Murder in Barbados: An Anna Winters Cozy Mystery (Murder in Paradise Book 4) (4 page)

Anna sat on the sandy beach, looking out over the ocean as some brightly colored birds reeled and swooped over the water. The fresh sea air felt good in her lungs. She needed a few minutes to regroup and decide her next course of action. Everything seemed too forced with this case and she couldn’t get over the feeling that someone seemed to be mocking her.

In the distance, the sun was setting over the ocean waters. She watched as the sky caught fire with bright reds, oranges, and yellows. It was a breathtaking experience and one she had missed over the last few days.

She wanted to just get lost in the tropical setting. Leaving murder and catering behind and finding something else to do seemed so appealing right now. The stress of feeling like someone under her responsibility was going to die around her made her skin crawl. In a way, she felt like Jessica Fletcher. Guests knew that death followed her around and the very idea of a visit from her likely caused fear in everyone around her.

As she sat there thinking, her thoughts drifted to Gordon. Everything seemed so perfectly aligned to him. The suicide note would be an easy thing to stage. Gordon could then point to it as evidence and clear himself of suspicion. Before long, people would be considering everyone in the hotel but him. Anna wasn’t completely convinced at this point. It seemed as though everything was too neatly and perfectly set up in his corner. Removing him as a suspect would still be premature at this point.

But perhaps she could meet with him and determine once and for all that he was innocent. Standing up, she brushed the sand off her slacks and walked toward the hotel. She loved how refined the exterior of the building looked. It was a hotel that blended well with the surroundings and yet retained a unique look. In fact, this was something she loved about the hotel chain. They were never cookie cutter properties that all looked the same. Each had its own regal exterior and individual lobby. This gave the feeling each had always been in the area, despite many of the hotels being built in the last couple of years.

Once inside of the building, she went into the bar. A young man who couldn’t be a day over 21 smiled at her. Nodding, she smiled back. She debated bringing a bottle of whiskey to Gordon's room to get him to open up, but decided against it and left the bar. She headed toward the stairwell. Pushing the door open, she climbed the stairs to the second floor. As she reached the door on the second floor, she paused. She hoped Gordon wouldn’t fly off the handle at her like he had at the wedding reception. The death of his beloved wife was still fresh and Gordon would likely want to confront Anna about everyone who handled the cous cous. Unfortunately, there was no way to be certain about every staff member who may or may not have touched the dishes.

Pushing the door open, Anna entered the floor. Looking up and down the hall, she wanted to make certain Cassandra, Pauline, or Pierre were not about. She was concerned that if she ran into one of them, they would distract her and get in the way of what needed to be done. Right now, all the drama and pain would have to wait. She’d deal with those problems later when it was a better time for it.

Turning to the right, she went to the room where Gordon was being kept. Although he had originally been in the honeymoon suite on the 11th floor, the police decided to bring him down to the second floor. It allowed him an easy escape if needed in a deadly situation.

As Anna approached the door, an officer sitting in the chair outside the door stood up quickly. Then, realizing it was Anna, sat back down and motioned for her to go on into the room. Knocking gently as she opened the door, Anna heard a commotion coming from the bathroom. Closing the door softly, she walked carefully and quietly to the bathroom door and pressed her ear against it.

“You never had any respect for me, did you?” a voice snarled.

Anna quickly recognized Graham's voice.

“It’s hard to have any respect for the biggest failure the family has ever seen.” Gordon shot back. “Mom and Dad always found disappointment in everything you did. They would turn to me and let me know that if you were half the man I was, it would be a miracle.”

“Don’t bring our dead parents into this.” Graham growled. “We both know they didn’t have that conversation with you. They were proud of both of us. Why do you always have to twist everything to build yourself up? Is your ego really that big?”

“If that’s what you need to tell yourself to get through each day,” Gordon laughed. “But we both know I am the better golfer, the better businessman, and Laura chose me. I had everything you always wished you could have. We both know the cards will forever be stacked against you.”

“To begin with, Laura was no catch.” Graham scoffed. “She was plain and far from being a beautiful woman. So let’s not even deal with that. Secondly, you have had countless business failures and I have all the looks in the family.”

“How dare you speak ill of Laura!” Gordon howled. “You can spew all the vitriol you want about me, but don’t you dare speak ill of my beloved Laura.”

“What are you going to do about it?” Graham taunted.

Anna jumped as she heard a fist slam against the door.

“You better watch it, bud.” Gordon shouted. “The next time, I won’t miss.”

“You’ll have that pathetic excuse for a cop in here cuffing you.” Graham laughed. “I could snap him in half though.”

“There you go running your mouth again.” Gordon mocked. “Oh! You are the strongest and toughest man in the world. You could take anyone out in seconds. Blah, blah, blah. Give it a rest. Really, at this point, you are just an embarrassment to yourself and those around you.”

“Watch your tongue.” Graham warned. “Don’t make me do something I’ll regret.”

“Can’t regret more than being born?” Gordon suggested. “You’ve been a lifetime of embarrassment. How much lower do you have to go before it finally hits home with you?”

“You have always been a horrible brother.” Graham whined.

“Can’t even man up enough to drop some language?” Gordon taunted.

The sound of a fist hitting the door again made Anna step back and tremble.

“Your hand is bleeding now.” Gordon continued. “You need to have it looked at.”

“I’m fine.” Graham snapped. “Just let me out of the bathroom. I am done here. We’re done.”

“We’re done?” Gordon howled. “What, are we dating now? You’re my brother. You don’t get to say you’re done with me. We’re stuck together until the day we die.”

“That could come sooner, rather than later.” Graham warned.

“Is that a threat?” Gordon demanded. “Will you also admit to killing Laura?”

“I didn’t kill your wife.” Graham insisted. “If I were going to kill anyone, it would have been you. The brother who made the whole world smile and celebrate being alive. I wouldn’t hurt your wife. The only crime she committed was being dumb enough to marry you.”

Another fist slammed into the door, causing a cracking sound as the wood gave.

“You’re going to break the door.” Gordon warned. “Can you afford to replace the door?”

“I can afford it if I need to.” Graham snarled.

“After you borrow money from me.” Gordon scoffed. “How much do you owe me these days? Over a hundred thousand? But you know what, you’re my brother and I will never force you to pay up. That’s what family does. We stick together and we are loyal to each other. So the next time you think you are going to stand up to me and treat me like you’ve been treating me, remember that I am here for you when no one else is.”

“I’m done.” Graham shouted. “Let me out or I will call the cops.”

“You are free to go whenever you want to.” Gordon laughed. “No one has been forcing you to stay in here.”

Anna decided that this was the best time for her to go. She didn’t want the brothers knowing she had been eavesdropping on their conversation. Walking quickly, she opened the door, slid into the hallway, and closed it quickly but softly as she heard the bathroom door open.

The cop gave her a strange look and she chose to ignore him instead. Taking off down the hall, she wanted to get to her room before either brother had a chance to spot her.

Turning the corner, she slammed into Cassandra, knocking the younger woman to the ground. Anna offered an arm and could see the rage and hatred in her eyes.

Shockingly, the voice was calm and friendly from her clenched lips.

“Hi, Anna.” Cassandra began. “I was hoping to find you.”

“What do you need?” Anna asked cautiously.

“I need to talk to you about Pauline.” Cassandra smiled and hugged Anna. “We’ve been struggling, you and I. Our relationship has become such a disaster and I want to fix it. How can we get back to good?”

“What does this have to do with Pauline?” Anna asked.

“Oh, yeah, her.” Cassandra caught herself and put a smile on her face. “I am worried she is overdoing this throw Cassandra under the bus routine. I’ve been under a lot of stress and haven’t been the nicest person in the world.”

“I would agree with that.” Anna nodded.

Cassandra's eyes bored into Anna and she shook her head. “I am here to say I am sorry. I want to do everything I can to save our friendship and get back to the closeness we once had. I’m even willing to put an end to the affair I have been having with Pierre. I know you like him and it wasn’t nice of me to pursue him. I am sorry.”

“If I say all is forgiven, can we end this conversation?” Anna asked. “I really don’t want to talk about it. I also think it is incredibly inappropriate at this time.”

“Well, I guess.” Casandra spat. “But I was hoping we could reconcile and deal with Pauline, who is a problem.”

“I don’t think Pauline is a problem.” Anna sighed. “I know you hate each other. It makes it difficult to work as a team. My fear is that you get to the point that I have to choose between you. One of you will likely be getting fired by the time we get back to London if the two of you don’t settle down. To be honest, it will be whichever one of you continues to cause me the most trouble. Right now, that would be you.”

“But we’re friends.” Cassandra pleaded. “You can’t fire me. You can't treat me like that. Do I really mean nothing to you?”

“What is up with everyone acting crazy?” Anna asked. “Listen, if you and Pauline knock it off, no one is getting fired. This is a friendly reminder. I’d prefer that you learn to deal with each other. I want us to have a long lasting friendship and I want to work with you for years to come. So, knock it off.”

“I guess so.” Cassandra replied slowly. “You’re right. We need to stop this. Don’t worry about it. I’ll work everything out with Pauline. I’ll deal with our issues and she’ll be handled.”

“What do you mean by that?” Anna asked.

“Don’t worry about it.” Cassandra laughed. “Consider it handled. Before you know it, this will be the least of your concerns.”

Anna watched as Cassandra left and couldn’t help but feel concerned for Pauline. If the mousey young woman was a cold-blooded killer, she may have just signed Pauline’s death certificate.

Not wasting any time, Anna pulled out her cell phone and dialed Pauline's number. The phone rang a few times and the voicemail picked up. Anna could feel her heart pounding.

“Pauline. You are in danger.” Anna stammered. “At least, I think you are. Cassandra made a comment about dealing with you to me. The way she said it, you were right. She could be very dangerous. Please call me as soon as you get this.”

Anna debated chasing down Pauline when Graham and Gordon passed her in the hallway. Both men smiled and nodded at her as if nothing had happened.

As they turned the corner toward the elevator, Anna knew she had to go back to Gordon’s room. She knew Pauline was tough enough to deal with Cassandra if she did try to do something. Anna went to Gordon’s room and found the cop sleeping at the door. That explained why he wasn't with Gordon as he should have been. Deciding she didn’t want to wake him, she crept into the room and softly closed the door behind her.

She walked over to the dresser and opened drawers to see what she could find. Each one was filled with clothing, but nothing exciting. As each drawer was pulled out, she hoped for a clue to pop out that would help her determine who the killer could be.

Searching through each drawer turned up nothing beyond the fact that Gordon didn’t know how to fold his clothes. She noticed strange folding patterns and problems with shirts being wrinkled. In a way, she found it very humorous that a man as rich and powerful as he was couldn’t be bothered with learning basic folding techniques or hiring someone to do it for him.

Walking over to the drawing table, she noticed a note. On it was Gordon’s name in block letters. Curious, she picked up the note to see what it contained.

Gordon –

You’ve never been the brightest individual. Hopefully, you can understand a warning. Death has his eyes on you. Leave the hotel now or you’re a dead man. Don’t think I’m serious? Check your golf bag.

~ Death’s Right Hand

Curious, Anna walked over to the golf bag that was sitting on the floor. As she opened it, she jerked back in horror. A vial with a syringe in it had been put next to golf balls. She noticed the poison smelt the same as the poison that had been used for the murders at the other hotels.

“It must be easy to obtain after all.” Anna said out loud.

Anna wondered who supplied the poison and why it had been used so many times without authorities putting an end to its availability. She made a mental note to suggest to the detective that the poison be traced to its supplier. Then they might be able to find out who bought it and was present at all the weddings.

As she had come in contact with the vial, she wondered if the toxic residue would get on her hands and pose a problem for her. Not wanting to find out, she walked into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror as she washed her hands thoroughly.

Looking at her reflection, she could see the stress lines crawling across her face. Her hair also had a streak of grey in it that she hadn’t noticed before. All of this had started as soon as the murders started. She felt somehow responsible, and the relationship problems that she was having at the moment didn't help either.

She knew the job was not good for her and was getting to be far from worth it. A part of her wanted to just walk away now and throw in the towel. There were plenty of other people who could look for a killer without her help. She was not indispensable and she could finally get some sleep and not live in fear of the next murder she’d feel responsible for.

Thinking of murder caused her to remember her friend. Anna knew that it was critical she take a few minutes to call her and hear her voice and know that nothing had happened. Something was wrong and she could sense it.

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her phone. Dialing it, Pauline’s phone kicked over to voicemail right away.

Anna felt her throat tighten for a moment. The phone had rung normally the time before. Hoping it was a cellphone glitch, she attempted to call her friend again. Once more, the phone kicked over to voicemail again.

With her heart beating rapidly, Anna walked out of the room, she cleared her throat and the officer jumped.

“I was awake!” he exclaimed.

“There is a vial and a threatening note in the room.” Anna began. “Process it for fingerprints beyond my own. I handled the card.”

“You are supposed to wear gloves.” the man hissed. “You have contaminated a crime scene.”

‘You fell asleep and allowed it to happen.” Anna glared him down. “Which one of us caused a bigger issue?”

With a snort, the man stormed into the room. Anna shook her head and headed quickly toward Pauline’s room. Walking up to it, she knocked on the door. It gently opened as her hand struck it. Anna felt her stomach drop instantly. In her heart, she knew what this meant and because it was her best friend, she didn’t want to believe this was a possibility at all.

Walking into the room, she looked around.

“Pauline?” Anna called out. “Are you here? If you are just ignoring me right now, tell me. I don’t want any surprises. Pauline, please.”

Silence in the room. Anna’s heart quickened and she turned the corner and saw fingers in the doorway to the bathroom.

“Oh, God, no!” Anna screamed and rushed over to the bathroom and saw a bloody body on the bathroom floor that was the same shape as Pauline's. The face had been bashed in and her hair was a blood soaked dark crimson red. Anna dropped to her knees, sobbing. Frantically, she felt for a pulse and couldn’t find one. Howling, she pulled the body into her arms, rocking with it.

Her heart pounded in her chest and the pain filling her at that moment caused her to struggle. The tears burned her eyes. The only person she truly could trust was dead in her arms and had parted the world without there being any forgiveness between them.

“Anna, what did you do?” a voice screamed.

Looking up, Anna’s eyes adjusted to see a mortified Pauline looking at her. Fear was etched on her friend’s face. Anna looked at her friend and then at the body with confusion. This wasn’t making sense to her at all and she grew concerned.

“Did you kill her?” Pauline demanded. “Was it an accident? Anna, you are covered in blood. Are you hurt, too?”

Anna laid the bloody body down and jumped up, wrapping her hands around Pauline, sobbing.

“I thought you were dead.” Anna howled. “She did this. Cassandra did this. Cassandra killed the maid. I know she did.”

“Even though I am glad you are on board with the Cassandra theory,” Pauline began. “We have no proof she directly committed this murder. Whoever did is tying up loose ends though. The maid may have seen or overheard something. Possibly something in Stuart’s room. I want to nail the little witch more than anyone else but we need proof.”

“You sound like me now.” Anna whispered. “The body though. Whoever killed her did it with pure hatred. I couldn’t even tell it wasn’t you. I tried to call your phone a number of times and it would keep going to voicemail.”

“Well, thanks for the concern and my pretty face.” Pauline cracked. “My cellphone battery died. So I was unable to talk to anyone living anyway. Now, back to this poor woman. That is a pressing issue. We need to call the police and have them take care of it. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Anna nodded, reached into her pocket for her phone, and dialed Detective Jensen.

“We have another body.” Anna spoke emotionally into the phone.

“What do you mean?” Detective Jensen demanded. “Someone else has died? Who is the victim? There are so many questions I still have about the other two.”

“The body was beaten beyond recognition.” Anna sobbed. “I thought it was my best friend, Pauline. I would have been so lost without her. It wasn’t her though. But you are needed in Room 203. Pauline is here. I need to wash the blood off myself if I can. I held her so tightly, thinking it was Pauline.”

“That’s fine.” Detective Jensen spoke softly. “I know you didn’t kill her. Just be careful and come back after the blood is washed off. Just make sure you safeguard the body first. We don’t need to have any surprises because the crime scene is contaminated any more than it already is. We’ll need to take your fingerprints and so we can exclude you from the scene. In the future, don’t just pounce on a dead body and assume the worst. That just complicates everything and turns the crime scene into a headache.”

“I know. I know” Anna agreed and hung up the phone.

“I’ll wait here.” Pauline nodded. “But hurry. I need to shower, too. Someone had their bloody arms around me.”

Anna nodded and left the room. It felt good to have the body out of sight and have a chance to focus on something beyond the woman she had just clung to so tightly.

On her way down the hall to her room, she heard whispering around the corner. She didn’t want to snoop, but she still had so many questions that needed to be answered. Carefully, she listened.

“Did you get the job done?” a woman’s voice asked.

“Yes.” a man’s voice replied.

“Did anyone see you leave the room?” she demanded.

“No.” he responded.

“You need to be certain.” Her words cold. “This is escalating and no one can find out what we’re doing. One slip up and it is jail for all of us.”

“It’s fine.” His words rushed. “We can’t be seen together. I need to go.”

Anna edged closer when Colin came around the corner and ran into her, knocking her down. Looking at her, his eyes grew wide and he took off running down the hallway. Quickly, Anna got to her feet as Monica turned the corner and stood still.

“You’re not going anywhere.” Anna replied.

“So you think you are going to stop me now?” Monica asked. “You don’t know who I am, do you? Probably not, I am well known in Barbados, but not by outsiders.”

“You’re dangerous, I know that.” Anna spoke cautiously. “I know you have a gun somewhere on you. I know that you would kill someone just for overhearing what you were talking about.”

“I take it our little visitor was you the other night.” Monica laughed. “Tell me what you heard.”

“I heard enough.” Anna could feel her breathing grow labored. “I know what you did and I know you are a killer.”

“Who did I kill?” Monica asked.

“We both know who you killed.” Anna cautiously responded. “But if it helps to clear your conscience, you can say the words.”

Monica smirked and pulled her hand from her pocket. In her hand was a pistol aimed at Anna’s chest. Once again, Anna had found herself on the wrong end of a gun. She was thinking frantically when she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head and darkness swarmed around her.