His posture remained straight. His breathing stayed even. Every movement communicated calm, dignified compliance. The rear door of the SUV opened, and Stewart ducked his head and slid into the back seat.
The door closed with a heavy thunk. Through the tinted window, he could see the bystander in the blue jacket still filming, her phone held high and steady. The SUV pulled away from the plaza, merged into southbound traffic on Route 59, and accelerated toward the Eisenhower Expressway. In the front seat, Swanson drove in silence while Reed stared out the passenger window, jaw working, saying nothing.
Stewart sat in the back, handcuffed behind him, and counted the constitutional violations accumulating with each passing mile: unlawful stop, arrest without probable cause, detention based on racial profiling, retaliation against a judicial officer. He cataloged each one with the methodical precision that had defined his entire career. The city skyline appeared in the distance, glass towers catching the afternoon light.
The video uploaded to social media 17 minutes after the arrest. By the time the SUV reached the Homeland Security Investigations office in Chicago’s Loop, the footage had been shared 4,000 times.
The Homeland Security Investigations office occupied the eighth floor of a federal building in Chicago’s Loop, sterile and institutional in the way all government facilities tend to be. Fluorescent lights hummed overhead, vinyl-tile floors were polished to a dull shine, and motivational posters about vigilance and duty hung in cheap frames along beige walls. The SUV descended into the underground parking garage at 3:30 in the afternoon.
Swanson killed the engine. Reed opened the rear passenger door without meeting Stewart’s eyes. Stewart stepped out onto the concrete, hands still cuffed behind his back, and allowed himself to be guided toward the elevator bank. No words passed between the three men during the ride to the eighth floor.
The elevator chimed at each passing level. Swanson stared at the illuminated numbers above the door. Reed examined his boots. The processing area resembled every other booking room Stewart had seen during his years presiding over criminal cases.