Murder in Jamaica: An Anna Winters Cozy Mystery (Murder in Paradise Book 3) (3 page)

“Wait.” Lucy cried from behind the door.

Harvey cracked the closet door open just enough that Anna could see into the room. Fearing she would be seen, she crouched behind the safe to keep an eye on things and pray that neither of them found her in the closet.

“There is no reason to wait for anything.” Harvey screamed. His face growing a deep red. “You betrayed me. You killed our marriage before it even had a chance to flourish and grow.”

“It was purely physical.” Lucy pleaded. “It meant nothing to me. He was just someone who was there when you were out of town. I don’t love him, I love you.”

“How could you cheat on someone you love?” Harvey demanded. “It’s disgusting. It’s vile. When you love someone, you don’t pull that on them. It shows a lack of character on your part. I am physically repulsed now when I look at you.”

“You’re overreacting.” Lucy cried. “This it isn’t black and white. You are looking at it from beyond the physical world. I am a hedonist. You know this. But while the physical bliss is nice, it doesn’t mean I had feelings for any of the other men or women I have slept with.”

“There’s more?” Harvey gasped. “How many others have there been? Why would you even bother with marrying me? Why not just string me along like one of your many puppets?”

“Because I do love you.” Lucy whispered. “You have to know that I never wanted to hurt you. All I ever wanted was to love you but I’m not wired to be in a monogamous relationship. I can try, but it will ultimately become the driving force that tears us apart. For this marriage to work, you need to understand that.”

“This is a discussion we should have had before we got married.” Harvey hissed and slammed his hand into the wall.

Anna felt her heart quicken. Shaking, she reached for her tiny bottle of anxiety meds and took one. Her body trembling, she continued to watch.

Lucy stood face to face with Harvey and her already pale skin seemed to grow even paler. For a moment, Anna was worried Lucy would faint and fall to the floor. The situation would become even worse when she was discovered in the closet.

“What are we going to do about that hole in the wall?” She asked. “Our assets are tied up right now because Quentin and Heath have both been murdered. We can’t afford to max out our credit cards to pay for fixing the damage to this room.”

“I will pull our stuff out and scatter it around the room. We can say you were attacked and robbed.” Harvey replied. “The hotel will comp us and we’ll be fine. The damage could have been caused during a scuffle. They won’t know the difference.”

“I don’t feel comfortable lying like that.” Lucy replied.

Harvey laughed sarcastically. “All you’ve ever done is lie to me. I don’t want to hear it from you. Had you been upfront and honest with me from the start, we never would have gotten married. Then Quentin and Heath would still be alive. What it comes down to is their blood being on your hands.”

“I didn’t kill them.” Lucy snapped. “Don’t you even suggest I had anything to do with their deaths.”

“Didn’t you though?” Harvey sneered. “Think about it. You’ve done nothing but string everyone along with your sick, perverted game. Everyone who dies as a result of your games is because of you and your deception.”

“You’re being unreasonable.” Lucy whispered.

Hitting the wall with his fist again, Harvey stared at Lucy with his cold black eyes.

“The only thing unreasonable about my emotions is that I fell for someone like you.” His voice was icy. “If I could do it without suspicion, I’d kill you myself and be rid of the misery you’ve caused me.”

Grabbing Lucy by the arm, he threw her to the floor. Lucy raised an arm to shield herself and grimaced as she expected him to hit her.

Anna felt herself go cold behind the safe. Having encountered abuse at the hands of her father, she found she couldn’t move or scream. She was frozen in horror, forced to watch what was happening in front of her.

“Hit me, you coward.” Lucy spat. “Show me what a real man you are. Real men hit women, right?”

“Don’t taunt me, woman.” Harvey barked.

Lucy spat at the man hard. “I’m not going to bow before you and give you the gratification of watching me quiver and feed your need to feel like a man. You’re nothing. You’re scum. In fact, the reason I had to seek out other men was because you weren’t man enough for me.”

Harvey balled his fists and his face grew a deeper shade of red.

He slammed his fist into the mirror on the wall. It cracked with the force of the blow and the shards fells to the floor. Blood oozed from his hand and he kept balling his fists as he looked at Lucy on the floor.

Looking at his hand, his face suddenly lost color and he looked around. Shaking his head, he rushed from the room and headed toward the lobby. Lucy looked stunned for a few minutes before she shook her head and headed for the bathroom. Slamming the door, she locked it. From behind the locked door, Anna heard the woman sob loudly.

With everything she had, Anna pushed herself to her feet from behind the safe. Carefully, she walked to the closet door and stopped to listen. The only sound was sobbing coming from the bathroom.

Even though her heart was breaking for Lucy, she knew that if Harvey found her in the room, he wouldn’t hold back from attacking her. Deciding he was a very dangerous man, Anna shuffled carefully behind the glass and heard Lucy call out from behind the bathroom door.

“Is someone out there?” her fragile voice asked.

“It’s Anna Winters.” Anna began. “I heard a commotion, are you okay?”

“Oh, Anna.” Lucy struggled to make herself sound friendly. “I’m fine. There was a minor incident. My husband went to get help. Someone broken into our room and robbed us. Please, leave now. He’ll be back with the police soon, I’m sure.”

“Are you sure?” Anna asked. “If you need help, I can help you.”

“Oh, heavens, no.” Lucy replied. “I’m fine. Just please go now before he gets back.”

Anna turned and left the room in a hurry. At this point, she wasn’t sure what she should do. Part of her felt obligated to tell the police about the violence she witnessed. On the other hand, Harvey was a dangerous man and she didn’t want to run the risk of Lucy getting hurt worse if he assumed she was talking to other people. Anna found herself at a loss. One thing was certain, Harvey's temper suggested he was very capable of murder.

As she turned the corner, Anna nearly fell over Courtney, who looked up at her.

“Are you an angel?” Courtney asked.

“Are you high?” Anna replied.

“Oh, yeah.” Courtney laughed. “But I can afford it now. Don’t tell anyone, angel.”

“What do you mean?” Anna pressed.

“My secret boyfriend was Heath Westcott.” Courtney smiled. “He didn’t want to tell people because he said our love was best kept only between us. So I listened to him. He also told me he would leave me money in his will. Now that he’s dead, I am rich.”

“How much money did he leave you?” Anna asked.

“For an angel, you aren’t as all-knowing as I thought you’d be.” Courtney replied thoughtfully. “He just said a large sum of money would be paid to me. Good thing, too. My dealer was getting on me to get him money as quickly as possible. In a way, this was sort of a blessing in disguise.”

“Did you kill your boyfriend, Courtney?” Anna asked.

Courtney nodded off and fell asleep before replying to Anna. Her face looked peaceful as she lay on the floor, propped up against the wall. Anna couldn’t help but feel pity for the woman. A drug addiction can be a powerful, life-consuming thing. Part of her hoped the woman would see the money as a chance to get into rehab and get the help she needed. But something told Anna it would only prove to be an enabler.

Leaving Courtney to sleep, Anna went down the hall to the stairwell. Entering it, she began to think about the events that had transpired over the course of the day and wondered what her next move should be. Exiting the stairwell door, she darted to the kitchen and walked inside.

As the hotel prepared for dinnertime, the room was full of baking fish, chicken, steamed vegetables, and other enticing aromas that made Anna’s mouth water. Heading to her office, she was startled by a firm hand on her shoulder.

Turning, she saw Pierre. Looking at him, Anna instinctively knew he wanted to talk about their relationship. Part of her didn’t want to ask, but she knew she had to.

“What’s wrong, Pierre?” Her voice cracked.

“I keep thinking I am doing something wrong.” Pierre whispered. “I want to have a relationship with you. But it is so hard for me. This isn’t the kind of thing I am used to doing. I know you think I am a player and all, but I do care about you, Anna.”

“Save it.” Anna replied and raised a hand. “I’m tired of the game.”

“No, I mean it.” Pierre pleaded. “We need to slow down some. I like you a lot. You are the greatest woman alive. But I am just not sure where I stand right now.”

“Are you a hedonist?” Anna asked.

“A what?” Pierre questioned.

Anna looked at Pierre for a moment and continued. “I overheard someone calling themselves a hedonist. It is someone who believes in the pursuit of pleasure for its own sake. If that is what you are, that’s fine. I understand.”

“No.” Pierre shook his head. “That’s not it at all. I am just dealing with a lot of things is all. You need to understand. Please, Anna. I’m not going to lie to you. It hurts that you would ask that question.”

“I’m sorry I hurt you.” Anna replied. “But if we are going to do this, you need to know how I feel and what I think as well.”

Anna looked at Pierre. It was the first time she realized things with him would never be easy if she decided to pursue a relationship with him. He was always going to be on the fence and maybe, in time, might be ready to commit. For now, she needed to decide if just having someone was going to be good enough for her.

“We can take things slow.” she finally offered. “Just be open and communicate your thoughts and feelings with me. I’d rather have an understanding than the hot and cold treatment I am getting now.”

“I know.” Pierre nodded. “I do understand. I can promise you all of that, I really can. Thank you for being understanding, Anna.”

Pierre embraced her tightly but Anna didn’t give him a hug back. Instead, she just looked at him with sadness and disappointment on her face. She didn’t like what was happening. She wanted him in her life, but it seemed as though there was more to what was going on than Pierre was letting on. Perhaps she was being a little distrusting of him but the affection didn’t seem genuine.

As he turned to leave, Anna watched him with an empty look in her eyes. Once again, he was breaking free from her and part of her wished this would be the last time they would have to go through this.

Anna stood outside in the warm Jamaican sun and thought about the new facts she had discovered over the last few hours. In her mind, the fact that Courtney knew money might be coming to her was motive enough to kill someone. If she had learned that Heath was having an illicit affair with Lucy and had planned to leave her, Courtney may have decided to keep that from happening any way she had to. After all, it could mean the difference between having the money to pay off a dangerous drug dealer and being left for dead.

The only problem Anna had was Courtney seemed to be so far out of it that her coming up with an elaborate plan to kill Heath was unlikely and would be too difficult for her to pull off. She would have to know the precise plate he would get, know exactly what would kill him instantly, and it would have to be something the police wouldn’t have found when they searched her room. In addition, she would have no reason to kill Quentin, too.

Turning her attention to the ocean waters, Anna let herself get lost in the moment. The view was breathtaking and peaceful. She almost wished she could disappear in the crystal blue waters and escape from the worries, stress, and the strain of the world.

Shaking her head to clear it, Anna decided the best place to look for Courtney or her friends would be the spa. As she walked over to the large building, she debated how she would approach the topic if she encountered Lucy. After all, there would be some awkwardness because of what had transpired earlier in the day and Anna was worried it would become grounds for an uncomfortable conversation she didn’t really want to have.

Visions of the abuse and assault were heavy on her mind. Her eyes welled up as she recalled the events and emotions they brought back. Tears trailed down her face and Anna paused for a moment.

Calm down!
she thought.
You got this! You just need to remember that what took place just now is over and Lucy is fine. You’re fine.

Taking a few seconds, she inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. The clean, tropical air felt good in her lungs and she closed her eyes for a moment and wiped away the tears. Opening them, she looked around and shook her head, then stepped into the spa.

In the main area, the room was absent of people. There was an eerie silence in the room except for the soft sound of a radio coming from one of the rooms. Anna looked around and felt fear crawl up her spine.

“Hello?” Her words filled the room and echoed off the wall. “Is there anyone in here?”

The only response was silence. As she turned to go, she couldn’t help notice that the radio was playing a heavy metal song. It wasn’t the type of music one would expect to hear in a place full of tranquility.

Deciding she should investigate, Anna went over to the closed door across the way. Her steps echoed in the room and gave her a heightened sense of being alone. Part of her wished Pierre was by her side to take her hand and show her some comfort. Realistically, she knew that would never happen and tried to shake those feelings off.

As she reached the door, she raised a hand, knocked on it three times, and waited for a response. When there was no reply, she knocked again.

“Hello?” Anna called. “My name is Anna Winters. I’m with the hotel. Can I speak with you?”

Again, there wasn’t a response. If there was a VIP behind the door and she opened it, she could lose her job. Although she could claim she didn’t realize there was someone in there, it could be hard to get the person to calm down. On the other hand, if someone was in trouble, she needed to find out what the problem was right away.

Reaching for the handle, she tried the knob. It turned with ease and Anna paused for a moment. She took a deep breath and pushed the door open. As she entered the room, she found herself surrounded by floral scents and soft light. It appeared Mica was sitting with her back to her.

“Mica, it’s Anna Winters.” Anna began. “I don’t mean to pester you. I am looking for Courtney. Do you know where she is?”

Anna waited and the woman didn’t move at all. Reaching over, Anna touched the edge of the chair to turn it around. As she did, the woman fell forward and sprawled on the ground. Just then, she noticed the skin had a bluish tint to it.

“Mica!” Anna cried and rushed down next to the woman. Checking for her pulse, she couldn’t feel one. Rolling her onto her back, Anna backed away in shock. She had assumed the woman was Mica Swenson but the face clearly belonged to Courtney.

Looking at her left arm, Anna could see a syringe plunged into her vein.

“Courtney, no.” Anna sobbed. “This can’t be happening. No!”

From the looks of it, Courtney had died of a drug overdose. The woman was her only hope to learn more about Heath and despite her zoned out responses, Anna could tell that Courtney was honest and upfront with what she knew.

As she looked at Courtney’s face, she noticed something in her mouth. Pushing gently on her jaw, Anna managed to open the woman’s mouth with a little effort and saw some ackee still in her mouth. Backing up in horror, she realized the woman hadn’t died of a drug overdose. The same person who had poisoned the ackee at the reception had managed to do the same thing again.

Reaching into her pocket and taking out her phone, she dialed the number for Detective Mueller.

“This is Detective Mueller.” The man’s rough voice came on the line.

“Detective, this is Anna Winters.” Anna began. “You remember, from the hotel. We spoke earlier.”

“Oh, you mean Super Sleuth Winters?” The man laughed. “Did you find more drugs? Have you located the hideout of the cartel? Is Timmy in the well and do you need our help to fish him out?”

“There’s a body.” Anna replied coldly. “You know, those things you locate and investigate. You know, the part of your job I know nothing about because I’m just a petty kitchen worker.”

“What do you mean there’s a body?” Detective Mueller demanded.

“Are you sure I am qualified to deliver this information to you?” Anna snarked. “It’s in the spa here at the hotel. The body is Courtney Keller. She was the girlfriend of one of the victims, Heath Westcott. Earlier in the day, she mentioned she was coming into money from her dead lover’s estate. Now, she is dead.”

“She was the one you accused of doing drugs, right?” Detective Mueller asked.

“Yes, but this doesn’t appear to be drug related.” Anna replied.

“Are you a medical examiner now?” Detective Mueller asked.

Anna looked at the syringe in the woman’s arm and pulled it out.

“No, I’m not.” Anna replied. “I don’t see any evidence to suggest that it was drug related. There is ackee in her mouth and I think she was poisoned.”

“We’ll have people down to meet you and close off the area as a crime scene.” Detective Mueller snapped.

With that, he hung up the phone. Anna looked at the syringe in her hand. She knew the detective would write the case off as a drug overdose and move on with investigating the two men if he saw the syringe but Anna wanted Courtney to have justice. Looking around, she went to the back door and located the dumpster behind the spa. She knew tampering with evidence could mean serious jail time if she was caught, but she pushed up the lid to the trash can and tossed the syringe into the can, then moved around a few trash bags to cover it. Her heart pounding in her chest, she rushed inside.

The wait for the police to come seemed like ages. Finally, Detective Mueller came in and glared at her.

“Did you touch the body?” he demanded.

“When I tapped her on the shoulder, she slumped from the chair.” Anna replied. “I looked at her and thought I would attempt CPR until I noticed the bluish tint to her skin. I could tell that she was dead and called you.”

“Anything else?” Detective Mueller asked. “You seem like you are holding something back.”

Anna paused for a moment. She didn’t like having to lie to cover it up. Outside, she could hear the rumbling of a garbage truck and heard the dumpster being lifted and dumped into it. Knowing that the truth wouldn’t come out, she chose to lie for the sake of Courtney getting justice.

“No.” Anna responded. “Nothing else.”

With that, Detective Mueller ushered her out of the spa. Anna felt sick to her stomach and decided to hurry away from there and try to forget everything that took place. Right now, she wanted to get lost in Pierre’s arms and have him hold her. She wondered if she could manage to get him to warm up a little. The shock of another body was more than she could handle.

On her way back to the hotel, she watched as police cars rolled toward the spa and emergency personnel ran to the scene. The place would be a mad house again and she knew Mr. Puccio would soon be breathing down her neck and threatening her job.

She walked into the hotel and made a beeline for the stairs. Taking them to the second floor, she walked down the hallway toward Pierre’s room. Part of her hoped he would just throw open the door and hug her tightly. She wanted to feel him next to her, to be safe in his arms and know that nothing bad was going to happen to her.

At his door, she raised a hand to knock, but deciding she wanted to surprise him, she pulled out her keycard that gave her access to all the rooms and swiped it. His door opened and as she walked in, the strong smell of bourbon caught her off guard and she froze.

In the bed with the sheets pulled up around them was a mortified Pierre and a smirking Cassandra.

“Anna, I can explain.” Pierre began. “Please, don’t leave. I had too much to drink. I know it isn’t an excuse. But if you will just listen to me, we can get past this. I love you.”

Anna turned and ran from the room with her heart pounding, her stomach feeling queasy and tears stinging her eyes. In her mind, she now knew why Pierre had been acting so strange and wanted to slow things down. Just as she had suspected, he was with Cassandra. The woman just kept kicking her down every chance she had. Anna began to wonder what this woman she thought was her friend had against her.

Falling into the wall, Anna slid down it, sobbing hard. Had he wanted to play the field, it would have been one thing. But he kept lying to her, and going into the arms of another woman. Not just any woman, but one Anna thought was her friend. Not being man enough to just come out and tell her he wanted to be with Cassandra crushed her. In a way, she wondered if things would ever be the same among all of them again.