Free Bury the Hatchet in Dead Mule Swamp by Joan H. Young Page A

wanted a clear head for the rest of
this conversation, wherever it was going. The coffee burned my
tongue and I spilled some of the hot liquid on the tablecloth.
Apparently, Jerry assumed I was shocked or anxious about his
intentions. He rose and reached across the table, intending to take
the cup from my hand, murmuring, “Oh, bother. I’ve upset
you.”
    Waving him away, I set the
cup down without help. “The coffee’s too hot,” I explained with a
tentative smile, wiping my lips on my napkin. “It’s nothing. Tell
me what grand perfidy you have in mind.”
    Jerry took his seat again,
and hitched the chair nearer to the table. He leaned in close and
spoke softly. “You know Cora’s still in love with me, right? We
just have to help her realize it.”
    I was very glad I didn’t
have a mouthful of anything just then, or I probably would have
gagged. Or spit it all over my potential co-conspirator. My
surprise clearly showed.
    “Oh, yes,” Jerry continued,
nodding. “That’s why she’s so adamant in saying negative things.
She has to keep convincing herself she’s angry.”
    “She certainly doesn’t
sound like a person in love with you,” I said dryly.
    Jerry’s lip twitched. “You
know Cora pretty well, but perhaps not quite well enough. She’s so
committed to her history project that she’s afraid if she actually
loves a person there won’t be room in her heart for both. I didn’t
have that figured out when we were together before.”
    “And now you think you
understand her better?” I was skeptical.
    “Definitely. What she
wants, what she needs, is an interesting historical building in
town for her museum. For that, she needs money. I have plenty, and
I don’t need nearly as much as I have. What I do need is Cora, a
happy Cora.”
    “I know she was interested
in turning your house into a museum.” I thought I’d probe the topic
with what little I did know.
    “Yes, but that wasn’t very
practical.”
    “Listen, Jerry. If you are
thinking of buying some building to make Cora happy with the
expectation that she’ll re-marry you, I’m not sure that’s very
realistic. And it doesn’t sound very romantic, either.”
    “It’s romantic enough. The
way to Cora’s heart is through a building. Trust me. No one’s ever
appreciated what she does to any great extent. She doesn’t give
people much of a chance because she’s overly defensive about how
poor her set-up is.”
    “Poor set-up! You must be
kidding. Her displays are wonderful,” I said.
    “Of course they are,” Jerry
said without missing a beat. “But not compared to what she sees in
her head. She has visions of different rooms for different eras,
whole clusters of rooms with themes, a searchable database for
researchers...”
    “I know about that,” I
interrupted. “I’ve been working on it with her.”
    “And you know how much time
that will take to bring it up to Cora’s standards.”
    “I do.” I took another sip
of coffee. It was cooler now, but I could feel Jerry warming to the
topic.
    “Anyway, my strategic plan
has two prongs. First, a building. The other is to make her
jealous. That’s where you come in.” He leaned back and smiled
broadly, showing his teeth.
    I leaned back myself, in
reaction. I felt my eyebrows rise and tried to buy some time by
looking around. I realized the restaurant had emptied and quieted.
Only a few other diners remained. The candle on the table was
burning low and guttering, throwing shifting shadows on the wall. I
pinched the flame out and tried to focus, surprised at how much
darker the room was without that tiny light. The implication of
Jerry’s plan clearly was that Cora would see me dating Jerry and
suddenly want him for herself. But, did Jerry know about Adele’s
designs on his future? I thought she wouldn’t be at all pleased if
Jerry decided to take up with the newcomer—me. Would Cora actually
be jealous, or would she just write me off as someone who chose to
consort with