Frank flew to Chicago Thursday afternoon, and Harold Blackman met him at the airport. Frank and the chauffeur talked about various topics, including the numerous changes in Chicago, throughout the drive to the hotel.
Harold stopped the limousine in front of the hotel, got out, and opened the door for Frank. Then he grabbed Frank’s luggage from the trunk.
“Mr. Williams, what time do you need to be at the company?”
“I’d like to be there by nine.”
“No problem. I’ll be here at eight.”
Frank thanked him, picked up his luggage, and walked through the doors of the hotel and to the front desk.
A tall, slender, and young dark-haired woman dressed in professional attire stood beside one of the monitors. “May I help you, sir?”
“Yes, I have a reservation for the night. My name is Williams. Frank Williams.”
The young woman punched a few keys. “Oh, yes, Mr. Williams. We have your suite ready. All you have to do is sign this card.” She handed the card to him. He signed it and handed it to her. Then she handed a plastic key to him. “Here’s the key. Is there anything else?”
“No, thank you.”
“Have a pleasant evening.”
“Thank you.” Frank reached for the handle of his luggage and walked to the elevators, where he found one of the doors opening. He waited for the few people to exit before he entered and punched the button for the floor. The elevator doors closed and he moved to the back, watching one floor light after another come on as the elevator moved higher. He thought about the meeting with Goldberg. He had crunched the numbers again Wednesday and had realized then that the asking price he had in mind was appropriate. In fact, the asking price was not too high even though it provided a substantial profit. I’m sure Goldberg has crunched the numbers, too, or he wouldn’t be interested in the company, he thought. Then he pictured Goldberg arguing about the price. Frank suddenly smiled. Well, he doesn’t know with whom he’s dealing.
The elevator slowed to a stop and the doors opened. Frank grabbed the handle of his luggage and exited. He walked in the direction of the suite, which was about fifty feet to the left.
Frank inserted the plastic key and opened the door, letting the door close behind him. He went to the bedroom and put the luggage on the rack. Then he removed his sports coat, tossing it on top of the nearest bed. He removed his coins, keys, and wallet from his pockets and put them on the table that was in between the two beds. He walked to the other bed and fell on top of it. He was tired, so he closed his eyes. He thought he would rest for a few minutes before he freshened up and went to the restaurant.
Frank woke up and glanced at his watch. It was after eight. He had been asleep about an hour-and-a-half. He went to the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. He washed his face and combed his hair. He tucked his shirt into his pants. He grabbed his wallet, his coins, and his keys. He put on his sports coat, grabbed the key to the suite, and looked around to make sure he had everything but his luggage, then he left, making sure the door to the suite was locked.