“I’m sorry, Lovey,” Chet said, and there were tears in his eyes.

“Can I talk to him a minute, Mom?” Sully asked.

“I’m leaving this in your hands and going to relieve Wendy so we won’t be short a waitress during dinner,” Lovey said.

Sully smiled at Chet. “I have a quick question, and tell me the truth, okay?”

Chet nodded.

“Did you see the key fall into the toilet?” Sully asked.

“No, sir.”

“Then how do you know that’s where it went?”

Chet sighed. “I told Mercy I didn’t flush the toilet, but I did, because that’s why I went in there. And when the key wasn’t in my pocket anymore, I guessed that’s where it went.”

“So you guessed. Where is the bathroom back here?”

Chet pointed.

“And you’re sure you put the key in your pocket, and you’re sure you don’t have a hole in your pocket?” Sully asked.

Chet paused, then jammed his wet hands down into both pockets and grimaced. “There is a small hole in this pocket, but I don’t think it’s—”

“Where is the key kept?” Sully asked.

Chet pointed. “Right there. The key hangs on that hook.”

“Oh, so it’s on some kind of key ring,” Sully said.

Now Chet’s eyes were getting bigger. “Yeah, with a yellow plastic tab.”

“Okay, thanks. As you were,” Sully said, and he walked off.

Chet looked at Marc and frowned. “What did he mean, as you were?”

Marc grinned. “It means carry on…go back to what you were doing.”

“Oh!” Chet said, and went back to work.

Sully was moving along the path Chet would have taken—walking behind Elvis, who was at the griddle, dodging waitresses picking up orders—all the while looking for a place the key might have fallen unnoticed. When he reached the door to the bathroom, he started to go inside, then paused. He squatted just outside the bathroom door and began looking under the wall of shelving beside it.

“What are you doing?” Marc asked.

“If the key fell out of his pocket on the way to the bathroom, he could have kicked it and never known it. Instead of looking for a key, I’m looking for something—”

All of a sudden he got up and grabbed a broom from the corner, got down on his knees and ran the bristle end beneath the metal shelving, then swept it along the wall.

The key ring came flying out from beneath.

“—something yellow!” Sully crowed, as he grabbed the key, put up the broom, then took the key back to Chet.

“Here you go, son. Now go finish what they sent you to do, and bring me the key when you’re done.”

Chet was beaming. “Thanks!”

He dried his hands and took off in a lope. Within a few minutes, he was back with the large box of frozen hamburger patties that Elvis wanted and had put them into the walk-in near the griddle.

“Thanks, kid,” Elvis said.

“Sure thing,” Chet said, and went back to work.