Who is the man Cathy is referring to?

Cathy is talking to her friend Sue about going out that evening with her new beau, a man she describes as distinguished looking. She describes him as a " swell" and a " real gentleman, except when he's had a few..."

I've always found this a bit puzzling, because it sounds like she could be describing Professor Jarrod as the man interested in her. But I believe she must be talking about Leon Averill, who is described as an alcoholic who " was supposed to be a genius, but broke parole and became a drunk."

If Jarrod is pretending to be disabled, he probably wouldn't risk drawing attention to himself by dating girls he intended to convert into wax statues, and risk being remembered by someone who saw them together. But he might assign Leon the task of wining and dining a prospective victim, to put something into her drink, since Leon appears quite well spoken and cultured in a number of scenes.

Getting drunk, and a little too frisky with his date, doesn't seem to fit Jarrod's character either, based on what we know of him.

Does anyone else think it's even slightly possible Cathy means Jarrod, or is it undoubtedly Leon Averill she's referring to?

And when he crossed the bridge, the phantoms came to meet him