You won't see this on CSI either

Have you ever had that sickening feeling as your pushing the door shut on your car that you left your keys inside? Well that feeling struck me last Friday.

I was rushing to a meeting (regional Child Death Review Team), not speeding, but otherwise rushing. The meeting is about an hour and half drive, but the traffic is often bad enough to make it much longer. Of course, I had to stop for coffee, so I stopped at Starbucks in Buffalo Grove. As I got out of the car and shut my door, it struck me that I had dropped the ignition key into a small receptacle in the center console. Well that was going to make me late to the meeting and it was an important meeting with several cases to discuss and the election of chair and vice-chair.

While I was considering my options I went ahead and bought my coffee (venti coffee black, for those of you keeping score). I did notice that my passenger window was open about and inch, so I was thinking that maybe I could use a coat hanger to get in. I asked if the coffee folks had a hanger, but they did not. There was a Jewel in the strip mall, so maybe I could buy some. But as luck would have it there was a cleaners there as well and they were nice enough to give me a hanger.

So for 10 minutes I tried to fish my key out of the console. Quite the sight to passers-by I am sure (my vehicle is prominently marked as a Coroner’s vehicle). Nearly giving up, I dialed 411 on my cell phone to get help through the non-emergency police phone number. Amazingly as the operator answered, because I was too busy to respond to the electronic voice, I hooked the key and carefully drew it out through the window. Quickly telling the operator I no longer needed assistance, I got in my car and proceeded on to Glen Ellyn. The traffic was in my favor, too, and I made it to the meeting in time.

In addition to participating in the case discussions, I was elected to Chair the team at the meeting. Luck was with me at least through that part of the day.

Just a bit to be filed in the “day in the life…” folder.