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
‘People do all manner of strange things. People say all manner of untruthful things. I’m not one of them. If you take one tiny lapse as a sure-fire sign that I’m a liar, then you’re wrong.’
Rowena Rice leaned into her client’s ear and shielded her lips with her hand. Norma listened and nodded.
‘We asked Daniel Ball for a list of names of people who worked for or had worked for Maguire Holdings, including the ones who’d resigned. His response was to disappear, walking away from his wife, not telling her where he was or why he was hiding. Why?’
Clay watched Norma as the information percolated through her head.
‘You were there with him after we left, Norma. What happened in your office yesterday after we went?’
‘His last words to me were See you on Monday.’
‘OK, Norma. OK. So, he informs you that the police want a list of names of your former employees and that was it? Nothing else was said on the matter?’
‘I told him the list could wait until Monday. And if the police wanted it sooner, I’d sort it out.’
Hendricks slid a spiral-bound notebook and a pen across the table to Norma.
‘I gather you have a maternal relationship with your employees,’ said Hendricks. ‘Would you say that’s true?’
‘I care for the people who work for me. Yes, maybe you could say I mother them.’
‘I think you could reel out the names of everyone who’s ever walked out on you.’
‘Perhaps I could remember some of them.’
‘Write down for me on the pad the names of the last six people to walk out on you from Maguire Holdings,’ said Hendricks. ‘Start with the most recent one. Francesca Christie.’
‘Fran,’ said Clay. ‘Start with Fran.’
Clay watched Norma closely, saw how the sound of the name Fran made her blink rapidly for a couple of moments. Norma looked at Ms Rice.
‘Norma,’ said Ms Rice. ‘Give them the names they’ve asked for and be done with it.’
Norma picked up the pen and, as she wrote, she covered her forehead with her left hand and lowered her eyes. To Clay, it looked as if she was making a mask for her face.
Upside down, Clay read Norma’s words as they appeared on six separate lines on the same page.
Still looking down, Norma pushed the pad back across the table to Hendricks. Her eyes flicked towards Clay.
‘What are you smiling at, DCI Clay?’ asked Norma.
Hendricks turned the notebook around, 180 degrees, and Clay checked the names provided by Norma Maguire.
Francesca Christie
Max Rodgers
Peter Gould
Eric Smith
Richard Ezra
David Ellis
‘These are the last six people to walk from Maguire Holdings?’ confirmed Clay.
‘Yes.’
‘Absolute and final last answer?’ Clay pushed.
‘Yes,’ replied Norma Maguire.
Clay turned the pad around, showed it to Norma.