“You’re welcome. I have to say it was a surprise to get your call. It was an even bigger surprise when I googled the three of you and found out who you are when you’renoton vacation. Pretty damn impressive, boys.”
Fitzgibbon nodded. “Thank you.”
“It’s too bad you didn’t bring your husbands. I would have loved a reading.” Samantha grinned at the detectives.
“I think we can arrange that for you,” Jude said confidently. “I’m glad you believe in my husband’s gift. It’s going to make this conversation a whole lot easier.”
“Can I get you anything to drink before we start?” Samantha signaled to the brightly colored bottles of booze behind her.
“No, thanks. We’re heading back to the beach and our kids after this meeting,” Ronan said.
“Gotcha. What happened at the Four Star to bring the three of you to my door?”
“Chet Hines, believe it or not.” Jude quickly recapped how he’d been duped into booking into the motel. “We decided to make the best of it when we got here and saw the place wasn’t what we’d been expecting.”
“That place hasn’t changed in the fifty years since it was built. It got a new roof after a bad nor’easter hit about ten years ago and some updates to the rooms, but other than that, it looks the same way it did in 1975.”
“I believe it,” Ronan said.
Jude believed it too. The Four Star definitely looked like it was stuck in time. “We’d gone over to the pier for lunch, and when we came back, there was a crowd of reporters waiting for us, shouting questions about the Case of the Penniless Playboy.”
“I can’t believe that name stuck. Like we’re living in some sort of Sherlock Holmes mystery.” Samantha rolled her eyes.
“After we got away from the media, my husband was able to speak to Cyrus Longfellow. He said he knows who killed him but won’t tell anyone who it was.” If Jude lived to be one hundred, he would never understand why Cyrus was being so stubborn.
“Holy shit!” Samantha wore a stunned look.
Jude grinned at the former dancer. He sometimes forgot how incredible people thought Cope’s gifts were. “He also said he was more famous as a ghost than he ever was when he was alive and just wanted to be left in peace at the motel, which we were more than happy to do.”
“Yet here you are.” Samantha arched a quizzical brow. “What happened to change your mind?”
Jude barked a quick laugh. “We got a phone call from Alexandria Longfellow last night. She said she’s dying from cancer and asked us if we could possibly solve the case before she passes.”
“Shit, that sucks. I met her once after Cyrus died. She came out here after the funeral, when some of the hype had died down. Seemed like a nice enough lady. She left a big tip for me to splitamong the dancers to thank them for being kind to her son. She’s one hell of a lady.” Samantha swiped at her moist eyes and cleared her throat. “Are you here because you think I have something to do with Cyrus’s death?”
Fitzgibbon shook his head. “Not at all. We just wanted to hear what you knew or maybe saw around the time of the murder.”
Samantha took a deep breath. “My life was very different back then than it is now. I was strung out on drugs and willing to do anything to get my next fix. Cyrus was a good man who spent his money lavishly and kindly, if that makes sense. I’d had clients over the years who’d been willing to pay a shit ton of money to abuse and humiliate me, promising more cash if I did more depraved things with them or for them. Cyrus wasn’t like that. He just wanted a blowie in the Champagne Room and loved to play with my tits.” She looked down at her chest. “He actually bought me this pair. Sent me to the best surgeon in southern Maine too.”
Jude was glad Cyrus had been a nice guy, but this story wasn’t getting them any closer to identifying his killer. “He also spent time with the male strippers too, right?”
“Yeah, he loved to swing both ways, and the dancers loved him. We all knew the money Cyrus spent here at the club would be what got us through the tough months when the tourists had all gone home. He’d treat us all to dinner at the steak house up on Hilldale, and we could order whatever we wanted. Cyrus encouraged us to get two entrees. One to have at the restaurant and one to bring home.”
“Did you notice anyone in the club who didn’t like Cyrus?” Fitzgibbon asked. “Or anyone in town, for that matter?”
“No.” Samantha ducked her head in obvious shame. “I was really messed up at the time. I don’t remember Cyrus mentioning that anyone was bothering him. As for this town, there are haters everywhere. They hate us because we dance for money. Hated him because he was rich and bi. All people do nowadays is hate each other.”
“I hear that,” Jude said gently. “It says in the police report that Cyrus’s satchel filled with cash was taken at the time of the murder. Do you think he was killed for the money? Or for some other reason, and the robbery was a crime of opportunity?”
“I don’t know. It would be so much easier if it was a robbery gone bad, to think that Cyrus was a victim of dirtbag who needed to score, instead of the killer being someone who had a beef against him.” Samantha sighed heavily. “I wish there was more I could do to help you guys. If I’d known something back in the day, I would have told Alexandria Longfellow. He was her only child. I’ve never seen a woman more devastated by the loss of her child.”
Jude didn’t even want to try to imagine what it would be like to lose his kids. He wouldn’t survive, that was for damn sure. “We’ll be in town for two more days. If you think of anything else, please let us know. Sometimes it’s the smallest detail that blows a case wide open.”
Samantha nodded.
“I’ve got one last question,” Ronan began.
“If you want to take a spin on the pole, it’s all yours. Just stretch beforehand.”
