Raising the Roof: A British Cozy Mystery (Eastwold by the Sea Cosy Mystery Series Book 1) by Rush Cassie

Author:Rush, Cassie [Rush, Cassie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Gordian Knot Publishing
Published: 2022-02-12T06:00:00+00:00

Auburn hair scraped off her face, teenager Alina Wilson looked around the concourse of Paddington Station. People with heavy cases pushed past her and cursed, so she cowered by the wall until the train emptied and the throng had gone. Exhausted, she slid down the wall and sat on the cold floor, chewing the end of one curl that had come loose from her ponytail, until a train conductor shooed her out of the station.

Once in the street she gasped at the noise and acrid smell of a busy day in London. Pulling her rucksack further up her arm, she crossed the road and went into a café. A cup of tea and a bacon sandwich later, she felt better, but she still had nowhere to sleep, and knew no one. Had this been such a good idea after all? Hanging her head, she thought about her parents and her sister. Would they have even noticed she’d gone?

As she picked up the last crumbs of her sandwich on the end of her forefinger, a man slipped into the chair opposite. ‘Still hungry?’ he said.

Alina narrowed her eyes, trying to look grown up and in control, but her lower lip gave her away.

He grinned. ‘Runaway?

She nodded, brushing tears off her cheek with one hand. His hazel brown eyes were soft and gentle. Despite everything she’d been told about strangers, she felt a connection with this man—as if he were someone she could trust.

‘You’re lucky I found you then,’ he said. ‘Not some pervert. My name’s Jake. I hope you’re not planning on sleeping rough tonight?’

Alina shook her head. ‘No,’ she mumbled.

‘I’ve got a place. You’ll be safe with me,’ he said. ‘That your bag?’

Alina nodded, and he hefted her rucksack onto one shoulder and held out his hand to her. Before she had time to think, she took his hand and followed him out of the café.

With her rucksack now on his right shoulder, Jake strolled down a side street and turned a corner into a narrow road. All the houses were boarded up. Surely this can’t be where he lives, thought Alina.

Halfway down the street, Jake rapped on a graffitied door. Alina noticed the rhythm, suspecting it was a special knock. The chipboard creaked open, just a crack, but then wider to allow Jake to enter. He dragged Alina over the threshold.

The floor was covered with hessian rugs and sleeping bags. A haze hung in the room, like the aftermath of a bonfire, but with a sweet, sickly smell. Alina blinked, trying to clear her head. Don’t faint now, she prayed.

Jake dropped her rucksack on a sleeping bag in the corner and told her to make herself comfortable. Tears stung her eyes, but she clenched her jaw, determined not to cry again. Sitting on the sleeping bag, hugging her rucksack, she stared around the room. A woman with dyed red hair lay on the other side of the room, puffing on a cigarette, her movements languid and lazy. As she blew out the smoke, it mixed into the haze in the room.

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