Murder in Jamaica: An Anna Winters Cozy Mystery (Murder in Paradise Book 3) (5 page)

After spending some time in the sun, Anna checked her phone and realized she still had some things to get done. Heading back toward the hotel, she turned briefly to see the sun setting over the ocean waters.

She stopped to admire the brilliant splashes of reds, oranges, blues, and purples as the sun seemed to sink into the Jamaican waters. Anna couldn’t believe how much had taken place over the last three days. It seemed as though things were moving at breakneck speed as they approached a brick wall. She knew before long, Mr. Puccio would be breathing down her neck, wanting to know why she hadn’t solved the murders yet. Once this was over though, she’d have a facial along with a mani and a pedi, followed by a massage. That just sounded so heavenly right now!

Turning away from the ocean waters, Anna walked back to the hotel. She was hopeful she would have a solution to the murders before much longer. She wished they would be solved tonight so she could finally get some sleep instead of spending half the night trying to put the pieces together.

As she entered through the door, she heard a commotion in the banquet hall. Curious, she pushed open the door and saw Mica and Harvey having an argument.

“What kind of an idiot are you?” Harvey snapped at Mica. “She’s a married woman now and you’re acting like a Jezebel with her.”

“I’ve done nothing.” Mica spat. “I offered to come talk to her. She needed someone because you weren’t man enough to treat her right.”

“Don’t think I can’t read between the lines.” Harvey hissed. “Let’s be realistic. We both know what your intentions were.”

“Yes.” Mica nodded. “They were to help a friend who was in need. You might not be smart enough to understand the difference, but that’s your problem, not mine.”

“You better watch your mouth.” Harvey snarled. “I would hate to have to put my fist through your face.”

“Threatening me?” Mica laughed. “Is that what you did to Quentin? Did you threaten Heath before you poisoned him? When you killed Courtney, did you threaten to harm her, too?”

“I didn’t kill them.” Harvey replied. “But, they were absolute trash like you. Whoever killed them did the world a favor, especially when they took out your worthless husband, Quentin.”

Mica slapped Harvey in the face with all her strength. His eyes grew wide with rage.

“Don’t you ever lay a finger on me!” Harvey snapped. “I could crush you like a flea.”

“Do your worst.” Mica taunted.

As Harvey lunged for Mica, Anna found herself running toward him and knocking him to the floor. As they both landed, he let out a deep groan. Anna tried to push herself up off the ground and found her footing was wobbly. She looked at Mica, who had a look of shock on her face.

“We need to go.” Anna warned.

“Where did you come from?” Mica demanded. “How much of our conversation did you hear?”

“That doesn’t matter.” Anna replied. “We need to –”

Anna felt strong hands grab her by the shoulders and flung her to the floor. Anna looked up and saw Harvey with hate filled eyes looking down at her. She suddenly realized he could easily kill someone and not think twice about it.

“You couldn’t leave well enough alone, could you?” His voice was hard and cold. “Unfortunately for both of you, this ends now.”

With that, Harvey pulled out a gun and aimed it directly at Anna’s head. She could feel her heart beating hard and her breathing growing rapid. For the third time, she had a gun pointed at her and she knew that in the law of averages, this didn’t look good for her. She thought of the things she hadn’t done yet that she still wanted to do. The feeling of being a failure washed over her.

As Harvey pulled back the hammer on the gun, Anna could feel the room spinning around her. Her mouth grew dry and she waited for death to come in and swoop her in its arms.

Suddenly, Mica took one of the dining chairs and hit Harvey in the back with it. He fell to the floor with a thud. The gun hit the floor and a single shot fired. The bang startled the women and they both froze. A whimper on the other side of the room caught their attention and they turned.

One of the kitchen workers had apparently heard the commotion and came to see what was going on. Blood seeped through his shirt in the center of his chest. As his eyes rolled up into the back of his head, he fell and hit the floor with a thud.

Mica fell to her knees and began to cry. Anna pushed herself to her feet when she heard Harvey groan and moved behind her.

“We need to go, Mica.” Anna warned. As she helped Mica to her feet, she turned to see Harvey back on his feet. Blood was seeping from his lip and he looked like he was ready to kill. He grabbed Mica and threw her out of the way. Then grabbing Anna by the throat, he began to squeeze.

Anna clawed at his hands, but he held her firmly and slowly raised her off the floor. She struggled to breathe and kicked around, hoping she could break free of his grasp. The more she struggled, the tighter his grip seemed to become.

Her lungs burned and her eyes lost focus. She punched him as hard as she could but found each swing was weaker than the last. Her energy was being drained and she slowly became limp. As the darkness began to surround her, she felt herself fall to the floor. Gasping hard, she struggled to breathe and felt someone take her hand and pat it.

Around her, there was a commotion and she could see people standing over her with concern, but her ears only echoed with the rushing of the pain in her lungs. A pair of arms wrapped firmly around her and Anna put an arm around the person. She had no idea who it was, but the arms felt warm and loving. They were familiar, too.

Slowly, the light around her began to return and she was able to regain her focus. She turned her eyes and saw Pauline was holding her with a look of genuine concern on her face.

“I’m sorry, Pauline.” Anna whispered. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“This isn’t the time.” Pauline smiled. “Let’s not focus on anything else besides you.”

“Harvey is the killer.” Anna replied. “But there is more.”

“We don’t have to worry about that right now.” Pauline gently replied. “Take a moment to breathe. You should probably go to the hospital to get checked out, don’t you think?”

“No, I’ll be fine.” Anna replied and tried to sit up. She grew dizzy and steadied herself.

“It might be a good idea.” Pauline suggested.

“You saved me.” Anna smiled weakly.

“I did.” Pauline nodded. “We might fight from time to time, but you are my best friend, a sister to me. I’m not going to let some scumbag take you out like that.”

“Does this mean we’re okay?” Anna asked.

“I’m still upset,” Pauline replied. “But our fight isn’t important. Right now, it is your well-being that is important. We need to get you checked out and make sure you are okay.”

Anna looked around her. Harvey had blood seeping down the side of his head and a baseball bat with blood on it was laying on the floor a short distance away. Paramedics were treating Mica and two more were beside her.

“Can we take your vitals?” asked a young man with brown hair and brown eyes.

Anna nodded. As the paramedics examined her, Anna couldn’t help but think she had once again discovered a killer and they would be brought to justice. A smile came to her face and for a moment, she felt good.

Then she recalled Mica's words. She wanted to know how much of the conversation had Anna heard. The statement brought chills down Anna spine. That meant Mica was associated with all of this. Another concern is that she had no idea what motivated Harvey to kill. Although it was obvious that Lucy was the focal point, what triggered him from being angry to hateful enough to kill these people?

“We need to know why Harvey killed those people.” Anna demanded. “We also need to know what Mica is hiding.”

“Why would Mica be hiding anything?” Pauline asked. “He was trying to kill her, too.”

“The problem is what she said.” Anna replied. “She asked me how much of their argument had I heard. That means there was something there she didn't want me to know. We need to find out what that was. It could make a difference in the case. Mica could be an accomplice in the murders.”

“That would make three people, if you count Cassandra.” Pauline offered.

“We can look into Cassandra after this.” Anna sighed. “But we need to get the role these two played exposed right now. This is important because I don’t want someone guilty of murder getting away with it."

Pauline nodded. She motioned for Detective Mueller to come over.

“I have to say I am slightly impressed, Super Sleuth Winters.” Detective Mueller said with a smile. “I honestly didn’t think you’d have what it takes to find another killer, but you managed to do it.”

“Harvey isn’t the only one guilty.” Anna replied. “Mica had a role in the murders, too.”

“What do you mean?” Detective Mueller asked. “Why would you think she was involved?”

“I don’t think Mica actually killed anyone.” Anna replied. “But, I still think she had a large role in the murders and we need to talk with her about it. I suspect we’ll find out her hands are far from clean.”

“We can talk to her.” Detective Mueller replied. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Anna nodded and took a deep breath. “But I think I know why Courtney was killed. You have to trust me with this. I think I actually have everything pieced together. Let’s separate the two of them and I promise you, I will have the murder solved and you’ll be able to close this case today.”

“What do I have to lose?” Detective Mueller shrugged. “Take Harvey to the security room here at the hotel. We’ll be with him shortly. As for you, Mica, we have some questions for you.”

Mica looked at Anna and Detective Mueller and dropped her head. Anna couldn’t help but notice that with how she was posed, she looked like a child who knew her parents had discovered she had done something wrong and was waiting her punishment.

“How much did you hear?” Mica asked Anna.

“I heard nothing.” Anna offered. “I wouldn’t have suspected anything of you until you asked me that question. It was then that I knew there was something more than you were telling. I hate to ask, but can you please fill us in on the details of your crime?”

Mica looked at the others in the room and she nodded her head.

“Can we do this in private?” Her voice trembled. “I don’t want everyone knowing what I have done.

Detective Mueller nodded, took her by the hand, and motioned for Anna to follow them. Anna looked at Pauline, who motioned for her to go. As Anna walked away, she felt proud of herself for tying things up so neatly. Once again, she felt like she could take on the world, knowing she had the knowledge and the mindset to outsmart killers and bring them to justice. Of course, she would never forget that Pauline had stepped in to save her life. For that, she’d be eternally grateful and she would make it up to her friend.

Entering the room with Detective Mueller and Mica, Anna could feel her heart pounding. It was time to finally get the answers she was looking for in this mystery and wrap things up once and for all.

Detective Mueller motioned for Mica to sit down on one side of a tiny table and Anna and he sat on the opposite side.

“You understand your rights?” Detective Mueller asked.

“I do.” Mica nodded. “I think it is best to just come clean at this point and accept my fate.”

“Let’s begin with something easy.” Detective Mueller began. “Did you have a role in killing any of the victims?”

“I didn’t poison them if that is what you are asking.” Mica replied. “But, in a sense, I am responsible for their deaths.”

“What do you mean?” Anna asked.

“I knew that Harvey was a jealous man. When he discovered Lucy and Quentin’s affair, he was devastated and angry. At the time, I assumed he had found out about Heath, because that relationship had an emotional depth to it.”

“Heath was falling in love with Lucy?” Anna asked.

“Right.” Mica nodded. “Heath was in love with Lucy and he felt he stood a chance. They even had plans to meet after the wedding. They loved the danger, the fire they were playing with. I don’t think either of them knew Harvey was on to them. However, Harvey had found a love letter that Heath had written to Lucy just before the reception. He showed it to me and ripped it apart in anger and took off.”

“Where did he go from there?” Anna asked.

“He went down to the kitchen and talked with some woman with frizzy black hair and the coldest eyes I’ve ever seen. They looked serious when talking and she even made advances toward him and I didn’t see him backing off. I didn’t stay around, but I assumed the two of them had an affair and that was the revenge he was going to get.”

“But there is more?” Anna asked.

“There’s plenty more.” Mica nodded. “It turned out that in his state of mistrust, he discovered Lucy and I had enjoyed each other’s company in the past. He found text messages between us and realized there was something more going on. But I ended it quickly. I want that to be known. I didn’t intend to let things go on. Lucy looks for acceptance and value in her life through being sexually promiscuous. She calls it being a hedonist, but she does it for approval. Her parents didn’t even show up to the wedding because they are more focused on her sister. Courtney and I were the closest thing to family Lucy had.”

“Harvey knew that.” Anna pressed.

“He did.” Mica nodded. “The thing is that Harvey didn’t like it when anyone would become an object of Lucy’s affection. He was incredibly jealous before he found out she was sleeping around on him. I think if he had known earlier, the wedding would have never happened and three people would still be alive. But Lucy did her best to keep the truth from him. I think in her own way, she really loved him. She may still love him even when she learns the truth. I don’t know.”

“When did you know he killed Quentin and Heath?” Anna asked.

“Well, he never admitted it to me.” Mica shrugged. “But I knew. I heard him talking to someone about the poison in the hallway and thanked them, told them their fees were in the envelope. I brought it up just before Courtney was killed. We look nearly identical and most people can only tell us apart by our eyes. Anna had mentioned she was wearing the exclusive perfume blend I own, which she would often sneak into my room and use. When Harvey seemed genuinely shocked to see me right after I learned about Courtney’s death, I knew he had intended for me to be the victim.”

“So, Courtney was an accidental killing.” Anna replied.

“Yes.” Mica nodded. “But, in a way, she would have likely died regardless. Her coke habit was getting worse and she was going deeper into the depths of addiction. We were going to try rehab because she was at the point that going cold turkey on her own would have killed her. Do you know how hard it is to see someone you love killing themselves daily just for a high?”

“I’ve seen many good people go that route.” Detective Mueller cleared his throat. “But, we aren’t interested in what might have been at the moment. We are looking at getting answers to the murders before we speak with Harvey. Why didn’t you give the police or Anna a tip about what you knew?”

“I was motivated by the two greatest motivators in the world.” Mica sighed. “Power and money. When I let it slip to Anna that I stood the chance to inherit both, I knew I was in trouble, but she was preoccupied with other parts of the case. I think she held off until just now to look into it deeper. Once I had the money and power, I was going to take things a step further. My plan was to extort more from Harvey and gain power over him. Then I was going to put him in a situation where he had to have an affair with me and let Lucy know.”

“You said you were fine with the affair Lucy had with Quentin.” Anna replied shocked.

“Oh, you never really are okay.” Mica laughed. “It still burns your soul and it infuriates you. Knowing she loved Harvey, I think it would have caused her pain and agony. I wanted that to happen to her. I needed her to feel the pain I felt. Call it sick if you must, but I was doing it for me.”

“But now you are left with nothing.” Anna replied. “You won’t have your revenge. You’ve committed a crime and now you’ll lose the company, the money, and you won’t have the chance to break Lucy’s heart.”

Shock crossed Mica’s face. “But, what crime did I commit? I didn’t actually commit extortion.”

“No, but you are guilty of being an accomplice to murder after the fact.” Detective Mueller replied. “You made the process easier for him and because of your manipulations, Courtney Keller is dead. The Director of Public Prosecutions will be able to make it stick based on everything you’ve given us.”

“Please.” Mica began to weep. “I’ve given you so much information. Just let me have this one thing. Don’t let Lucy win again. She keeps destroying lives and getting away with it.”

“You said she was like family to you.” Anna stepped in.

“No,” Mica corrected. “I said we were like family to her. Lucy plays with people’s emotions and is a downright evil person. Even though she didn’t poison my husband and Heath, she did play a role in their deaths. She used them for what she wanted and then she tossed them aside like garbage. She needs to be stopped.”

"She hasn’t committed a crime.” Detective Mueller replied. “I can’t arrest someone because you don’t like something they did. If that was the case, everyone in the world would be behind bars for something. But you did commit a crime, Mica. There’s no two ways about it. So, I am putting you under arrest. It’s over, Mica.”

Mica bowed her head and began to sob hard. Anna watched the woman and couldn’t help but feel bad for her. Part of her wished that she could comfort her, considering what the two of them had just gone through, but she had broken the law and there were consequences.

“Is there anything I can do for you?” Anna asked.

“No.” Mica shook her head. “I brought this on myself. I should have known better. But I do appreciate your kindness. You really have no reason to be so kind to me.”

“I believe everyone deserves kindness.” Anna sighed.

Standing up, Anna looked at Detective Mueller. “I guess we need to talk to Harvey and tie up the loose ends, don’t you think?”

“I suppose we should.” Detective Mueller nodded. “I’ll have Officer Peterson sit with you. Anna knows him all too well, don’t you, Anna?”

Anna blushed, remembering the officer she had tricked into helping her search Courtney’s room for drugs. “Well, I was hoping you wouldn’t find out about that.”

“I’ll admit I was annoyed.” Detective Mueller smiled. “But you are really trying to investigate and do a thorough job. So I do appreciate what you did. Just no more secrets, okay?”

“I promise.” Anna smiled.

She wondered if she should bring up the fact she pulled the syringe from Courtney’s arm before they went to talk to Harvey about the crimes, but the admission would do more harm than good. After all, instead of having a murder written off as an overdose, the police looked at it as a homicide. Ultimately, Courtney would receive the justice she was entitled to. So, she choose to make sure a killer didn’t have a chance to walk free and, instead, kept the secret to herself.

As they stepped into the hallway, Detective Mueller pulled her aside.

“There were track marks on Courtney’s arms.” he replied. “Had you not spotted the ackee in her mouth, we would have looked at her arms and written it off as an overdose. I wanted to thank you for your observation. You’ve really become a valuable asset on this case. I appreciate the fact you look beyond what is obvious and really delve into the depths of the case. If you are interested, I would be open to putting you through the academy and taking you on as one of my team.”

Anna paused for a moment. The chance to become an actual detective was enticing. It would give her a chance to continue investigating crimes and really get her feet wet in some interesting mysteries. But it would also mean she would have to give up on her first love, catering.

Looking outside, she marveled at the beautiful Jamaican sun and thought how incredible it would be to be able to lay on the sandy beaches whenever she wanted and have a purpose that would help others. She then looked at the detective and smiled.

“I’m very interested.” Anna nodded. “But I will need some time to think about it.”

Detective Mueller nodded. “I’ll be more than happy to keep the position open for you until further notice. Just let me know when it works for you and I will pull all the strings I need to. That way, you’ll be a part of my force.”

“You are too kind.” Anna smiled.

“I wouldn’t call it kind.” Detective Mueller laughed. “You not being a detective would be a grave injustice. You have a very sharp eye and you will be able to help us solve countless crimes in the future. I know you will.”

Anna smiled and nodded.

“Let’s get this show on the road, shall we?” Anna asked. “I have a spa appointment and I am going to savor every moment of it.”

Detective Mueller laughed. His laugh was warm and his attitude was very different from a few days ago when his harsh eyes and cold voice had hurt Anna deeply. Now, she was glad she had someone she could trust who saw the value in what she was able to do. For that, she couldn’t be happier.

As they approached the door, Detective Mueller stopped her. “Are you sure you are ready to run the show?”

“You mean you are going to let me interrogate him?” Anna asked.

“Why not?” Detective Mueller asked. “You are the reason we are here right now. I think it would give you some good practice and some insight into the process. I would be honored to have you lead this. If you want to, you go right ahead.”

Anna smiled brightly and nodded. “I would love to do this. Thank you so much!”

With that, the Detective Mueller pushed open the door and they entered the room. They were more than ready to finally wrap things up.