Taken?

"Can you point Nathan out to me," Rob asked. He was anxious to speak with the pump attendant as soon as he could.

"I don't think he's in yet," the cashier said. "I think he starts at something like six o'clock tonight. You can ask at the office, as they have his schedule."

Rob thanked the two women and went back to the office. When he got the attention of the woman again, he asked, "I've been told that Nathan may have seen my daughter when he was pumping gas for their car. Can you tell me when he's scheduled to work? The cashier I was speaking with thought he was coming in this afternoon."

The office girl reached around for a clipboard that was hanging from the wall behind her, and looked down a list of names. In a moment she turned back to Rob and said, "He is scheduled to work at 6 p.m., and should be here until 11. He's never in here much more than five minutes before he's scheduled to start. You could probably call him at home, if you like. I can give you his number."

Rob had her write the gas attendant's home phone number on a slip of paper, and then asked if he could use her phone to make the call. After he received permission, he called Nathan and ended up speaking with the young man's mother. She told Rob that her son had gone fishing for the afternoon, but had said he would be going to work for 6 p.m. She didn't know where he had gone, as he had a number of favorite fishing spots in the area. Rob thanked her for her help, and resigned himself to having to wait until 6 p.m. to find out more about Katy and the man she was with.

Rob knew he would have to kill off almost three hours as he waited for Nathan to come to work. He decided to spend the time visiting the rest of the businesses in Kakabeka Falls, to see whether anyone else had seen Erin or Katy. First he had to finish showing his poster to the remaining employees at The Falls Grocery. None of the clerks, shelf stockers or meat department employees recognized either of them. He left The Falls Grocery and began to work his way around the rest of the village businesses.

Within an hour and a half he had covered all of the businesses, without finding anyone else who recognized either of them. By 5 p.m. he was getting hungry, and decided to have supper at the Cascades Dining Room. He enjoyed his steak medium rare, and they cooked it just to his liking. He finished his meal just before 6, and headed back to the grocery store, hoping that Nathan would be on time and would be able to help him.

Since his gas gauge was telling him that he could do with a bit of gas, he pulled up to the pumps, thinking that that would be the best way to meet Nathan. As he was getting out of his car a tall, blond haired, young man of about 18 came out to serve him. He gave him his instructions on the type and quantity of gas that he wanted, and then asked, "Would you be Nathan?"

The young man looked up at him in surprise and said, "Yes I am. Do I know you?"

Rob was quick to explain himself and said, "No, you don't know me, but I'm hoping you may have seen my daughter a couple of weeks ago." He pulled out his poster and held it up for Nathan to look at.

The young man looked at it closely and said, "Yes, I think I remember her. She's the one who got sick here. I ended up having to help her back into her car, she was so confused, or drunk, or high. She got sick right over there beside the pump island. The guy she was with didn't seem to know what to do."

"You're absolutely sure it was my daughter you saw?"

Nathan looked again at the picture, taking the poster in both hands and obviously concentrating on it. When he looked up he said, "I'm sure it was your daughter. I recognize her face and the blond streak in her hair. I'm absolutely certain."

"Can you tell me anything at all about the man she was with, or the car they were in? Can you describe him?"

Nathan thought about it for a moment and said, "I think I can. He's a bit shorter than you; he's slender and has short black hair. He's been here a few times for gas. Maybe once a month, I think. He lives out somewhere in the West, around Upsala I think. He drives a brown Toyota Corolla, but I'm not sure what year it is. I think it's maybe about five years old. It was the only time I ever saw him with that girl, your daughter I mean."

Rob was thrilled to hear that the description matched what he had been hearing from past witnesses. This had to be the same man the others had described. Nathan had a much more confident description of him, and his car, than anyone else had given. It seemed obvious to Rob that Nathan must have seen the man more than once, and that any new information he gave most likely would be correct.

"You say he is from Upsala. What kind of a place is that, and where is it exactly? I've never heard of it before." Rob waited patiently for Nathan to speak.

"Upsala is about 75 miles west on Highway 17. It's just a small place with a few houses, a store and a gas bar. There used to be a sawmill there. I'm not certain that he lives in Upsala, it might just be nearby. I know he has mentioned Upsala a couple of times when he's been here for gas. We've talked about fishing a few times, because I fish a lot, and it sounds like he does a lot of fishing too. If I remember correctly, he mentioned Lac Des Mille Lacs as a place that he goes often. It's not too far from Upsala."

Rob was very excited to get so many new details about the man he was searching for and asked, "What kind of a guy is he? Does he seem like the kind of guy who might be violent? He has apparently kidnapped both my wife and my daughter, and I really can't understand why someone would do that. I'm afraid he might be some sort of a predator."

Nathan shook his head and said, "He doesn't seem like a violent sort at all. I don't know him personally though, so I can't really say that for sure. Your daughter wasn't tied up or anything, but maybe he gave her something. I thought she was a bit drunk or high when I saw her, but he might have given her something to control her. She definitely looked like something was affecting her, as she was staggering and unsteady when she walked, and not too many people just get sick like that for no reason."

Rob thought for a moment and then asked, "Is there anything else you can think of, or remember about him or his car? Was there anything that stood out?"

Nathan had finished pumping the gas and was running Rob's credit card through the machine while he thought about Rob's latest questions. Finally he said, "I can't think of anything to be honest. We've talked mainly about fishing. The night your daughter was here and got sick, I never got a chance to really talk to him, or I might have asked about her. He left as soon as I got her back in the car. You might find out more about him by asking people in Upsala. If he lives in the area someone may be able to recognize him from his car, and the description I've given you."

Nathan laughed as he continued, "I'm not into paying attention to guys, so I can't really say that I could give you much more of a description of him. He looks normal. He's always been clean shaven when I've seen him. I think he has dark eyes, but I can't say for certain."

Rob joined him in a short laugh and said, "Really, I think you've helped me an enormous amount. I'm going to drive to Upsala to see what I can find out. There should be plenty of daylight left for me to get there and take a look around. If it's that small of a place I can probably easily ask everybody about him, and my daughter, in a very short time, so I can get the police involved in going after him."

Rob thanked Nathan for his help, and got into his car for the now important drive to Upsala. Before he pulled out of the parking lot he called Sergeant O'Brien of the Ontario Provincial Police, to let him know what he had found out, and where he was going. When he got through to the police he was told that Sergeant O'Brien had left for the day, and that they wouldn't be able to offer him any help for a few hours, as all of their officers were tied up with a major accident on Highway 11 east of Atikokan.

The evening shift Sergeant asked Rob to call from Upsala if he found out anything helpful, and they would see if there were officers available at that time. Rob thanked him, and then called his brother-in-law in Duluth, to tell him of everything that he had found out in Kakabeka Falls. Jim was very excited at the news that the elusive man who had taken his sister may have been tracked down to a specific area. He wished Rob luck with the next part of his trip, the pursuit of the black haired man to Upsala.

As Rob started out on the highway he made a third call, this one to Detective Maki, to tell him that he was closing in on the man who had taken his wife and daughter. Detective Maki was gone for the day so Rob left him a short message on his voice mail, telling him where he was headed. As he drove out of Kakabeka Falls, headed for Upsala, he was beginning to get nervous, unsure of what he was going to face if he finally met the man who had taken his family from him.

As he drove out of Kakabeka Falls, Rob could see the falls for which the village had its name, located on his left. In less than a minute he was crossing the Kaministiquia River and accelerating to highway speed, following the highway west to Upsala. He knew that it would be at least a one hour drive so he decided to enjoy the scenery. A pleasant drive through the countryside had always been a favorite summer pastime for him and Erin when they were first married. He only wished the circumstances could have been better, and that Erin and Katy were with him, instead of somewhere on the road ahead of him.

The first half of his drive was through pleasant rolling hills dotted with the remnants of long forgotten farms. There were fields he passed that had taken the original settlers countless man-hours to clear, but which were now being reclaimed by nature. Every so often he would see the remains of the logging that had taken place in recent years, large clear cuts where scattered spindly trees were surrounded by the newly emerged brush and small trees. It didn't look very good, but he knew that in another 50 years people wouldn't realize it had ever been cut over.

As he drove farther and farther west the land became much wilder with a lot of wet, marshy and boggy areas. At one point it became one long peat bog dotted with what could be called rocky islands, mostly covered with evergreen trees. There were numerous small streams, rivers and the odd lake along the highway, and along one particularly densely treed stretch of highway he saw a large moose standing at the edge of the timber, watching him drive by. It was not a site he had seen before, and he wished he had brought his camera with him on this trip, although taking pictures of wild life and scenery was very low on his list of priorities when he left Duluth.

In just over an hour he arrived in Upsala. The first business he came to was a sprawling restaurant and gas bar, an older building that had been added onto several times. It was surrounded by small outbuildings and derelict cars and trucks, some of which appeared to have been there for many years. The place was not too busy though, and Rob hoped that there would be someone there who might recognize Erin or Katy, or might know who the man in the brown Toyota Corolla was. He decided to speak with the gas bar attendant first, as he would be the one most likely to recognize the car.

Rob entered the small office that served as the attendant's work area, and waited for the customer ahead of him to finish his transaction. When he was alone with the attendant he took his poster out of his folder and said, "I would like to have you take a look at these pictures and tell me if you've ever seen either of these two women. They would have been with slender man with short black hair who drives a brown Toyota Corolla." Rob handed his poster to the attendant and waited while he looked at it.

"I don't recognize either one of them, but the man you describe sounds familiar. Angus Blair drives a car like that, and he sort of fits your description. I haven't seen him in a few weeks, but he usually drops in here once in a while."

Rob couldn't believe that he had already located someone that seemed to know the man he was looking for. "Can you tell me where he lives? I really need to find him."

The attendant thought about it for a moment and then said, "To tell you the truth, I don't really know where he lives. Except for when he comes in here for gas, I never run into him. Someone else may know him or where he lives, but I can't even say that I know any of his friends. I've never seen him with anyone else around here. I only know his name because I kidded him about it the first time I saw it on his credit card. It's not a real common name anymore."

The disappointment must have shown on Rob's face, as the young man said, "You could ask in the restaurant. One of the waitresses or the cashier might know Angus, or someone else who fits the description. It sure sounds like Angus though."

Rob thanked him for his help and headed out of the gas bar. The restaurant didn't look to be too busy so he headed through the door and stopped at the cashier's counter. The cashier had been seated on a stool behind the cash register and immediately stood and asked, "Can I help you?"

Rob held out his poster and asked, "Have you seen either of these two women? They are both missing from Duluth, and I understand it is possible that they are in this area. They could be with a slender man who drives a brown Toyota Corolla. He has black hair and is slightly shorter than me."

The cashier looked closely at the poster and said, "I don't recognize either one of them and I don't really know very much about cars. I don't know what a Toyota Corolla is."

"Do you happen to know a man named Angus Blair? I'm told that he has a car like that, and lives somewhere in this area. He may do a lot of fishing."

The cashier thought for a moment and then said, "The name is familiar but I can't place it. I think everyone around here fishes so that's no help to me."

Rob thanked the cashier and said that he would like to speak to the waitresses to see if any of them could help him. She told him there were only two on duty, and to go ahead and talk to them. He was getting a little hungry anyway, so he decided to sit at a table where he could order something quick to eat and speak to the waitress as well. He had only been seated for a minute when a slender, dark-haired young girl came to take his order.

"What can I get for you tonight sir?" The waitress had her hand poised over her pad of guest checks, as she waited for him to tell her what he would like to eat.

Rob had already looked at the menu quickly, so he was able to answer her without any hesitation. "I'd like a roast beef sandwich, a piece of apple pie and a cup of coffee. Before you go though, can I show you a poster with the pictures of two missing women? I understand they may be in the area, and I'm wondering if you have ever seen them." Rob placed his poster on the table in front of the waitress.

She looked at it for a moment before she said, "No, they don't look familiar to me. I can't say I've ever seen either of them before."

"What about a man with short black hair, slender, who drives a brown Toyota Corolla. Does that sound familiar to you?"

"I can't say that it does, I'm afraid. Do you have a picture of him too?"

"No, I don't have a picture of him. I've been told though that his name may be Angus Blair. Does that name mean anything to you?" Rob was looking at her with an expression of optimism, hoping that she would know the name.

Again the girl responded negatively, saying, "No, I don't know anybody by that name."

Rob thought for a moment and then said to the waitress, "When you take in my order could you ask the other waitress to stop by my table when she has a free moment? I'd like to show her my poster. Maybe she has seen one of these two women somewhere, or knows who this man might be."

His waitress agreed to send her coworker over to talk to Rob, and then left to get his order. In about two minutes the second waitress came to Rob's table and he showed her his poster, and asked her the same questions he had asked the first waitress. The second waitress was of no more help to Rob than the first one had been, so he thanked her and let her get back to her tables.

His meal arrived shortly after she left, and he quickly began to enjoy his sandwich. He hadn't realized how hungry he had gotten, and made short work of the sandwich and pie. When they were gone he relaxed for a couple of minutes with his cup of coffee. He knew he couldn't waste too much time as it would get dark in another three hours at the very most.

He left as soon as he had finished his coffee and decided to try the next business up the highway, another gas bar; only this one was quite a bit smaller. Not only was it a smaller operation, it appeared that it was also not very popular with the customers, as the parking lot was almost empty. Rob got out of his car and entered the small office where the attendant was sitting on a tall stool reading a pocket novel. He put it down as Rob got to the counter in front of him.

Rob pulled out his poster and handed it to the middle aged man behind the counter. "I was wondering if you could tell me if either of these two women is familiar to you. They are both missing from Duluth and may be in this area."

After looking at the poster for a moment the man said, "Sorry, I don't recognize either one of them." He handed the poster back to Rob.

"What about a man with short black hair, driving a brown Toyota Corolla. Does that sound familiar at all?" Rob waited while the man thought for a moment.

The man replied, "No, I don't recognize that description either."

"Would you happen to know a man by the name of Angus Blair? I believe he lives somewhere in this area and may fit the description I just gave you."

"No, I don't know that name. Mind you I've only been here a couple of months, and there are a lot of the people who live in the area that I haven't met. When I'm not working I usually go fishing."

Rob thought for a minute and then asked, "Can you suggest anyone else that I can speak to around here? Are there other stores or businesses besides the gas station up the road, and your gas bar?"

"Well, there is the store on top of the hill here. I think he's closed by now, but he lives in the back of the store so he might be there. He also has a small post office there, so if anyone would know this Angus guy, he should be the one."

Rob thanked him for his help, and decided to head for the store he had just been told of, as he felt quite sure that someone who looked after the mail would know pretty well everybody in the area that his post office served. He covered the short drive in no time at all, and went up the steps to the entrance of the store only to discover that there was, indeed, a large Closed sign in the window beside the door. He squinted through the glass of the door, and could see that the lights were off, and the store was uninhabited.

Rob descended the stairs and began to walk around the building, looking for the rear entrance where he hoped he would find the door to the residence portion of the building. The rear of the building faced the south, and there was a large old fashioned glassed-in porch across the entire south side. He went up the centrally located stairway and knocked at the door leading into the porch. He didn't see a car parked anywhere behind the building, and was afraid no one was home. He knocked a second time, and was about to leave when the door that led from the porch into the building opened, and a white-haired older man came out and crossed to the door at which he was standing.