https://chicago-by-night.pages.dev/categories/chapter-8--the-labyrinth/Recent content in Chapter 8 — The Labyrinth on Chicago ChroniclesHugoen-usMon, 06 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://chicago-by-night.pages.dev/posts/an-unexpected-meeting/Fri, 18 Jan 1991 16:35:00 +0000https://chicago-by-night.pages.dev/posts/an-unexpected-meeting/<p><em>Palmer House / Sherwin-<a href="https://chicago-by-night.pages.dev/npcs/williams/">Williams</a> Building / <a href="https://chicago-by-night.pages.dev/locations/the-cave/">The Cave</a> / North Side / <a href="https://chicago-by-night.pages.dev/locations/succubus-club/">Succubus Club</a> / South Pilsen</em></p> <p><em>Chicago, Illinois</em></p> <hr> <p>The Palmer House smelled like brass polish and old money and the quiet desperation of men who&rsquo;d come to Chicago to sell buildings nobody wanted to buy.</p> <p><a href="https://chicago-by-night.pages.dev/darius-cole/">Darius</a> found him at the bar. Third stool from the end. The convention lanyard was still around his neck — MIDWEST REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT FORUM — but the badge was turned backward, as though the man had already given up on being recognized. Craig Hessler. Mid-forties. The kind of suit that fit better when the market did.</p>