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
‘Internet dating. I’ve joined Pebbles On The Beach and set up a fake profile, using all Annie’s mistakes and wording them differently. I’ll make myself as close as I can to Annie and see if I can draw the killer out. We’re all going to do likewise. Desperate, deluded and needy blondes in their mid twenties. Give out the brief and oversee what happens when we go online. We need a spread. We can’t assume that the killer goes exclusively on one site. Gina, everyone’s to report back directly to you. You report back to me. When Poppy’s fished out Annie’s exchanges with the killer through the site, I’ll have a better idea of how we all play things if any of us get off first base. We’ll also know what we’re looking for from our killer, how he uses language, his linguistic tics.’
Riley walked to her desk and flipped up the lid of her laptop.
‘I’ll send everyone an email,’ said Riley.
Clay focused on her fake profile picture, plundered from a search of Google Images under the words she’d placed into the search engine: Pretty blonde woman, mid twenties.
From a choice of hundreds of images, she had chosen a dead ringer for Annie Boyd. The similarity made Clay hope the effect on The Ghoul would be electrifying, would make it be like looking at a ghost of his victim.
Clay spread out the five pages of Annie Boyd’s profile on her desk.
‘The thing is, Gina, a lot of men go looking for vulnerable women online and vice versa. The Ghoul isn’t going to be looking out for confident, sassy women who come across like they can hold their own. Get that across to the troops, please. Only car-crash dizzy blondes need apply.’
Riley walked over to Clay’s desk, looked over her shoulder.
‘That’s almost uncanny, the likeness. Different enough around the eyes. His mouth will be watering.’
Riley read Clay’s fake profile.
Hi boys. My name’s Natasha and I love nothing better than curling up in front of a roaring log fire with a glass of red wine and some smooth music in the background. I’m looking for a stand-up guy who knows how to handel a woman like me who loves nothing better than taking care of him and making him very, very happy.
‘Handel?’ questioned Riley. ‘I haven’t questioned your spelling so far, Eve, but shouldn’t that be handle?’
‘She’s crap at spelling, Natasha. I’m going to make sure she doesn’t come across as too clever. A lot of men like that quality in a woman.’
25
11.31 pm
The bedroom was Wren’s but the walls belonged to Captain Cyclone.