Tom Smith, the restaurant’s manager, had been working in the back when the incident occurred, but he was immediately called into the dining room after the abductors had left. “Everyone was gabbing away about what they had just seen,” said Smith. “After a few minutes I was able to piece together what had actually happened. ”
“It was Walter Herring, he’s my neighbor,” said Mrs. Harriet Lockwert of 872 Maplecourt Road. “He lives right next to me, so I know it was him. Yes, 874.”
“Oh, he was just sitting there, doodling, you know,” said Trent Dagnow. “What? Oh yes. He had this kind of absent face on, so he couldn’t have been writing anything seri... What? Oh, well, yes. No, you don’t need my address.”
“They just talked in whispers for a while and then they grabbed him,” said Archie Baldwin of Bensenville. “Yes, I was at the next table.”
“They looked like mobsters,” added Archie Baldwin’s wife, who asked to remain unnamed.
“Oh, Marcy, no, they were G-men, I’m sure,” said Constance Labelle.
“No, you didn’t get a good look at them,” said Mrs. Baldwin. “One of them had a scar.”
“They were from the State Department,” said Jack Lloyd.
“How do you know?” an unidentified voice in the crowd asked. “It was on their license plate. A government seal,” said Lloyd.
“Jack, you wouldn’t know a government seal if they stamped it on your forehead,” said another unidentified voice.
“Maybe so, but I saw it. It said, ‘U.S.A. State Department, Secret Service.’” said Lloyd.
“Jack, sit down,” said William Richter of Peoria. “Last I checked, you couldn’t even read.”
“Shut up, Billy, I can read.”
“What’s that say,” said Richter.
“I don’t have to prove anything,” said Lloyd.
~~~~ ζ ~~~~
Detective Morley Bright of the Chicago Police Department arrived approximately forty five minutes after Herring’s disappearance. Bright questioned the several restaurant patrons who had remained behind waiting for him, then he talked with Tom Smith, who had taken notes from the diners who had left.
“Very concise report, Tom. ”
“Thank you. ”
“But I hate to tell you...”
“What’s that, detective?”
“The Secret Service is part of the Department of the Interior.”
“I know. I was just reporting what I heard.”
“So do you put much value in what Jack Lloyd said?”
“No.”
“Why did you record it then?”
“Oh I don’t know. ”
After further questioning, Detective Bright determined that only the quotes from Harriet Lockwert and Trent Dagnow were of any worth in Smith’s report. It was certainly Walter Herring, and he had apparently been doodling.
The other witnesses, whom Bright had interviewed directly, were able to confirm many facts about themselves and that they had all been eating lunch at Denny’s on 1213 Rowday Drive when “the hell had broken loose.” They used these words several times, but no one would elaborate. They asked Bright if he thought the TV news was going to come, but Bright was already done talking to them.
~~~~ ξ ~~~~
“This is Brad Kopak of the Channel 4 Eyewitness News Team, live at the scene of Denny’s Restaurant at 1213 Rowday Drive, where just moments ago a most unusual abduction occurred. Behind me are Jerry Lyman and Mimi Peters. Jerry, Mimi, can you tell our viewers what just took place here.”
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
“Uh, Jerry, Mimi, we understand that a Mr. Walter Herring of 874 Maplecourt Road was forcibly dragged out of here tonight by two mysterious men. Can either of you confirm this?”
“Today.”
“Pardon me?”
“It happened today, not tonight. About eight hours ago. The hell broke loose.”
“So you’ve been here since two o’clock?”
“Well, sure.”
“Why not?”
“Uh, right, well —then what happened?”
“Since two o’clock? Not a whole lot.”
“What happened at two o’clock?”
“They took Walter Herring...”
“He was just sitting there doodling away...”
“And then the hell broke loose...”
“...And?”
“And that’s it.”
“Uh, well! So there you have it. Obviously not all has been answered yet, but we’ll keep you posted. From the Denny’s at 1213 Rowday Drive, this is Brad Kopak, investigative reporter. Back to you, Judy.”
~~~~ ϰ ~~~~
“What was Walter Herring doodling? That is the question —the mystery of the week here in Chicagoland, and it is very mysterious indeed. Mr. Herring had been at Denny’s waiting on a late lunch last Friday. The meal had not yet come and he took out a pen and started drawing on his place mat with what one witness called an “absent” face. Suddenly, two men wearing trench coats and dark glasses burst into the restaurant. They went immediately to Mr. Herring and picked him up out of his chair, talked to him for a minute in hushed tones and then escorted him out of the restaurant. But here’s what no one noticed right away: They also took the place mat! It was not until after they had left with Mr. Herring that anyone noticed that the place mat was gone!
“What was Mr. Herring doodling? We may never know for sure, but that is the question we will try to uncover in this week’s episode of... ‘It Really Happened.’
“We will return to ‘It Really Happened’ after these messages.”
~~~~ ϕ ~~~~
“Hey Obert, will ya take a look over here?” Harrient Lockwert of 872 Maplecourt Road was leaning over her sink, peering out the kitchen window. “There’s somebody snooping around at Walter Herring’s house.”
“Let it be, Har. Stop snooping.” He was reading the paper.
“But Obert, they look like criminals.”
“Exactly. Don’t get involved.”
“Don’t you care, Obert? Don’t you want to help Walter?”
“Harriet, I barely know Walter Herring. In the five years he’s lived next to us, we’ve barely waved at each other.”
“Yes.” Harriet pondered, went back to the window, this time peeking more discreetly through the curtains. “But suppose they come here next?”
“Why would they do that?”
“They’ve got my name in the police report.”
“Harriet, will you get away from the window.” Obert put his paper down. “Look, Har. You saw that show on the television last night. Those guys are all concerned about a doodle, right? But it has nothing to do with us, so let’s keep it that way!”
Harriet went back into the kitchen and closed the curtain all the way. But she couldn’t resist one last peek.
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