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
Ms Rice glanced at Norma Maguire with a cloud in her eyes and a knot in her brow that told Clay the suspect had withheld information from her solicitor. Clay met the solicitor’s gaze and guessed that Norma Maguire’s untruthfulness had centred on the list of former employees.
‘I find rejection very difficult to come to terms with.’
‘All that statement gives you is something in common with billions of other people on this planet. Frankly, you’re avoiding the question I’ve just asked you.’
Norma wheeled herself back from the table.
‘You’re going nowhere, Ms Maguire,’ said Clay. ‘Because there’s nowhere for you to go.’
‘If you’re not happy, Norma, you can always go no comment,’ said her solicitor.
‘Are you aware of the name Sandra O’Day, Ms Maguire?’ asked Hendricks.
She said nothing and as seconds ticked away, Clay said, ‘I’ll take your silence as a yes. Annie Boyd? Ring any bells?’
‘I heard about her on the radio.’
‘Was this after you’d been a party to her murder?’ pressed Clay.
‘We need to talk,’ said Ms Rice. ‘I’d like to suggest an adjournment to this interview. I need to speak with my client.’
‘OK,’ said Clay. ‘But before we do that, I need to know. Are you aware of the existence of a person called The Ghoul?’
‘Through the newspapers,’ said Norma Maguire.
‘The Ghoul has used an internet dating site called Pebbles On The Beach to track down his victims. Are you aware of the existence of Pebbles On The Beach?’
‘No, no comment—, yes of course I am, I tried to warn Fran off going on it, for heaven’s sake. I’ve told you already, the first time I met you.’
‘The thing is, Ms Maguire,’ said Clay, ‘The Ghoul has been masquerading under a series of false names. The list in my handwriting, with the exception of Francesca Christie, they’re all men, and the men on the list have three things in common. One and two. They all worked for you and resigned. Established fact. And three? The Ghoul assumed their names as it hunted down lonely women on the internet. I’m 100 per cent certain that The Ghoul isn’t one person acting alone.’
Ms Rice looked hard and sideways to her right.
‘Wait! The Ghoul could be anybody associated with Maguire Holdings with insider knowledge of the comings and goings of my firm. Just because I own Maguire Holdings doesn’t automatically mean that I’ve got anything to do with these horrific crimes. It could be a lot of people.’
‘Point taken, Miss Maguire,’ said Clay. ‘It’s your job to convince us now that you haven’t had anything to do with the abduction, murder and mutilation of Sandra O’Day, Annie Boyd and Amanda Winton. But there’s something else I’m desperate to know about in the here and now. Something really pressing.’
‘What?’