Taken?

They continued their conversation after they ordered their meals, as well as during the time it took them to enjoy the steaks that they had ordered. Jim had actually visited Canada a couple of times, and was able to make some suggestions to Rob that he hoped would make the trip both more enjoyable, and more convenient. His first suggestion was that Rob make a stop at the last gas station at Grand Portage, to fill up with gas and make his money exchange. His next suggestion was that Rob could get a good map of the province at a tourist information building just north of the border. He also explained that there weren't a lot of roads in that part of Ontario, due to the small size of its' population.

After they finished their meals they each enjoyed a final drink before they left. Rob needed to get a lot of things done before he left in the morning, and had to decline Jim's invitation that he join him at his home that evening. Rob left after dropping off Jim and was home by 8 p.m. He took in the lockbox and cleaning kit, and then had to spend over 15 minutes trying to locate the old handgun his father had owned. He finally found it where he had hidden it in a small space between the floor joists. It was a location he had chosen when they moved into the house, as he didn't want to have Erin stumble across the gun. He suspected she would have wanted him to get rid of it.

Once he located the old handgun he spent a half hour cleaning and then lubricating it, so that it seemed to him that the operation was as he would have expected it to be. The only thing left was to try it out, and he knew that the pistol range where their course had taken place was open until midnight. He put the restored gun into the lockbox with his new one, and headed to the range to try them both out.

It only took him 15 minutes at the gun range to determine that both of the handguns worked fine. Once he had tried them both, and could see that he was able to hit what he was aiming at with each of them, he locked them back up and returned to his house. He still had to pack for his trip, and intended to do a better job of that this time, as it was obvious to him that he had not done a very good job when he spent his few days in Grand Marais. By 11 o'clock he had his clothing packed, and only needed to add his toiletries to his bag in the morning and he would be able to leave. He had a shower and was in bed by midnight, ready to get an early start in the morning.  

--Day 16--

He was on the road by 7:30 in the morning, as he had made up his mind the night before that he would call Detective Maki from along the highway. He was able to get an earlier start this way, and he didn't really think there would be anything new from the police department in regard to the location of the mystery store. According to his plan he was able to reach Detective Maki as he drove through Beaver Bay, and as he expected, there was nothing new. He was clear now to head for Canada to extend his search for his family across the border.

At just after 10 o'clock in the morning he arrived at Grand Portage and pulled into the gas bar. He needed to stretch anyway, so he went inside to pay and to get himself a cup of coffee. He inquired of the cashier if there was anything special he should know about before crossing the border to Canada, and was surprised that her first point was that handguns weren't allowed in Canada. He asked her what he would be able to do with the one he had with him, and she suggested he go to the store that was part of their business complex, as they would take handguns into safekeeping, for a fee, while the owners were in Canada. He thanked her for this information, as he was sure it would have created a problem for him if he had gone across the border with the lockbox.

Rob had loaded the lockbox into his trunk, and he was now standing over the open trunk looking at it, debating on how he should handle this. In the end he decided to wrap the old handgun in a cloth and stick it into his toolbox. He would store the new automatic in the lockbox on this side of the border, before he crossed to the Canadian side. With that decision made, he drove to the store and carried in the lockbox. For what he felt was a reasonable fee he was allowed to leave it there in safekeeping. He put his receipt away in his wallet, and went back to his car, prepared to enter Canada.

He had no problem with the customs and immigration official who spoke with him as he crossed, and after he was over he decided to park and take some of his posters into the building to see if any of the officers there might recognize Erin or Katy. None did, so he was soon on his way again. His next stop was at the tourist information office located across the highway from the customs and immigration building. Again he showed his poster, and again there was no recognition. He was able to get a couple of maps and some information on motels he might be able to stay at. He was soon on his way again, headed north.

The tourist official had told him where the Ontario Provincial Police office was located, and had even drawn him a crude map. He decided to make it his first stop, to see if there was any information available from them on where he might start his search. In less than an hour he pulled into the parking lot of a fairly large area office for the Ontario Provincial Police. It was located on Highway 17, just under a mile west of Highway 130, the shortcut the tourist bureau employee had given him.

He took several of his posters in with him, and was soon speaking with the desk sergeant. It was obvious the man had not seen the fax from the Duluth police, as everything that Rob told about was new information for him. He accepted half a dozen of Rob's posters with the intention of passing them out amongst the patrolling officers when they came in for the next shift. He said they would copy one of Rob's if they needed more.

Rob then inquired of the desk sergeant if there was an area he could suggest Rob check out for a store by the name of The Falls Grocery. The sergeant immediately suggested he try Kakabeka Falls, a village about 15 miles to the west of where they were. He also let Rob know that there were a number of other towns and villages that incorporated the name Falls. He spent close to half an hour with Rob, marking his map with possible towns and villages, as well as geographical features that may have inspired the name of the grocery store. Rob thanked the officer for all of us help, and asked him for one of his business cards, in case he had to call with further requests for information.

The officer gave him one of his cards, and told Rob his name was Sergeant Curt O'Brien. Rob introduced himself and the two men shook hands. Sergeant O'Brien wished Rob luck in his search for his wife and daughter, and told him to be sure to call if there were questions, or if he were to find the man he was looking for. He explained that there were cars patrolling throughout the rural areas, but that there was no guarantee there would be one close by, should he need one quickly. Rob thanked him for the information, and then left to carry on with his search.

Rob certainly was a little more discouraged when he left the Ontario Provincial Police office, considering there were possible locations scattered across northern Ontario. He decided to backtrack a bit and go into Thunder Bay for some lunch. The highway he was on was marked as Highway 17 but it changed into Arthur St. as he entered the city. A couple of blocks later he saw a Boston Pizza Restaurant that he decided would be as good a place to have lunch as any. His lunch, a pasta special, was quite good, and he treated himself to a dessert with his coffee.

While he was in the city he decided he should visit their police station, so after he finished his lunch he asked his waitress if she could give him directions to it. She brought him a copy of a free tourist map and showed him the location of the police station, and then drew a route for him to follow. He decided it would be relatively easy to locate, so he thanked her for her assistance and left for the police station.

When he got to the Thunder Bay police station he discovered that it was a fairly large building, and he decided to inquire at the front desk to find out who he should speak to, regarding his wife's and daughter's missing persons case. He was directed to the second floor office of Detective Parks. The detective surprised him when he told Rob he had seen the information about Erin and Katy that the Duluth Police had faxed to them. In fact, he told Rob, they had circulated the fax amongst the patrol officers at the daily meeting that they held that morning.

Rob was very happy to get this news and said, "Did any of your officers have any information on either of them? Did anything come of it?"

"I'm afraid not," Detective Parks replied. "These posters of yours are a bit better than the fax we received from Duluth, much clearer and with better information. Well, more information would be a better description I guess. If you can leave me a few copies I'll see to it that they're posted in the squad room, so our officers can take a look at them."

"I'll be happy to give you as many as you'd like. I've got more in my car if we need them, or if it's a problem to make copies. I could even go to one of the copy shops and make more copies if necessary." Rob was quite elated at the prospect of having his posters and concerns taken seriously by this department. It was a better response than he had gotten at first from the Duluth Department. At least here he didn't have to convince the police that he wasn't the bad guy.

Having had such a good response from Detective Parks, Rob decided to see if he could help with the identification of The Falls Grocery that had caused him so much trouble. He opened a folder he had carried his posters in and took out a copy of the grocery receipt. "Could you take a look at this and see if you can tell me anything about it, Detective Parks? I found this receipt in my home after my daughter disappeared, and I'm sure that the man who took her dropped it there. There doesn't seem to be any such place as The Falls Grocery in Minnesota, so far as I can determine."

Rob handed the copy to the detective, and waited for him to say that it meant absolutely nothing to him. He was very surprised at the response he got.

The detective took a cursory glance at the copy and said, "Sure, I know this place. I buy groceries there sometimes when I go fishing. It's in Kakabeka Falls. That's about 20 miles to the west of here. It's a popular place, sells fishing supplies and gas, besides their grocery business."

"You're not kidding me, are you? I can hardly believe that after all the unsuccessful work we did back home; you are able to identify this place so quickly." Rob was literally on the edge of his seat as he said that. "I guess I shouldn't question you about your own knowledge, but it is just so surprising to me, for you to identify the place so easily."

Detective Parks smiled and said, "I'm definitely sure about this. I don't mind you questioning me on it, but I can assure you, this place is right there on the left side of the highway as you drive into Kakabeka Falls."

Rob was suddenly anxious to get on the road to Kakabeka Falls, to speak to the people at the grocery store, to see whether anyone would recognize his wife or daughter. "How would I get there from here? Can you give me some directions so I don't get lost getting out of town?" Rob stood as he finished this question, and waited for the detective to give him an answer.

"It's easy to find Kakabeka Falls from here. When you go out of our parking lot turn right, which is south, and go straight through the first set of lights here at this corner until you get to the Harbour Expressway. It has a set of lights as well, and you turn there and start heading west. Just keep on going straight on the Harbour Expressway until you get to Highway 17 which is about 10 miles at the most. It's about another 10 miles to Kakabeka Falls. You simply can't miss it."

Rob thanked the detective profusely for helping him to find The Falls Grocery after all of this time. He left him a dozen copies of his poster, and the detective promised he would see that they were distributed amongst the patrolling officers. He said he would make more copies if they were necessary, and wished Rob well in his search.

As Rob drove out of the parking lot of the Thunder Bay police station and made his right hand turn, he was more optimistic than he had been in quite some time. When he got to the first light and had to wait at the red signal, he made a quick call to his brother-in-law in Duluth. There was no answer, so he left a message on his voice mail, telling him that The Falls Grocery had been located in Kakabeka Falls, Ontario, and that he was headed there now. He promised to call again if there was anything new he could report.

He found his way to Highway 17 without even having to think about it, and started the last half of the journey to Kakabeka Falls in light traffic. It gave him time to look around as he drove and appreciate the countryside he was driving through. There were a number of farms and well kept homes along the highway, and he decided that this would be a nice area to vacation in some day with Erin and Katy. It was literally no time at all before he arrived at the eastern boundary of Kakabeka Falls, and could see the large sign announcing that he was at The Falls Grocery.

Rob was shaking as he pulled into a parking spot beside the store. It was all he could do to not run, as he made his way to the main entrance. Once inside the store he was unsure who he should speak to first, but finally decided to approach a woman sitting in the office, just off to the side of the cashiers standing at their checkout counters. She was busy with her calculator, so Rob waited impatiently for her to acknowledge him.

When she finally looked up at him, Rob said, "Hi, I'm wondering what you can tell me about this cash register receipt. Is there anything that would identify the person who made the purchase?" Rob handed her the copy of the cash register receipt, and held his breath while she took a look at the paper. She looked at it for a few seconds before she spoke.

"I'm sorry; this is just a standard receipt for items that were paid for by cash. If it had been charged or put on a credit card I might have been able to tell you more, but with this, there's literally nothing I can say." She handed the page back to Rob with a look of regret, and started to turn back to her work.

"What about these two people, have you ever seen either of them in the store? These are my wife and daughter, and they are missing from Duluth. Whoever took my daughter dropped this receipt, so I'm hoping there's some way I can track them down from here." Rob handed the woman one of his posters, and again waited expectantly.

The woman was more interested now, and took a long look at Rob's poster before she said, "No, I'm sure I've never seen either one of them. I don't get out of this office very much though, so really I wouldn't be likely to see anyone that doesn't come up to the door, as you have just done." She handed back the poster, and waited to see whether Rob had more to say.

"Oh, ok. I was really hoping one of them may have been in the store. My wife's fingerprint was found on the receipt." Rob thought for a moment, and then asked, "Would it be all right for me to show this poster to the other employees? Maybe one of them saw my wife or daughter. I'll try not to bother them while they're busy."

"Go right ahead and talk to them. Just try not to distract them while they're in the middle of an order, if you don't mind. It's no problem if you wait until they're between customers. The cashiers are all regulars, so if either of them was here during the day, one of these girls should have seen them."

"Thanks a lot," said Rob. "I'll make sure not to disturb them too much. I've shown these posters in a lot of other stores, so I know what you're talking about. Also, would it be all right for me to leave one of my posters on your bulletin board? Perhaps some customer of yours may have seen one of them."

"Sure, you can leave one of your posters. No problem." When she finished speaking she turned back to her calculator, and Rob left to begin speaking with the cashiers.

Rob had shown his poster to the first two cashiers without receiving any recognition of either Erin or Katy. He had to wait a moment for the last girl to finish checking out an order. When she finished with that she began to clean the checkout counter, so Rob moved forward to show her the pictures.

"Excuse me. I was wondering if you could look at my poster here, and tell me if you have seen either of these two women in your store. They're both missing from Duluth," Rob said as he held his poster out for the girl to look at. He had gone through this procedure hundreds of times before, and was always hopeful when he asked his questions.

The girl seemed disinterested as she took it from his hand and looked at it. Rob felt sure as she took it that she was just going through the motions, but a moment later she said, "You know, I think I've seen this one," as she pointed at Katy's picture. "She wasn't in the store though; she was at one of the gas pumps. I remember the streak in her hair, and she looked like this picture as well. The reason I remember her is I think she was drunk, or something, and ended up getting sick beside the pump island."

Rob was not expecting to hear her say that it appeared that Katy had been drunk, and the look on his face conveyed that to the cashier when she looked up at him. "She's only 14. I'm sure she wouldn't have been drunk, as I've never seen her have so much as a sip of wine at home. Maybe she was just upset to the stomach," Rob said.

The girl thought about it for a few seconds and replied, "Well, she was either drunk or on drugs, because she was staggering a bit. I remember that very clearly, but you should talk to Nathan about her. He was pumping the gas for them when that happened, and had to help her get back into the car after she got sick. That was a couple of weeks ago I think, quite late in the day if I'm not mistaken. Check with Nathan though, because he could maybe tell you more. I think he's working today."

The cashier took another look at the photo of Katy, and then called across the store to another girl who was stocking shelves. "Hey Lucy, you want to come here and take a look at something?" The second girl walked over to the checkout and the cashier handed her the poster. "Take a look at this girl's picture. Do you remember her from a couple of weeks ago? She was out at the pump islands and got sick. Do you remember us talking about her, how she seemed awfully young to be drinking?"

Lucy took the poster from the cashier's hand and took a long look at it before she said, "Yes, I do remember her. I remember you telling me she looked awfully young. I remember Nathan helping her, because the guy that was with her seemed to be confused or something. It was almost like he didn't know what to do for her."

Rob couldn't wait to speak, and said, "What can you tell me about the guy that was with her? Can you describe him at all, or tell me what kind of car they were in?" Rob was looking back and forth at both of the women as he asked his questions.

The cashier immediately said, "I don't really remember the guy at all, but I think the car was a dark color. What about you Lucy, do you remember anything else about them?"

"It seems to me the guy was a bit on the slender side, definitely with dark hair. I think the car was brown but I could be wrong. Nathan is the guy you have to ask, because he was out there pumping their gas when all that happened," Lucy stated.