5 Windy City Hunter (2 page)

Darby had the keys to the car, so I couldn’t start it for heat, and my feet were freezing. I took a big drink of my cappuccino before plopping it into the cup holder and unbuckling my seatbelt. I was going to have to wait in the store where it was warm. I didn’t want to think something had happened to him, but it was in the back of my mind. Why would he shop for a few groceries, put the bags in the car, and then disappear? There couldn’t possibly be that long of a line in the men’s room.

I stepped out of the car, and a blast of cold wind took my breath away. The wind was picking up, and the snow was coming down in a more sideways direction now. We needed to get back onto the interstate before nightfall. I threw my scarf around my nose and mouth and headed back into the store.

I looked around. There weren’t as many people here as when we first arrived. The deteriorating weather was making the day much darker than usual, and the outside parking lot lights came on. The feeling we had been here for hours was overwhelming, and fear was with me again. Something had happened to Darby.

I turned to the clerk behind the counter, and when her last customer walked away, I said, “A guy was in here and bought some groceries. Just a little taller than me, sandy-colored hair, and he was wearing a brown leather jacket. Did you see where he went?”

Her eyes lit up. “Really cute guy, right?” she asked.

I smiled and nodded my head.

“He left about twenty minutes ago. Right before you came out of the restroom. Is he your husband? Is everything ok?” she asked. Her look went from one of interest in Darby to worry.

“He’s not my husband, but he is my best friend, and I’m starting to get worried about him. Do you think he’s in the restroom? Could someone go look?” I asked.

She shook her head. “I’m the only one here right now, but he didn’t come back after he took his bags and walked out the door. I’m positive.”

I moved to the window and gazed out onto the gray day. It was 4:20. We should have been at the condo by now. An instrumental rendition of
Silent Night
was playing over the intercom, and I was overwhelmed with a feeling of loneliness and dread. The sting of tears came to the surface, and I knew it was time to call the police. I didn’t want to wait here by myself any longer.

My phone was, as usual, buried somewhere in my purse. After rummaging a few moments, I pulled it out and saw the icon for a message, but before I could check to see who it was from, I spotted Darby running across the street from a bakery. He had a box in one hand and a bag in the other. I stood for a moment with my mouth hanging open in disbelief.

Shoving the door open, I strode into the parking lot and yelled, “What is wrong with you? Why did you leave me here? I was scared to death! I thought something terrible happened to you, and I was ready to call the police.” I still wanted to cry, but the frightened feeling had been mostly replaced with anger.

“Susan, I’m sorry,” he said. “You were still in the restroom after I bought some groceries, and I thought you might be a while, so I ran over to the bakery to get some bear claws for Mrs. Fisher. I sent a text to you and told you to wait inside until I came back.”

It was hard to ever be really mad at Darby, but I wasn’t ready to forgive him yet. “Since when have you ever known me to check messages on my phone?” I asked with my voice still raised. “You should have waited for me.”

“I will next time. I promise,” he said. He flashed an endearing smile to melt the last of my frustration. “Come on, it’s freezing. Let’s get going.”

He set the baked goods on the back seat while I resettled myself into the passenger seat. He hopped in and started the car. It was going to be a few minutes before it was warm again.

“What’s that?” He asked, pointing to my cup.

I took a sip and said with disgust, “It was a hot cappuccino, but now it’s cold.”

“You shouldn’t be drinking anything anyway,” he said as he pulled out of the parking space.

“Darby, wait,” I said through gritted teeth.

“What? What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Pull back in,” I said with a sigh. “I have to pee.”

Back on the interstate, with the map once again spread across my lap, I asked, “Ok, now that we’re getting close, where do we get off?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “That’s why you have the map. Everything was programmed into the gps, but now that it’s not working, you have to navigate.”

“But what’s the address?” I asked. “What area? What street am I looking for?”

“All I know is East Chestnut. Find that, and we’ll drive up and down if we have to until we spot a condo with a yellow awning,” he said.

“What’s the name of the condo?” I asked. “Most condos have names, don’t they?”

“Not this one,” he said. “The name is the address. 44 East Chestnut, or 68, or 55, or 24. We’ll find it. You just find East Chestnut.”

But I couldn’t find it. It was too dark in the car, and I was having a hard time reading the small print on the map. “I need a magnifying glass,” I said.

He reached up, turned on the map light, and aimed it to shine on my lap. “Is that better?” he asked.

“Yep,” I said and started searching again.

“Susan, we just passed signs for the John Hancock Center,” he said. “The exit is coming up, and I’m going to get off there. My uncle mentioned the condo was only a couple of blocks from the Hancock Center. We can make our way there, and then ask for help if we have to. Ok?”

I nodded my head. I was usually a good navigator, but I truly didn’t have a clue where we were.

“Look at this,” he said with a laugh. “We’re exiting onto Ohio Street. That will be easy to remember when it’s time to get back on the interstate.”

He took the exit and turned right onto Ohio. We crossed the Chicago River, and several blocks later, he spotted another sign for the Center which directed us to make a left at North Michigan Avenue.

I was instantly reminded of the Ohio State and Michigan football rivalries. It made me smile, and thoughts of Mick and our friends at the racquetball club ran through my mind. It didn’t matter if it was a Saturday or a Sunday, we usually had a couple of hours of racquetball in before gathering in the upstairs pub to play cards while watching football on television. A new 55-inch flat screen had recently been installed, and every game seemed much more exciting now. I was looking forward to spending cold winter weekends in the cozy pub.

Darby was driving slowly because of the weather and the traffic. It was 5:30, and traffic was heavy. Street lights were on, businesses were lit for the evening, and a multitude of white Christmas lights adorned leafless trees on both sides of the street. Seasonal decorations were abundant in shop windows and on buildings. With the snow coming down, it was a Christmas wonderland.

“Darby, this is beautiful,” I squealed. I wanted to shop for toys, but I was only five and a half months along, and Christmas for the baby would have to wait until next year.

“I think this is what they call The Magnificent Mile,” he said with almost as much delight as I had expressed. “This is where we’ll want to shop. Everything you could possibly want for Christmas will be on this stretch of road. There’s Macy’s, and over here is Victoria’s Secret.”

I laughed and said, “Oh yeah, like I want to be shopping at Victoria’s Secret right now. I’ll save that for after I have the baby.”

“Ok,” he said with a smile. “I can see the Hancock Center. It’s just ahead on your side of the street.”

We continued to rubberneck, and a few moments later, I said excitedly, “East Chestnut! We just crossed East Chestnut!” He laughed at my enthusiasm, but most of it was because I was elated we were going to be out of the car soon and in a condo with a bathroom.

It took a few minutes to go around the block and turn onto East Chestnut. We passed Ditka’s Restaurant and a horse-drawn carriage. The horse and carriage were both white and seemed magical in the setting, but out of place, too. I couldn’t believe someone was taking a carriage ride in this weather. It would be beautiful if the snow was falling lightly, but this heavy, wet snow was already piling up on the cars parked along the street. I felt sorry for the horse.

It was only a minute before Darby spotted the yellow awning, and it wasn’t really yellow. It was a much deeper, richer color, like a dark goldenrod. From what I could tell, there wasn’t anything unusual or special about the building, but the awning to the street, and the matching shades above the open porch area, had a deep indigo swirl design giving the entranceway an elegant appearance.

There were no available parking spots on the street. Darby double-parked the car and set the flashers.

“What are you doing” I asked. “I’m sure this is illegal in the city.”

“Let’s get you and the luggage inside,” he said, “and then I’ll find out where I can park. Uncle Jack said he has a leased parking space somewhere around here that we can use. He left his car at the airport until he gets back.”

I nodded, unbuckled my seatbelt, and gathered my things. As soon as Darby opened his door, a doorman magically appeared. He ran around to my side of the car to open the door and offer an arm to me for assistance. He was dressed in an overcoat of the same goldenrod color, and he was wearing a typical doorman’s hat with the same swirl design as on the awning. He was a big man, on the jolly side even, and if he didn’t have such a clean-cut baby face, he would have made a good Santa with his twinkling eyes and rosy cheeks.

“Hi,” I said cheerfully as I grasped his arm. “Thank you so much.”

“At your service, ma’am,” he said with his own broad smile. “I’m Terry, and I’ll be helping you with all of your travel needs while you’re here. If I’m not mistaken, you would be Susan.”

“Yes,” I said with a laugh. “How did you know?”

“I’m the doorman,” he said with a sly smile. “I know everything.”

I found him to be completely delightful. We walked beneath the awning, through the doorway, and into a small lobby. To the right were two leather chairs with an end table and lamp between them. An oriental rug with a black, gold, and ivory pattern was in front of the chairs. The small waiting area presented an inviting space. A potted plant was next to one of the chairs, and two more were on the left side of the lobby in front of a small reception area. A dark brown wooden counter with a black marble top separated the receptionist’s area from the open lobby. Across from the elevator doors was a large, beautifully decorated, Christmas tree with blue lights and gold garland.

A man and woman were behind the counter. The man appeared to be moving things around on the desk, while the woman was buttoning her coat.

“Andy, Emma, this is Susan,” said Terry. “She’ll be staying in Jack Tapley’s condo this weekend. Susan, this is Andy and Emma, and one of them will always be here while you’re visiting. They’ll help you with anything you need for the condo. If packages arrive, you’ll pick them up here, and sometimes you’ll find messages here, too.

Before I could say hello, Darby came through the door with our suitcases. Terry rushed over to take them from him and set them off to the side.

“Darby, hello,” he said with a broad smile. “I’m your doorman, Terry, and this is Andy and Emma. If you need anything while you’re here, just ask. Between the three of us, we can help you with anything. Emma is leaving, but Andy will be here through the night.”

Greetings were exchanged, and Terry helped Darby bring in the remaining items from the car. I sat down in one of the chairs and waited while Terry explained to Darby where to park the car in the lot next door. Emma and Darby walked out of the building together.

Terry turned to me and said, “So, you’re in town for the big cooking competition.”

“Yes, we are,” I said with a smile spreading across my face. I was excited about the contest, and I couldn’t hide my enthusiasm if I tried. “One of Darby’s recipes was accepted, and I’m going to be his sous chef.”

“Ah, you’ll be chopping all the onions and carrots and things like that, right?” he asked.

I giggled. “No. He’s baking a cake. He doesn’t really need help, but each contestant is allowed to bring one helper, so I’m helping. I can at least measure ingredients and watch the time for him. We do a lot of cooking at home, and we work well together in the kitchen, so it should be fun.”

“Oh, I’m sure it will be,” he said. “My dear old mum, God rest her soul, she cooked in the Cook County Cook-Off for a number of years, and she brought home a few blue ribbons. I sure do miss her cooking.” He was smiling but shaking his head in sadness, too.

Darby came through the doorway again and stamped the snow from his feet while brushing snow from his hair and shoulders. “Phew, it’s really coming down now,” he said. “We’ll be snowed in by morning.”

“Nah. You’ll see,” Terry said. “These guys are pros at working with the snow here. You’ll be able to get around just fine.” He turned to the desk clerk. “Andy, do you have keys for these two?”

Andy produced an envelope and handed it to Darby. Inside were two keys to the condo and a note. Terry helped us pile our luggage and bags into the elevator and asked, “Will you be going out this evening?”

“No,” Darby said. “It was a long drive, and we’re going to stay in and relax. We’re supposed to drop in on Mrs. Fisher around 8:00 for tea. She’s across the hall from us, right?”