Automatically Leland asked her to get all the rent receipts for that period, thinking that Leikman might have met and befriended someone who had since moved out. While Schoenstein made that list, Dan Curran brought in a young girl wearing a housecoat and slippers. Her dark hair was up in curlers. Curran introduced her as Carol Linjak.

“What’s this about Teddy?”

“Soon enough, Miss Linjak. We’d like you to help us with a few things first—”

“At this hour? You people go around waking people up just to casually ask questions? I insist on knowing why you’re doing this.”

“Your friend Teddy was murdered,” Leland said.

“I don’t believe you.”

“Take our word for it. You may be able to help us find his murderer if you cooperate.”

She stared a moment, deciding. “All right,” she said brusquely. “What do you want to know?”

“When was the last time you saw him?”

“Tuesday evening in the hall. I was coming home from a date and Teddy came out of his apartment. We bumped into each other. It was about eleven o’clock.”

“Can you tell us how you’re sure of this?”

“My date was with me. I went out with Teddy, too. I had to introduce them, and it was difficult—strained. For me, anyway. Do you want my date’s name?”

“Yes, I think so.”

She gave his name and address. “We’re friends. Teddy and I were friends, too. I knew he was gay. He never said it, but I think he thought I knew. Anyway, he didn’t care. At least, he didn’t try to prove he wasn’t. He would come upstairs and ask if I wanted to go to a dance or something and if I said yes we would go. He had to make an appearance at his job and he used me for that. We could talk about movies and books and so forth. Some of the men I met at these affairs asked me for my telephone number but I said no so that he wouldn’t be, um, you know. I can’t think of the word.”

“Cuckolded. It doesn’t strictly apply. Where did he work?”

“Western Union. In the central office. He was a teletype operator.”

“What about his designing?”

“That was something he talked about. He said he was saving his money to go to a fashion school, but he wasn’t saving quickly. You saw the way his apartment is furnished.”

“What about his friends? Did you meet any of them?”

“No.”

“Did he ever say or do anything to indicate to you how he made his other contacts?”

She regarded him. “That was well put. No.”

“And all the time you knew him, he lived alone?”

“No. For the past couple of months or so, he had a roommate, companion, boyfriend, whatever you want to call him. I saw him once and heard him another time. A short, stocky fellow. Very muscular.”

“What color hair?”