“Not that I remember. I think there’s a convenience store at a gas station where you can buy coffee and a doughnut, but nothing sit-down.”

“Then if you wanted a legitimate restaurant, you’d have to go into town,” McAdams said.

“Looks that way,” Decker said.

“Well, nothing is open now. Where do people eat lunch?”

“At home. Lots of the lunch trade was wiped out by COVID.”

McAdams said, “I’m looking at my map and there’s a place called Burgers and Dogs about two blocks away. I don’t know if it’s a counter takeout or an eat-in, but I’m going to try that next.”

“Burgers and Dogs,” Decker echoed. “It’s five blocks away from me. Wait for me.”

“I’m kinda hungry. You want a burg—Wait, what am I saying? I don’t suppose they have vegetarian options.”

“It’s fine. But I could use something to drink. It’s hot out here.”

“It is,” McAdams said. “Let’s go in and bother the locals.”

A few minutes later they were standing in front of a diner. The interior smelled like fried meat, bacon, and melted cheese. The floor space held about a dozen tables with linoleum tops that held settings for two to four people. The seating was mismatched: a combination of metal, wood, or cane-backed chairs. The counter was generous and doing a brisk business. They found an open table, and a server came by with menus. She was in her twenties with a long blond ponytail, a round face, a prominent forehead, and wide-set blue eyes. She wore a long denim dress over a long-sleeved black T-shirt. Her name tag said MARY.

She said, “Our soup is navy bean, and our pie is strawberry.”

“Thank you.” After she left, Decker looked at McAdams. “Remember Eli Wolf?”

“She’s Mennonite?” McAdams said. “Could be. The dress and the look. We’re in the right geographical location. I mean not Baniff specifically, but we’re not that far away from Lancaster.” A pause. “You ever speak to them? The Wolfs?”

“No.” Decker shook his head. “If I thought about all the suffering people that I’ve met …” A sigh. “It’s really hard, but you just have to close the case in your head and go on to the next.” He looked at the menu. “I’ll stick with coffee. I wonder if they have iced coffee.”

“There’s a veggie burger.”

“Fried on the same grill as the burgers. But get what you want, Tyler.”

“I’ll take the veggie burger.”

“You can have the real thing.”

“Trying to watch my intake of red meat.” McAdams put the menu down, and Mary hopped up and came to the table.

“What can I get you, folks?”

Decker said, “Do you have iced coffee?”

“We sure do.”

“Thank you.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

“How about a scoop of ice cream with it?”

“Actually, that sounds pretty good.”

“Whipped cream?”