Behind Closed Doors (Season One: Book 7) (Jessica Daniel) Read Online Free PDF Page A

grey sky overhead, the smell of drizzle in the air, the hum of the trams, the number of people hurrying from
shop to shop, desperate to snap up a bargain. The setting and sounds were familiar and yet it felt alien, as if she had stumbled into the wrong city that looked the same but was somehow subtly
different. The confidence she once had around people felt like a distant memory too, replaced by an edginess whenever anyone with a pushchair came too close, or if a child skipped across her
path.
    Jessica wondered if she had made a mistake. She didn’t know if Cole had used reverse psychology on her but she had gone for it anyway, determined to prove she still had it. With Charley,
it was more a fascination that this talented, attractive woman would ditch everything she knew to move to the middle of nowhere for a new experience. It felt so appealing, so close, that Jessica
found herself wanting to do her best for Charley, to show the other woman that taking such a brave punt wasn’t a silly thing to do. If a change of life worked out for Charley then perhaps . .
.
    Jessica didn’t get a chance to finish the thought as she looked up to see the group of people standing in a semicircle under the covered area at the front of the Arndale shopping centre.
Charley had shown her a photograph of Zipporah, who was standing in the middle. On the edges were the younger women; attractive and thin, perfect for recruiting vulnerable young people.
    After watching them for a few moments, she crossed to the other side of the path, walking towards the group with her head down, hands in pockets.
    ‘Hello,’ one of the younger girls said as Jessica approached.
    Her first instinct was to keep walking, as she did when any of those idiot charity collectors came anywhere near her with a clipboard. Instead, she glanced up at the smiling girl and returned
the smile with a weak one of her own.
    ‘Morning.’
    ‘I was wondering if you might have a few minutes free. My name’s Heather and—’
    ‘I’m not buying anything.’
    Heather had long blonde hair tied loosely into a ponytail, with high cheekbones that curved prettily as she smiled. Her face should have been beautiful but her eyes didn’t match the
expression; they looked through Jessica, sad and longing.
    ‘I’m not trying to sell anything,’ she replied, taking a few steps away from the rest of the group until she and Jessica were by themselves next to a pillar. ‘We’re
here to help people who need it.’
    ‘What makes you think I need helping?’
    Heather couldn’t have been any older than twenty-one or twenty-two. She narrowed her eyes. ‘Do you?’
    Jessica wanted to be slightly awkward, thinking most people approached by the group wouldn’t automatically want to be a part of it. They would expect an initial hostility. Heather’s
question took her by surprise, largely because it was so direct.
    ‘I . . . don’t know,’ she stumbled, truthfully.
    Heather nodded slowly, her smile gentler this time. ‘Let me introduce you to Zip.’
    She touched Jessica gently on the arm, leading her towards the semicircle. There were murmurs of approval as Heather directed her towards the centre.
    There was one man in his early twenties but everyone else was female, all a similar age with one exception – Zipporah. From the few details they had on her, Jessica knew the woman was
thirty-nine, although she looked younger. Her hair was long, straight and black, her eyes a piercing brown. She was looking at Jessica with a motherly sense of concern, even though there were only
a few years between them.
    Jessica doubted it was impromptu but the younger people, including Heather, drifted away into twos and threes, clutching leaflets, ready to talk to anyone else nearby.
    ‘What’s your name, dear?’ Zipporah asked. It was easy to forget how close they were in age because everything about the woman with the exception of her flawless skin exuded
experience.
    ‘Jessica.’
    The