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

moment. Then she "bumped" the drink, causing it to spill, and turned red. "I am so sorry! That was clumsy of me. Bartender, can you make her a lemon drop martini? I need to wash up."
    Anna couldn't help but notice the tears in Cassandra's eyes. It was fortunate that there was an internal conflict going on in the woman's head. But she wondered how much danger she would have been in had Cassandra not spilled the drink at the last minute.
    The crowd cheered for Pauline as she walked up to Anna. Next to Pauline, Christos Papadakis sat down. His hair was a striking grey and he had piercing blue eyes that were focused on Pauline.
    "Would you like to join us?" Anna laughed.
    "What is your name?" Christos demanded, leering at Pauline. "No woman has ever left me so breathless."
    "My name is Pauline." She blushed. "You are Christos. Your daughter is Anstice, right?"
    "You know me very well." Christos replied and wrapped his arm around Pauline's shoulder. "Perhaps we can get to know each other better?"
    Pauline looked incredibly uncomfortable and Anna wanted to step in, but Pauline shot her a look.
    "Well, I would like to talk first," Pauline replied. "Talking really helps to warm me up to a man. Would that be okay with you?"
    "You can ask me anything," Christos replied as he brushed her hair to the side.
    "How did you feel about the wedding?" Pauline asked.
    "Well, I wasn't happy about my innocent girl marrying that man." Christos laughed loudly. "But I wasn't going to kill him. His death wouldn't have made me happier and it would have crushed my daughter. I love her more than life itself. So, I wouldn't kill the man she loves no matter how insignificant his life is to me."
    "But would Ithica want him dead too?" Anna replied.
    Rage crossed Christos face and his eyes bore into Anna. "That was his cousin. She loved him. They were blood. Don't you ever suggest that blood would kill blood. It isn't how our family works. Maybe your family goes around killing each other but ours does not."
    "Actually, from my experience, family does kill family," Anna responded casually. "They are usually the ones that have the best motives for murder."
    "Well, his murder is not linked to anyone in this family." Christos slammed his fist on the bar. "If you continue to make such accusations, I will make sure your name is destroyed, Anna Winters. Yeah, I know all about your reputation. But I think you are one of the worst armchair detectives out there."
    "Now hold on a minute." Anna held her hands up defensively.
    Christos ignored her and returned his focus to Pauline. "My precious jewel, can we get out of here? I can order a bottle of champagne brought to the room. One of the best you've ever had. We can then savor the flavor and enjoy some strawberries dipped in chocolate. Would you give me the honor?"
    "I don't think I am there yet." Pauline replied. "I do want to know more about you."
    "What more could you want to know?" Christos laughed and reached into his wallet. "Here is my ID. That will tell you everything you could ever want to know about me. I hope it gives you enough insight to help make your decision to be with me easier."
    Handing the ID to Pauline, Anna tapped him on the shoulder. His head turned and Pauline slipped the ID into her pocket.
    "I want to talk more about the murder," Anna continued. "Would you mind? I know perhaps this isn't the most appropriate time. But it is something I think you and I need to discuss. Don't you?"
    Christos stood up, towering over her. Rage was on his face. "If you accuse me one more time, I am going to kill you myself. This isn't the time or the place for this. You are a very disgusting and disturbing woman. I don't appreciate any of this."
    People in the bar began to turn their attention to the man. His face was beet red. Another wedding guest, Demetrius, came up to him and Anna couldn't overlook the man's physique. In his mid 30s, Demetrius was built like an ox and looked like he could crush a person with his