Winds of Fire, стр. 43

Johanna chewed her bottom lip. “What the hell was that all about?”

* * * *

“Everything's cleared up and put away,” Frankie said. “I didn't know we were going to have the rest of the evening to ourselves.” She peered over Johanna's shoulder. “Find anything unusual in the pre-nup?”

“Nothing.” She sighed wearily. “Thanks for taking care of the rest of the dishes.” Her lips trembled slightly.

Frankie laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. “What's the matter, babe?”

Johanna swallowed hard. “I'm just hurt.”

“I am, too. George was definitely not himself. It seemed like the minute Trey and Will left, George, Kate, and Arlan's mood changed. I wish Trey and Will could have stayed longer.”

Johanna looked at her with tears glistening in her eyes. “Would it have mattered?” She drew a deep shuddering breath. “I'm trying to be optimistic. It just gives us more time today to work our case.”

“Do you have a plan?”

“What if we go to the hotel to talk to Kristin? I thought we could pretend we're working with a production company. Since she's into acting, that would be a good ploy.”

Frankie nodded. “What if she recognizes us from Kramer Insurance Company?”

“She has no clue why we were there. We can say we saw her local commercials and since she's so natural on screen, we thought she'd be perfect for a part in our film. We can work out the details later.”

“When do you want to try to meet with her?”

“Maybe tomorrow?” She cocked an eye at Frankie.

“On a Sunday?” Frankie asked skeptically.

“Hey, in the entertainment business I don't think anyone pays attention to the day of the week. They strike while the iron's hot.” She ran a hand through her hair. “I thought I'd call the hotel to see if we can get her room number.” She frowned. “If we hadn't already given Kramer a phony excuse we could have asked them for her contact information.”

“If your plan works we need to figure out a subtle way to get her to tell us what her connection to Kramer Insurance Company is without her becoming suspicious.” She took Johanna's hand. “Come on, honey. You need to get out of this office. It's a beautiful night. Let's take a bottle of wine out to the back patio. No more talk of work tonight. I just want to enjoy some time alone with you.”

Johanna smiled. “Okay. Let me close down in here and I'll meet you out back in a few minutes.”

Frankie kissed the top of her head then walked back to the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of wine and two glasses. She settled herself in a patio chair and then poured two glasses of wine. She looked up at the star-studded sky. Even though she'd told Johanna to clear her mind of everything work related, she couldn't do it herself. She was numb. She'd been blindsided and didn't even know why. She saw the accusation in Arlan’s and George's eyes even though they hadn't come right out and accused them of anything. But why would Johanna and she even be suspect? She knew the answer to her own question. Another fire at a location they'd previously been at. But then again, Thatcher and Kristin were also at all of the locations. Had the previous fires before she and Johanna were handed this case also been at locations Thatcher and Kristin had visited? In any event, news of the fire had shocked her. She wracked her brain trying to remember anything suspicious. She remembered the car she'd seen exiting the opposite end of the lot. Had it exited or gone around to the back? She hadn't watched it fully exit. She scratched her chin. Johanna hadn't gotten a clear picture of the license plate so they had no idea who the driver was. She was suddenly struck by the realization that George surely knew that they had been there at the strip mall where Eastens was located. He'd obviously been going over the surveillance tapes. But how would he have known it was them? They'd been in a rented car and had stayed parked in the shadows. She doubted that the cameras would have been able to see the occupants of the car as they exited.

“You're right. It is a beautiful night.”

Frankie looked up and smiled. She took Johanna's hand and pulled her down into a chair next to her. “And now it's even more beautiful because you're here with me. It doesn't get any better than this.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes sipping their wine and enjoying the night sounds of the small animals in the woods bordering their back yard.

Johanna set her wineglass down. “What do you really think is going on with George, Frankie?”

“I thought we weren't going to talk about any of that tonight.”

“I think we need to.”