“A lot of these people have something to hide, that’s certain,” Leland said. “I don’t think they’re going to start running. We have a break with the time. It’s three o’clock now and the newspapers won’t be on the streets until six. We’ll take the people in this area first, men and women, then we’ll work out, men first, then women. No one leaves the city. Pull in anyone who gives us trouble. Our first call will be to the Wokoma Lake authorities to determine who lives at the home address. We want Susan Starrett to stay available for interrogation, if necessary. The sex part of this is not going to be pleasant for the women who knew him. Susan Starrett will be getting an ugly surprise, I think, and so will some of the others. That’s not our problem and we’d better get it out of our minds.”

“That’s right,” Curran said. “We have to stay sharp. What do you think?”

“Nothing yet, but I want to see that roommate.”

“That’s about the way I shape it up,” Curran said.

Wedged between the mattress and the counterpane of the bed they found a sticky, crushed tube of ointment. Lifting it with a set of tweezers, Curran dropped it into one of the specimen envelopes.

The rest of the room provided little more. In the closet were books pertaining to Leikman’s job, and in the dresser were scrapbooks and sketchbooks relating to his interest, fashions. Leikman had been skillful with pen and ink. A steel box that Curran pried open with Leland’s penknife produced grammar and high school diplomas, copies of income tax returns, and a birth certificate. Leland and Curran finished with the room before Schoenstein, who had marshaled two operators, had completed securing the addresses for the names in Leikman’s little book. Schoenstein had the names and addresses on index cards spread across the top of the coffee table, and Leland looked them over. He had a prescience of weariness and distaste. One by one he gathered the cards, following the plan he had described to Curran. Schoenstein spelled still another name into the telephone. He was up to the R’s.

Chapter Eight

CHAPTER EIGHT