Cold Read Online Free PDF

looking for a lost soul. Though at that moment Jo didn't realise just how lost the girl in the picture and in her dreams was.
    A church clock was chiming the hour of nine as Jo parked the Merc. She'd seen homeless people before, huddling around fires that they'd lit in some dark damp corner. But now there were none to be found.
    Glancing occasionally at the photo, she started walking the streets.
    It was cold, and Jo pulled the collar of her coat up against the biting wind, which howled gently around the corners and into the alleys that made up much of that part of London. Ahead of her, out of what looked like an old church building, a number of people were filing into the cold morning dampness.
    She looked at the faded blue-and-yellow sign above the ancient door. `St Augustus hostel for the Homeless.`
    A number of men shuffled towards her, their belongings clutched in a few tattered bags. Each one eyed her as she stood, letting them pass, unable to ask any of them the question that burned in her throat.
    She looked over at the door as it was being pulled closed.
    "Wait a minute!" she called, and the young man opened the door a little.
    "Yes?"
    The man had a pleasant face, his hair cut fashionably short with a small tuft just above his forehead. He wore a plain white tee-shirt and faded jeans. "Can I help you?"
    "Maybe," said Jo. "I'm looking for someone."
    He didn't try to hide the incredulous look on his face. A woman of her obvious standing wasn't usually the kind to be seeking one of his guests.
    Jo pulled out the picture. "Have you ever seen her?" she asked, as he took the picture from her.
    He shook his head. "We don't take women in here. They cause too much trouble with the guys. There's another hostel in Whitechapel Road; they have facilities for women there."
    Jo experienced her first failure, and it must have shown on her face. The man sighed. "Is she family?" he asked.
    Jo hesitated. The answer that screamed in her head was `yes`.
    "No, she isn't," said Jo as she took the picture from him. "I just... I need to find her." Jo shook her head, unable to explain even to herself the reason for her quest.
    "The Salvation Army run a hostel for homeless women. It's on Argyll Street. Maybe someone there can help you." The young man smiled, closing the door quietly and leaving the tall woman standing on the doorstep.
    Jo turned back to the street. Most of the men that had exited from the hostel had left the area, but one or two had only made it as far as a couple of benches.
    She approached them cautiously, trying to discern which one might be amenable to a few questions.
    A younger man caught her attention. His hair was dirty, as were his clothes. He appeared to have anything that could be pierced on his face adorned with some kind of jewellery.
    He was rummaging through a large bag when she appeared in front of him.
    He looked up quickly and dismissed her just as quickly.
    "Excuse me," she said, waiting for him to look up again. He didn't. Jo cleared her throat.
    "You wanna give me money?" he asked, his voice slurred.
    "Well, I don't..." Jo took a step back as he stood suddenly.
    "So what do you want?" He reached out a hand, feeling the edge of her leather collar.
    "I... I'm looking for someone."
    "Baby sister run away from home?" He walked around her, before appearing in front of her once again. "Or maybe your old man preferred the streets to you." He turned away from her and collected his belongings from the bench. "A lot of people out here don't want to be found. Go back to your tv and your washing machine; leave us alone."
    Jo watched the man walk away from her without a backward glance. She was shocked. Shouldn't she be the one disgusted? Yet it was she who felt dirty, felt as if she were imposing on someone else's privacy. This was their world. The same city, but a different world entirely. And if she were to survive here and learn about these people, she would have to be more careful.
    She made her way along the