Even as his wife, Dotty, battled breast cancer, and even after her death in March, the party never stopped. But Costa Mesa officials are threatening to turn out the lights. Morality is not the issue, Roeder says. There is no law against orgies in Costa Mesa, and Goodwin has a right to give whatever kinds of parties he wishes. Officials can intervene only if they decide that he is running a business, which would violate residential zoning ordinances. They also may be able to fine Goodwin for adding extra bedrooms to his 3,square-foot house without proper permits, city officials say.
Roeder concedes that it is naive to think such things never happen, although he was among the naive until a week ago. Not by a long shot, says Goodwin, who welcomed couples to his last Halloween party, all in costume. Taking a break from preparations for his next get-together, Goodwin finishes rinsing his teeth under the tap.
He opens his mouth, places them in and smiles broadly, a disarming prelude to some shameless boasting about his bedroom prowess. I sure do. I got three beautiful daughters, and they all know about my swinging. Goodwin says he and his guests are having wholesome adult fun, although they do seem to brush aside widespread concerns about sexually transmitted diseases.
AIDS is not a fear, he says, because he allows only married couples and friends to attend--no singles or gay men.
A retired truck driver and carpenter, Goodwin maintains a remarkable, V-shaped physique for a man his age. Goodwin built the workout shed with his own hands, as he did much of the Palace, including many thinly curtained bedrooms and dark booths, a disco dance floor and a person Jacuzzi, which is heated to degrees and hidden by palm trees and Monterey pines.
