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
When Norma wheeled herself to the door of the interview suite, Clay said, ‘Wait there for Sergeant Harris.’
Standing behind her, Ms Rice folded her arms and looked down on her client with the bitterness of a woman who had been treated like a prize fool by someone she had done her best to help.
‘You need to tell me everything, Ms Maguire,’ whispered Ms Rice. ‘And when I say everything, I mean everything!’
‘As I said the first time we were in the room together,’ said Clay. ‘You’re a liar! And before you know it the truth will tie you in knots.’
118
9.30 am
Detective Constable Karl Stone sat at one of two tables specially set up in Interview Suite 3 and looked at two large scrapbooks taken from the loft of Norma Maguire’s house in Grassendale Park. There was a thick layer of dust on the covers of the blue leather books and the condensed smell of decades rose from the pages.
At the second table, PC Ryan Marsh and WPC Dana Wallace sat in front of two folders of receipts, with DC Barney Cole between them.
‘Show me everything you look at as we go through the receipts and invoices,’ said Cole. ‘When you’ve got the hang of it, I’ll leave you in peace.’
The filing cabinets from Norma Maguire’s office, which had housed the receipts, now lined the back wall of the interview suite.
‘What are we looking for, DC Cole?’ asked PC Marsh.
‘Stick anything incongruous in one pile. In another pile, place anything that’s been paid for between 1st July and 31st August this year. Make a third pile of any purchases relating to Warrington.’
‘The Sandra O’Day set?’ confirmed Wallace.
‘Two piles for Sandra,’ said Cole. ‘Any receipts from the last month, stick into a fourth group. That’ll cover anything that may relate to Annie Boyd, Amanda Winton and Francesca Christie. Anything outside those categories leave to one side and we’ll sift through it when we’ve squeezed the lemon dry on the others. They’re ordered chronologically. Norma Maguire’s an OCD stickler and that’s to our advantage.’
Stone looked at the staff portraits from the wall of Norma Maguire’s office, set out in the same order. They were on the floor, propped against the wall, and there was something about them that caused an itch beneath his scalp.
He opened the first of the two scrapbooks and, when he did so, the mustiness intensified.
On the first page, there was a small black and white picture and two columns of newsprint. It was a review for a provincial theatre production of Seán O’Casey’s Juno and the Paycock.