For several moments, he stood beside the cruiser, caught between two conflicting impulses. He could take her directly to the station and attempt to preserve the appearance of a lawful arrest. Or he could continue questioning her privately, hoping to discover what she knew before anyone else became involved.
Emily waited.
She knew that a person who was accustomed to controlling every interaction often became most dangerous when that control began to disappear.
Daniel finally slipped the phone into his pocket.
"Fine," he said. "We're going to the station."
"Good."
"But you are going to tell me everything you know."
"That depends on what you ask."
He grabbed her arm and turned her toward the vehicle.
"Move."
Emily walked beside him, matching his pace without resisting. Her hands were still cuffed behind her back, and her hair shifted over her shoulders with each step. From a distance, she looked like an ordinary young woman being escorted by an officer after an unpleasant encounter.
But she was no longer thinking only about Daniel.
She was thinking about the message he had received, the person who had ordered him to find her, and the possibility that the entire operation had been designed to test whether she was connected to the investigation.
If someone had identified her before the arrest, the network might already know that an inquiry was underway.
If someone had merely described a woman who matched her appearance, Daniel might have acted on incomplete information.
Either way, the encounter had exposed a dangerous weakness in the operation: the people responsible for the suspicious arrests were prepared to manufacture evidence before establishing who their target actually was.
Emily had to find out how far that willingness extended.
Daniel opened the rear door and motioned for her to sit down.
She lowered herself onto the seat, keeping her movements deliberate. He leaned in to check the handcuffs and tugged them tighter than necessary.
Emily winced as the metal pressed against her wrists.
"Too tight," she said.
"Then stop moving."
"I'm not moving."
He ignored her and shut the door.
The cruiser pulled out of the lot and returned to the main road. This time, Daniel followed the route toward the station, but he checked his mirrors far more frequently than before.
Emily watched the city pass outside the window.
She could see her reflection in the glass: blonde hair, black top, gold earrings, and a face that looked younger and more vulnerable than she felt. Anyone glancing into the vehicle would probably see an ordinary civilian caught in an unfortunate situation.
That appearance had been useful during the investigation.
It had also made her an easy target for someone who believed that a person's appearance determined how much power they possessed.
Emily had no intention of correcting that assumption until the moment was right.
The police station appeared several blocks ahead, a large brick building with a glass entrance and a row of marked vehicles parked along the curb. Daniel slowed as he approached the entrance, but instead of pulling into the main parking area, he turned toward a side entrance used by department personnel.
Emily noticed the change.
"Why aren't we using the front entrance?"
"Because I'm taking you to processing."
"Processing is through the public entrance."
"Not always."
She looked at the side door.
A security camera was mounted above it, and a small access panel sat beside the frame. Daniel entered a code, waited for the lock to release, and drove into the enclosed parking area beyond the gate.
The entrance closed behind them.
For a moment, Emily felt the atmosphere change again. The public sidewalk had been replaced by concrete walls, fluorescent lights, and the muffled sounds of radios inside the building.
The cruiser stopped in a marked space near a service corridor.
Daniel turned off the engine.
"Stay there."
Emily looked at him through the gap between the front seats.
"Am I being booked?"
"You're being questioned."
"Then why didn't you take me to the interview rooms?"
He stared at her.
"Do you ever stop asking questions?"
"Not when the answers keep changing."
Daniel opened his door and stepped outside. He walked around the cruiser and unlocked the rear door.
"Get out."
Emily moved carefully onto the concrete floor.
The garage smelled of fuel and cleaning chemicals. A uniformed officer crossed the far end of the corridor carrying a folder, glanced at Daniel, and continued walking. Another officer stood near a security desk, speaking into a radio.
Neither appeared to pay much attention to Emily.
Daniel took hold of her arm and guided her toward the side entrance.
"Keep your head down and keep moving."
Emily looked at him.
"Why?"
"Because I told you to."
"That isn't an explanation."
He tightened his grip.