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Bob stared at the salt shaker.  He glanced around the restaurant to a gaggle of unfamiliar faces.  His mind wandered to thoughts of Jer, then Mokoto, then the girl he met at Kmart earlier.  He looked outside and saw a blue Toyota.  His mind started wandering to the letter that Phil didn’t know he’d ever received.  He remembered Michelle driving a blue Toyota just like that one.  He started thinking about Michelle.  She had made Phil happier than Bob had ever seen him, and she’d also made Phil more depressed than Bob had ever seen him.  His mind started thinking more about Michelle.  She was always nice to him, and he’d never thought about her in any other way than as Phil’s girlfriend.  He normally wasn’t into the short blond hair and glasses look, but the more he sat and thought about her, the more he could see what Phil might have seen in her.  He suddenly thought about her voice.

Then he realized he wasn’t thinking.  His head ratcheted to the left and he saw her talking to their waitress.  He grabbed the Aberdeen paper and opened it up to hide behind.  Did she see me?  Why is she here?  Of all the places in this town to eat, she picks right here right now?

“Will this be fine?”

“Yes, thank you.”

Bob lowered the paper and saw Michelle taking a seat almost diagonally from his table.  Her back was to their table, and there was a half wall with frosted glass going for another foot upward.  He slowly folded the paper and decided it was time to go.  Before he could scoot, a plate appeared before him.

“Here’s your cheeseburger with bacon, and the pancakes with sausage and hash browns for your friend.”

The server smiled and walked away.  Food, now? Bob started to lift his arm to ask for a to-go box, when Phil sat down.

“Isn’t it great to come back and have your food waiting?”

***

Felix stood smiling behind the captain.  Clayton looked at Felix, while Garrett and Lewis looked at the speaker phone.

“So, let me get this straight.  We have proof that one of the people we’re looking for was in a boxcar?”

“That’s correct” Felix replied.

“…and we’re holding one of his friends for questioning about his whereabouts?”

“Yes sir.”

“…and you found this man’s name as registered for a hotel in Aberdeen?”

“Yes sir.”

“So, has anyone contacted the police in Aberdeen to check it out?”

Felix opened his mouth, but no words came out.  Captain Hale cleared his throat and began speaking.  “Well, Felix just found this out sir, and we wanted to get you the latest.  I told him to bring me anything before he did anything.”

“Well Felix, good work.  Now, get out there and get Aberdeen on the horn!”

“Yes sir!”  Felix ran out of the door, forgetting to shut it on his way through.  Garrett and Lewis turned to Clayton.

“Agent Iron-Horse” Garrett said, “we’ll be leaving for Aberdeen A.S.A.P.  You can head back to Minneapolis.”

“Oh no” Clayton said, standing up.  “I am heading to Aberdeen myself.”

Garrett stood up.  “No, you are not.  We’re taking over this investigation.  This has nothing to do with why you’re here.”

Clayton stared at Garrett, and Garrett stared right back at him.