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
‘I haven’t got a clue,’ replied Cathy, looking away from the man beside her.
The door opened and Annie’s mother walked into the room. She looked directly at Clay. ‘Who are you?’
‘Mary, this is the detective who found Annie,’ said Bobby.
As she advanced towards her, Mary Boyd pointed at the iPhone in Clay’s hand.
‘Show me the pictures of her. Show me the pictures of her body. You found her. I know you’ve taken pictures of her. I’ve seen the pictures of her arms. Why can’t you show us the rest of her. Show me. So I know she’s definitely dead. You’re hiding something.’
‘I didn’t take pictures of your daughter’s body, Mrs Boyd,’ said Clay. ‘That’s not my job. That’s the job of our Scientific Support officers. I’m using the iPhone to record what’s being said. Mrs Boyd, which school did Annie teach in?’
‘St Jerome’s in the Dingle.’
As Sergeant Green walked into the room with a tray of mugs, which she placed on the coffee table in front of the sofa, Cathy stood up and said, ‘Mary, please come and sit next to Bobby.’
Clay took in the facial similarity between the middle-aged woman sitting next to her husband and the young woman in the framed portrait on the wall, and prepared the couple for the next piece of strangeness to come their way.
‘I’m going to be sending my officers round at some point today. They’re going to need to go into Annie’s room and remove some of her personal belongings.’
‘Why?’ asked Bobby.
‘We’ll need to look through her laptop, any phones, diaries and address books Annie may have had.’
Clay felt the buzz of an incoming message on her iPhone. She glanced at the screen and saw COLE.
‘I understand,’ Bobby replied. ‘Most murder victims know the person who killed them.’
She turned off record and, opening the message from Detective Constable Barney Cole, felt a surge of energy.
‘What’s happening?’ asked Mary Boyd. ‘Why do you look so troubled?’
‘I’ve just received a message from my colleague. I’m sorry. I have to leave now.’
Clay reached into her pocket and produced two contact cards, which she handed to Annie’s father and Cathy.
‘Cathy, a word please,’ she said. ‘Sergeant Green – please keep me posted.’
***
Clay closed the door of the room and walked towards the front door.
‘Walk with me, Cathy.’ At the front door, Clay placed a finger against her lips and made a quiet shushing noise. ‘I’ve got to go now, Cathy. Call me on the number on the card you’re now holding so I can get back to you, and keep your phone on at all times. I need to talk to you really soon.’
‘I’ll do everything I can to help you, of course I will.’