Claire hadn't lived in a world where she'd had to hide for five years without understanding that there were many ways to be followed. When she saw the owl in the sky behind the cab, she swore, anxiety growing and feeding her anger. They couldn't lead him right back to the hotel, it would just make his obsession with the occupants worse, to know all the 'witches' were under the same roof with Sarah and Peter.
She tapped the cabbie on the shoulder. "Can you drive under that awning and let us out?"
After a short debate about cab fares and driving like in a spy movie, the cabbie agreed and Claire and Toby exited the cab under cover of the awning and then started down the back way to the hotel. If he was following the cab, he would still follow it, or so was Claire's reasoning.
When she looked skyward, a few hundred yards from the back of the hotel, and saw the white owl, she realized it still wasn't enough.
"Toby, get inside right now," she said, pushing him toward the hotel before looking up again. When she saw the white owl swoop in, she moved the gun from her purse to her waistband to reach it easier.