searched all through the internet and couldn’t find a damn thing about Leigh Carlow that would shed any light on what had happened to her. He gazed out at the squares of light that showed from Leigh's apartment.
Deke shed his jacket, sat down on the sofa, and eased his feet out of his boots. Ty turned to him, his face hard with decision. "If I can't get the car fixed tomorrow, I'm going to borrow Eve's and take you into the city. I want you to catch a plane back to L.A. and do some investigating for me."
Deke's stomach kicked in protest. He didn't want to go, not now.
"What's the big hurry?"
"I need some information."
"What's new?" Deke answered blandly. "You couldn’t find it on the internet?”
“If I did, would I be asking you to go?”
“Who do you want me to investigate?"
Ty's voice was cool. "Leigh Carlow."
Deke cocked an eyebrow and gave Ty a dryly quizzical look. "I thought you already did the groundwork on her."
“When I was in L.A, I concentrated on the relationship between her and her mother. Now I want to know about the men in her life. Was there one? If there was, who was he?”
From his comfortable position on the couch Deke gazed at Ty lazily. "Is this for the movie?”
Ty frowned, his dark brows pulling together. "No. She's out of the movie."
"Since when?"
"Since she refused to be interviewed."
"You've never let that stop you before."
Ty's mouth thinned. "There's a first time for everything."
"Looks like there is," Deke said softly. "Are you serious about her?"
Ty stared at him, raked a hand through his hair, pivoted to look out into the darkness. "No."
Deke said irritably, "You mean I'm flying across the country just to satisfy your curiosity?"
Ty whirled around, his face dark. "That's not what it is."
"Then why won’t you admit you're hooked?"
His face looked almost gray in the soft light. "Be reasonable, man. I've only known her two days."
"Sometimes it only takes a minute," Deke said implacably.
Ty turned to look out the window again, tension evident in the set of his shoulders. To the taut back, Deke said lazily, "She left Hollywood when she was fourteen to live in the Adirondacks with her stepfather. She went to college in Oswego and got a job teaching here her first year and has been here ever since. Shouldn't you be looking for a man here in New York State?"
Ty faced Deke and thrust his hand through his hair again. "I don't know. It just doesn't feel right. The answer has got to be out there. I keep grasping on the edges of something." He turned again to stare moodily out into the darkness. Deke waited. He knew better than to interrupt Ty's train of thought.
Ty stood silent for another long moment, then suddenly he whipped around and strode over to his sheaf of papers. "Wait a minute, wait a minute. Somewhere in my notes I've got something. Where is that?" His lean hands shuffled through the sheets. He read and discarded rapidly. "Ah." Triumphant, he held up a single sheet. "Here it is. Leigh was in L.A. the summer she was twenty. She went back to see her mother just before Claire died. She stayed on after Claire's death for six weeks, almost too long to register for college that fall. She had to petition for late registration. I remembered thinking that was out of character."
"Did she get back in school?"
"Yes. Her academic record was such that it was granted without question."
Deke rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Six weeks, eh? Did she stay in Mamma's mansion?"
"Yes, she did. There were things to clear up, of course, but not much. Her mother was deeply in debt, and the mansion had to be sold to pay off creditors. Leigh got nothing."
"Which made it more imperative than ever that she finish her education."
"Exactly." He shoved the papers back into their original place in the pile. “What I want to know is, why did she stay out west so long?"
"That's what I'm to find out, I take it."
"Yes. Find out who she saw, who she talked to. There must have been
Deke shed his jacket, sat down on the sofa, and eased his feet out of his boots. Ty turned to him, his face hard with decision. "If I can't get the car fixed tomorrow, I'm going to borrow Eve's and take you into the city. I want you to catch a plane back to L.A. and do some investigating for me."
Deke's stomach kicked in protest. He didn't want to go, not now.
"What's the big hurry?"
"I need some information."
"What's new?" Deke answered blandly. "You couldn’t find it on the internet?”
“If I did, would I be asking you to go?”
“Who do you want me to investigate?"
Ty's voice was cool. "Leigh Carlow."
Deke cocked an eyebrow and gave Ty a dryly quizzical look. "I thought you already did the groundwork on her."
“When I was in L.A, I concentrated on the relationship between her and her mother. Now I want to know about the men in her life. Was there one? If there was, who was he?”
From his comfortable position on the couch Deke gazed at Ty lazily. "Is this for the movie?”
Ty frowned, his dark brows pulling together. "No. She's out of the movie."
"Since when?"
"Since she refused to be interviewed."
"You've never let that stop you before."
Ty's mouth thinned. "There's a first time for everything."
"Looks like there is," Deke said softly. "Are you serious about her?"
Ty stared at him, raked a hand through his hair, pivoted to look out into the darkness. "No."
Deke said irritably, "You mean I'm flying across the country just to satisfy your curiosity?"
Ty whirled around, his face dark. "That's not what it is."
"Then why won’t you admit you're hooked?"
His face looked almost gray in the soft light. "Be reasonable, man. I've only known her two days."
"Sometimes it only takes a minute," Deke said implacably.
Ty turned to look out the window again, tension evident in the set of his shoulders. To the taut back, Deke said lazily, "She left Hollywood when she was fourteen to live in the Adirondacks with her stepfather. She went to college in Oswego and got a job teaching here her first year and has been here ever since. Shouldn't you be looking for a man here in New York State?"
Ty faced Deke and thrust his hand through his hair again. "I don't know. It just doesn't feel right. The answer has got to be out there. I keep grasping on the edges of something." He turned again to stare moodily out into the darkness. Deke waited. He knew better than to interrupt Ty's train of thought.
Ty stood silent for another long moment, then suddenly he whipped around and strode over to his sheaf of papers. "Wait a minute, wait a minute. Somewhere in my notes I've got something. Where is that?" His lean hands shuffled through the sheets. He read and discarded rapidly. "Ah." Triumphant, he held up a single sheet. "Here it is. Leigh was in L.A. the summer she was twenty. She went back to see her mother just before Claire died. She stayed on after Claire's death for six weeks, almost too long to register for college that fall. She had to petition for late registration. I remembered thinking that was out of character."
"Did she get back in school?"
"Yes. Her academic record was such that it was granted without question."
Deke rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Six weeks, eh? Did she stay in Mamma's mansion?"
"Yes, she did. There were things to clear up, of course, but not much. Her mother was deeply in debt, and the mansion had to be sold to pay off creditors. Leigh got nothing."
"Which made it more imperative than ever that she finish her education."
"Exactly." He shoved the papers back into their original place in the pile. “What I want to know is, why did she stay out west so long?"
"That's what I'm to find out, I take it."
"Yes. Find out who she saw, who she talked to. There must have been
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