Just southwest of Chicago, on Archer Avenue in Justice, Illinois, across the street from Resurrection Cemetery, is a bar called Chet’s Melody Lounge. Chet’s is a classic roadside tavern, with a pool table, a jukebox, a popcorn machine, and a large clientele of bikers. But Chet’s has an unusual tradition: every Sunday, the staff leaves a Bloody Mary at the end of the bar for a ghost. The ghost’s name is Resurrection Mary, and she has haunted this stretch of Archer since the 1930s, when she picked up young men dancing to the big bands at the Oh Henry Ballroom.
Spotting a pretty blond girl in a white dress, he said, as casually as he could manage, “Hey, it ain’t right to stand still for Count Basie. Why don’t we cut a rug on this one?”
“I have to go, and you can’t follow me,” she said.
“I knew Mary in high school,” Vince lied; it was the only plausible story for why he had been unaware of her death.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Vince said, retreating down the steps. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Was she a blond woman in a white dress?” the owner asked.
Book release party Sun 7/1, 4 PM, The Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia, 773-227-4433, hideoutchicago.com. F
Reading Tue 7/3, 7:30 PM, Hopleaf Bar, 5148 N. Clark, 773-334-9851, hopleafbar.com. F
Reading Thu 7/5, 6 PM, 57th Street Books, 1301 E. 57th, 773-684-1300, semcoop.com. F
