The Chef's Surprise

The diner was nondescript. Like all such places, a long counter was set up in the middle and a row of booths back to back in a row along the front windows. The décor was cheerful and bright. Roy and Steve entered the diner and decided to sit at the counter. The place was not crowded with a just a few of the booths occupied. It was a little early for lunch and way past breakfast time. The waiter brought a glass of water and menus for them to peruse. Steve went to use the restroom first.

The menu was pretty much standard with the usual sandwiches and such. But there were a couple of items that stood out even to the casual diner - Prisoner's Dilemma, Warden's Choice, Solitary Special, and Chef's Surprise. Roy became curious and asked the waiter about them and he replied, 'Our chef did some time in the county jail a few years ago. While incarcerated, he was assigned kitchen duty and learnt to cook, eventually becoming the chef. It's a kind of dark tribute to his time there'. 'Does anyone really order that?' 'Strangely, yes. It seems some people want to taste prison food without actually going to jail'. This made sense to Roy. After all, there were innumerable reality shows about prison life whose popularity can only be attributed to this voyeuristic streak.

'What about Chef's Surprise?', Roy asked. The waiter lowered his voice and said, 'I would stay clear of it. It's exactly what it says, a surprise. Now, if you wanted to order that, the chef would come out and talk to you first to figure what kind of surprise to prepare for you'. This was totally out of character for what appeared in every respect a standard American diner. The waiter paused and added, "Also, you will first need to sign a waiver. We never know what kind of allergy or other issues you may have. The last person who ordered the surprise collapsed upon tasting it and we had to call 911. No one has ordered the surprise since'. Roy took a moment to absorb that and the waiter asked, 'So, what would you like?'. Roy decided to play it safe and get a sandwich.

The waiter went through a series of questions before taking the order - "What kind of bread?", "Swiss, American or provolone?", "Do you want fries or a salad?", "What kind of dressing?", etc. etc. Roy was beginning to feel like he was being interrogated though the waiter was only doing his job. After Roy made all his choices, he went away with the order. What a lot of questions for this, he thought.

While he was waiting for his order, his partner Steve had joined him. Steve and Roy were detectives and were working together on a case which in fact had brought them to this diner. Steve was grinning and Roy asked, 'What's so funny?' Steve replied, ' We are professional interrogators and it was amusing to see one of us being subjected to some interrogation'. 'Yeah, I was getting a little irritated there'.

The chef was a person of interest in the case they were assigned to. He was investigated in a heist a few years back but the evidence was not enough to arrest him. The actual perpetrators of the heist were arrested and convicted. However, the money was never recovered. It was strongly suspected that there was another person involved who had made off with the loot and hidden it. The investigators at the time believed that after their term the robbers would contact this third partner to get their share.

The robbers had served time and had been released. They were being watched closely to see if they will go for the hidden money. Interest in the chef's activities too had been revived and Roy and Steve were following up that end. As they sat at the bar waiting for their lunch order, they noticed a certain excitement in one of the booths. Someone had ordered the Chef's Surprise. The chef came out to talk to the customer. Steve and Roy exchanged glances. 'That's our man', said Roy even though they both were aware of it. The customer was a man in his fifties with a scraggy stubble. The chef talked to him for a couple of minutes and then went back inside. 

Roy explained the Chef's Surprise to Steve. As he did, he realized the significance of the order. No one had ordered the surprise all this time and all of a sudden just a couple of days after the release of the robbers, someone orders it? Was it just coincidence? If not, what was his role? I think we should have a chat with this customer', he said to Steve. In all the reports they had read, no one had mentioned a fourth individual. 

Just then, there was a sudden commotion inside and a man with an apron and a cap came rushing out of the kitchen excitedly shouting to the waiter behind the bar, 'He's gone! The Chef, he just left!' Apparently, he just hung up his apron, wished the staff good luck and departed. Roy turned around and noticed with a start that the customer who had ordered the Chef's Surprise was gone too. Had he quietly left the diner? Or was he in the restroom? Roy went to look at the restroom to see if anyone was there but there was no one there. 

Steve and Roy realized what had happened and ran out to see if they could catch up with the pair. It was too late. Roy steeled himself to face the inevitable tongue lashing from his boss as he called him to report what had happened while Steve talked to the staff to glean more information on the chef. Clearly, the new customer had made the rendezvous upon the release of the robbers. Whatever they planned to do, it was clear that the chef had delivered his final surprise.