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

by Penelope Sotheby

  “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.

  Chapter 8

  Anna wasn’t aware how much time had passed. Her head throbbed and she had trouble focusing her eyes for a moment. Trying to bring her hands to her head, she found they were tied behind her back.

  Blinking her eyes a few times, she slowly managed to get them to focus. Looking over to her right, she found herself looking at Monica, who was crouched on the other side of the room.

  “I was concerned you wouldn’t wake up.” Monica began emotionlessly.

  “You’ve made a grave mistake.” Anna warned. “I am working with the local authorities and I’ll need to report this to them.”

  “The worst thing you could do right now is threaten me.” Monica snapped. “Your life is in my hands. This time, I am inclined to let you live. But I need to know how much you know because you boldly claimed you know what Colin and I are doing.”

  “I know you and Colin killed Laura Segal.” Anna grimaced as her head throbbed.

  “Wait.” Monica howled with laughter. “Oh, sweetie. You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  Anna looked at the woman curiously. “You pistol whipped me. You were talking about illegal activity with Colin. Everything pointed to murder with you. Also, I’m not your sweetie.”

  “Oh, sweetie.” Monica laughed again. “We’re moving stolen goods. Neither of us killed anyone. Well, not here. I can’t say I haven’t spilled blood of others at other times. I do have a reputation, you know.”

  “Can I have some paracetamol or something?” Anna interrupted. “I’m fine with a long winded story but my head is throbbing.”

  Monica rolled her eyes and reached into her pocket. She pulled out a tiny bottle and removed a white pill from it.

  “Here is some paracetamol.” Monica smiled at her. “Take it and we can continue talking.”

  Monica went behind her and untied Anna’s hands. Within moments, her wrists felt relief and Anna rubbed them to help get the blood flowing to her hands. As Monica handed her the pill, Anna turned it over in her hand. It looked bigger than any paracetamol she had ever taken before. She looked into Monica's eyes.

  “Why does it look strange?” Anna asked.

  “It’s just an 800 MG pill.” Monica replied. “That’s why I am giving you one instead of two 500 MG pills. It is all I have.”

  Anna looked at Monica for a moment. Then, putting the pill in her mouth, she cringed. Monica handed her a bottle of water and Anna swallowed it. The cool water felt good against the back of her dry throat. It made Anna wonder just how long she had been out.

  “Thank you.” Anna smiled.

  “Well, you probably won’t be thanking me for long.” Monica sighed. “You’ll have to forgive me, but you're going to look like you’re a little crazy.”

  “What do you mean?” Anna demanded.

  “It’s a simple pain pill.” Monica replied. “It won’t hurt you. But you will be in a bit of a fog for a few hours. Everything you claim to know and have seen will be questioned. Call it a side effect of the medication. I could kill you, but people would miss you.”
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br />   “You can't do this to me.” Anna whispered.

  “You’ll get over it.” Monica rolled her eyes. “You’ll feel a little drunk and tipsy. Hopefully, you’re a fun drunk.”

  “Well, confess to me.” Anna replied. “Since no one will believe a word I say, just give me the satisfaction hearing it. Did you kill Laura?”

  “No,” Monica replied. “I had nothing to do with her murder. I’d take a closer look at the brothers if I were you. It’s trouble in paradise.”

  “I’ve seen them fight.” Anna replied. “Which one killed Laura?”

  “I am not saying either did.” Monica shrugged her shoulders. “All I’ve done is steal from hotel guests. I’ve been doing it for years and have made incredible amounts of money. All I have to do is crawl in through the window in the middle of the day when people are out and about. I take jewels, cash, and anything I can get my hands on. It’s sinfully simple. The hotel also serves as a drop spot for the goods I sell.”

  “You mean drugs.” Anna asked bluntly.

  “No.” Monica laughed. “The bottom feeders sell drugs. I sell guns, toxins, and other substances. I sold the vial of poison that was used to kill Laura. I’ll admit that. Who I sold it to is the problem. I don’t like to know who is getting their hands messy. It helps avoid legal entanglements if I don't know.”

  “You are selling illegal goods.” Anna slurred. “You have legal problems already."

  "There is a laundry list of items that I could get hit with. But I won’t because I am careful. There’s a reason I am known as the Phantom of Barbados.”

  “Everyone gets caught in the end.” Anna could feel the room spinning around her.

  “Are you drunk, ma'am?” Monica asked, changing her voice.

  Anna felt a hand grab her and felt herself slowly rising to her feet. She was felt dizzy and knew the drug was effecting her. She pushed away from Monica but couldn’t keep her balance.

  “I probably should have given you a lower dose.” Monica sounded miles away. “I gave you the largest pill I had. I usually use those when I have to pull bullets out of someone.”

  Walking down the hall, Anna could feel Monica holding her up. Listening and looking around, she found she had trouble focusing.

  “She had a nasty fall.” Monica was telling someone. “Her head was bleeding. I was worried and offered to help her. I told her my paracetamol was in my purse and she accidentally took one of the pain meds I have a prescription for. After my accident, I have to take pain meds for my back.”

  “Do I need to take her to a doctor?” Anna recognized Pauline’s voice.

  “She’ll be out of it for a while.” Monica chuckled. “But I think she will be fine. I just wouldn’t leave her alone if I were you.”

  “Thank you for helping her.” Pauline replied.

  Anna felt Pauline’s arms wrap around her and she hugged her friend. It was nice that Pauline was here and she couldn’t help but cherish the moment.

  “I love you, Pauline.” Anna replied.

  “I love you, too.” Pauline patted her on the back. “You aren’t in good shape at the moment. How about a nap?”

  “The Segal brothers.” Anna responded. “We need to speak with the brothers. One of them is the killer. Monica told me.”

  “Who is Monica?” Pauline asked.

  “The woman who took me.” Anna whispered. “Is she gone?”

  “She took off after bringing you to me.” Pauline replied.

  Anna reached into her bra and pulled out a tape recorder.

  “I was going to protect you and wanted to have evidence if something happened.” Anna struggled with the words. “Monica confessed to some crimes on the tape.”

  Pauline looked at the tape and rewound it. She listened for a moment and Anna watched her with intensity.

  “She’s the Phantom of Barbados?” Pauline whispered. “I’ve heard tales of the Phantom but no one knew who it was. We have her on security footage here, too.”

  “We have bunnies, too.” Anna laughed.

  Anna felt Pauline's arm around her waist as she guided her into her room. As they walked, Anna couldn’t help but wonder what the flowers in the painting on the wall smelled like.

  “We need to talk to Detective Jensen.” Pauline replied. “Just keep calm, please.”

  Knocking on the door, Detective Jensen came out and looked at the two of them with concern.

  “Is she bleeding?” Detective Jensen asked.

  “She was pistol whipped.” Pauline replied. “A woman named Monica drugged her and tried to pass her off as having an accident.”

  “You know this how?” Detective Jensen pressed.

  “The bunnies told her.” Anna whispered. “Be careful, they know eeeeevvverrrryyything.”

  “Well, this is lovely.” Detective Jensen replied.

  “Fortunately, everything is on this tape recorder.” Pauline replied. “Monica is also the Phantom of Barbados.”

  “Excuse me?” Detective Jensen’s eyes grew wide. “Say that again.”

  “She’s the Phantom of the Opera.” Anna whispered. “Be careful, Christine.”

  “Who is Christine?” Detective Jensen asked.

  “It’s from the play.” Pauline sighed. “But Monica is the Phantom of Barbados and we have it on the tape.”

  Detective Jensen took the recorder from Pauline’s hands. Holding it close to his ear, he listened to the conversation and soon had a huge smile on his face.

  “Yes!” he exclaimed. “I’ve been hunting the Phantom for years. We will finally bring her to justice. Anna did good, all things considered.”

  “Don’t say my name too loudly.” Anna warned. “The bunnies will find us here. There’s one, her name is Monica. She tried to kill me.”

  “That’s the woman who hit her?” Detective Jensen asked. “Maybe we should take her to the hospital. I’m concerned about her head injury.”

  “No.” Anna whispered. “We need to talk to the brothers.”

  “You aren’t going alone.” Pauline replied. “You have to take Detective Jensen and I with you.”

  “That’s a good idea.” Detective Jensen agreed. “If you get too woozy, you need to let us know.”

  “Okay.” Anna replied. “I just hope we can face the truth.”

  “Together, there’s nothing we can’t face.” Pauline replied.

  “Except for bunnies.” Anna warned.

  “You’ve got to stop talking about bunnies.” Detective Jensen warned. “We can only do this if you can pull it together. Do you understand, Anna?”

  “I am trying.” Anna replied.

  “Why don’t you let us do the talking and you can just be in the room?” Pauline suggested. “Would that work for you?”

  “That is a good idea.” Anna replied. “I can ask my questions telepathically if I need to.”

  “I’m not sure about this.” Detective Jensen replied. “She could cost us the investigation.”

  “She’ll pull it together.” Pauline offered. “She is a very wise woman underneath it all. Plus, we need to get this murder solved soon.”

  “We need to speak to Gordon first.” Anna replied.

  “Why Gordon?” Detective Jensen asked.

  “Because the bunnies think he will have answers on Laura’s murder.” Anna offered.

  Pauline gently but firmly slapped her face. “No more talking, Anna.”

  Anna placed her arms around the necks of both Detective Jensen and Pauline and pulled them toward Gordon’s room. With each step, Anna added a little bounce to her step and smiled at the people on either side of her.

  Stopping suddenly, Anna got a serious look on her face.

  “You guys do all the talking.” Her voice was getting stronger.

  “We intend to.” Detective Jensen replied.

  “I feel strange.” Anna whispered. “Almost faint.”

  “Your body is adjusting to the drug Monica gave you.” Detective Jensen replied. “You’re a bit more lucid at t
his point. There’s a good chance your head is clearing a bit. But we do need to have someone check you out.”

  “We can go for our date after that, I hope.” Anna smiled.

  “I’d like that very much.” Detective Jensen patted her on the shoulder.

  As Anna got closer to Gordon’s room, she felt more like normal. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but she knew she didn’t like how the pill made her feel.

  Standing outside Gordon’s door, the three of them looked in horror at the guard. The man who had been watching the room was slumped in the chair, dead. A single bullet hole to his temple had ended his life.

  “It doesn’t even look like Tom put up a fight.” Detective Jensen said and cursed under his breath.

  “When I was by earlier, he had fallen asleep.” Anna offered.

  Reaching for his radio, Detective Jensen said the words that no officer ever wanted to hear. “Officer down. Badge 171 is 10-7. Please notify the Medical Examiner.”

  Chapter 9

  As the police swarmed outside the room, the detective, Anna, and Pauline entered Gordon’s room.

  “You two be careful.” Detective Jensen warned. “I don’t want either of you leaving here in a body bag. There’s been too much death already.”

  Anna grabbed Pauline’s hand, who clasped her hand tightly. They watched as Detective Jensen approached the bathroom door. Reaching for the handle, he pulled it open and Gordon hit the bathroom floor with a thud and backed up to the far wall.

  “Is he okay?” Anna asked.

  “It’s only you.” Gordon breathed a sigh of relief.

  “What happened?” Anna asked.

  “Someone shot the officer outside.” Gordon began. “I had no idea who it was though. I heard the shot, looked outside, and there was someone turning the corner. I didn’t see who it was.”

  “You heard a shot and no one else did?” Detective Jensen asked. “That seems strange to me.”