Murder in Jamaica: An Anna Winters Cozy Mystery (Murder in Paradise Book 3) by Penelope Sotheby Page A

prepare for the next course.
    Anna felt a hint of relief as she watched people smile and laugh about the presentation and close their eyes, savoring the bites of food.
    “You did well. Harvery and I are very pleased with our wedding is going so far.” a voice replied.
    Anna turned and saw Lucy O’Sullivan with a smile on her face. The young woman was in her mid-twenties with chocolate brown hair and shimmering blue eyes. A smile perpetually on her face, Anna enjoyed talking to the woman.
    “Thank you.” Anna smiled and nodded.
    Sliding her hands onto Anna’s, Lucy began to rub them.
    “If there is ever anything you need help with, I’d love to repay you.” Lucy replied.
    Anna smiled and nodded, gently pulling her hands back.
    “Thank you for that.” Anna nodded. “My reward is the knowledge that your wedding reception went on without a hitch. You should go enjoy your food before the next course arrives.”
    With that, Anna turned and saw Pauline shaking her head.
    “What was that?” Pauline asked.
    “She was just thanking me for the job we did.” Anna replied. “She did hang on a little longer than I would have liked.”
    “I wouldn’t worry about it.” Pauline shrugged. “We did a killer job with the presentation though. I didn’t think we’d pull it off.”
    “Did you have to use the word killer?” Anna laughed. “But it does seem that, this time, there won’t be any surprises.”
    “Well, we can hope at any rate.” Pauline smiled. “I just hope the Kobe beef is as well received in a bit.”
    “I think they’ll like it.” Anna replied. “I don’t foresee any problems. We have the best chefs in Jamaica working on these dishes.”
    “There is still a sense of dread as we watch and wait, isn’t there?” Pauline sighed. “I have an uneasy feeling something will happen.”
    “So do I.” Anna whispered. “What if the last two murders weren’t coincidences? I mean, it does seem as though death is following us.”
    Anna turned her head for a moment and noticed two of the guests sitting next to each other, grasping at their throats. She turned to look at Pauline, who had a concerned look on her face.
    “What’s wrong, Anna?” Pauline asked.
    All Anna could do was turn her head and point at two men who were now standing up from a table, pushing it over, their saliva foaming and dripping from their mouths. Others in the room started to notice and began screaming in terror.
    “No.” Anna whimpered. “Not again.”
    The man on the right fell to the floor and landed with a sickening thud. The other man’s mouth opened and Anna noticed his tongue was a deep shade of blue. He then fell onto the other man. Both bodies twitched for a few moments before they lay still.
    Anna could feel her heart beating against her ribs as the world around her slowed to a crawl. Each second ticked slower than the last as she watched people rushing past her. Guests were spitting out food. A few people tried to perform CPR on the men while someone else in the distance was calling for emergency services. But all Anna could do was stare at the men on the floor, knowing what would happen.
    Pauline grabbed her and pulled her into her chest to comfort and steady her. Anna could feel the tears spill from her eyes. She didn’t want to go through all of this again. The investigation, the concern that someone she knew could be the killer. It was all overwhelming. Pushing back from Pauline’s arms, she attempted to regain her composure.
    The doors to the ballroom flew open and a swarm of police and paramedics rushed into the room. The police took control of the crowd, keeping everyone at bay. The paramedics attempted to resuscitate the men, to no avail. Anna noticed that ackee was lying on the floor next to the heads of the two dead men and so that must have been the vehicle for the poison this time around. The two were then put in body bags and removed from the room as the police had people sit down and started taking