Frankie punched in the number, and when the receptionist answered, gave her name. A couple of minutes later Alec Oakman came on the line.
“Hello, Frankie. I was expecting your call,” Alec Oakman greeted her cheerfully. “I take it Kendall Longman was in to see you this morning to give you the retainer check.”
Her eyebrows drew together. “Good morning, Alec. So she is the real Kendall Bronson Longman.” She nodded to Johanna. “Johanna and I have quite a few questions as you probably assumed we would have. What I don't understand is why you didn't contact us directly instead of sending her over. You usually leave the clients out of our investigations,” Frankie replied as she tapped a pen absentmindedly against her notepad. “And of course we were surprised by the looks of her. What's up with that?”
“I know. I'll explain it to you, but not on the phone. This case is highly unusual, Frankie, as you've obviously concluded.”
“That’s putting it mildly.”
“I'm taking every precaution since Kendall's situation is very sensitive.”
“We informed Kendall that we'd begin our surveillance this evening. But, of course, we hadn't planned to do anything until we spoke with you first. I have to tell you, the mention of your name caught me off guard. As I've said, we have quite a few questions before we begin anything.”
“The sooner you find out what Thatcher Longman is up to the better. Let me check my schedule.” Frankie waited and listened to a rustling sound she assumed was Alec flipping through his day planner. He was an old-fashioned guy and would never totally relinquish control of his daily planner to modern technology. “I'm free for an hour this afternoon. Would three o'clock work for you and Johanna?”
“No problem. We'll see you then.” Frankie clicked off the phone and looked at Johanna.
“What did he say?” she asked peering over the top of her computer screen.
Her eyes narrowed. “Apparently Kendall is telling the truth. Alec is going to explain everything to us this afternoon.”
Johanna's eyes lit up. “Good. Did he mention why she was dressed the way she was?”
She shook her head. “No, he'll explain everything when we meet with him. All I know for certain is that she didn't want to be recognized. Or if what she told us is true, it's not a disguise. I don't know what to think at this point. I'm totally baffled.”
Johanna rubbed her hands together. “We're going to have quite an adventure with this case. In my opinion, Thatcher Longman is one of the most despicable men to ever walk the earth.” She exhaled loudly.
Frankie was all ears. “What did you find out? I hope something to give us a head start.”
“Sorry. Nothing yet. I'm just thinking about the lost look in Kendall's eyes.” She grunted. “But now that we know that Kendall was telling us the truth, I'll bet Longman preyed on her when she was at the lowest point in her life. She'd been devastated by her fiancée's death, followed by her father's, had a breakdown, and then Thatcher shows up out of the blue like her knight in shining armor to help her through her pain...and her fortune. I can just picture a creep like him wining and dining her, making up a story about his own social standing and wealth. After a whirlwind courtship he convinces her to marry him.” She paused as she waited for Frankie to process what she had said.
“There's only one problem.” Frankie propped her chin on a hand. “Why didn't he convince her not to have a pre-nup?”
“Simple,” Johanna stated as she leaned back in her chair. “To persuade her that he wasn't interested in her money. What better way? Then he could charm her, and after he gained her complete trust, get her to add clauses to the pre-nup. When he got everything he wanted, he could move in for the kill and blindside her.”
“Hmmm...then how did he gain access to her accounts and cut her completely out?”
“He probably convinced the courts that she can't control her vast accounts and received power of attorney over them in the guise of desiring to protect her vast holdings. With her prior hospitalization, the odds were already stacked against her. And the way she looked when we saw her, if that’s what's he's reduced her to, well, maybe he used that to prove that even her hygiene isn't up to par. What do you think a judge is going to assume about her mental state if he saw her the way we did?”
Frankie was thoughtful for a minute. “Makes sense. I'm sure he acted like a loving caring husband in front of the judge, only wanting what is best for his wife. It makes his case that her accusations about any infidelity on his part is unwarranted if she brings that up.” Her lips tightened. “Unless we can also prove that he's taking vast amounts of money out of her accounts. He'd have to justify each transaction.”
Johanna laughed. “Alec would have known and done something about it. That is not what we were hired for, Frankie. We're only trying to prove his infidelity.”
“I know, but it wouldn't hurt to snoop around a bit.”
“Who knows what we may learn. I agree that there's more to this than just a cheating husband. I can't wait until we meet with Alec. He has to be working some kind of angle.”
“But how is Longman getting away with it? Kendall's company surely has a team of financial advisors who would question any unusual withdrawals or transfers.”
“Possibly someone in the company is working with him,” Johanna replied. “There has to be a close confidant of Kendall's who can give us some insight. Someone who knows her well enough to see that her husband has been emotionally and mentally abusing her.”
Frankie peered at her thoughtfully. “Men like Thatcher subtly isolate their girlfriends and wives from their friends and family, convincing the victim no one cares about her but him. He
