Winds of Fire, стр. 31

The brunette smiled brightly at them. “My supervisor is on board with it, but she's going to run it by Mr. Longman first. She's discussing it with him now.” The smile was still on the woman's lips as she put a hand by the side of her mouth conspiratorially and whispered, “I'd love to be interviewed if Mr. Longman gives the go ahead.”

“We'd be pleased to interview you,” Frankie replied.

Johanna kept her laughter tucked deep inside. This woman clearly had dreams of grandeur just because of a possible mention of her name in a prestigious corporate magazine. Johanna scrutinized the woman. She wasn't unattractive, but her features were blunt, leaning more toward masculinity than femininity. Her shoulders were broad and the short-cropped hairstyle did nothing to enhance her looks. In fact, it accentuated her longish narrow nose and wide forehead. Johanna thought the woman would be better served if she grew her hair out and wore bangs. Her attention was drawn to the second woman who now joined the brunette at the counter. The second woman was tall, slim, stylishly dressed, and attractive. She was in direct contrast to the brunette. Her long, light brown hair was tied back revealing high cheekbones and a long neck.

“Hello, I'm Jayne Carson.” She nodded toward the brunette. “Kylie has filled me in on the magazine article, and I in turn have consulted with Mr. Longman.” She paused. “Mr. Longman wanted to meet with the both of you first, but unfortunately is tied up in meetings all afternoon. But he's agreed to let you conduct the interviews under certain conditions.”

“And those conditions are?” Frankie asked.

“You'll sign an agreement stating that publication of your article will only be allowed once Mr. Longman has read and approved the article or makes changes to it.” She eyed them carefully.

“That's fine,” Frankie replied.

Jayne observed them for a long minute and then turned her attention to a clipboard she held in her hand, her long slender fingers of the other hand tapping the list. “Do you have an allotted amount of time to conduct each interview?”

Johanna was going to respond, but decided to let Frankie take the reins since she seemed to be doing such a good job. She concentrated on Jayne's perfectly manicured fingernails. They were painted a unique shade of pink she'd never seen before. She hadn't made up her mind whether she liked the shade or not.

“Each interview should take between fifteen to twenty minutes. We can conduct them during breaks and lunch hours,” Frankie suggested, “if you're worried about any disruptions.”

The woman was thoughtful for a minute. “That will work.” She placed a slender finger to her temple. “We'll have an agreement drawn up and ready for your signatures before the end of the day.” She paused. “How do you think your piece will differ from the numerous articles written about the family and business over the years?”

Frankie perked up. “No one else has ever done an in depth article from the employees' point of view. We want to grab the readers and make them envious of the employees who are fortunate to work for such a powerful man who treats them as though they are part of a big happy family.” She raised an arm and swept it toward the workers at the long counter. “Everyone appears so happy and pleased to be at work. That's something rarely seen today.”

Jayne's lips curved up into a wide smile. “I'll be anxiously waiting to read the piece myself. Now, if you'll wait here for a few minutes, I'll see where we can set you two up.” She abruptly turned on her heel and made her way down a hallway.

After she was safely out of earshot, Johanna whirled on Frankie. “What are you doing?” she whispered. “How is any of this going to help us? I was on board with this, but now I think we're just wasting our time.” She tried to control her emotions. “Do you even have a plan, Frankie? Why are we doing this when we should be getting the dirt on Becca Manning?”

Frankie leaned close to her ear. “I do have a plan. Trust me with this.” She smiled. “Don't worry. We'll get the dirt on Thatcher and Becca. I think those two are entwined in something and it's up to us to find out what that is.”

Moments later, Jayne moved towards them motioning with an extended arm for them to follow her. She led them down the same hall she'd just returned from, stopped in front of a door, and ushered them inside. As they entered, Johanna was instantly struck with the sharp contrast to the reception area. The enormous room was beautifully decorated with expensive art pieces lining the walls and dark plush carpeting. At one end of the room, several comfortable looking chairs, upholstered in a rich fabric a shade lighter than the carpeting, surrounded a large antique desk. At the other side of the room, two long, beautifully designed worktables were at opposite ends of the space with more of the same upholstered chairs. Jayne led them to the area of the room with the worktables.

“Will this suffice?” she asked looking expectantly at them.

“It's a beautiful room,” Johanna replied. “This area is perfect.”

“The room is used for departmental staff meetings,” Jayne said. “If you want coffee or a snack, there is a small kitchenette behind the wall on the right. Feel free to help yourselves.”

“Thank you.” Frankie set her large shoulder bag on one of the tables. “We'll get set up then.”

“Good. I'll be back with your first two interviewees.”

After the door closed behind her, Johanna walked to the other table and set her purse and bag on top then rushed over to where Frankie stood. “We don't have a plan, Frankie. And what do we put for an address and phone number on the agreement?”

Frankie patted Johanna's arm. “Stop worrying. We'll make up an address and phone number later. Just pretend we're actresses playing