Armbruster checked his watch and noted that he was on time. Entering the marble lobby, he made for the recently installed elevators, and told the operator inside that he wished to go to Mayor Carter Harrison’s office suite on the third floor. After the slow ride up, Armbruster stepped into the corridor and headed for the mayor’s office. In the reception room, he was met by a young man who left him to inform the mayor that Armbruster was present. Moments later, the young man returned to guide him through the empty secretarial office into the mayor’s own impressive sanctum. Mayor Harrison was already on his feet, hand outstretched. Armbruster impatiently shook it. ‘You wanted to see me,’ Armbruster said. ‘Yes, yes, please sit down.’ Armbruster sat on the edge of a chair across from the mayor’s desk, as Harrison settled into his own high-backed leather chair.
