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
‘You clearly don’t want to interview me without legal representation. Fine. I’ll go and sit in the cells until Monica Davis gets here. But I’d be grateful if you could release Robin Wren from custody right now. He’s a highly intelligent and sensitive young man on the autistic spectrum and this experience will be causing him unprecedented levels of stress.’
‘Who is he to you?’ asked Cole.
‘He’s my apprentice in the abattoir. He’s a vulnerable young man and he really shouldn’t be subjected to any of this.’
Cole stood up. ‘I’ll go and call Monica Davis,’ he said as he walked to the door.
‘Ask Sergeant Harris to come here and take Mr McKee to the cells,’ said Riley.
The door closed and, alone in the room with him, Riley leaned forward.
‘Do you understand what Robin’s here for, the crime in which he’s implicated?’
‘The abduction, murder and mutilation of young women. It’s all over the media. Got it, DS Riley. As if I’d walk into a police station on behalf of another human being with that sword hanging over my head.’
The concrete certainty that Riley had entertained as she walked into the interview suite deserted her and was replaced by an uncomfortable and rapidly growing vacuum.
‘I’ve given all my details to Sergeant Harris so you can run background checks on me. I’m afraid you’re going to be sorely disappointed.’ He looked like he’d just had a great idea out of nowhere. ‘A woman went missing last night, DS Riley? I was with a prostitute last night. Marlene Black. From the Dream Girls agency. Have a look in my address book.’
He smiled at Riley. Fuck you!
‘Where’s your van?’
‘In a lock-up on Derby Lane, a few streets away from where I live.’ He dropped a set of keys and a fob in front of Clay. ‘It’s number seven. It has a blue door.’
‘Your licence plate?’
‘What of it?’
‘It’s not legitimate. It’s a clone of another legitimate licence plate.’
‘I bought the van three weeks ago for cash, through an ad in the Liverpool Echo. I haven’t registered my details as the new owner with the DVLA because I simply didn’t get round to it. I’m not on top of my game when it comes to paperwork. That doesn’t make me a murderer, Riley.’
‘Have you got the previous owner’s contact details?’
‘I’ve got a mobile number on my iPhone for someone called Dave.’
He placed his mobile phone in front of Riley.
There was a knock at the door and Sergeant Harris came into the room.
‘Sergeant Harris will take you to the front desk to book you in. Then your twenty-four hours in our custody begins.’