“I spoke to the manager of the hotel this morning,” Ronan said. “He loves that there’s notoriety with room 13. People are willing to pay double or triple the going rate, depending on the time of year, to stay in the room. He understands that Chet Hines is desperate to solve the murder but doesn’t want us or anyone else to reveal the killer. According to him, they have a mutually beneficial arrangement.”
“Yeah, it’s that old adage that the only way two people can keep a secret is if one of them is dead.” Jude shook his head. What a mess this weekend was turning into.
“You think Jake Powell killed Cyrus?” Ronan asked. “This guy was a cash cow in life. He rented a room here every summer for six weeks, and Jake went on and on about what a good tipper Cyrus was. Although,” Ronan said before stopping in his tracks, “I suppose it’s possible that maybe he did kill Cyrus. If they had a lovers’ spat or if he was sick and tired of Cyrus’s bullshit. He could have killed him and kept the money in the stolen bag. According to Jake, Cyrus would bring one or two hundred thousand in hundred-dollar bills with him. Fitz, what do you think?”
“It’s possible the manager had something to do with it. I should have said sooner that I got my hands on the police report. Jake Powell was mentioned as someone on scene when the body was discovered but was never looked at or questioned like a suspect. I assume people thought the same thing as Ronan, that Powell would be an idiot to kill his goose that laid golden eggs.”
“Which brings us back to Chet Hines,” Jude said. “Cyrus said something interesting about him last night.”
Cope nodded. “He told me that Hines came on to him a year or two before the murder. They didn’t hook up, and that was because Cyrus thought he was too needy, that he was the kindof guy you fucked, and then in the morning, Hines would be picking out china patterns and cake flavors.”
“Okay, what if Hines killed Cyrus?” Fitzgibbon asked. “Maybe his drive to find the real killer is just a ruse to keep the heat off of him.”
Ronan shook his head. “I would absolutely agree with you if Hines had been a suspect at the time of the murder—he wasn’t, by the way—or if he had become a person of interest or an outright suspect in the intervening years, which hasn’t happened either.”
“Are you sure Cyrus won’t tell you who killed him?” Fitz asked.
“I’m positive,” Cope confirmed.
“What about Everly?” Fitz asked gently. “Since her gift is more powerful, is it possible she might be able to ferret it out?”
Ronan looked like he was about to hit back at Fitz over asking for his daughter’s help. Jude shook his head sharply, and Ronan backed down. Christ, he and Cope had just barely managed to get the two of them speaking again. All he needed was for the fragile peace to be blown to bits, thanks to a sarcastic, asshole remark from the king of all assholes, Ronan O’Mara. “Cope, do you think Everly could get more from him?”
“It’s possible,” Cope said. “Everly has a different way about her because she’s young and she’s a girl. People speak to me and Ten like the men we are, but there are a lot of people Everly’s gone up against who have underestimated her because she’s a girl or because of her age. She’s learned how to take full advantage of people who don’t give her the benefit of the doubt.”
“I agree there. I’m leery of asking for her help if we really don’t need it,” Ten said.
“You think we don’t need her help?” Ronan asked.
“Cope said Cyrus isn’t going to reveal who killed him. That tells me that whoever it was that did the deed was close to him in some way, and he doesn’t want them to face the consequences of their actions. He also doesn’t want to cross over and seems perfectly happy to keep the status quo. No one’s hurting here. No one is crying out for justice. I’ve been thinking about Sebastian Stark’s father and all the work he did to figure out who killed his son, and we’re seeing none of that here. You said Cyrus’s father is dead, and there weren’t any articles or related stories about his mother demanding this case be reinvestigated or that someone specific should be charged. I just don’t see the need for Everly. Yet.” Ten’s eyes were on Ronan as he spoke.
“I agree with Ten,” Ronan said with a yawn. “Yes, we’re cold case detectives, but this isn’t our jurisdiction, and no one has asked us to look into Cyrus Longfellow’s murder case.”
“Chet Hines did, in a roundabout sort of way,” Cope said. “He obviously needed me here and used Jude and the rest of you as the vehicle to get me where Hines wanted me. I’m surprised Hines hasn’t called the hotel looking for me this morning.”
Before Jude could respond, there was a soft knock on their room door. He shivered. “Okay, that’s just creepy. Is it Hines?”
Cope and Tennyson nodded.
Jude watched as both psychics prepared to speak with the man responsible for bringing them here. If he didn’t provide the right sorts of answers, Jude would have no trouble kicking the reporter out. He was on his last legs when it came to this crummy motel. It wasn’t going to take much to push him over the edge.
8
Cope
Butterflies danced in Cope’s stomach when Hines knocked on the door. He needed to get his own anger under control before the reporter walked into the room. He didn’t like surprises and especially didn’t like being used for his gift without being asked ahead of time. “Go get him, Jude. Just promise me you’ll pull me off him after I get in one good left hook.”
“I refuse to make that promise.” Jude dropped his husband a wink. “I’ll bring him in.” Jude got out of his seat and passed through the connecting door into the room he shared with Cope.
From his seat in Ronan’s room, Cope could hear Jude open the door to their uninvited guest.
“Good morning, Mr. Byrne. Is Cope here?”
Cope could hear the nerves in Hines’s voice. He was going to use that to his advantage in finding out Hines’ endgame.
Jude ushered Hines into Ronan’s room.
Hines was dressed in jeans and a red polo shirt that looked like it had seen better days. He hadn’t shaved, and his eyes were bloodshot. There was quite a difference between the polished professional reporter Cope had met yesterday and the man sitting before him.
