Chapter Sixteen
Jailhouse Visitor
Jessica sat on the concrete bench, staring out through the heavy steel bars that separated her from the world beyond. She struggled to hold down the panic that threatened to overwhelm her with every passing minute inside the jail cell. She was a prisoner again, her freedom once more robbed from her.
At least, this time, there was a finite sentence. When they brought her in, they had told her that she would be going to see the magistrate in the morning. The cell did not have a clock, but she felt like it must have been a full night by this point. It had actually felt like three nights, fitful bursts of sleep with only the scratchy blanket, followed by moments of panicked awakening.
She looked down at herself as she sat. The bright orange pants and shirt
