, without thinking, he followed the sound.
Halfway down the stairs, the ringing stopped but started up again immediately.
‘Hurry, hurry, Wren…’
In the front room, he snatched up the receiver and said, ‘Yes?’
‘Wren, how are you?’
‘Oh my God, Edgar, it’s you. It’s really you. How are you?’
‘Not very good, to be honest.’
‘You don’t sound sick.’
‘It’s a tummy bug.’
‘Will you be back in work on Monday?’
‘I’m pretty certain I will be, Wren. OK, now listen. I want you to remind me of what we said about the message we went on the day you started in the abattoir.’
‘What message? We didn’t go on any message.’
‘Because?’
‘It was a top-secret mission taken out on behalf of Captain Cyclone. If details of it became known, it could endanger Captain Cyclone’s life and the lives of his agents in the field.’
‘Wren, you have remembered everything, word perfectly. I will inform Captain Cyclone in my next secret briefing with him. He will be proud of you and pleased with your loyalty and dedication to duty. You should be made into a lieutenant in Captain Cyclone’s elite unit of men of honour. I salute you, Wren. Await your commission to officer status in Captain Cyclone’s super elite band of warriors fighting the forces of evil in a planet of grime.’