"Sure thing, Agent Young," the driver said as he pulled the cab away from the curb. "We might have to make a stop first." The driver pointed a gun at her. "Sit back and enjoy the ride."
As with Gutierrez in the Suarez apartment, she didn't fear the gun. She could take it away any time she pleased with little effort. The driver must have sensed this too, because he soon lowered the weapon. "I've got two cars behind me plus a helicopter overhead watching the whole thing," he said.
She turned in her seat, finding the two nondescript cars following them right away. She couldn't see the helicopter, but didn't doubt it was up there somewhere keeping tabs of her. "What's all this about?" she asked.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, you'll have to ask at headquarters."
"A man is going to die by eight o'clock tonight. Are you going to let that happen?" she asked.
"That's not any of my business," the driver said. Samantha considered her alternatives. She could knock out the driver, take the wheel, evade the tails, hide the taxi somewhere to keep the driver from telling her destination, and then proceed to the Radisson to find Herschowitz. Or she could go to headquarters and see what they wanted. The first alternative would land her in prison for certain. As for the second, it depended on what they wanted from her.
"All right," she said. "Take me there."
She leaned back in her seat, watching the skyline of Chicago fill the windshield. The Sears Tower, she thought when she saw the black skyscraper that seemed to disappear into the clouds. She closed her eyes, seeing herself standing behind glass at the very top, his brown hand taking hold of hers-
"We're here," the driver said, pulling up in front of the Federal building. The driver dropped the gun into a pocket before opening her door. He left her in the care of the agents tailing her at the airport, who led her inside to the elevator.
"Can you tell me what this about?" she asked.
"Assistant Director Tanner will tell you, ma'am," the agent in the T-shirt said. They led her through a bustling office to a room smaller than a prison cell with only a metal table and a pair of plastic chairs. "He'll be in to see you shortly."
They left Samantha alone in the room. The table was bolted to the floor and the chairs so flimsy they couldn't do any sort of damage. The gray walls were smooth, but she knew there was a camera hidden somewhere, keeping an eye on her. She settled onto one of the hard chairs to wait.