Chapter 1
It was another grey November day, the last of the crisp leaves hang from the mostly bear trees.
There was a bitter chill in the wind that stung her cheeks as she walked through the park on this cold Sunday morning
Jesse wrapped her long green woollen scarf tighter around her as the wind blew. She loves this scarf, it's old and frayed at the edges yet she can't bear to throw it away and she's glad of it's warmth this morning.
She pulls an old chewed ball from her coat pocket and throws it. Pepe her little Jack Russell runs as fast as his legs will take him, he catches the ball mid air and rolls over because he is going too fast to stop himself.
Jesse laughs out loud as he runs back and drops the ball at her feet. Pepe sits and wags his tail waiting patiently for her to throw the ball again.
He is slightly overweight because she spoils him, his brown fur blows in the wind and he has a white strip above his nose like a moustache. The first time Jesse saw him it reminded her of an old french waiter which is why she named him Pepe.
There is a football match being played in the park, parents on the sidelines wrapped up trying to keep warm whilst they cheer their children on.
Jesse sits on a nearby bench to watch for awhile. The red team scores and the young boys run around celebrating with each other, their parents clap and cheer.
She watches the smiles on their faces and tries to remember that feeling of pure joy. When did she last feel that? It seemed like a whole different lifetime ago.
Pepe jumps up onto her lap, waking her from her thoughts, he is shaking from the cold.
''Come on Pepe, let's get home and warm up''
Pepe walks beside her as they approach the river, he hadn't always walked so nicely, it had taken a lot of training and patience from Jesse.
She got him six years ago from a shelter just outside of town, he was a frightened little pup who had been given up with no explanation other than being unwanted, Jesse had been unable to resist his little face and waggily tail, she reserved him there and then and after a few checks she was able to take him home a few days later. It had been just the two of them ever since.
They walked quickly along the riverbank, there wasn't many people about today, probably because of how cold it was but that suited Jesse just fine.
They passed a couple of joggers and an elderly man walking his dog but she kept her head down not wanting to engage with anyone just as she always did.
Jesse felt her heart rate quicken as they turned into the alleyway leading to her street, she hated this part and kept looking behind them as she always felt like they were being followed.
Pepe picked up on her anxiety as he started to pull on his lead making them walk faster.
Finally they came to an opening which led out onto the street that had been her home for the last six and a half years.
Pepe knows the way and automatically turned left just like he has done everyday for the past six years, ever since she brought him home.
She barely left the house those first few months after she moved here. What reason did she have to?
That's why she decided to get a dog , she knew it would give her a reason to get out, even when she really didn't want to. Plus she was lonely and needed someone to talk to, someone she knew would never be able to tell anyone the truth.
Pepe stopped in front of a small cottage with a tired looking front door, the red paint peeling away in parts, there were empty window boxes that had been full of carnations just a few months ago, before the winter frost had set in.
The cottage was nothing special, just a two up, two down with panelled windows in need of a paint, and a small courtyard garden to the rear but it was fine for Jesse. It was joined on one side to a little old lady who lived alone, Jesse has limited conversations with her neighbour just like she did with most people, always keeping it to a polite hello then making out she was in a hurry to avoid any further conversation.
In her mind Jesse had made up a story that the old lady's husband had died years ago and she was living her days out in peace until they would meet again , because there must be something else....right?
Jesse needed to believe there must be more than this!
Jesse slipped her glove off and searched her pocket for the key. Opening the door they both stepped inside, glad to get out of the biting wind.
She slipped her boots off and walked across the small room full of mismatch furniture she had picked up from charity shops over the years, it might not be the dream house you see in magazines but it was warm and homely and it suited Jesse and Pepe just fine.
Jesse bent down and lit the fire that was housed with a small brick surround. Pepe snuggled in his favourite spot on the cosy patchwork rug in front of the fire.
Jesse locked the font door and returned the key to her pocket, turning to hang her coat on the coat hook she caught a glimpse of herself in the small oval mirror that hung by the door, her red weather beaten cheeks glowed against her pale skin. She ran her fingers through her long blonde hair, she missed her natural auburn hair, she had bleached her hair and cut it short when she first moved here, afraid that someone might recognise her. She had let it grow back again and had been toying with the idea of going back to her natural colour, it had been such a long time.
She snaps out of her thoughts and walks through to the kitchen and checks that the back door is still bolted as she had left it, just like she does countless times a day.
She fills the kettle and makes herself a coffee, taking it through to the living room, she sighs with satisfaction sinking back into the comfy sofa and feeling the warmth of the fire on her feet.
Jesse picks up her latest book yet another romance novel, she never read before moving here, she didn't really have the time but now she could spend hours lost in a fairy tale with yet another happy ending, it was a stark difference to her own life.
She is barely into her current chapter when the words start to blur, her eyes are too heavy to read. She didn't sleep well last night, actually she hadn't slept well since moving here, but last night was different, she couldn't get that letter out of her mind.
Yesterday she had got back from walking Pepe to find a letter in the postbox, Jesse doesn't get a lot of mail, mainly a few bills or the odd discount voucher advertising a newly opened shop or something alike, but this letter was different, it was handwritten and addressed to Madeline Fox.
