The next morning, they headed out to Huron Shores, the township where Iron Bridge is located. The entire area had approximately two thousand residents, with just over six hundred calling Iron Bridge home.
They pulled into the Red Top Motor Inn and Restaurant on Highway 17 around noon the next day and entered the eatery, instinctively heading to a table at the far end of the place before Napoleon abruptly changed direction to sit closer to the front door. "Lesson learned," he said by way of explanation as he removed his suit jacket and draped it on a chair before sitting in another.
Illya removed his and laid it across the seat of the chair holding his partner's jacket and sat in the remaining chair. Both men were wearing ankle holsters since wearing shoulder ones would have required them to keep their jackets on and it was too warm for that. The waitress brought them menus and the Russian was pleasantly surprised it was rather sophisticated for such a small town. "What do you suggest?" Illya asked the waitress when she returned.
Sally (at least that's what her nametag said), smiled at the young blond, "I love your accent!" she exclaimed, "You're from England?" She was a plump older woman with white hair piled high in a bun. "Our hamburgers are considered 'must haves' for the truckers who drive up and down Highway 17."
Illya returned the smile and Napoleon smiled inwardly when the woman began to blush. "Then I will not argue with success; I will have a cheeseburger with fries with a vanilla milkshake."
"I'll have the same," Napoleon said. Sally wrote the order and headed for the kitchen. "Tovarisch, I don't know what you do to older women, but the way she looked at you…Keep it up. Maybe she knows something."
Before Illya could reply, Sally was back with a small tray of pickles and Cole slaw. "Compliments of the house," she said.
"Thank you so much, Sally," Illya said, "my friend and I are famished. We just drove in from Harrison."
"Harrison? How interesting. There was a man here for dinner last night who said he was from Harrison. Nice guy, seemed a bit paranoid, though."
"Why do you say that?"
"Well, because he snapped at me when I asked him where he was headed, wanted to know why I wanted to know. I told him I was just making conversation and didn't mean anything by it. I made a joke out of it by saying, 'Hey, mister, I'm not the Mounties, you don't have to tell me!' and he relaxed and laughed. He apologized, said he wasn't himself and it had been a long day. Then he told me he was headed to Jackfish. My goodness, I've been running my mouth! I'm sure your lunches are ready." With that, she headed to the kitchen.
The agents exchanged glances, having an entirely silent conversation. When their food arrived, they ordered more to go and then wolfed their meal and got on the road for the six-hour drive.
When they arrived in Jackfish, they were shocked that the town seemed completely deserted. They drove around until they saw a young couple with two small children about to get into a car. "Excuse me!" Napoleon called out, "We're a little confused. We're supposed to meet a friend of ours here. This is Jackfish, right?"
The man instructed his wife and children to get into the car and then approached the agents. "This is Jackfish, but there's no one in this town except my family. You passed a burned-out building? That was the old Lakeview Hotel. Burned down two years ago. It was the last major employer in the area; the fishing companies started leaving ten years ago. The only reason we're still here is because we haven't figured out where to go yet. Our home is a total loss. Who would buy it?"
Napoleon shrugged his shoulders. "Thanks for your help. Good luck to you." After the family drove off, Napoleon cut off the engine. "Any suggestions?"
Illya, who had been studying a map of Canada said, "Actually, yes. Look at this: There is a Jackfish in Saskatchewan."
"Let me see that!" Napoleon grabbed the map and checked on several things. "Well, the bad news is: The only airport close to there is a Canadian military base so, flying in isn't practical."
"And the good news?"
"It's right on Highway 17, nineteen and a half hours that away," Napoleon said as he pointed back the way they came.
Illya made a U – turn to head back to the highway. "We are spending the night in the Red Top Motel."
"Can't wait to see your girlfriend Sally, eh?" That earned him a punch in the arm.