Read Online Cold Snow: A Legal Thriller by John Nicholas - Free Book Online
Authors: John Nicholas
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planned, nobody would give them the time of day.
At Alex's request, they stopped in a diner called the Niagara Grill, where they liberally spent their last forty-five dollars. Jake and Sarah were skeptical.
In between bites, Jake asked, "Are you sure we should be spending this much money?"
"It's all part of the plan," Alex said.
"What plan!?"
Surprised, Alex and Jake exchanged glances, and then looked at Sarah. "We've been following your lead for days now," she said, narrowing her eyes. "You've gotten us stuck in Niagara, with," she glanced at the check, "twenty-six dollars, and nothing short of breaking the law to get us anywhere else."
Sarah got up. "From now on, I can fend for myself! I thought I needed help to get out of Woodsbrook, but…you've given me no help! In fact, you've practically outcast me! Because of your worthless schemes, I'm in a worse position than before I met you. Goodbye!"
With that, she stormed out.
Jake looked worried. "Shouldn't we go after her? She doesn't have anything."
"She'll come back," Alex said offhandedly, taking another bite. "How far could she possibly get? We haven't seen the last of her."
Anthony made sure to stash the knife outside town, finding a deep snowbank and burying it under three feet of snow. He worried about thaw for a minute, but then realized that it was winter. In Niagara, you couldn't expect to see grass between October and April. It being February, he didn't see cause for concern.
Upon entering town, he noticed his shirt was wet and stained just above his left hip. Raising the shirt, he started at the amount of blood he'd already lost. Quickly, he tore off a piece of his sleeve and wrapped it around the wound.
He tossed his last cigarette into the snow on Main Street. Utterly devoid of nightlife, the streets would undoubtedly be empty. If you saw anyone out late, they were either taking a walk, something was happening, or they were up to something.
Because he had held that conception for years, he was surprised to see somebody walking towards him. It was a girl, who looked to be about eleven, and seemed part angry and part scared.
"If you don't mind me asking, why are you out this late?" he asked, once she was close enough to hear him.
"If you don't mind me asking, why are you bleeding?" she replied.
"None of your business."
"Then you don't need to know why I'm out here. Do you have any food?"
"Food for what?"
"A fairly long trip. I followed an idiot up here, and now I need to get back down."
"It depends. Do you have any money?"
The girl fished in her pockets. "Twenty-six dollars."
Alex and Jake had both finished eating, and felt satisfied with a meal for the first time since leaving Woodsbrook. After paying the check, Alex checked his backpack, intending to count their money. Instead he found a cruel surprise.
"It's gone!"
"What?"
"Gone! Twenty-six dollars gone! Sarah must have taken them!"
"Remember when she leaned under the table to tie her shoe?"
Alex would have come up with an angry reply, but at that moment the waiter came to pick up the check.
"Thanks for eating at Niagara Grill," he said, slipping the check into his pocket.
"You're welcome," Jake said.
The waiter smiled slightly. "I didn't think you had the money. Thought you'd offer to wash dishes or something. Where'd you get this much cash?"
"Odd jobs," Alex said, without looking up.
"Maybe I should start doing odd jobs. Seems like there's a lot of money in it."
It seemed suspicious to both of them. Maybe he's just curious, Jake thought.
* * *
As manager of the Grill, James Matthews made his own hours, and he'd declared them over fifteen minutes ago. Between then and closing time he liked to relax with the Woodsbrook Statesman, the nearest paper to Niagara. His friends often recommended he get the New York Times
At Alex's request, they stopped in a diner called the Niagara Grill, where they liberally spent their last forty-five dollars. Jake and Sarah were skeptical.
In between bites, Jake asked, "Are you sure we should be spending this much money?"
"It's all part of the plan," Alex said.
"What plan!?"
Surprised, Alex and Jake exchanged glances, and then looked at Sarah. "We've been following your lead for days now," she said, narrowing her eyes. "You've gotten us stuck in Niagara, with," she glanced at the check, "twenty-six dollars, and nothing short of breaking the law to get us anywhere else."
Sarah got up. "From now on, I can fend for myself! I thought I needed help to get out of Woodsbrook, but…you've given me no help! In fact, you've practically outcast me! Because of your worthless schemes, I'm in a worse position than before I met you. Goodbye!"
With that, she stormed out.
Jake looked worried. "Shouldn't we go after her? She doesn't have anything."
"She'll come back," Alex said offhandedly, taking another bite. "How far could she possibly get? We haven't seen the last of her."
Anthony made sure to stash the knife outside town, finding a deep snowbank and burying it under three feet of snow. He worried about thaw for a minute, but then realized that it was winter. In Niagara, you couldn't expect to see grass between October and April. It being February, he didn't see cause for concern.
Upon entering town, he noticed his shirt was wet and stained just above his left hip. Raising the shirt, he started at the amount of blood he'd already lost. Quickly, he tore off a piece of his sleeve and wrapped it around the wound.
He tossed his last cigarette into the snow on Main Street. Utterly devoid of nightlife, the streets would undoubtedly be empty. If you saw anyone out late, they were either taking a walk, something was happening, or they were up to something.
Because he had held that conception for years, he was surprised to see somebody walking towards him. It was a girl, who looked to be about eleven, and seemed part angry and part scared.
"If you don't mind me asking, why are you out this late?" he asked, once she was close enough to hear him.
"If you don't mind me asking, why are you bleeding?" she replied.
"None of your business."
"Then you don't need to know why I'm out here. Do you have any food?"
"Food for what?"
"A fairly long trip. I followed an idiot up here, and now I need to get back down."
"It depends. Do you have any money?"
The girl fished in her pockets. "Twenty-six dollars."
Alex and Jake had both finished eating, and felt satisfied with a meal for the first time since leaving Woodsbrook. After paying the check, Alex checked his backpack, intending to count their money. Instead he found a cruel surprise.
"It's gone!"
"What?"
"Gone! Twenty-six dollars gone! Sarah must have taken them!"
"Remember when she leaned under the table to tie her shoe?"
Alex would have come up with an angry reply, but at that moment the waiter came to pick up the check.
"Thanks for eating at Niagara Grill," he said, slipping the check into his pocket.
"You're welcome," Jake said.
The waiter smiled slightly. "I didn't think you had the money. Thought you'd offer to wash dishes or something. Where'd you get this much cash?"
"Odd jobs," Alex said, without looking up.
"Maybe I should start doing odd jobs. Seems like there's a lot of money in it."
It seemed suspicious to both of them. Maybe he's just curious, Jake thought.
* * *
As manager of the Grill, James Matthews made his own hours, and he'd declared them over fifteen minutes ago. Between then and closing time he liked to relax with the Woodsbrook Statesman, the nearest paper to Niagara. His friends often recommended he get the New York Times
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