Bad Habit

by JD Faver

  “Thank you, Father.”

  #

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Saturday morning, Teri and her roommates awakened bright and early. They stripped their beds and gathered towels and washcloths. Teri volunteered to go to the local bakery. Clemmie and Miriam took all of their linens to the laundry facilities in the apartment complex while Connie mopped the bathroom and kitchen floors.

  Teri jogged the two blocks to Lucia’s Panadería. The run made her feel a little less apprehensive although slightly out of breath.

  The aroma of freshly baked breads and glazed donuts permeated the air. She ordered freshly made flour tortillas and assorted pan de dulce, the sweet bread she had become addicted to since arriving in San Antonio.

  She stopped in the small convenience store next door and purchased a gallon jug of orange juice and a pre-paid cell phone. As she exited the store she found Detective Garcia leaning against the brick storefront.

  She almost dropped the juice. Glaring up at him, her chin jutted out in a most defiant manner.

  He returned her gaze with the same intensity as he had the day before. “Let me carry that for you, Bernie.”

  “No, I’m fine.” She clutched the bags close to her breast.

  “Nonsense,” he said. “Let me help you.” He took the bags from her, peering inside. “Breakfast. Pan and juego de naranja. That’s a healthy breakfast. But the cell phone, Bernie. What am I going to do with you?” He started toward the apartment and she fell into step beside him.

  “Leave me alone. That would be good.”

  “Can’t do that,” he said. “You need to come clean, Bernie. Tell me the truth.”

  She fought down a choking sensation. “I can’t. Not now.” She reached for the bag containing the cell phone but he tucked in under his arm. “Why are you following me?”

  “I’m looking after you.” He took her arm when they crossed the street and held it after they were safely across.

  “I’m not going to run away,” she huffed. “You can let go of me.”

  “Walk on the inside.” He pulled her toward the buildings and stepped to the street side of the sidewalk.

  “Why?”

  “Because it’s safer for you,” he said. “And my father would be ashamed of me for letting a lady walk on the street side.”

  “Your father sounds like a gentleman.”

  “You’d like him.” They had come to the apartment. “And he would love you.”

  His intense gaze lent Teri a fluttering near her heart.

  She inhaled deeply and let out a long breath. “Against my better judgment, I’m going to invite you up for breakfast. Let me make sure everyone’s decent.” Grabbing the bags from him, she ran lightly up the stairs.

  Connie was scrambling eggs and watching a pan of hash browned potatoes.

  “Do you think it would be okay to have a visitor for breakfast?” Teri asked. Clemmie was setting the table for their repast. Miriam returned from the laundry room and enthusiastically endorsed bringing Angel upstairs. Teri called down to him and he sprinted up the steps.

  Angel grinned as he met each nun, charming them with his looks and manners. It seemed to Teri that each of the nuns was very interested in the young detective, for various reasons. Sister Miriam managed to let him know that she hadn’t taken her final vows yet. She blushed when Teri and the others turned to grin at her.

  Teri took a moment to tuck the cell phone in the bottom of her drawer before returning to the group. They sat around the small table and said grace before breaking bread.

  Teri poured juice in each glass and placed the heated tortillas and pan de dulce on a platter.

  Clemmie took on the role of hostess and offered Angel coffee, pouring it when he held out his cup. She passed him the eggs and potatoes.

  Angel glanced from nun to nun. “So, how does this work? It’s like a sorority house here.” He shoveled the eggs and potatoes into a tortilla and spooned on salsa before rolling it up.

  “The students call us the nunnies,” Clem laughed as she spoke.

  “I heard we were the nunettes,” Connie said.

  “That’s totally disrespectful.” Miriam raised her brows as high as possible.

  “It’s said with affection,” Teri said. “The girls identify with us because we’re the closest to their age.”

  “And here we are on Saturday morning, doing our chores.” Clem tore into her pan and dunked a piece in her coffee.

  “Just like real working women everywhere,” Teri said.

  Angel skewered her with his disarming gaze. “What would your sister be doing if she were still in New York City? Did she do chores on Saturday morning?”

  Teri met his gaze directly. When she replied there was an edge to her voice. “She liked to sleep late on Saturday because she and her boyfriend always went out to dinner and to clubs on Friday night.” Teri took a sip of juice to give herself courage. “When she woke up she did chores but not like we do. She had a cleaning lady who came to the apartment twice a week. On Saturday, she read the paper and drank coffee. Then she dropped her clothes at the cleaners, had her nails done, shopped for a few groceries and took a jog through Central Park. She might meet a friend for lunch, play tennis, or go for a sail with Colin.” Her voice trailed off as she looked around the table at the rapt faces.

  “That sounds wonderful,” Miriam said. “She must lead a glamorous life.”

  Teri shrugged. “She’s really a simple person. She fell into modeling and everyone treated her like she was something special.” She caught Angel’s eye. “But she was just like me in another time and place.”

  He raised his cup, his unwavering gaze held her captured. “To another time and place.”

  After they ate, Teri rinsed the dishes and loaded the dishwasher. Angel was escorted to their living room and seated on the sofa. Clem brought chairs from the kitchen.

  He gestured to an easel propped in the corner with a portrait in progress and a stack of canvasses leaning against the wall.

  “Who’s the artist?” he asked.

  “It’s Bernie,” Connie said. “She’s very talented.”

  “She certainly is,” he said. The portrait was a delicate wash of pastels capturing Clemmie’s gentle nature and her rapt expression perfectly. He turned back to Teri, his eyebrows raised in question.

  She turned the water off and dried her hands. “It’s just a hobby,” she said.

  “No, you really have talent,” he insisted.

  She shrugged off the compliment.

  “We rarely have visitors, Detective. Tell us about your work.” Clem leaned forward eagerly.

  “It’s not very pleasant, Sister. I’m assigned to homicide so all my cases involve a death.”

  A chorus of ‘Oh, my’ resounded in the small room. Teri joined them from the kitchen.

  “I thought Bernie’s sister was missing, not dead.” Connie glanced at Teri with a worried expression.

  “Her boyfriend was killed,” Teri supplied.

  “And Teri is missing.” Angel met her cool stare.

  Angel stood at last and took his leave. Teri walked him to the door and he motioned her outside.

  She leaned against the closed door, looking up into his eyes. The scent of magnolias was suffocating as the heat of the new day intensified.

  The look he gave her could melt a statue. Butterfly wings throbbed in her chest, warning of impending disaster.

  He leaned close to her ear, sending a shiver down her spine. “This is a dangerous game you’re playing, Teri,” he said, his voice low. “Don’t you realize they’ll come after you?”

  Teri caught her breath. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She raised her chin defiantly.

  He looked disappointed, giving a slight shake of his head. “You can play it any way you want. Just remember one thing. I’m not your enemy.”

  “I know that.” Her gaze faltered as his dark eyes stripped away her defenses.

  Angel Garcia touched th
e side of her face with his fingertips. “Such a pretty little face. I’d hate to see something happen to you.”

  “I would too.” Her voice broke, trailing off to a whisper. The sensation of his touch remained on her cheek.

  “Put my number into your new phone in case you need me in a hurry.” He turned to go, but looked back at her from the top of the stairs. “Teri, I won’t be able to stay here forever. You can trust me. Let me help you.”

  “I...I’m not Teri,” she insisted.

  He gave her a disbelieving look. “Have it your way, but be careful. No more night walks.” He loped down the stairs leaving Teri to stare after him. Her heart thumped in her chest as though she had been running. She suppressed a sob and hurried inside the apartment.

  Retrieving her new cell, she took it to the back steps leading from the kitchen to the dumpsters. She sat halfway down and dialed Martin Kelso’s private line, blocking her number with star sixty-nine. She didn’t want him calling back and she didn’t want him to know the area code she was calling from.

  “Martin Kelso.” His voice sounded tired.

  Teri felt a pang of guilt that she might have contributed to that in any way. She stifled the urge to hang up. “Martin? It’s Teri.”

  “Oh, thank God! Are you all right?” The relief was evident in his voice.

  “Yes.” Smiling, she realized how comforting it was to communicate with a friend who cared for her.

  “My dear child, I’ve been so worried about you. Where are you?”

  She could picture him behind his desk, the glasses he wore for reading sitting halfway down his nose. “I really can’t tell you. I’m sorry.”

  “Teri, you can tell me anything. Do you need money? Are you in the City?”

  She forced a cheery note into her voice. “I hope to be home soon. Don’t worry about me.”

  “My God! I’ve been frantic. What happened? Why did you leave? Whatever happened, we can work it out together. Teri, you know that I’ll stand by you.”

  A sob escaped Teri’s throat. “That’s good to know.”

  “The police questioned everyone in the firm. They seemed to think you might be involved, but I assured them that you would never...”

  “They think I killed Colin?”

  “They said something about missing money. They thought you took it from Colin. I said you weren’t in any financial need, but if you are you know you can count on me.”

  Her breath caught in her throat. “I’ve got to go now.”

  “I’ll come get you. Are you ready to come home?”

  “Not yet. I’ve got to work some things out first.”

  “Teri, wait!”

  She disconnected abruptly. Gripping the railing, she rocked back and forth rhythmically. She sighed and dropped the phone in her pocket before returning to the apartment.

  #

  CHAPTER SIX

  Angel took off his jacket and rolled his shirtsleeves up as he hiked the half block to his car. His step felt lighter and he couldn’t stop grinning. He opened the car with the remote.

  “I’ve got you, Teri,” he crooned under his breath “You can lie to a cop, but you can’t get away with it.”

  He felt buoyant inside, the way he always did when he’d solved a case, but this case was far from over. This was different. He suspected that his euphoria had something to do with the fact that Teri was Teri and not Sister Bernie. All the hazy, unexpressed yearnings lurking in the shadows of his libido could at least be acknowledged. He was falling for a woman and not a nun.

  Across the street a man in a gray sedan turned to stare at him. Angel stopped grinning.

  This could be trouble.

  He climbed into his vehicle and started it, cranking the air conditioner to high. He reached in his glove compartment and pulled out a map. Spreading it out, he pretended to consult it while scrutinizing the gray car.

  The man in the sedan dismissed Angel, returning his gaze to the walkway leading to the nun’s apartment.

  Angel wrote down the license number, started his car and pulled out slowly, checking the watcher as best he could. He turned onto a side street just past the apartment complex and parked. Entering the maze of apartments from the street to the rear, he wound back to the nun’s place and tucked himself out of sight under the stairs. An overgrown purple bougainvillea spilled onto the other side of the path, shielding him from view.

  The man from the gray sedan appeared on the walkway and then ducked behind an oak tree. He adjusted the setting of the camera hanging around his neck and peered through the viewfinder. He scanned the windows of the nun’s apartment.

  Angel knew the curtains were drawn against the heat. He hoped Teri would stay inside.

  Circling under the stairs, he kept off the path, managing to stay out of sight until he stood directly behind the man. He noted a suspicious lump under his jacket, indicating a holster. Tapping him on the shoulder, Angel delivered a quick punch when the man spun around.

  Angel caught the camera and jerked it free from the man’s neck before it hit the ground.

  “What the hell?” the man grunted. “Who are you?” His lip was bleeding and his sunglasses and cell phone had fallen in the dirt.

  “Better yet,” Angel said, “Who are you and why are you watching this apartment?” He pulled open the man’s jacket and found a camera case instead of a holster. “Come on and show me some identification?”

  “Okay, okay.” The man’s eyes seemed to narrow when he glanced at the badge and weapon clipped to Angel’s belt. He fished out a card and handed it to Angel.

  Scowling, Angel leaned back against the oak tree. The card matched the driver’s license and identified the man as a local Private Investigator named Marcel Farmer. “Who hired you?”

  “You know I don’t have to reveal that.” The man sat on the ground and searched his pockets for a handkerchief.

  “No, but you may want to tell me before this is over.” Angel leaned down and grabbed the man by the arm while deftly kicking the phone under a thick hedge of overgrown pink oleanders.

  Marcel cringed, covering his head with both hands as Angel dragged him to his feet. “Don’t hurt me!”

  “Stay away from the nuns,” Angel growled.

  “I...I have an assignment.” Marcel tried to muster a little dignity as he straightened his jacket. A few long strands of hair from his comb-over hung limply, covering one ear like a ponytail gone awry.

  “Your assignment better not have anything to do with these nuns.”

  “I can’t say.” Marcel straightened the thin bolo tie he wore around his neck.

  “Then get out of here and don’t come back!” Angel glowered at Marcel.

  “My camera-—” Marcel reached for it but stopped, glancing up at Angel.

  “Sure.” Angel popped out the memory card and handed him the camera.

  “But—”

  “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave now.” Angel pointed sternly toward Marcel’s car. He watched the man turn and amble away, his shoulders drooping. When he was out of sight, Angel retrieved the phone.

  He turned and found Teri standing on the stairs, her arms folded across her chest. Her expression told him she had witnessed his recent actions.

  He dropped the phone in his pocket and walked slowly to meet her.

  She seated herself on the second step and he sat beside her. He detected a light floral fragrance from a soap or lotion.

  Teri spoke first. “What was that about?”

  He grinned. “That was me saving your bacon, Teri.”

  “Please don’t call me that.”

  “It’s your name.”

  She sighed. “Yes, but you’re the only one who’s figured it out.”

  “Maybe not. That man taking pictures was a Private Investigator. Who else would pay someone to find you except the killers?”

  Teri emitted a strangled gasp. “I don’t know.”

  “Whoever they work for is behind this and he or she is
looking for you. Do you understand that you’re in real danger?”

  “I know, but I felt safe here with the sisters.”

  He emitted a scornful snort. “You’re extremely vulnerable. This apartment isn’t secure. Walking to the school is suicide. Someone could grab you in a heartbeat.”

  Teri wiped a tear and didn’t move away when Angel put his arm around her. “I...I feel horrible about lying to Mother Immaculata and the others. They’ve been so kind to me. And the girls are wonderful.” She turned to him as another tear drooled down her cheek.

  Angel wiped the tear with his thumb and wondered how such an otherwise smart and very beautiful woman could get herself into so much trouble.

  She bit her trembling lower lip. “I was only thinking of myself when I came here. I was so scared. I didn’t consider how this ruse would affect anyone else.”

  He stroked her hair. “Everything will work out okay.”

  “I don’t think so,” she said. “My lies will hurt the real nuns, especially the ones I live with. And the students will be upset. They opened their hearts and accepted me at face value.”

  “They’ll also be sad if you get killed.” He gazed into her eyes. “Let’s be real here. There are some extremely bad people after you. They may already know where you are. You have to come with me.”

  Tears spilled down her cheeks as she leaned into his embrace.

  He patted her shoulder until her sobs abated. “I don’t have a handkerchief,” he said. “But try this.” He pulled out his shirttail and used it to wipe her cheeks and nose.

  She laughed. “Is that a really gross way to collect my DNA?”

  He laughed with her. “You’ve been watching way too much television. Keeping your sense of humor in a crisis is a very good quality.”

  She sniffled. “At least I have one good quality.”

  He gazed into her eyes, realizing that he, too, was in danger. He started when he heard a sound behind them. He took his hand off his weapon when he saw three nuns standing at the top of the stairs watching them.