"Churchy la fem," Fred said, loud enough for Dean to hear but below Mrs. Glass's audio perception.
Dean ignored him and turned to Mrs. Glass. "How did you find out about the roommate?"
"The mailbox. I still have a key to it. I was going to give him a note about the new lock. I saw the two or three letters in there."
"What kind of letters were they?" asked Dean, a little too loudly.
"Goodness, I wouldn't know. I'm not snoopy!"
"Tell me about the downstairs tenant in the building, Aaron Levy," Fred asked.
"Mr. Levy was one of my best tenants. Always on time. He was there for seven years. He did something at the university. He played that boom, boom, boom classical music all the time. Between you and me, I think he chased out some of the earlier tenants with the volume. I could hear it before I'd get to the front door. I don't know if you noticed, but I have a little hearing problem."
"You said was a good tenant?" Fred prodded.
"Mr. Levy departed."
"Did he leave a forwarding address?" Dean asked.
"You best check with his Rabbi. Mr. Levy departed." Mrs. Glass bowed her head.
Fred joined her as Dean felt his ears redden. "And Mr. Burgees?" Fred asked after a proper moment of silence.
"Oh, he's a nice man too-he's in construction. At first he paid a few days late but I had a little talk with him and he's straightened out nicely. Been here nearly a year but his project will be over soon and he'll be gone too-but not departed." She smiled at Fred, as if sharing their little joke. "Dear me, that will make 23 vacancies-24 if Mr. Cleary is gone too." Dean's multiplication table of 44, the number of rented apartments, wasn't perfect, but that number times even a reasonable monthly rental lessened any sympathy he might have felt for the woman's financial plight.
She rose, a clear indication she'd devoted enough time to these non-paying visitors. They took their leave with her following them to the door, babbling on about unrelated subjects. Dean managed to hand her his business card but she seemed to dismiss it, with eyes only for the charming Fred O'Connor.
"Do come back when we can spend more time together. You're such a charming man...." she crooned.
Once on the street, Dean put up a halting hand. "Don't start! It's probably some traveling salesman who has a local married dame...."
"I can't believe you don't buy this! You're as stubborn as my uncle Henry and his Studebaker! It's as plain as the nose on your face! All we have to do is find out who this female is and she'll lead us right to the both of them! It's most likely the girl from his office, Cece what's-her-name. Cece-C. C.-like Cleary-Corbin!"