Code Red Lipstick Read Free Page B

raucous younger pupils.
    â€œIt’s hardly a date,” Jessica said. “It’s detention.”
    â€œBut you’ll be alone with him. Anything could happen…” Resting her head on Jessica’s shoulder, she made smooching sounds.
    â€œYou’re mad!” She shoved her friend off the bench with a laugh. “It’s detention with Hatchet Hatcham, not dinner and a movie.”
    â€œStill. He might need to leave the room for a minute and yours and Jamie’s eyes could meet across Room 4B…”
    â€œVery funny.” She extended a hand to haul her back up again. “I mean, Jamie does have nice eyes and he’s super-smart and everything. He really makes me laugh too.”
    â€œDon’t forget he’s got a super-hot body.”
    â€œHas he? I hadn’t noticed.”
    They both erupted into giggles.
    Jessica rummaged in her rucksack and pulled out her compact and a lipgloss. She clicked open the silver case.
    â€œOooh, let me guess what that does,” Becky said. “The compact is really a tracking device so we can find Jamie right now and the lipgloss is a bug. We’ll be able to listen to him talking about you to his mates.”
    Jessica rolled her eyes. “You’ve been watching way too many spy movies. I hate to disappoint you, but the compact is actually, er, a compact, and this is a lipgloss.” She tapped Becky on the forehead with the tube before applying a peach slick to her lips.
    â€œNot everything in here’s a gadget,” she said. “Just the iPad.”
    â€œIf you say so!”
    Jessica groped inside her rucksack and groaned. “I don’t believe it.”
    â€œWhat is it?”
    â€œI’ve forgotten Jane Eyre . I need it for English, last period.”
    â€œYou’ve got time to get it, if you go now. I can cover for you with Hatchet Hatcham if you’re a bit late for registration.”
    Jessica hugged her and ran off. She really could try out for the next Olympics with all the sprint training she’d been doing today. She passed Ealing Studios. Usually she tried to spot anyone famous lurking about; she and Becky had even got Robert Pattinson’s autograph when he was shooting a period drama. But she didn’t have time to wait around for heart-throbs today. She had to get home.
    She didn’t stop running until she reached the corner of Chislett Street, then half-walked, half-jogged past the tall Victorian houses. They all had large sash windows and stained glass above solid oak doors. Her house, number 67, was different in one obvious respect. Beside the front door was a small gold plaque with the words: Jack Cole Private Investigations . Visitors often missed the discreet sign. The other unique features of the house were even less conspicuous to the naked eye: the glass in all the windows was bulletproof, and above the ledges were slats which enabled steel shutters to roll down in an emergency.
    Jessica let herself in with her key and paused. That was odd. The burglar alarm hadn’t activated. A yellow light flashed on the box, indicating a fault. Her dad wouldn’t like that one little bit. He was ultra security conscious after working for MI6 for twenty years. He’d retired early nine years ago after developing multiple sclerosis. That was when he’d set up his own private investigations agency, insisting he had no intention of sitting around waiting for the day when he’d end up in a wheelchair.
    Jessica tapped the digits on the box to reset the alarm. A screeching noise blared out. She turned it off again. It was working now. Mattie had probably fiddled with it. Her grandma was staying over and slowly driving her nuts while Dad was away on a job all week. Mattie couldn’t get her head round the DVD player, let alone any of her dad’s high-tech security equipment. She was a total technophobe.
    Jessica looked up. The CCTV camera had also malfunctioned.