“Yes, they were a couple,” John said. “As far as I know, they had been living together for at least a year and at one point were thinking about getting married.”
“What was your relationship with these women?”
“It’s all rather complicated,” John said.
“It might be important for us to know the details,” Jack said.
“For the last three and a half months I’ve been roommates with Helen.”
“And before that?” Jack asked.
“I had been living on and off with a girlfriend in SoHo but mostly off,” John said. “But I’ve known Helen forever. We went to school together in Seattle, and from grammar school all the way through high school we’d been an item. We’d been in touch when we both found out we were here in the city. But then when Carol started getting really sick and was going to have her heart transplant, Helen more or less insisted I move in with her to keep her company and help her get through a difficult period. She thought Carol was going to die.”
“That was three and a half months ago?”
“That’s right,” John said. “I wasn’t getting along all that well with my girlfriend, so I took Helen up on her offer. And then we kinda hit it off remembering old times.”
“You mean you and Helen started an affair?”
“I guess you could say that,” John said. “It was more a reawakening. She was needy, and I was needy, so there you have it. It surprised both of us.”
“What happened when Carol came home?”
“Well, we ended up telling her what was happening. She seemed all right with it because she was limited in what she could do after her operation. Then, when she got better, she even tried to participate. She didn’t want to lose Helen, and I was kind of a package deal by then. And she gave it a good go, but ultimately she told Helen she couldn’t handle it. She actually got pretty angry about it all and moved out a couple months ago to an apartment in Sunset Park.”
“Did you guys see her after she moved?”
“Yeah, for the first month. We made an effort. We hoped she’d change her mind, so we spent lots of evenings at her place. But it was clear it wasn’t going to work.”
“Do you mean neither you nor Helen saw Carol for about a month before she died?” Jack asked.
“That’s right,” John said. “We got into an argument the last evening we spent together. Helen and I got pissed. I mean, we didn’t force her or anything. Carol was acting so bitchy and self-righteous, like she was better than us.”
“To me it sounds like Carol decided she preferred a monogamous relationship,” Jack said, treading carefully.
“Maybe, but I think it was more that by making the attempt, she only grew more sure she wasn’t bisexual,” John said. “I mean, she tried, and there’s nothing wrong with being bi, but I don’t think she liked it. She was a lesbian and just didn’t get turned on by the opposite sex. That’swhat I think she realized. But you could be right that she wanted all or nothing with Helen.”
“Okay,” Jack said. “I appreciate your time, and I want to thank you for being so open. I know this has been a difficult day for you.”
“The worst,” John said without hesitation. “Now, let me ask you a question. If this is a contagious disease like you’re saying, do I have to worry about catching it?”
“That is a very good question,” Jack said. “The problem is, we just don’t know. But we have your contact information, so we’ll be in touch if we need to be.”
“Is that it, then?” John asked. “Can I go?”
“One more question,” Jack said. “If it is a contagious disease, we don’t know who gave it to whom. As far as you know, did either woman travel recently outside the U.S.?”
“No. I mean, Helen didn’t for sure. I suppose Carol could have, but I doubt it. She had been so sick and was always going back to see her doctor out in New Jersey someplace. And she wasn’t excited about travel. She thought she’d gotten her heart condition on a business trip to South America.”
“What about pets?”
“No pets,” John said with an expression of disgust. “I won’t live with animals, and both Helen and Carol felt the same way.”
“What about pests, like mice around the apartment. Anything like that?”
“Yuck,” John said. “No way.”
“Thank you for your cooperation,” Jack said. He pushed back from the table and stood. “If and when we discover what killed your friends and we think your health is at all at risk, we’ll call you.”
