Thursday Murder Club, #2
The Man Who Died Twice
by Richard Osman
Contents
Chapter 35
Overview
Martin Lomax retreats to his high-security vault, reflecting on his operations and the upcoming Open Garden event. He takes a call from Frank Andrade Jr, who demands the missing £20m diamonds and threatens to kill Lomax if they are not returned within a week. Lomax insists Douglas Middlemiss stole them and promises to recover them. The ultimatum escalates stakes around the diamonds and pressures Lomax to act.
Summary
Martin Lomax carries coffee and biscuits to his private cinema, using a hidden mechanism behind a movie subtitle menu to access his vault. Surrounded by cash, rolled paintings, and heavy security, he muses on art, money, and preparations for Open Garden week, revealing his paranoia and meticulous control.
As he reflects on the volatile nature of his laundering work and his refusal to travel, Lomax acknowledges that the current situation is unusually stressful: the Americans want their twenty million pounds in diamonds back.
Lomax video-calls Frank Andrade Jr, second-in-command of a New York crime family. After brief pleasantries, Andrade delivers an ultimatum: if the diamonds are not returned by the end of next week, he will personally kill Lomax.
Lomax pushes back against the melodrama, asserts that Douglas Middlemiss stole the diamonds from him, and claims he is actively tracking Douglas. Andrade dismisses explanations and reiterates the deadline, demanding the diamonds on sight.
The call ends with the threat unresolved. Lomax, now under a strict one-week timeline, must produce the diamonds or face execution, tightening the pressure on his next moves.
Who Appears
- Martin LomaxMoney launderer in his fortified home; accesses his vault and faces a one-week mob ultimatum for missing diamonds.
- Frank Andrade JrNew York crime lieutenant who threatens to kill Lomax if £20m diamonds aren’t returned within a week.