Resumen Novela Officially Dead

Officially Dead (Richard Prescott, 1999)
Briefing

Colin Fenton and his wife Julie lived in Bath. They owned a computer software company, Julie was the developer, and Colin took care of finances, the marketing and the training courses.
He was teaching a course in Brentwood, and by night he went to a pub. As drinking, he saw a man who looked just like him, the same age, same hair style, astall as him, and the same factions. He walked to the other man, they introduced themselves and laughed. The other one, John Bentley, introduced his wife Linda to Colin, and Colin told them about him. Before going away, Colin told he would be back in Brentwood, perhaps they could meet again, and he left. The Bentleys argued because John was jealous. Linda told him Colin would be useful to her plansof a big robbery.
Colin and Julie worked separated, they rarely see each other. When Colin met Booker, the accountant, he was told they owned much money, and they had to get new software orders. Colin answered they expected a big contract from Jackman, and he had arranged a loan.
Back at the office, he got a perfumed letter from Linda, inviting him to dinner. He kept the phone number and threwthe rest away, to avoid Julie to see it.
Linda lived in Glasgow with an aunt till her 18th, then she went to London. There she met John, who was a lorry driver. He always had plenty of money from thieving, and spent it in presents for her. She began to take care of him, and they got married a year later. After being in prison, he had decided to go straight, and she got a job for him, in thejewellery she was working.
A few weeks after the letter, Colin phoned Linda and they arranged a meeting for next Wednesday. Linda knew his husband wouldn’t be home. They ate and drunk, and Linda offered him a 10.000 pounds job. He expected another kind of offer. Then he kissed her and they spent the night together.
Next morning, Linda told Colin he could provide John a perfect alibi for a big robbery.Weeks later Colin accepted the job. John turned jealous again when he was told about Linda’s second meeting with Colin, but later she convinced him to see Simpson, who could fence the jewels for them. The robbery’s day, Colin told Julie he would meet Jackman to talk about the software, and convinced her not to go. Then he rented a room in Manchester as John Bentley, but he went to Londoninstead. at night he met the Bentleys, they exchanged cars and driving licenses, and arranged a meeting for next Tuesday to exchange cars and licences again, and Colin to be paid.
As motorways were busy, Colin drove faster on smaller roads, till he lost car control in a curve and crashed into a tree. Mark Ashwood, who drove behind him, saw the accident, and tried to help him. Colin asked him to tellJulie he was sorry. Firemen took Colin out of the car, but doctors’ couldn´t help him. Mark told the police Colin’s last wish, so policewoman offered to give him the dead man’s address.
In the meantime, John was ready for the robbery, and as waiting for John’s call, police arrived. John hid, and police told Linda her husband had died. That was why she asked John to hide till the theft, while she had“her husband’s” funeral.
Mark was an accountant and business consultant, he helped other companies to improve their profits.
Julie got angry on being told Colin hadn’t met Slater (Jackman), then she turned afraid, because she couldn’t neither find Colin, nor phoning him. She reported her missing husband.
Linda identified “her” husband, and returned home with the money she had paid Colin.Another day, she left Colin´s car in Heathrow airport. A few days later, police found it, and they said Julie his husband might have left the country.
A few days later Julie met Booker, and he told her about their debts. By then, she already knew Jackman had refused to buy the new software. That night she decided to put an ad with Colin’s photo and data.
After talking to the police, Mark went...