A Corpse for Cuamantla Read Online Free PDF Page B

divorce, he complained.
    "You never trust me," he insisted, as if the mistrust were her fault rather than his, and leading to their most serious quarrel yet.
    María retaliated. "You know the choices. You've known them for over a year. If there's no progress toward your divorce, then it's over between us and you can move out. I'm giving you a deadline. The first of May." María delivered her demands firmly and furiously knowing it upset Pedro, but few things motivated Pedro more than personal discomfort.
    María's deadline had passed five days earlier, already an eternity in her mind. She no longer cared about Pedro's wounded feelings. The future of her children mattered most. She needed a dependable man who would build a life with her, not just sleep with her or display her as some macho badge of honor. If Pedro couldn't meet her standards, another man would.
    Chapter 7
     
    A nna returned to the school ahead of the parade, dog-tired from running in front to film. She crossed into the schoolyard and dropped on the sidewalk to rest. Were all anthropologists this committed to their profession? Somehow she doubted it, except maybe for Art. He was the most single-minded person she'd ever met and one of the smartest. By contrast, her dedication stemmed partially from having no idea what data might be important when it came time for her final analysis. Detectives often feel the same way, her father once told her. He'd been a police detective for ten years before changing his career from law enforcement to criminal defense.
    "You gather evidence, then wait for a breakthrough, a pattern to emerge, maybe a confession," her father said, describing detective work.
    Not quite the same as fieldwork, but not far off, Anna decided, including the part about confessions. Amazing what people would tell you when you offered a sympathetic ear.
    The blare of Mariachi horns announced the arrival of the fiesta floats at the school gate. Anna watched the day's important officials straggle in, led by Miguel. Marching through the dusty streets hadn't detracted from his handsome appearance except that his tie hung slightly askew and the tip of his shirttail drooped over the back of his pants.
    He looks like a rugged Banderas, she thought, Antonio Banderas being her current favorite movie star. As Anna trained her camcorder on Miguel, he spotted her and winked. She might have to edit that out.
    Once the crowd settled down, Miguel speechified, extolling the glorious traditions of his country and the accomplishments of local dignitaries. The whole business reminded her of those endless self-serving speeches at the Academy Award ceremonies in Hollywood. People were the same everywhere, only the circumstances changed.
    To Anna's surprise, Miguel's introduction of María brought a loud round of applause. How quickly events can turn around. Only two weeks earlier, many of these same villagers angrily berated María at the monthly parent teacher meeting. Anna had watched with dismay as the scene unfolded. The parents criticized María for tardiness when her attendance record surpassed that of any teacher in either school, attested to by Anna's diligent note-taking. The meeting went from one trumped up charge to another, all contradicted by Anna's transcription. When the meeting ended Anna cornered Miguel.
    "It's a ruse, Maestra," he explained. "The villagers are upset over Pedro's behavior and they want María to know they disapprove of her affair with him. If she refuses to end that relationship, I'm afraid they'll make her professional life miserable."
    Anna protested. "Her personal life is her own business. The villagers have no right to tell her who she can see or not see simply because she teaches in their school."
    "I beg to differ, Maestra," Miguel said, adopting his Director tone again, which he did every time they disagreed. "Shouldn't parents have the right to insist that teachers of their children set an example of proper behavior? Parents