Loud

Chapter 7 - Margot to the Rescue

A few minutes after Nobu left the bar, Rob exited the restroom and reached for his phone. Drinking alone was not one of his vices, and hanging out with Fumiko and Naoko could make things worse. So... what to do?

Someone had cleared the pint glasses from the table. A heavy man now occupied the booth.

For now, Rob chose a stool at the bar.

Friendly, business-like, married-with-a-toddler Margot was unavailable in the evening. He couldn't call her. According to Makiko, Brian Keating was a client at Cluster Management too. If Keating's people knew a long time ago that Rob had photographs, were they savvy enough to plan ahead? Was Rob just paranoid or could Margot be working for them?

***

The next morning, a few hours after sunrise, Rob lingered near the main entrance to Hiroo subway station, one stop from Roppongi. Having called Naoko and Fumiko last night, he nursed a headache with aspirin and water from a convenience store after a night of drinking and karaoke. Margot always passed Hiroo station to drop off her son at a nearby daycare. She returned to the station for her commute to work. Tokyo was huge, but neighborhoods like Hiroo were villages within the sprawl, and bumping into someone was doable. Makiko had an interest in Margot's line of work, so Rob did not want to alienate her, but he had to investigate her connection to Brian Keating, if any.

He tucked a newspaper under his arm and scanned the sidewalks. Girls in high school uniforms streamed out of the station and flowed by him without interrupting their conversations. Some used English, a reminder that an international school was in the neighborhood. Clear blue skies stretched between the razor-sharp edges of the buildings on opposite sides of the avenue. Across the street, an arc of green leaves in a distant park peeked over the human-built environment.

"Good morning, Mr. Pirone."

"Margot!" Rob embraced her. "Where's Zack?"

"Day care." She raised her eyebrows. "And guess what? I'm meeting your daughter for lunch today."

"Huh?"

"She emailed and mentioned what happened after dinner."

"You're going to discuss it?"

"Probably not."

"Should I... join you?"

"No. I hope she'll tag along when we go shopping for furniture tomorrow. I'll try to smooth things over, you idiot." She reached for Rob's neck and pretended to strangle him.

Left to himself, he probably would not be meeting Makiko for weeks or months. He picked Margot up and spun her around. "Thank you." He put her down, careful to plant her high heels securely. "For the record, I didn't sleep with those girls."

Margot straightened her blouse.

"I didn't, Margot."

Margot adjusted her skirt. She widened her eyes at him. "I hope not."

"So why did Makiko contact you?" he said.

"She's interested in my job. You're lucky she's ambitious."

"Thanks for working that. You're an angel."

"She's interested in you too, I think, but she won't admit it."

"You really think?"

"Yes." Margot frowned at Rob's wrinkled shirt and pants. "I also want her to do an interview with you."