Chicago, IL December 24th 5:45 p.m. As the late December winds whistled through the city, a chill in the air embraced the pedestrians cluttering the streets as the temperature hovered slightly below freezing. Light snow began to fall as the skyline of the city cast towering shadows over the pavement. The holiday ritual of last-minute shoppers as they scurried from store to store searching for the one final perfect gift they surely should have purchased weeks before