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

a hand on Ithica's back.
    Jerking away from his hand, the woman's eyes filled with rage.
    "Don't you dare tell me to reasonable," Ithica hissed. "You would have left me for her if Adonis hadn't stepped in. She is a tramp and the lowest form of human being. I may have forgiven you, but I will never forgive her."
    "But we weren't married at the time." Henry held up his hands. "We had gone on one date. I eventually chose you. I still choose you now, despite your current crazy behavior"
    "Don't you call me crazy." Ithica slapped Henry across the face, leaving a mark. "You killed Adonis. Didn't you! You've always wanted to be with her and now, this is your chance to make it happen. Fine. Go live in sin with that Jezebel. See if I care!"
    "You're a little over the top," Henry sighed. "Let's go get something to eat. Maybe your blood sugar is off."
    "Is this all in my mind?" Ithica snarled and threw a piece of paper at Henry.
    Looking at it, the color drained from his face.
    "This isn't what it looks like," Henry pleaded.
    "Oh, do you really think I am that naïve?" Ithica spat.
    Pulling her hand back, she hurled the drink she had been holding at Henry. The glass struck him on the side of the head and blood trickled down the side of his face.
    "What is wrong with you?" Henry demanded.
    Ithica looked at him in horror and bolted towards the hotel. Stunned, Henry looked around and slowly walked towards her and placed a hand on the side of his head. As he walked past a trash can, he dropped the item Ithica had tossed at him.
    Waiting until he was out of sight, Anna pulled out the piece of paper that had been crumpled up and tossed in the trash. As she straightened it out, she was startled to see an image of Henry and Anstice in a warm embrace. The picture appeared to show them as younger than they were now. On the back was a note that read,
    They wanted to get back together. Love is never strong enough. That is why he died.
    Anna felt her stomach drop. She had come to know Cassandra's handwriting over the years and this wasn't her handwriting at all. Which meant there was indeed someone else killing people. This meant that, in addition to proving Cassandra was a killer, she needed to find a second person.

Chapter 3
     
     
    Anna looked at Pauline on stage at the karaoke bar singing her heart and soul out to I Will Always Love You. She was impressed at how powerful her vocals were. It was nice to see her with her hair down and having fun for a change. In her soft, flowing blouse and palazzo pants, she looked so different from her usual business attire.
    There may be a cold-blooded killer on the loose, but everyone needed to have some down time. More importantly, Anna was using this as a chance to gain the trust of some of the wedding party in attendance to see what she could learn about the victims and sniff around for some possible suspects at the same time.
    The fact that so many people could have fun only 12 hours after several people had died was a surprise to a degree.
    When Cassandra pulled up a chair next to her, Anna could almost feel the icy grip of death clinging to her throat. Anna looked at the woman who had a drink ready for her.
    "It's a lemon drop martini!" Cassandra replied with a chilling smile.
    "So it is like lemon drop candy?" Anna asked. "That sounds tasty. What is in it?"
    "A splash of lemon juice, some gardenia and a little vodka," Cassandra laughed. "It's really good."
    "Maybe you should have a sip," Anna replied cautiously.
    "No, silly." Cassandra laughed and held up a beer. "I'm drinking beer right now. Plus, we are going to duet on Staying Alive here in a minute."
    Anna couldn't help but feel the choice was more tongue in cheek and looked at the drink. While she knew Monica had told her she'd given Cassandra plain vodka, she wasn't comfortable drinking the cocktail.
    "Well, I can't see any reason to not drink the cocktail," Anna replied. "You know I love you, Cassandra."
    Confusion crossed Cassandra's face for a