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
Cole picked up the portrait in which Richard Ezra sat at Norma Maguire’s side, smiling the smile of the coerced, and a thought that appeared from nowhere turned his marrow to frozen sleet. He picked up the portrait in which Francesca Christie was at Norma Maguire’s side and noticed that the glass wasn’t as firmly in the frame as the picture in which Richard Ezra featured.
He carried them to the table, placed the portraits on either side of the scrapbooks, took out his iPhone and called Mr Doherty’s direct number.
On the third ring, Mr Doherty picked up.
‘Brian Doherty, how can I help you?’
‘Mr Doherty, it’s DC Cole, Trinity Road police station.’
Cole could feel the energy rising in Mr Doherty, could see him sitting up straight in his seat as he asked, ‘Is it true? Norma Maguire’s in police custody?’
‘Yes, it’s true…’
‘Francesca…’
‘I can’t comment.’
‘Jesus. I saw the van taking all those things away from Maguire Holdings.’
Cole looked at the same things around him and counted quietly to three.
‘Thank you for sending Richard Ezra’s address book back to me so promptly.’ Cole heard the sound of a man almost choking on his own curiosity.
‘Why are you calling me?’
‘Richard Ezra. Could you find out for me the date he travelled to Florence and the date his wife was murdered?’
‘I don’t have to find out. I know those dates.’
Cole took a pad and pen from his pocket and scribbled down the information as Mr Doherty said, ‘They travelled to Florence on 4th July, 2019. Sarah was murdered on 8th July, 2019. Richard returned to England on 14th July, 2019, and Sarah’s body was repatriated on 21st July, 2019.’ There was a brief pause. ‘Are those dates suddenly relevant, DC Cole?’
‘I’m grateful for the information, Mr Doherty, but please don’t attach any significance or make a connection between this phone call and the fact that Norma Maguire is in police custody at the moment.’
‘Is there anything else, DC Cole?’
‘No.’
The line went dead; the petulance of a man who didn’t like being told what to do or not to do.
As Cole wrote the dates out legibly, he turned to PC Marsh and WPC Wallace as they ploughed through the receipts and invoices. ‘Are they all ordered chronologically?’
‘Yes,’ replied PC Marsh.
‘So it wouldn’t be too hard to go back and find these dates.’
He passed the dates from July 2019 to WPC Wallace.
‘What are we looking for?’ she asked.
‘Receipts for travel to Florence from any airport in England on and around those dates.’
‘No problem.’
He turned over the latest staff portrait and counted eight small metal clips on the inside of the frame that kept the hardboard back and photograph in place. Cole unpicked the clips and lifted away the frame.