Murder in Barbados: An Anna Winters Cozy Mystery (Murder in Paradise Book 4) (5 page)

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.”

“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 this 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.”

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.”

“It was a soft pop, like a firecracker.” Gordon responded. “I had no idea what it was. Had I known it was an actual gunshot, I wouldn’t have opened the door.”

“So much death happens around you.” Anna replied. “Your wife has died, her lover has died, and the woman up the hallway in Pauline’s room. Add the cop who was keeping watch over you, that’s four people.”

“I don’t appreciate the accusation.” Gordon replied.

“No, I don’t suppose you would.” Anna snapped. “It was the very same accusation you gave me when your wife died.

“This isn’t the time really.” Pauline offered.

“Oh, there is another reason for this.” Anna replied. “I’m going to unmask the killer.”

“You know who the killer is?” Detective Jensen asked. “You haven’t done anything more than walk into the room.”

“That was all it took for me to determine who the killer was.” Anna offered. “Hopefully, this makes sense. My mind is a little fuzzy, but bear with me and I think it will all make sense in the end.”

“This I have to hear.” Gordon replied.

“Are you sure you are up for this?” Pauline asked.

“If you want to gather your thoughts first, you can.” Detective Jensen rubbed Anna’s shoulders.

Closing her eyes for a moment, she cherished his touch. She had only known him for a short time but it felt like they had spent decades together. He seemed as though he were her perfect match and she found herself enjoying being around him.

“Let’s begin by looking at some of the things we noticed when we arrived at the room.” Anna began. “We arrived and the officer who was assigned to protect Gordon was dead by the door.”

“That means the officer was dead.” Detective Jensen replied. “I don’t see what it shows us at this point.”

“It shows that whoever wanted to gain access to the room had to take care of him.” Anna continued. “There was no way the person would be able to gain access to the room otherwise. Because it was unlikely the person would be someone Gordon would let in without a fight, they needed to have no distractions.”

“Gordon could have killed the guard to cover his guilt and set this up.” Pauline suggested.

“I didn’t kill him!” Gordon replied defensively.

“No, you didn’t.” Anna agreed. “I noticed the officer was having trouble staying awake when I came by earlier.”

“When did you come by?” Gordon demanded. “I haven’t see you since the reception.”

“I came by earlier.” Anna paused. “While you were fighting with Graham in the bathroom. I overheard the argument and know about the jealousy that has existed between you for years.”

“He doesn’t like my success.” Gordon sighed. “That doesn’t mean anything more than a scuffle now and then.”

“No.” Anna agreed. “Let me show you something.”

Motioning for the others to meet her in the hallway, Anna got on her knees.

“What do you see here?” Anna asked.

“Police examining the scene.” Detective Jensen replied. “What’s your point, Anna?”

“No.” Anna replied and pulled a piece of tissue from her pocket. Then reaching under the chair, she pulled out a paper coffee cup from a coffee shop.

“He drank coffee?” Pauline asked. “I don’t understand why that matters.”

“Coffee should have given him a boost of energy.” Anna paused. “This is a large 20 oz. cup. The cup was in his hand when he was having trouble staying awake while Gordon and Graham were talking.”

“So he was tired?” Detective Jensen asked. “Is that what you are trying to tell us? How does that lead us to the killer?”

Anna turned the cup around. The name “Graham” was written in permanent marker on the cup.

“So Graham got him a cup of coffee.” Gordon shrugged his shoulders. “What does it matter?”

Anna pulled off the lid. Inside, a white powdery substance was floating in the coffee.

“It could be sweetner.” Gordon continued.

“We both know it is a sleeping aid.” Anna sighed. “When you were fighting in the room, I was surprised to find that instead of checking on you, he had fallen asleep. It just didn't add up. Now, I know why he was struggling.”

“But if Graham slipped him a sleeping aid, why kill him?” Pauline pressed. “Why not let him sleep and hope no one found out?”

“Because I believe he was a warning.” Anna replied. “Just like the maid in your room was a warning for me to back off.”

“What kind of warning?” Pauline asked.

“When Gordon wouldn’t open his door, Graham wanted to make a statement.” Anna shook her head. “He wanted Gordon to know he was the one who killed Laura and that he had no problem with killing again if he needed to. Had Graham made it into the room, he would likely have killed Gordon instead.”

“Why are still accusing my brother?” Gordon demanded. “It wasn’t him, I swear.”

“But it was.” Anna replied. “We both know you know. Look at the evidence.”

“What evidence?” Gordon asked.

“When we arrived, you were hiding in the bathroom.” Anna said. ”If you had found the body, you’d have called the police. You did hear gunshots and knew what they were, because you knew your brother was shooting him. He had come to your door, pounded on it, and demanded to be let in. When you refused to open the door, he shot Tom.”

Walking back in the room, she pointed to the bathroom, right where Gordon had been on the floor.

“No.” Gordon shook his head.

“You hid in the bathroom where you assumed you’d be safe.” Anna continued. “When the door opened, you tried to escape because you assumed you were in danger. You didn't know help had arrived. You had reason to be afraid because your brother wants to kill you.”

“He never loved me.” Gordon snapped. “All he ever wanted was all I had. He was jealous of everything in my life. I felt bad for him. Graham needed to outshine me and never could. It used to just be annoying at first. Over time, he slowly became more aggressive and he was getting to be dangerous. This is all my fault.”

“No.” Anna offered a comforting hand. “This isn’t your fault. You had no control over him killing others. You had no idea he was going to murder those people. If you had known, I have no doubt you would put an end to it right away.”

“So what happens now?” Gordon asked. “Will he go to jail?”

“Well, because the evidence is mostly circumstantial, we need to get a confession.” Anna replied. “How we do that will take some planning.”

“I don’t want you to put yourself in any kind of danger.” Detective Jensen growled. “The last thing I want is for someone to hurt you.”

“I’ve quite literally been under the gun many times.” Anna smiled. “I’ve even been pistol whipped. How many people do you know who can say that?”

“This really isn’t something you should be taking pride in.” Pauline sighed.

“I’m going to need you all to work with me on this.” Anna urged. “We can do this.”

“No.” a voice replied. “It would be incredibly daft of you to do this alone.”

“Monica!” Anna exclaimed. “There is your phantom detective.”

“The Phantom of Barbados.” Detective Jensen replied.

Pulling his gun, he aimed it at her chest.

“If you kill me, you won’t have my help.” Monica mocked. “Then your precious girlfriend dies. I guess you’ll need to learn to work with me.”

“What I want to do is arrest you.” Detective Jensen warned.

“Your best shot at taking down this man is me.” Monica snapped. “Yeah, you have guns. He’s killed four people. Graham is going to go down in a blaze. You need someone as evil as he is to take him out. So, you need me. Accept it.”

“Put your hands behind your head.” Detective Jensen ordered.

“Oh, sweetie.” Monica laughed. “If you think I am going to play with you, I’ll crush you like an insignificant bug.”

“Why must you use terms of endearment for everyone?” Anna demanded.

“Because it is incredibly condescending.” Monica smirked. “You are doing much better than I expected. Good for you. The tape recorder was a nice touch." She turned her attention to Detective Jensen. "It was unfortunate I had to take it from you.”

“It’s in my pocket.” Detective Jensen reached into his pocket and fumbled around searching for it.

“You don’t become a master thief and leave loose ends.” Monica shrugged. “There is no evidence and no confession. Could you build a case against me? Probably enough to get me a little time behind bars. Until I blackmailed the prosecutor and have all the charges dropped. Consider yourself lucky. You know who the Phantom of Barbados is. There is a mystery you no longer have to solve, thanks to Anna Winters.”

Pulling a gun from behind her back, Monica pointed it at the others.

“Now, I can get three shots off before you even pull the trigger.” Monica warned. “Do us all a favor and don’t be a hero. I’m here to help you. Let’s focus on that now and we’ll negotiate my capture later.”

Detective Jensen looked around and bowed his head, then shoved his gun into its holster. Monica reached behind her back and slid her gun into the back of her pants.

“Isn’t it wonderful we can work together, honey?” Monica squealed with joy.

“What’s the plan?” Anna demanded. “I’m not thrilled about working with you.”

“Oh, baby doll.” Monica pouted. “This isn’t the way to treat your savior, is it?”

“You aren’t my savior.” Anna scoffed. “Now, tell us your plan so we can decide if we want to work with you.”

“We’re getting there.” Monica put up her hands. “I just want an apology from you first.”

“An apology for what?” Anna demanded. “I don’t see any reason in this world to offer you an apology of any kind. Let’s be real. Shall we, honey, darling, dear. Or whatever you want me to say.”

“You told my deepest, darkest secret to others.” Monica whined. “No one in the world knew who I was before you blabbed it to everyone you encountered. I must admit, I am a little disappointed in you.”

“I am so sorry I revealed that you are a con woman.” Anna rolled her eyes.

“Oh, sweetie.” Monica shook her head. “No. I am not a con woman. I am a criminal mastermind. But I suppose that is as good as I am going to get. Such petty hatred for poor little me! Let’s all gather round and hear my fabulous plan. Oh! It will blow all of your minds.”

Monica motioned for everyone to come in closer to her. She then gave the details of her plan. Everyone in the group looked curiously at her and Anna couldn’t help but wonder if they were all preparing to die.