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
But you take the greenbacks from violent criminals, he thought, trying to suppress the grin spreading on his face and leaking into his voice.
‘If you want to talk to me or any of our estate agents or administrative staff …’
He stopped to cough, and Cole wondered if it was his pomposity or self-righteousness that he was choking on.
‘Mr Doherty, I need to come and speak to you about Richard Ezra.’
‘What’s this in relation to?’
‘It’s a murder enquiry.’
‘Then you’d better come in, DS Cole.’
‘Richard…?’
‘I’m not prepared to discuss Mr Ezra with you on the telephone,’ said Mr Doherty through a tightened throat.
Cole wrote down the details of time and place for the appointment. As soon as he’d finished speaking, the estate agent hung up.
Cole dialled Clay’s number and was pleased to hear the contrast in tone to Mr Doherty.
‘Barney? What’s happening?’
‘Don’t get excited, Eve, but I’ve got a match for the man in the image the killer sent to Annie Boyd, and an appointment at his place of work, Doherty Estates and Properties. I’d bet three figures it won’t be our savage, but it’s a way in, a connection.’
‘How were they about him?’
‘Prickly’s not the word. Paranoid isn’t quite either but it’s closer to the truth.’
‘Send me the details and good luck with the appointment. I’ll join you in that wager but if this is identity theft, we could be on to something. Barney, I like it. I like this a lot.’
34
10.45 am
Two minutes after connecting with a technical advisor on the Pebbles On The Beach website, Detective Sergeant Bill Hendricks sat back in his seat and sighed from a deep grey inner space.
I understand that you’re an IT-based business, he typed into the small box at the bottom of the laptop screen on his desk in the incident room at Trinity Road police station. And that you do your communication through the internet. But I’d like to cut through this form of us talking, Jayne.
He pressed send and his message flew across the ether with a breathy note that rose and faded in less than a second.
Ping! His attention was drawn back to his screen by a message sent from Jayne, his contact at Pebbles On The Beach.
How do you want to communicate, DS Hendricks?
I suggest we talk on the phone, Jayne.
How do I know you are who you say you are?
I’ve sent you a picture of my warrant card through Messenger, confirming that I am who I say I am.
I’ve seen it. It could be a fake.