Vintage Rob

Chapter 18 - Giving Ayako the Slip

The telephone receiver slipped from Rob's hand. It swung on its cord and tapped against a chest of drawers like a hidden animal. Slumped in his chair, Makiko's voice and words replayed in his head. When the tapping phone penetrated his heavy funk, he put the receiver back on its cradle.

She had spoken in a steady quiet voice. "I don't want to see you." But was that with conviction? He wasn't sure.

The flickering light from the mute television clung to the wall like a moth, hypnotizing and exhausting him. Bled dry, his energy and enthusiasm soaked the carpet around him. He pushed the chair back to its spot by the window and turned off the fucking television.

Makiko's voice had lacked anger, which might mean she was undecided. Tomorrow, he would tell Fumiko, his ace detective, the school Makiko attended. Fumiko might learn more from that. In the meantime, calling Yukiko and Makiko would probably set him back. His next move, whatever it was, had to wait.

Sick of the dark, Rob turned on the light. Ayako worked late when important VIPs were in town, and she had said Brian Keating, the actor, was here. If she was still in the hotel, it might be time to paparazzi. Otherwise, women and drink were his default, and that would ruin his already slim or nonexistent chances with Makiko.

***

Ayako clipped an employee ID onto Rob's lapel. The badge identified him as an employee of the hotel chain, not the hotel, a nice touch since other employees would not recognize him.

He touched the ID. "Do you do this often?"

She put a finger to her lips. "You'll ride in the elevator with Brian Keating. It's fun. We sometimes sneak friends in for this."

Three of his pockets held small digital cameras, but he stayed mum about his paparazzi aspirations.

Brian Keating's entourage had a floor to themselves. Stopping an elevator there required the use of a special key. She handed Rob one. "You'll need this if we get separated, but that shouldn't happen. We'll go to his floor to escort him down." She put her hand on the door. "Stay with me, okay?"

"I just want a glimpse of the great man."

Truthfully, he did not expect to take photographs at all. At the same time, he was confident of finding a connection within one or two degrees of Brian Keating's inner circle if he got caught, a connection who could talk them out of pressing charges.

Inside the elevator, Rob examined the panel of buttons. There were slots for various keys. "Where do I put the key? Here?"

She pushed the button for the basement level. "No, we have to use an elevator in a restricted part of the hotel. Brian Keating only passes through a narrow public space on his way to the limousine."

"Lucky," Rob said. "Keeps the paupers at bay."

In the basement, a glass wall looked out on an indoor parking garage and drop off zone. They passed a security detail in front of a red door marked restricted. Ayako greeted her coworkers and Rob made small talk. If the security detail knew he was not really visiting from the head office in Chicago, they did not let on.

As they approached an elevator in the restricted area at the end of the hall, people behind them talked. Rob pivoted enough to see two men, one nondescript and forgettable, but the other one had a silver buzz cut and a mustard yellow suit with a rainbow sheen. It was the benefactor - the very same man who had dropped by Nobu's temple yesterday.

Whoever he was, he was receiving VIP treatment from the hotel.

The elevator door opened.

The man with the silver buzz cut motioned for Rob and Ayako to enter first. Muttering apologies and Japanese expressions of contrition, Ayako stepped in and slid to the buttons. The two men lined up beside Rob. After turning the key in its slot, Ayako pressed the button for Brian Keating's floor. Neither man requested a different destination.

They were meeting Brian Keating or had business with his people. At eleven o'clock at night...

Rob scrutinized their reflections in the elevator door. The nondescript man wore glasses and held a briefcase. His thin arms hung limply at his sides. Too weak-looking to be security, he had to be a translator or an English-speaking lawyer or accountant or something.

To get anywhere interesting, Rob needed to blend in with them. When the doors opened, they had to be conversing, so he turned to the man with the briefcase. "Did you study in the US?"

Before speaking, the man read Rob's badge. "Stanford."

The doors opened and the three men stepped into the hallway.

"Stanford's a great school," Rob said. "You must be very good at your job. I'm from Boston."

"I love Boston," the forgettable man said.

The hallway branched off in three directions. Several muscular men in suits loitered on stuffed chairs around a television. Two had goatees. All of them stopped watching the television to assess the newcomers.

The smallest security guard stood up. He wore a headphone. "Gentlemen, please wait. Mr. Young's assistant will come down to meet you."

Maybe Ayako's official itinerary was incorrect. Maybe Brian Keating was not going anywhere at all. Ayako lingered by the elevator door with her hands behind her back. "Mr. Fitzgerald," she said.

Fitzgerald was the name on Rob's badge. Rob turned to her. "I'll take it from here, Ayako. Thank you, you've been a great help."

Her eyes entreated, but his tag identified him as a vice president. She would not protest in front of them. A clean-cut young man in a suit burst down the hall. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Endo. Some of your people are already here. They came with the girls."

The lawyer or translator or whatever spoke in Japanese to his boss. Rob reached out for his hand. "I came from Chicago to see for myself that Mr. Keating is fully satisfied."

The assistant who just came down the hall looked at Rob's badge. "You know the General Manager?"

"Of course." Rob winked. Girls meant something, probably hired escorts.

The assistant bowed to Mr. Endo. "Thank you for coming, Mr. Endo."

A couple of men in the security detail exchanged glances with each other. One addressed Rob. "Hey man, can they send us some girls? I mean, women. We like them older." He laughed and bumped fists with one of his colleagues.

The assistant in the suit ignored the security detail and leaned toward Rob. "Mr. Young was wondering why Mr. Endo is here. It's unusual. Do you know anything about it?"

Rob smiled. "Guess we'll find out."

The assistant ushered them down the hall. Behind them, the security guards laughed about something. Rob clenched his teeth, but he couldn't calm the festering bog that irritated his stomach. If the guards preferred grown women, what did Keating prefer? And if there were children, what then?

Do you feel sorry for Ayako, the hotel employee?

Rob is trying to keep his mind off his failure to meet Makiko. Do you approve?

Thanks for reading! I appreciate it!