Read Online A Corpse for Cuamantla by Harol Marshall - Free Book Online Page B

finish the fiesta as scheduled, attend the dinner at the house of the queen since her family members have spent many days and much money preparing for this event." He turned to face her, the stress of the day's events beginning to show on his face. "Tonight, after the festivities, I'll accompany you home and answer whatever questions you have. Life only stops for the dead," he said. "The living must go on living."
    Anna objected. "Tonight will be too late." Her whispers increased in volume matching her anxiety levels. "The evidence will be destroyed. How will the police solve Pedro's murder if they don't cordon off the murder site now, take samples of footprints, ferret out whatever clues might exist? And what about the bullet or bullets? Have they even begun looking for them?"
    "Not now, Maestra." Miguel responded with more sternness than she might have anticipated. "I promise you, everything will be okay. Trust me. What has to be done will be done in good time. Right now we must finish the fiesta. After that, we can concentrate on who killed Pedro. Please don't make things more difficult and I promise you will learn everything you want to know. You're in Mexico now, not the United States, please remember that. Our customs are different. When you're with us you need to follow the rules of our country, the rules of this village. I shouldn't have to remind you of that."
    Miguel's voice remained at whisper level despite its gravity. Anna felt like an upbraided child and for the first time felt some hostility toward Miguel. He had no right to speak to her in that tone when her concern was legitimate. Even Pedro deserved justice, but more so, María and Yolanda. She glanced over at María, in awe of her calm complacency. Is everyone in rural Mexico socialized for martyrdom, she wondered? Culture or no culture, Miguel was not getting off the hook. Murder was murder after all. Cultural relativism extended only so far.
    Mercifully, the program ended ahead of schedule. Anna packed up her equipment and headed over to the school office joining the teachers waiting for Miguel who was busy fending off a long line of parents and students. As she organized her gear and thought about her morning filming, a disturbing thought struck her. The miniDVD in her bag might contain a shot of the murderer entering or leaving the rose garden, the place where Pedro's body was found. If so, maybe her video could limit the number of suspects who might have killed Pedro, a realization that brought an unexpected wave of fear.
    What if the murderer saw her filming him and at some point realized her video contained evidence against him? She filmed everywhere. No one could help but notice. She had to talk Miguel. They needed to contact the State Police as soon as possible. A murderer was loose and he might be after her. If the theft of the Real Cédula is related to Pedro's murder, I might be in double jeopardy . She picked up her cell phone to place another call to Art and saw a message.
    "Annie, it's me." The stridency of Art's voice assaulted her ear. "I've got my airline tickets. I arrive in Tlaxcala tomorrow. If you need to contact me, better send an email." Just what she needed, the stress of a visit from Art. She agonized about her video evidence and Art's impending visit while she waited for Miguel, unsure which upset her more. After Miguel dismissed the last parent, Anna intercepted him on his way to the office.
    "Miguel, please. I have something important to tell you."
    He looked at her in amusement, reaching for her arms and backing her away from him as if she were one of his students. "You, too, Maestra? Everyone has a theory about who murdered our compadre. Come, tell me, what is yours?"
    "I have no theory about the murder," she said, choosing to ignore his patronizing tone. "This is serious. Please listen to me."
    "I'm listening, tell me. Seriously."
    "First, I think we both may be in danger. I realized when I packed up my camcorder that I may