Murder in Aruba: An Anna Winters Cozy Mystery (Murder in Paradise Book 5) Read Free

though."
    "What kind of business do you have in Aruba?" Anna asked. "What could anyone need from you they can't get from someone on the island?”
    "A certain poison," Monica replied with a twinkle in her eye. "I didn't put it together until I looked into the murders you've been solving. As you know, I have had a client ask me to drop off a certain deadly substance at each location. Well, my dear, it turns out that your killer has been buying their poison off the greatest criminal in all of Barbados. I dropped it off months ago,I was told it was for killing cockroaches which are a problem in these warm climates and nothing legal will do the job right. I never knew it was for killing people. Despite my repuation I would not help the killing of innoncent people."
    "Do you know who it is?" Anna asked. "Is it Cassandra?"
    "Baby," Monica chuckled. "Do you think I would reveal my clients to you? Besides I have only dealt with an anonymous person through an encrypted website. If I knew who it was I would have stopped them myself by now. I was starting to get suspicious so I put a tiny transmitter on the bottle of poison so I could locate it again and find out who my client was. I was too late but I did find the empty posion bottle next to the hotel's vodka supply so I know the poison is mixed in with the vodka. So I've come back to Aruba and stolen all the poisoned vodka back and replaced it with plain old vodka."
    "Why vodka I wonder?" Anna asked.
    Monica smiled. "The burn from the liquor helps it go unnoticed in the victim's mouth. It also works as a flavor enhancer in the dish. Just a few drops is lethal. You need to ask your chef to watch for vodka being added to a soup or main course, darling. I am trying to help you out. Despite you throwing me under the bus and exposing my true identity-"
    "You pistol whipped me," Anna interrupted.
    "Well, you seemed to like it." Monica winked. "Besides, if I wanted you dead. Well, you'd be dead already. You've become one of my favorite play things. I like to taunt you just enough to drive you insane. Especially when you know your hands are tied when it comes to me."
    "But you are an accessory to murder," Anna snapped. "You can have charges brought against you for that."
    "Well, if you could prove it," Monica laughed. "But who is going to believe you? Plus, my buyer doesn't know who I am. They just leave me money. So, it's really a wash when you think about it. You should stick to making cakes. You do an acceptable job on cakes. Well, except the one that killed someone. I mean, what kind of catering professional kills people?"
    "Can you leave now?" Anna asked.
    "I'll be back,” Monica laughed. "We are all stuck here for now. So, if you need me I will come to you."
    Monica turned and disappeared round the corner. Anna ran over to the corner and looked down the corridor, but she was gone.
    Walking towards the beach, Anna wondered why Cassandra was ordering more poison. Had she missed her intended target, Anna realized the stakes had never been higher than they were right now.
    As she continued on the path toward the beach, angry whispers caught her attention. Looking across from the bushes, she was surprised to see Henry and Ithica Maynard in a heated debate.
    Henry was the best friend of the groom Adonis Angelis. At 35, grey hair was already beginning to streak through his jet-black hair. His brown eyes were deep and enchanting. His wife Ithica was younger than he was. In her early 20s, she was full of life and didn't like having to wait very long. Her hair was bleached blonde and a contrast against her olive skin. Her eyes were a breathtaking ocean blue.
    "I hate her," Ithica snapped. "She is the reason Adonis is dead. Why can't you understand that?"
    "He was my best friend," Henry sighed. "But we cannot let his death influence the rage we feel."
    "He was my cousin," Ithica snarled. "He was my blood. There is no way to overlook what that harlot has done."
    "Be reasonable, dear." Henry placed