Read Cold Snow: A Legal Thriller for Free Online

it right. Besides, we'll be smuggling ourselves across an international border. That's a federal offence. They'll think we're running drugs or something."
     
    "If following the rules is that important to you, Jake, we'll go with the fairy dust plan."
     
    "You're crazy."
     
    Alex narrowed his eyes. "Maybe you should try living like me sometime. You'd want to leave too."
     
    "Okay! But remember what I said. I'm only taking you as far as Canada. After that, you're on your own."
     
    "I'll keep in touch."
     
    "Say, Alex," Jake began, folding the map up and unfurling his sleeping bag. "What's so important about Canada anyway?"
     
    Alex was counting the money he had stolen from Roland's safe. He returned it to the backpack, looking over at Jake. "Sawtooth."
     
     
     
    Sarah didn't know how long she'd been asleep.
     
    Ever since running from Edbrough, she'd collapsed in the forest on the outskirts of town, under a large tree, an oak or maple or whatever the heck grew around here.
     
    She got up and groggily looked around. The moon shone through the leafless branches, a silver searchlight that reminded her only of what a mess she was in. She was alone.
     
    Snow crunching under her feet, she walked a few feet and collapsed against a tree. I've slept too long.
     
    Taking small steps and resting every few feet, she collected her thoughts enough to be able to walk.
     
    Emerging from the forest, Sarah noticed a sign proclaiming the presence of Interstate 81. Another sign, smaller than the first, heralded the city limits of Woodsbrook, population 4,142, "technological capital of upstate New York". This proves, she thought, that you can put anything on a sign and hordes of morons will believe it. We have one technological company, and they're corrupt as hell.
     
    Looking to her right, she saw the familiar hills that lay east of town, covered with snow and looking as alien as the craters on the moon.
     
    A car roared by, spraying her with snow. Spitting ice from her mouth, she continued along the road. Her surroundings were looking more familiar now. She had been here once before, she remembered, when she was five and had wandered away from an orphanage field trip. She was near the park, a place she had been many times.
     
     
     
    "What's Sawtooth?"
     
    Jake was very tired. It had been a long night, and he was still wondering how he would explain to his father why he had looted the pantry and run off to Niagara Falls. Before he fell asleep, though, he wanted to hear Alex's explanation. What could be so important about a Canadian town he'd never even heard of?
     
    "Sawtooth," Alex began, "is the puniest little town you'll ever see."
     
    "Even smaller than Woodsbrook?"
     
    "Much smaller than Woodsbrook. Population, 691. It's shielded by hills and forests in the northern part of Manitoba."
     
    "How did you hear about this place? It sounds like it wouldn't be on any maps."
     
    "It was in the news, a few months ago. The town's population is decreasing, its economy is plunging, and there's no space for a chip plant or strip mine."
     
    "What's your point?"
     
    "Anyway, the mayor had this great idea, and this is why I want to go there. He thought that if he let minors own property and have adult's rights, there'd be more people moving in and more money in circulation."
     
    "Whoa! Really?"
     
    "There you have it. Sawtooth is the only town in North America that treats anybody over ten as a legal adult."
     
    Jake sat up in his sleeping bag. "Alex, I don't think you've really thought this through. How are you going to get there? How are you going to get the money for a house? What about food along the way? Lodging?"
     
    "Now, that's the beauty of it. Ever hear of Ridge—
     
    "Stop it, Alex!" Jake was unaware that he was yelling now. "These blueprints are all worthless! You were so focused on escaping that you never thought of what would happen after you did! You've planned everything around worthless Canadian burgs so far