Winds of Fire

by Kira Chase

  “Maybe.” Frankie's eyes narrowed. “What do you make of that baby? Do you think it's his?”

  “It looks like it. The envelope he handed her could have been for child support. I suppose if he pays her well enough she'll keep her mouth shut about the baby.” She exhaled loudly. “Should we tell Alec?”

  “We should, but we have no proof he's the father. Let's just keep it to ourselves for a couple of days and see what happens.” She frowned. “If it's not his baby, it could blow up in our faces and make us look like a couple of bumbling idiots for jumping to conclusions. We have a reputation to maintain. In any event, we still have to consider the fact that the woman could be the daughter of a business associate and wanted to show him her child.”

  “You don't really believe that, do you?” Johanna asked. “I mean bringing the baby out the back door?” She rolled her eyes.

  Frankie grunted. “No, I don't believe it. I think the baby is his, but we don't have concrete proof.”

  “I was hoping you'd say that. I'll leave it out of Kendall's report, too, until we run it by Alec.”

  Frankie cleared her throat. “I still can't wait to see who the woman in the car that was following him is. Do you think he's been having an affair with her and she found out about the blonde?”

  “It's the only logical conclusion we have right now.”

  Frankie patted Johanna's knee. “Let's go home. It's time to play,” she said with a wicked grin.

  “One track mind.” Johanna grabbed her hand. “And I wouldn't have it any other way.”

  Chapter 6

  Frankie sat sipping a mug of coffee while Johanna grabbed herself a cup.

  “Do you want some eggs, Frankie? I'll fix them,” Johanna offered.

  “No, thanks, babe. Just toast this morning.” She smiled.

  Johanna seated herself at the breakfast nook across from Frankie. “You tossed and turned most of the night, honey.”

  “I hope I didn't keep you awake.” She reached over the table and patted Johanna's hand.

  “No. I know when your restless your mind is going a hundred miles an hour.” She picked up her coffee cup, took a sip and set it back down. “Any ideas on how to proceed?”

  “You know me better than I know myself,” Frankie said wryly. “I can't figure out what Thatcher Longman is up to. We have nothing so far that makes any sense or that we can use against him.” Her eyebrows knitted together. “He's slick. I'll give him that. He's covering his tracks.”

  Johanna propped an elbow on the table and stared thoughtfully at her. “We do know he had a confrontation with a woman at the parking garage. I got some decent pictures and the license number of the car pursuing Thatcher last night. I did an online search while you were showering and got a hit on the license plate. Becca Manning, an employee at Bronson Enterprises. I'm planning to run an in-depth background check on her later, but before I do, I want to see what Kendall Longman can tell us about her.”

  “Something must have happened to cause her to confront her employer. Maybe he was planning to terminate her and she flipped.”

  Johanna frowned. “Maybe, but I doubt she'd confront her boss as he was exiting the parking garage unless they had or still have more than an employee-employer relationship. And why would she follow him? That makes no sense.”

  “You're right.” She yawned. “I've got to have more caffeine.” She stood and walked across the kitchen to where the coffee maker sat on a counter. “Maybe he's doing them both. Becca Manning found out and it pissed her off.” She playfully cocked an eyebrow. “He must be pretty hot stuff.” She poured some coffee into her mug.

  Johanna smirked. “Or he thinks he is.”

  “I can't stand pompous bastards like him,” Frankie retorted. “Is there anything juicy on Becca Manning?”

  Johanna shook her head. “No, not even a speeding ticket. I only ran a light search, but it doesn't look like she's involved with any type of social networking either. The little I could pull up listed her as an employee of Bronson Enterprises for the past twenty years, forty-five years old, single, and she owns a condo about twenty minutes from Bronson Enterprises.”

  Frankie cocked an eye. “That's a start. I think we should work the angle that she's Thatcher Longman's jilted mistress. Now all we need to do is find out who the hell the blonde with the baby is. How about the pictures you took? Did they come out clear?”

  “They came out perfect. The blonde is a beautiful young woman...maybe twenty-five. I wish I could have gotten one of the baby's face, but no luck.”

  “So, if Thatcher was having a long term affair with this Becca Manning and then dumped her for a much younger woman, it makes sense that Becca would go off the deep end.” Frankie pulled on her chin. “We should pay a visit to the insurance office and snoop around to see what we can find out about the blonde. What's on our schedule today?”

  Johanna ran a hand through her hair. “It's pretty light. We've got a few summonses to deliver. George will call when they're ready. And we've got to give Kendall her report when she calls.” She ran a fingertip around the edge of her coffee cup. “Maybe Kendall can give us some insight about Becca Manning. She has to be familiar with the woman if she's been an employee for all these years.” Johanna's brow puckered. “Today should prove to be very interesting.”

  Frankie brought her second mug of coffee back to the table. “We have no idea what time Kendall will call, but I hope it's early. I'm itching to get over to the insurance office.”

  “I wouldn't be surprised if Kendall calls the minute we get to the office. She's anxious to get the goods on Thatcher.” She sighed. “I think we should wait until later this evening to go to the insurance office.”

  “I'm sure you have a good reason for wanting to wait, so I'll just agree.” Frankie stirred some cream and sugar into her coffee. She looked across the table at Johanna and smiled. “Another case that's not as simple as we originally thought.”

  Johanna grinned. “Puts me right back where I want to be. And I'm happy that I came back to work in time for this case.” She looked down at her clothes. She was wearing a pair of tan slacks and a light green long-sleeved blouse. A pair of black flats adorned her feet. “I'm going to grab a skirt and blouse and a pair of heels for when we go to Bronson Enterprises and the insurance company.” She looked at Frankie who was dressed in jeans, a red sweater, and boots. “I'll grab a change of clothes for you, too.”

  Frankie grimaced. “If I have to.”

  “You do,” Johanna said with a laugh as she reached across the table and squeezed Frankie's hand. “It won't kill you.”

  “It might.”

  * * * *

  Frankie stared out of the office window. “It looks like it's setting up to be a very nice day.” She stretched. “Makes me wish I could get out there and enjoy some of that sunshine.”

  Johanna smiled wistfully. “I know, but work comes first.”

  Frankie scowled playfully at her as she walked back to her desk and sat down. “Most of these types of cases usually wrap up within a couple of days. We catch the suspect in a compromising situation, hand the evidence to the client and the case is closed.”

  “I doubt this one will end that smoothly,” she replied skeptically. “Do you think it will?”

  The phone buzzed before Frankie could reply. She lifted an eyebrow as she glanced at Johanna. “Let's hope this is Kendall Longman.” She picked up the receiver. “Barker and Obrien—”

  “Hello. Do you have anything to report?” Kendall asked breathlessly.

  “As a matter of fact, we do,” Frankie answered. “I'm putting you on speaker so that Johanna and I can both listen and talk to you. Is that okay?”

  Kendall paused. “If anyone walks into the office please immediately click off,” she said anxiously.

  “Of course. Everything between us is strictly confidential.” Frankie pressed speaker as she glanced at Johanna. “Is everything all right, Kendall? I can't help but notice that you sound winded.�
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  “I'm outside walking on the grounds so our conversation can't be overheard.” Her voice dropped to a low level. “I don't even know whom in my employ I can trust anymore. Thatcher has used his charm to wrap most of them around his little finger,” she said bitterly. “I'm using a burner phone that Alec gave me to be on the safe side. If you ever need to reach me you can contact Alec day or night.” She cleared her throat. “You're obviously aware that Thatcher returned home earlier than normal last night.”

  “Yes, we are,” Johanna said. “We do have some information for you and I'll also be writing up a daily report for you, which will be given to Alec.”

  “Did you find anything that will prove he's been unfaithful?” she asked.

  “Not yet, but as he was exiting the parking garage of the office complex, he had a brief confrontation with a woman we later learned is Becca Manning. Anything you can tell us about her might be helpful.”

  Kendall laughed softly. “She's an odd one. She's been at the company for as long as I can remember. It has to be over twenty years. According to some, she's a financial genius. All I know is that she's the head financial advisor and handles all of the investment accounts. We've never had a problem with her work as far as I know, but then I haven't had many encounters with her. On the few occasions I've been in her company, I got the impression that she's very private and mostly keeps to herself. She barely says two words to anyone. She's never attended the annual Christmas parties or any of the other social events Bronson sponsors for the employees. To be honest, I can't say that I know her at all.”

  Johanna took notes as Kendall talked. “She's never said anything about her personal life?”

  “No. Like I said, she tends to keep her private life separate from the office.”

  “Do you know if she's friendly with anyone at the office?”

  “I doubt it. Like I said, she's not very personable. She lives and breathes finances.” She paused. “I can't understand why she would have a confrontation with Thatcher, especially in the parking garage.” She paused again. “I'll call again tomorrow morning then. Hopefully you'll have something more for me. Remember—call Alec day or night if you need to reach me.”

  “Will do.” Frankie clicked off and then leaned back in her chair with her hands behind her head. “I feel sorry for her. I wish we had something to give her.”

  “What a tragic life she's had. Her money certainly hasn't bought her much happiness,” Johanna said.

  “Well, let's make sure that Thatcher doesn't end up with any of it.”

  Johanna frowned. “If Becca Manning is the head of the finance department, it stands to reason that everything goes through her. She's responsible for the bottom line. Kendall said she handles all of the investment accounts.” She tapped a pen on the edge of her desk. “I think that she and Thatcher are working some kind of scam together.”

  Frankie listened intently. “Setting up phony accounts. Who would know? Name a phony corporation and set it up offshore.” Frankie's lips drew into a taut line. “Makes sense. If they were having an affair and then Thatcher got involved with the blonde, Becca may be trying to blackmail him.” She peered at Johanna. “Unless you have another theory.”

  “No. What you said is the only logical conclusion I come to. We need to find out everything there is to know about that blonde.”

  Frankie sighed. “Agreed. And Becca Manning. Everyone has a past and I want to know what's in Becca's.”

  Johanna placed her fingertips on the side of her head. “Don't forget there's a baby, too.”

  Frankie nodded. “Possibly Becca planned for a happily ever after with Thatcher after he got control of everything Kendall owns, but he got the blonde pregnant and now Becca wants revenge. If she's been having an affair with Thatcher for God knows how long, of course she'd do everything to keep her personal life private.”

  “I still think that's just the tip of the iceberg. There's got to be more to this. There's a big piece to this puzzle that's missing.” Johanna's eyes lit up. “First, after we deliver the summonses for George, we need to go to Kramer Insurance Company and learn the identity of the blonde. She's the key.”

  “I thought you wanted to wait until this evening.”

  “I've changed my mind.”

  Frankie looked at her, bewildered. “I've been thinking about this. Just hear me out. I think we should continue to tail Thatcher to see if he goes to the insurance company again. If he does, then we'll go in. Our assumptions could turn out to be wrong. It could have been a one-time thing picking the blonde up there. Let's hold off for a little while before going to Bronson Enterprises too. Maybe we won't even have to make an appearance there if we can nail him first.”

  Johanna was thoughtful for a moment. “I suppose you're right. We keep going back and forth on this and it isn't getting us anywhere.” She sighed. “You make sense. And Thatcher could have a reasonable explanation for meeting the woman, waiting around to hold the baby, and then pass the woman an envelope.” She rolled her eyes. “Come on, Frankie.”

  “Johanna, we're on the same page, but until we have tangible proof, Thatcher will lie his way out of everything. We have nothing right now. He could be paying the blonde to keep her mouth shut. If we try to bust him now, he'll make fools out of us. And it won't take him long to figure out Kendall hired us. The whole thing could backfire and God knows what he might do to her.” Her jaw was set firmly. “We don't make careless mistakes.”

  She tossed her head. “I didn't think of that. You're right. We'll see where Thatcher goes tonight. If he goes to Kramer Insurance Company again and picks up the blonde, then that's all we need. Then we can snoop around to see what dirt we can dig up on the blonde and Becca Manning. Sound good?”

  Frankie stood. “Yes. Now, I'm going to put on a big pot of coffee.”

  “Haven't you had enough caffeine this morning?”

  “Never can have enough.”

  Johanna smiled. “I thought George would have called by now. I think I'll run over there and pick up the summonses myself. He probably got sidetracked with everything else going on.”

  “I'll go with you,” Frankie offered. “I can use some fresh air.”

  “What about your coffee?”

  “I need to cut down.”

  Johanna laughed. “Come on.”

  * * * *

  “Where's George?” Frankie asked.

  “In a meeting,” Kate replied distractedly. “And Arlan's out delivering a few summonses.”

  Frankie's eyebrows knitted together. “I thought George wanted us to deliver them?”

  She shrugged. “He never mentioned it to me.” She lowered her voice. “He probably forgot he asked you. It's been a madhouse around here with the fires.”

  “Any leads?” Frankie asked.

  Kate's eyes narrowed. “You know I can't share that information with you, Frankie.”

  “Since when?” Frankie persisted.

  “Frankie, you know as well as I do that unless you and Johanna are working a case with us, everything else is off limits to you.” She picked up a stack of folders. “Sorry to cut this short, but I'm up to my ears in paperwork.” She glanced at Johanna. “You taking it slow, I hope?”

  “As much as I can.”

  “Good.” She nodded. “I'll catch you two later.”

  “George must have a lot on his mind to forget he'd asked us to deliver some summonses. I'm surprised, though, that he sent Arlan to deliver them. I thought Arlan would be working with him on the fire investigation,” Johanna stated as they walked to the car.

  “So Kate says.”

  “What do you mean?” Johanna stopped and touched Frankie's arm.

  Frankie's eyes clouded. “Didn't you notice that Kate couldn't wait to get rid of us?”

  She shrugged. “No. She's busy. She has a lot on her mind, too. Especially with her upcoming wedding and her whole family coming for it.”

  “If you say so.”

  Chapter 7

&
nbsp; Frankie scanned the entrance to Kramer Insurance Company. Thatcher Longman had once again driven there after leaving his office. This time he hadn't waited in his car but had parked his sports car and entered the business. She patted Johanna's knee. “We know now it's not a one-time thing. We'll wait a few more minutes then go in.”

  “I think we should go in now since he's been in there for fifteen minutes,” Johanna replied.

  Frankie stretched her cramped muscles. “I'm on board with that. What should we say?”

  Johanna bit her lip deep in thought. “Well, we could pretend we're in the process of opening a business and were referred to Kramer Insurance Company because of their evening hours,” she suggested. “Or we can play it by ear.”

  “I like the referral bit.” Frankie snapped her fingers. “We'll say we wanted the hands on, personal touch of a local company as opposed to purchasing a policy online, but unfortunately, most insurance offices close before we can get there. Since Kramer's has evening hours, we decided to stop in tonight to see if they can offer us everything we need.” She shrugged. “Or words to that effect.”

  Johanna's eyes narrowed. “Most people can get a few hours off during the day to take care of their business.”

  “Hey, I'm tired and hungry. That's all I got,” Frankie said holding her arms out with her hands facing palms up. “Besides, I thought we were going to wing it.”

  “You're right. I just don't want to blow our chance.” Johanna screwed up her face. “We have to make ourselves convincing.” She peered at Frankie. “To satiate your hunger, we'll pick up some take out on the way home. And about your being tired, not tonight, honey. I've got something else in mind. I want what I was promised last night, but you were too tired to deliver.”

  “And here I was worried that you might be over doing it.” She puckered up her face. “I can't believe that I fell asleep before you even got out of the shower.”