Knowing she couldn’t face Pierre so soon, Anna opted to go to the kitchen instead. Someone in the kitchen may have noticed something going on that day and hopefully, they would be able to help her.
As she walked in, she noticed how clean it was. The white tile floor had been freshly mopped and shined. The stainless steel countertops had been neatly polished and knives and other instruments were neatly placed on them. A few large pots boiling on the stove was the only thing cooking at the moment.
“Is anyone here?” Anna called.
Hearing footsteps, she watched and saw Lukas Frances turn the corner. A tall man, he had warm chocolate brown hair and sparkling blue eyes. A warm smile crossed his face.
“Anna!” he replied joyfully. “What can I do for you, my friend?”
“I was wondering if you would be open to talking about the kitchen on the day the murder took place.” Her words cautious. “I don’t think anyone in the kitchen is responsible for the murder, but I was wondering what you might have seen that day. What I am hoping is that someone who seemed out of place came in and perhaps did or said something that caused you to raise an eyebrow.”
“The only people who came in contact with the food that day were the staff.” Lukas replied. “We were very busy, so I suppose it is possible someone could have come in and just poisoned that slice of cake.”
“What do you mean?” Anna asked.
“The police mentioned that our food was no longer under investigation. Their forensics department only found poison in the slice of cake. The woman who also ate the cake from the tier didn’t get anything more than a sugar rush. She’s fine, they discharged her and she’s been cleared. It was a single slice of cake.” Lukas replied.
“That’s not possible.” Anna replied. “The only person to handle the cake then was Meadow when she had her husband eat it. The evidence keeps pointing back to her and Roger. Every turn I make, it’s them.”
“Sometimes, it is the most obvious suspects.” Lukas offered. “I know you were hoping for a mystery with a suspect to reveal themselves at the very end, but, sometimes, life is black and white, not shades of grey.”
Anna looked the man up and down. She was trying to make sense of the words he said. He looked good in his black slacks and white chef coat and a white chef's hat on his head. To her, Lukas looked the part. Maybe he was right, that things just turned out the way they were supposed to.
“Did I upset you?” he asked.
“No, I am just thinking.” she replied.
Lukas walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her. “You’re doing a great job. I know Mr. Puccio is giving you a hard time about this. He’s worried about one thing, money. You just need to stay strong and discover the facts that help you find out who the killer is. If you think it is Meadow, find the evidence that proves this.”
“The killer is covering their tracks though.” Anna replied. “They are always a step ahead of us. It’s like they are a professional killer.”
“He was a rich and powerful man.” Lukas offered. “Is it possible that someone was hired to kill him?”
“But why resort to poison in front of a room full of people who loved him? Poison is typically used by women. It prevents a mess and it doesn’t require a person to be overpowered. ” Anna replied thoughtfully. “Thinking about it, the murder seems more like a statement was being made. The killer wanted to make a spectacle, to be seen, but who would want to make a statement like that?”
“That’s a good question.” Lukas smiled. “While you figure that out, I have some lobster bisque to work on. If you don’t mind?”
“Oh, heavens no.” Anna smiled. “You do your thing. Like I said, I am only sitting here and thinking. I’ll let you be for now. Thank you for talking with me, Lukas.”
“You’re welcome, Anna.” Lukas replied. “Good luck, my friend.”
Leaving the kitchen, Anna found herself with more questions than answers again. The hotel was full of people and although she had a very narrow set of suspects, she was sure two individuals had to be involved. All the evidence pointed to that.
But she couldn’t shake the feeling that there was a glaring piece of evidence missing. A piece that would solidify the actual killer’s identity and put the mystery to rest and let her focus on her job instead. Mr. Puccio’s patience was already growing thin and he was seconds away from throwing her out of the hotel for good.
“Need a friendly face?” Pauline asked as she appeared from behind her. “Oh, Pauline!” Anna replied and hugged her friend.
“It’s like you’re always here when I need you.” Anna smiled.
“Just like your guardian angel.” Pauline laughed. “So, what’s going on? Did we finally solve the mystery?”
“Well, it turns out that only the slice of cake was poisoned.” Anna sighed. “The only people who handled the cake were myself, the killer, Cassandra, Meadow, and Tony. I shouldn’t have kept my back to the cake.”
“You had your back to the cake?” Pauline asked.
“After I cut the pieces, I moved forward to keep an eye on guests, then I got distracted with the announcement. If I had just paid attention, I could have rushed whoever poisoned the slice of cake and no one would have died.”
“There’s a problem with that.” Pauline replied. “You are discounting Meadow and Cassandra as suspects.”
“I don’t normally get annoyed when you try to bust Cassandra about something, but she isn’t the killer. Let’s explore the possibility of Meadow.” Anna snapped.
“Okay. So Meadow had access to the cake.” Pauline began. “She stood to inherit a fortune on both sides of things. She’s still in love with Roger.”
“I need to talk to her and be point blank with my questions.” Anna replied. “Originally, I was watching what I was saying because I felt bad for her but it makes me wonder if I let her slide without much suspicion.”
“Well, go get her, tiger.” Pauline laughed. “Do you want me to tag along? I can come with you if you need me.”
“No, I think I am going to be fine.” Anna smiled. “I don’t feel in danger around her. One more thing.” “Yes?”
“I need to know the truth.” Anna paused. “Do you think Pierre and Cassandra have something going on? I saw them kissing in his room. He says she jumped on him the moment I opened the door.”
“I think it’s possible.” Pauline answered nonchalantly. “I think Cassandra will do what she can to get what she wants. I don’t trust her as far as I can throw her. She has betrayed you many times with her 'forgetful moments'.”
“You don’t really believe that do you?” Anna asked. “She has been loyal to me for years.”
“So have I.” Pauline. “You are a good person. You look for the best in people and I can admire that but don’t let her manipulate you and lie to you. She will continue to deceive you as long as she can.”
“What should I do about Pierre then?” Anna pressed. “Should I just let him go and forget about it? Forgive him? I don’t want to lose him, but I messed up, Pauline.”
“You have to take it one step at a time.” Pauline sighed. “That is all you can do. It’ll be easier, I promise.”
“I guess you’ve never tried sleeping with a broken heart.” Anna responded. “I need to get going. I have to speak to Meadow and either clear her as a suspect or find something that pins the murder on her. It’s her or Roger. I just know it’s one of them.”
With that, Anna took off through the hotel and walked the floors, hoping to stumble across Meadow as if by accident. As she wandered around, she needed to determine a clear opening that would let her transition the conversation to the murder. It was something that needed to be done if she were going to find out anything.
The sun was low in the sky and Anna realized another day had almost come and gone. Another day closer to her own ticking deadline when Mr. Puccio finally threw her under the bus to protect the image of his hotel.
Walking onto the terrace, she could feel the tears sting her
eyes, but she fought hard. Instead, she watched as the Bermuda sun hung in the sky and slowly set over the ocean, casting a dazzling sunset of reds, orange, and gold across the sky. The beauty almost made her forget her troubles for a few minutes.
Anna, Pauline, Cassandra and Pierre had been sent to several tropical Grand Palatial hotels over the next few months to carry out their “Executive Wedding” package. These executive weddings were extremely lavish and required specialized skills that Anna and her team had. She always loved getting away from her base at the Grand Palatial in London to places where life was a little slower. The only downside she normally encountered was that Mr. Puccio would quite often insist on being there when there was an executive wedding and she didn’t really like being in close personal contact with her boss.
Looking down, she was surprised to see two sharply dressed people down by the pool. The woman was in a sequined red dress that was very impressive and looked expensive. The man appeared to be in a tailored suit. It was almost as if they were here for a formal affair.
It took a minute to realize the couple was indeed interested in an affair of some kind. The woman was Meadow, and the sharply dressed man was Roger. Anna grabbed the edge of the terrace to steady herself. Their arms were moving around in an emphatic manner and Roger was jabbing his finger at Meadow. As he does, she slaps him hard against his face. He then pulls her into a tight embrace and kisses her hard.
Anna waited for her to push him back. But instead, she watched as the tension in Meadow’s body loosened and she was kissing Roger passionately.
“Well, aren’t you just a devious widow?” Anna scoffed. “Why are you two already in the middle of a tryst? Your husband isn’t even buried yet.”
Meadow grabbed Roger by his tie and led him away from the pool and back inside. Anna knew where they were going and it didn’t take much deductive reasoning on her part to know what their intentions were. Grabbing the key to her room, Anna rushed down the hall, climbed the stairs, and managed to hide in a room down the hall from the honeymoon suite and waited for them to come. Sure enough, she watched them walk down the hall and pause at the door.
“You don’t think this is a bad idea, do you?” Meadow asked, looking around. “What if someone sees us?”
“It’s not like they’ll be able to put anything together.” Roger replied. “I wouldn’t be worried about it. We’re getting away with this. No one will ever have to know.”
“The woman already has you as her prime suspect.” Meadow warned. “You need to be careful.”
“I gave her a sob story and a good fright.” Roger shook his head. “She needs to go back to the kitchen where she belongs.”
“That’s terribly sexist.” Meadow laughed. “But she is going to be the biggest problem we have in keeping our secret.”
“It’s almost as if you think anyone would believe a word the hired help would say. But I’ll take care of her for good, I promise.” Roger snickered. “Now, shall we?”
With that, they walked into the room. Anna felt sick to her stomach. She was almost positive they had just confessed to killing Tony and they knew she was the only one on to them. They also had decided she had to die. That wasn’t something she was in the mood to do today.
What she really needed to do now was find Pauline, let her know what she heard, and make sure this was taken care of right away. Before anything else had time to go wrong or before a bullet, knife, or poisoned vial had the chance to make contact with her.
Chapter 7
Murder in Bermuda: Book 1 in the Murder in Paradise Series Page 6
