“They seemed surprised to see me there. One of them rushed by me and grabbed the body. They spoke in a foreign language, Russian, maybe. I could tell they were arguing about what to do with me. I was so scared. And then one of them grabbed me by the arm and forced me to come with them to a vehicle they had waiting right outside the door.”
So the Russians had known that everyone, even the Secret Service, would be drawn toward the lobby and the source of the explosion.
“Where did they take you?”
“Somewhere with no windows. I have no idea where it was.”
“Were you kept in the same room with the body?”
She nodded. “I stayed as far away from it as I could get.”
“Did anyone speak to you in English?”
“No, they argued in the same foreign language.”
“Did you see any of their faces?”
“They kept them covered the whole time.”
“How long were you in that room?”
“I’d say an hour or two. I lost track of the time. Then someone new came in and said something that seemed to scare them. They grabbed the body, strapped it to one of those stretchers on wheels and gestured for me to come with them. We were loaded into the back of a truck with no windows, and the next thing I knew, they were opening the doors, pushing it out on the stretcher and then sending me out the door, too. It all happened so fast. They were gone before my feet hit the pavement.”
“Are you hurt at all?”
“Just my nerves. They were already rattled before this happened.”
“I’m so, so sorry you were caught up in something that had nothing to do with you.”
“So this wasn’t because I reported my mom and Louis?”
“Totally unrelated. The dead guy is a Russian, and they wanted him back, even though they’re the ones who dumped him in the street earlier. He was leading the effort to overthrow the Russian government.”
“I can’t believe I was taken by Russians.”
“Think of it this way… It’ll make a great story at parties someday.”
“Hopefully, my hands will quit shaking before then.”
“I’m so very sorry this happened today of all days.”
“My mother and Louis… Were they hurt in the bombing?”
“No, they’re okay.”
“I guess that’s good. Other people were hurt, though, right?”
“Four were killed, two others hurt. One of them was our pregnant deputy chief, who delivered her daughter six weeks early.”
“Are they…”
“They’re fine, thankfully.” Sam put her hand on top of Amara’s. “And so are you. What happened today was terrifying, but you’re safe here. We’ve positioned officers outside to make sure of that.”
“Oh. So you’re worried about them coming back?”
“Not at all, but we want you to feel safe, and we thought that would help until things calm down.”
“When will that be?”
