Murder in the Bahamas: An Anna Winters Cozy Mystery (Murder in Parasise Book 2) Read Online Free Page A

another few yards as the towering hotel drew closer. Knowing that if she hit the main backdoor, they’d see her, she darted into the shadows and ran along the perimeter to the kitchen’s entrance and slipped in through the door. The room was empty except for a few pots on the stove that were keeping the food warm until the kitchen closed down at midnight.
    Leaving the kitchen, she took the stairs to the second floor and went to her room, looking over her shoulder in fear the men would come down the hall and see her. Keeping her head low, she didn’t finally breathe until she was in the door and collapsing on her bed.
    “Thank God.” she whispered.
    A few hard thumps on her door sent chills through her body. They had figured out who it was and they were on the other side of the door. Trembling, Anna walked over to the door and placed her hands on the wood. Closing her eyes, she took hold of the knob, opened the door, and took a step back, bracing herself to be hit in the head.
    “You are so weird sometimes.” a friendly voice laughed.
    “Pauline.” Anna opened her eyes and smiled. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
    “I’m going to guess you are already hard at work sticking your nose into things and making enemies.” Pauline laughed. “So, how many guests want you dead already?”
    “Hopefully, none.” Anna replied. “But you never know. Some of these guests have a shady past. I saw Wendy making out with Goran.”
    “She was making out with Branko’s brother?” Pauline shook her head. “That woman is a mess.”
    “Well, her husband isn’t much better.” Anna replied. “He was talking with a shady looking bald man with a scar on his face.”
    “Wasn’t Branko in the Serbian mafia?” Pauline asked.
    Anna nodded. “He was, according to Charles. Let’s do a web search for him and see just how involved he was.”
    Reaching into her dresser drawer, Anna pulled out her laptop and fired it up. She opened her browser and pulled up a search engine.
    “Are you sure you want to know the details?” Pauline pressed. “Sometimes it is better not learn someone's past. It often makes things seem worse than they really are.”
    “People don’t change.” Anna replied.
    “That’s not true.” Pauline shook her head. “I’ve known some very wicked people who turned their lives around. When the good in people is nurtured, they will do amazing things.”
    Anna looked at her friend and began the search.
    “There are millions of hits. I don’t know where to begin.” Anna replied.
    “Maybe start with the first one.” Pauline laughed.
    Anna clicked on the link. A picture of a younger Branko appeared without the moustache on his face. His face had a look of pure evil. Anna could feel her heart pound.
    “Well?” Pauline asked.
    Anna scanned the text of the document. She began to paraphrase out loud.
    “Branko Lukic was thought to be a top hit man for the Serbian mafia.” she began. “During his time as their lead, he was estimated to have killed an estimated 25 people. However, all of his crimes were neatly tied up so that no one would ever pin the crimes on him. He would eventually leave Serbia after testifying against several other mafia members and found refuge in the United States. Although some have attempted to put hits on him, no one is brave enough to come face to face with the man, knowing how deadly he is. His favorite method of murder was poisoned alcoholic drinks.”
    “Poisoned drinks?” Pauline whispered. “Just like the poisoned black rum?”
    “It would seem that way.” Anna nodded.
    Anna scrolled down further and gasped in horror. There was a man in another picture next to Branko. The man was Darko Pancev.
    “Who is that?” Demanded Pauline.
    “That is the man Branko was with at the pool.” Anna replied. “They were talking about something illegal. I don’t know what yet, but I am going to find out. They almost caught me spying on them. From the looks of things, if they had caught