Bad Habit

by JD Faver

  “Can’t or won’t?”

  Teri twirled around twice and returned to Arturo’s arms. “I think it’s early in our relationship to make any serious announcements.”

  “If you think so.” Arturo smiled. “I met Isabel when she was fifteen and I knew she was the one I would marry.”

  “Fifteen? She was a baby.”

  Arturo shrugged. “Me too. I was only seventeen and Isabel’s father wouldn’t allow us to date. I called on her for two years and was allowed to sit in her parlor with her grandmother chaperoning us.”

  “You were very patient.”

  “I knew what I wanted,” he said. I was willing to wait.”

  “And you’ve been together since then?”

  “Together until death do us part. That’s what we promised each other.”

  Arturo’s stoic certainty gave Teri a glimmer of hope. What if there was a future for her that included a man raised by such parents?

  They returned to the table and Angel held her chair.

  “Can we get a breath of air?” she asked.

  “Of course.” He took her hand and made a path through the crowd for her to follow. When they stepped outside the warm air felt good after the air conditioning.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “I’m just a little confused.”

  “Too much family?” he asked.

  “No. You’re family is wonderful. They love you very much.”

  “I know,” he said. “I think they’re overwhelming you with all their questions and assumptions.”

  Teri ducked her head. “It’s okay. They’re just curious about me and I don’t blame them. I don’t know who I am anymore.”

  “I know who you are, Teri.” His deep voice caressed her.

  She looked up at him. “Do you now?”

  “Yes.”

  “Who am I?”

  “You’ll find out.”

  “You’re teasing me now.” Teri turned away to watch another barge motoring down the river.

  Angel’s hands gripped her shoulders and gently pulled her back to rest against his chest. “I know who you are Teri,” he said against her hair. “You’re the woman I love.”

  Teri closed her eyes as Angel’s fingertips stroked her shoulder. She felt her pulses racing as she tried to catch her breath. “You don’t know me,” she said. “I don’t know if you’d like the person I really am.”

  He turned her around slowly. “What are you saying?”

  “The person I was in New York before...before everything happened, I was all about me. When I was modeling everyone around me was all about me and when I went into the advertising business I was still all about me. I only thought about clients and campaigns in relation to what they could do for me.” Her eyes widened as Angel started laughing. “Stop it! It’s not funny.”

  “Yes it is,” he said, sobering. “I thought you were going to tell me I wouldn’t like you because you’d murdered your boyfriend.”

  Teri howled in outrage and hit him on the arm. “How could you think such a horrible thing?”

  “Don’t worry,” he said. “I would still love you. I’d have to arrest you, but I’d still love you.”

  She hit him again and turned her back on him. “To think I was sharing a profound inner revelation with you and you still think I could be a killer.”

  “The only one you’re killing is me.”

  Teri whirled around, hands on hips.

  “You’re killing me with that dress, that face, that body. I haven’t been able to think straight since I met you at St. Pius. I thought I was going to hell for lusting after a nun. And then I figured out who you are. You’ve made some bad decisions lately, but when I got to know you I couldn’t think of you as a murderer.”

  “That’s comforting.” Teri narrowed her gaze and stuck out her chin. “So, what now?”

  “I’ve got a lead. I’m just waiting to see where it goes.”

  “I mean between us?” She held his gaze steadily.

  He flashed her a wide grin. “I’ll take it as a good sign that you agree there’s something between us.”

  “Of course there’s something between us!” Teri turned away, pacing a few steps and then returning to confront him. “I can’t even breathe around you. When you look at me like that I feel dizzy.”

  “I’m liking that a lot.” Angel grinned as he reached for her.

  “Don’t be smug.” She felt as though she was melting into his kiss.

  #

  Teri and Angel returned to the dance floor while his family continued to exchange amused glances. She felt self-conscious at first, but soon lost herself in the music and movement. She lost herself as she danced in Angel’s arms. And when they sat with the extended Garcia family, she enjoyed their company. She was aware that Angel’s people had expectations of her, and she wasn’t sure she could live up to them. But they were so warm and had been so kind to her. They were the kind of family she would choose, if she could assemble a perfect loving family.

  “We’re going for a drive,” Angel announced taking Teri’s hand. “We’ll see you back at the house.”

  A chorus of catcalls greeted their departure. Stepping out into the night air was like putting on a damp garment. The scent of magnolias enveloped them. As before, Angel curved his arm around her waist.

  “I could get used to this,” she said.

  “Me too.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “We’re really going for a drive. I want to cruise by the nun’s place just to make sure everything is alright.”

  “Why?” she said. “Do you think they’re in danger?”

  He unlocked the car and put her inside. “I don’t want to take any chances,” he said when he slid onto his seat. “And I want to see if the PI who’s surveilling the place has anything for me.”

  They drove in silence to the rear of the small apartment complex. “Duck down,” he ordered. He circled the block slowly, commenting that the same cars were there earlier but Marcel’s gray sedan was not in place.

  He drove her to his parent’s house. Angel took their bags out of the trunk. They entered through the back door.

  Angel set the bags down. “Hang on while I take care of something.”

  “Sure.” She waited while Angel checked to make sure the doors were locked securely. He made a quick circle of the house, returned to her side with a slight grin.

  “I don’t want to frighten you, but I had to make certain the house was secure.”

  “You make me feel safe.” She stood on tiptoe to graze his cheek with a kiss. He gazed at her intently for a moment before gathering their bags. Teri followed him upstairs.

  He opened a door along the corridor and placed the blue bag and her painting equipment inside. “You can sleep here.” He turned on a light beside the bed.

  She smiled as she saw a photograph of a much younger Angel in a baseball uniform. “This was your room.”

  “My mother keeps it as a shrine,” he said.

  He sat on the edge of the bed.

  She picked up the photo. “You were adorable.”

  “I still am,” He grinned at her. “Come sit beside me.”

  Teri joined him, thinking of the last time they shared a bed. She gazed around the room at the mementos on shelves and framed on his walls. The beautiful little boy had matured into a ruggedly handsome man with magnetic appeal. Perhaps his early success in sports and academics had contributed to his core of confidence.

  “The bathroom’s down the hall.” Angel squeezed her thigh, starting a tingling sensation where his hand rested.

  Teri was well aware that they were alone in the house. “Where are you going to sleep?” she asked.

  “I’ll either bunk with my little brother or crash on the sofa in the den.”

  They sat gazing at each other.

  “Well, goodnight,” she said.

  “Goodnight.” He brushed a kiss onto her lips and slipped out of the room, leaving her to c
ontemplate her situation.

  Teri turned back the covers and touched the pillow, thinking of young Angel sleeping there. She unzipped the blue bag and took out her nightgown and tooth brush before tiptoeing down the hall to the bathroom.

  Angel leaned against the door inside Mikey’s room. He heard Teri close the bathroom door and the rush of water. He smiled, thinking of her in the heavy cast iron claw-foot bathtub, thinking of her in his bed.

  #

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Angel groped for the cell phone. It was 4:15 in the morning. “Garcia,” he said without opening his eyes.

  Mikey turned over in the other bed.

  “Is this Detective Garcia?” The voice was feminine and shaky.

  He sat up, his bare feet contacting the cool hardwood floor. “Yes it is.”

  “It’s Clemmie. Sister Clement from the convent.”

  “Yes Sister. I remember you.”

  “I think there’s a problem. Something seems to have happened outside the apartment. The police are down there and they have a big German shepherd. They’re going all over the grounds with him.”

  “Don’t go out, Sister. I’m coming right over.” Before he snapped the cell closed Angel was putting on his clothes and grabbing his keys.

  “Wha’sup, big bro?” Mikey asked.

  “I gotta go out. If I’m not back when Teri wakes up you take care of her.” He was half out the door but spun around. “By that, I mean keep her here. Entertain her. Don’t let her go out. Got that?”

  “Sure big bro. You can count on me.” Mikey turned over and Angel closed the door quietly.

  He tiptoed down the stairs and out the back door. The dawning of the new day was at least a couple of hours away. Angel eased the rental car out of the driveway and onto the silent streets. With little traffic he made it to the apartment in less than ten minutes.

  He saw the flashing lights from a block away and detoured to his previous parking place on the side street behind the small complex. He entered the grounds and wound his way to the nuns’ apartment. The grass and plants were covered with dew, glistening in the glow of artificial lights. A damp earth smell mingled with the heavy scent of magnolias.

  A uniformed officer stopped him. Angel showed his badge and asked who was in charge. He was directed to a tall African-American man in plain clothes.

  “Are you Sergeant Tolliver?” he asked.

  The large man turned with his back bowed and his chin jutting at an angle. “I’m Sergeant E. E. Tolliver. Who wants to know?” His rich baritone was softened by his Texas accent.

  The uniformed officer beside him had a mostly black German shepherd on a leash. The dog’s ears were on alert and he eyed Angel suspiciously.

  “I’m Detective Garcia and I’m way out of my jurisdiction.” He handed his badge to the Sergeant and dug a card out of his pocket.

  A deep crease between the Sergeant’s brows attested to his perpetual frown. “New York City? You are a long way from home, but you don’t sound like no Yankee. Why are you here?” He returned the badge but kept the card.

  “I’m from San Antonio originally, but I live in New York. I came down on a case. What’s going on here?”

  “There’s been a homicide. Do you have anything to tell me about it?” The Sergeant glared at Angel with the same suspicion as the dog.

  “Who was the victim?” Angel asked.

  “Look for yourself. He’s got no ID on him.” The Sergeant stepped back to reveal a crime scene tech taking pictures and another gathering evidence from around the body.

  Angel stepped closer and recognized the crumpled form. He squatted on his haunches. The corpse stared into the trees with a surprised expression on his face. His glasses were missing and the comb-over had flapped down to cover his right ear. The front of his shirt was stained with a large amount of blood and his pockets had been turned inside out.

  “Well, do you know him or not?” Sergeant Tolliver drew his brows closer together and jutted his chin out even farther.

  “I know his name. He’s a local PI named Marcel Farmer.”

  “And just how do you happen to know his name?” The sergeant planted his fists on his hips and leaned over Angel.

  Angel stood up and Tolliver stepped back abruptly.

  “He was indirectly involved with my case.” Angel took a few steps away from the crime scene.

  “Well I guess you just better start talking about your case then because I’m thinking you could be involved with this Marcel Farmer’s demise.”

  Angel raised a skeptical brow. “I flew down to follow up on a lead. A man was killed in New York City and his girl friend went missing. The woman’s only relative is a nun and she teaches at St. Pius.” He decided to leave out Teri’s identity to prevent her being drawn into this case.

  “How does that have any bearing on this man being killed?”

  “I wish I knew. Farmer was hired by someone to search for the woman. He was keeping surveillance on the nuns in case the missing woman showed up.”

  “And you know this because...”

  “Because I was doing the same thing.” Angel grinned at him, but didn’t get any change in the sergeant’s demeanor. “I confronted him a couple of nights ago. I wanted to make sure he wasn’t one of the killers.”

  “And how did you happen to turn up here so conveniently tonight? Did you have some reason to think Mr. Marcel Farmer would meet his maker right here in the early morning hours?”

  “I received a call from one of the nuns. She was worried about the commotion so I promised her I would check it out.”

  “You don’t mean to tell me that a nun could see these goings on from a block away?” Tolliver’s voice had taken on a strident tone and his upper lip was curled back in a snarl.

  “The nun’s apartment is right up there.” Angel turned and pointed to the second story landing in front of the apartment. He thought he saw movement at the window as though someone had been peering out from behind the curtains.

  “They let them nuns live there?” The sergeant sounded incredulous. “I thought they keep them all locked up behind walls.”

  “It’s a new day, Sergeant,” Angel said.

  The sergeant, missing his meaning looked up at the sky. It was somewhat lighter and long fingers of pink were just beginning to reach across the horizon.

  “Ain’t that the damned truth?” He dug a slightly wrinkled card from his pocket and handed it to Angel. “I’m gonna check out your story and you better not be holdin’ nothin’ back.”

  Angel made his way back to his car and called Sister Clement on his cell. He told her what had happened and that the local police might check to see if she had seen anything. He asked her to be careful and suggested that the nuns make the trek to and from the convent as a group and not to go anywhere alone.

  “Ooh, Detective Garcia. Do you think we’re in any danger?”

  “I couldn’t say, Sister but I think it’s good to be cautious.”

  “Do you think we should stay at the convent for a few days? There’s plenty of room for the three of us.”

  “That would be a great idea, Sister Clem.” Angel grinned as he spoke. “I’d hate to have something happen to any of you.”

  He drove back to his parent’s house making a detour to a bakery with a drive-through window. He picked up fresh doughnuts and kolaches still warm from the oven. When he entered through the back door, his mother was pouring a second cup of coffee for his father.

  His parents turned to look at him with the same expression they had given him when he was a teenager coming in late.

  “What?” he asked with a grin.

  “You’re up early,” Arturo commented.

  “I thought I’d pick up fresh kolaches.” He set the boxes on the kitchen table.

  “How thoughtful, Mijo,” Isabel said. “And what else did you think you would do?”

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “Don’t even play the innocent with us.” Arturo f
olded the section of the newspaper he’d been reading.

  “What’s going on?” Isabel motioned Angel to a chair and seated herself between her husband and oldest son.

  “I’m working, Mom,” he said.

  “Like I said before, what else?” Isabel gave him a look that all mothers know how to deliver and police interrogators would do well to learn.

  “I told you, I came down here on a case and I had to follow up on something. I can’t tell you more than that.”

  “And Teri? How is she involved in your case?” Isabel spoke with quiet authority.

  “I can’t discuss it with you.” He tried giving them his stone wall face.

  “But you can tell us whether you’ve brought a felon into our home.” Arturo’s words earned him a little slap on his arm from Isabel.

  “No, no. We don’t think she’s a criminal,” Isabel said. “It’s just that you work in homicide now and we worry about you. We don’t think you would fall in love with a bad person.”

  Angel grinned and snagged a doughnut. “And who said I’m in love with her?”

  Isabel made a scornful noise in the back of her throat. “Your face,” she said. “It’s written all over.”

  “Don’t you like her?” Angel gave his mother a searching gaze.

  “Of course I do! She’s perfect for you and she’s Catholic. Her sister is a nun.”

  “And you, Pop? What do you think?”

  “I think it’s about time you found someone. You need to settle down and get married.”

  “Yes, and make babies,” Isabel said. “Your children will be beautiful. I want lots and lots of beautiful grandbabies.”

  Angel rose from the table. “Well, that’s settled then.” He headed up the stairs to grab a shower before the others woke up. “I just have to tell her,” he said under his breath.

  #

  Teri experienced a moment of confusion when she awoke. She was in a child’s room with well-used baseball equipment stacked in the corner. She stretched and smiled, remembering where she was.

  Angel’s bed.

  She stared at the vintage Metallica poster affixed to the ceiling. A stack of dog-eared baseball cards sat on the bedside table under a lamp with more baseball cards stuck in the shade. She was sensing a theme.