“More or less.”
“To where?”
“My house,” he said.
I turned to him. “I thought you said it was about Amy.”
“About your search for her, yes.”
“How?” I asked, a little bit wary, a little bit concerned, but mostly curious.
“Don’t get your hopes up, but there are some people she may have confided in.”
“Oh. Who?”
He turned to me long enough to grin. “Girls,” he said. “Quite a few girls.”
I saw some of those girls when he pulled into the driveway of a gorgeous mansion, house, manor. I wasn’t sure what to call it. I did, however, remember what year it had been built. “Eighteen fifty-six, right? And this is Old Irving Park?”
He glanced sideways at me before he killed the engine. “You did your homework on me.”
“I did. But I never imagined this.” The place was stunning. Huge and grand, yet somehow still comfortable, it sat on a lot that had to cover at least three acres, maybe more. It was painted an inviting yellow and had a wraparound porch and a lovely portico.
I also hadn’t imagined the girls. “Who are they?” I asked of the women who were lying out on the lawn sunbathing, sitting on the porch reading, and even working on a car that was on blocks near the back of the house.
“The residents,” he said.
“Come again?”
“Why don’t you come inside and I’ll explain it to you.”
I followed him into the stately place that managed to combine a modern flair while still keeping the feel of centuries past.
“Tyler!” A woman in a bathrobe stood on the massive staircase, her grin wide. She had a trim figure and hair that fell in ringlets. She wore no makeup, and looked one hell of a lot better than I did.
I considered hating her on sight, but decided to withhold judgment.
“Maisie, this is Sloane. She’s a new dancer at Destiny.”
Maisie’s brow furrowed and she looked sharply at Tyler. “I thought you said it was over.” Fear filled her voice.
“It is. It’s done. It’s over. And they aren’t going to hurt any of you again. Sloane came to Destiny through the traditional application process. And she’s not moving in here.”
“Oh.” Her tentative smile widened. “Oh, well, that’s great. You’re going to love it there, really.” She glanced back at Tyler. “I didn’t say anything wrong, did I?”
“No. Sloane knows everything,” he said, looking hard at me.
“Everything,” I agreed, wondering what the hell “everything” was.
“Maisie’s living here while she attends community college,” Tyler explained. “She’s hoping to apply for a four year program next year.”
“The Tyler Sharp scholarship program,” Maisie said with a grin. “Listen, I’m starved. I was just heading toward the kitchen.”
“Take these,” Tyler said, passing her the donut boxes. But before she went, he asked if she recalled Amy. She did, but didn’t know where she’d landed in Vegas. For that matter, none of the girls in the house—eighteen of them—had a clue.
“It was a long shot,” Tyler said. “The girls who live in the house are pretty tight. From what I’ve seen they don’t hang out as much with the other girls—like you and Amy—who come in through the front door.”
“Is that what I did?” I said wryly.