The Midnight Severancethe Air Inside The Private Dining Room Of Halstead House Carried The Heavy, Intoxicating Aroma Of Aged Bourbon, Expensive Cigar Smoke, And Absolute, Unchecked Authority. Outside, Downtown Chicago Was Locked In The Icy Grip Of A Midnight Blizzard, Snow Whipping Against The Thick Leaded-Glass Windows Like A Desperate Plea For Entry. But Inside, Insulated By Mahogany Walls And Velvet Drapery, The Winter Storm Felt Like A Distant, Irrelevant Detail.