For instances where running a local webserver is not an option, you can allow Chrome access to file://
files via a browser switch. After some digging, I found this discussion, which mentions a browser switch in opening post. Run your Chrome instance with:
chrome.exe --allow-file-access-from-files
This may be acceptable for development environments, but little else. You certainly don't want this on all the time. This still appears to be an open issue (as of Jan 2011).
See also: Problems with jQuery getJSON using local files in Chrome