Johanna recalled the way Thatcher had held the baby and then bent and kissed it before he left. Her heart ached for Kendall. He'd even taken her childbearing years away from her. He literally took almost everything from this woman and wouldn't be satisfied until she had nothing left.
She swallowed hard. “I suppose he changed his mind when he met Kristin.”
* * * *
“Ready to pay a visit to Bronson Enterprises?” Frankie asked.
Johanna bit her bottom lip. “We can't walk in and announce that we're private investigators. That will scare them off. And what if we run into Thatcher? He might recognize us from Kramer Insurance Company.”
“I know. Any ideas?” Frankie took a bite of her tuna salad sandwich.
“Not yet. I'll think of something.” She wiped her mouth on a napkin. “Maybe we should rent a car before we go to Bronson Enterprises. We could use it tonight, too. That way if Thatcher were to become suspicious that he is being tailed, it would throw him off, especially if he's already noticed both of our cars.”
“Yeah, I like that idea. He might not even suspect anything, but better to err on the side of caution.” She grabbed her water bottle and took a long drink from it. “I'll give Jillian over at Hudson Car Rental a call to set up the rental.” She stretched her legs out in front of her. “Now we need to come up with a believable excuse as to why we are at Bronson Enterprises.” She was silent for a few minutes and then snapped her fingers. “I've got it! We'll pretend we're journalists for some corporate magazine. Bronson was chosen not only because of their many charitable contributions and the foundations they've established, but because of the unique programs they've instituted for their employees to enhance the working environment.”
Johanna lifted a skeptical eyebrow. “Is that true?”
She shrugged and then chuckled. “Who knows? That's just off the top of my head. We'll come up with something that'll make them want us to do a piece on them. We'll explain to them that we want the slant to be from the employee's point of view. You know, like a big happy family working experience.”
“What if it's not a big happy family?”
She made a face. “It doesn't matter. We need to get inside. All I know is that we've got to find out what kind of man Thatcher Longman is.”
“Do you think anyone will really give us any dirt? They'll be on guard wanting only to put their best foot forward. No one will dare say anything negative for fear of repercussions. No one is going to risk their job to trash their employer. Besides, why would they? It's supposed to be an upbeat piece.” She sighed. “And who knows. Maybe it really is a wonderful place to work and maybe Thatcher is the perfect boss.”
“I don't buy it. No job is perfect.” She rubbed her temples. “Let me think. We'll charm the pants off them and put them at ease. We can trick them into telling us what we want to know if we word our questions very carefully. Hopefully, someone will spill information not only about Thatcher but about Becca Manning before they realize what they're doing. If they realize what they've done, we can tell them we'll keep it out of the article.”
Johanna laughed. “It sounds preposterous, but what do we have to lose? I love it! It's a good thing I grabbed a couple of outfits for you. Either will fit the part for a conservative looking journalist.” She looked Frankie up and down. “Even though after all these years, I still can't convince you how fantastic you look in a dress or skirt, one of the outfits is your black dress slacks and blazer. I hope you choose the skirt and blouse, though.”
Frankie exhaled loudly. “You know what I'll choose.” She opened one of her desk drawers and pulled out a pair of black-rimmed glasses with clear lenses. She put them on. “How do I look?”
“Very professional,” Johanna replied.
“Here's a pair for you, too,” she said reaching inside the drawer and retrieving a second pair. She handed them to Johanna. “I stopped at the discount store and picked them up while I was out getting the sandwiches earlier. I also stopped at the hair salon and asked Kathy if I could borrow a couple of wigs.” She pulled them out of the same desk drawer. “I thought blonde for you and jet black for me.”
“I love them!” Johanna squealed. “Let's get ready.”
* * * *
Frankie finished attaching her wig and then turned toward the back room. “Are you ready?” she called. “I locked the office up already.”
“I'm right here.” Johanna walked into the office dressed in a stylish navy blue dress with matching navy pumps. She'd tied her blonde wig back. She walked to the side of her desk and picked up a brief case.
Frankie whistled. “Wow! Maybe we can hold off for a little while. You look just as hot as a blonde.”
Johanna scowled good-naturedly. “Now you behave. We have work to do.”
“Okay, I'll try.” She smiled. “I'm glad Jillian had a rental car available.”
“Where Thatcher Longman is concerned, we need to take every precaution.” She looked Frankie up and down. “You look very nice. Your wig is perfect. I see you chose the slacks.” She scowled. “I suppose it's a good compromise keeping you professional looking and comfortable at the same time. At least you
