Bad Habit

by JD Faver

  “I fly home every Christmas.”

  “Your mother loves you very much.”

  His throat felt tight. “I love her too,” he said. “I love all my family.”

  “You’re very fortunate to have so many people to love you. I have so little family left, I’ll admit to feeling jealous.”

  “Yeah, but sometimes...” He shook his head.

  “You don’t honestly think your mother sees you as a big grown-up competent man, do you?”

  He shrugged. “I guess not.”

  “To Isabel, you’ll always be that beautiful dark-eyed little boy in the baseball uniform. She can handle that guy. It’s the man you are now that she can’t deal with.”

  Angel shook his head, grinning at her. “How did you get to be so wise?”

  She shrugged and dimpled. “It’s my job. I have to be able to read people.”

  He took her inside to get double scoop cones. Hel got chocolate and she chose a butter pecan and a cherry with chocolate chunks. Watching her take a lick of her cone brought a rush of warmth to his chest. How childlike she was. Teri glanced up and caught Angel grinning at her.

  “What?” she said.

  “You. You always delight me.” He watched the color in her cheeks rise.

  When they returned to the vehicle, his cell phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and rolled his eyes. “Hello Mr. Kelso.”

  Teri sat quietly eating her ice cream while Angel listened to Martin Kelso.

  “Mr. Kelso, are you aware that the Private Investigator you hired in San Antonio has been killed?” He listened and then answered, “No, Marcel Farmer did not locate Teresa Slaughter.” He hung up after a brief exchange.

  “What did he have to say?” she asked.

  “He says he heard about the PI’s death and he’s extremely worried about you and only cares about your welfare.”

  “He’s a very nice man,” she said. “Why didn’t you tell him you found me?”

  “Because,” he said, “when I find you I’ll have to arrest you and return you to the City.”

  She smiled. “In that case, I hope you don’t find me for quite a while.”

  “I think I can keep you safer here.” He finished off his cone and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

  “Is that the reason?”

  “That and I know the killer is here. I want to put him away for good.”

  “Your mother is afraid you’d place yourself at risk to protect me.”

  He sighed, groping for the right way to respond. “She’s right.” The look she gave him caused a constriction around his chest.

  “I don’t want to endanger you.” She leaned closer to him. “I know you care for me but I want you to treat me like you would anyone else in the same circumstances.”

  He chuckled. “About the strip search...”

  Teri wrinkled her nose. “I think you already took care of that.”

  #

  Sister Bernadette took a stroll early in the morning. She liked to enjoy a few moments of solitude before joining the others for breakfast. The changing colors of the morning skies gave her special pleasure. She liked to think that God furnished her with a fresh art lesson every morning. She always gave thanks for the private exhibit.

  Nobody does skies like God.

  This morning she sat down on the concrete bench and thanked God for protecting her little sister, Teresa and for sending the man named Angel to look out for her. She sat quietly, her hands clasped in her lap gazing up at the sky. She crossed herself and looked around. She saw the new janitor standing at the edge of the garden by the low stacked rock fence. Bernie raised her hand and waved, but the man turned away, disappearing behind the laundry room at the back of the grounds.

  He probably didn’t see her wave. She would make sure to introduce herself the next time she saw him.

  Bernie rose and walked to the dining hall. She would have to remember this sky and try to capture it in her next watercolor.

  #

  Teri awoke alone in Angel’s bed. She dressed quietly and made the bed. She smelled bacon and coffee but couldn’t bring herself to go down the stairs. She sat on the edge of the bed and waited.

  A short time later, Angel tapped on the door and called her name. She smiled to herself. Always taking care of me.

  She opened the door and made way as Angel stepped into the room. She smiled up at him.

  “Thanks.” He dropped a kiss on her forehead.

  “For what?”

  “For helping me to understand my mother’s pain. We had a talk this morning and she let me know how much she worries about me.”

  “It’s easy to see how much she loves you,” she said. “Communication is the key to a good relationship.”

  “Is that so?” He quirked an eyebrow.

  She nodded. “Or so I’ve heard. Any breakfast left?”

  “That’s why I came to get you.”

  The tension from the previous night seemed to have evaporated. Breakfast was accompanied by light conversation.

  “Angel, what are you doing this afternoon?” Esme’s eyes were alight with excitement.

  “What’s up, Mia?” he asked.

  “Would you and Teri come to my play practice at two o’ clock? I’m afraid you won’t be here for the real performance.”

  Angel looked at Teri and she nodded at him. “Sure, little one. We’ll be there.”

  “Come to the gym by two p.m. Okay?” Esme waited for Angel’s nod before tackling him with a hug.

  “If you’re going to her practice, can you bring her home?” Rosario asked. “I usually pick her up because my classes are over by then but I really need to study for a test with my lab partner.”

  “Sure, we can bring her home.”

  Esme looked thrilled. She waved and ran out the door after Rosario.

  Teri sipped a second cup of coffee. She eyed Isabel, thoughtfully. “It must be tough to educate so many children.”

  “If you only knew,” Isabel said. “Esme and Mikey are in parochial schools. Rosario goes to the junior college but tuition has gone up each semester. And Elena is at Our Lady of the Lake University. She’s got a partial scholarship and she’s going to graduate in December.” Isabel looked across the table at Angel. “My son threw away his baseball scholarship to the University of Texas when he joined the Navy.”

  Teri smiled at Isabel across the tense silence that ensued. “Darned kids,” she said. “They just won’t live out the life script you write for them.”

  Isabel smiled as the significance of Teri’s words settled in. She pointed a finger at Angel. “Your girlfriend is very smart.” She turned and went to the kitchen.

  “Girlfriend,” he pronounced as Teri grinned and rolled her eyes.

  “And what are we doing until two o’clock?”

  “I’m going to take the mug shot of Altman to the Sergeant in charge of the local case. You are going to stay here.”

  “Alright,” Teri said. “Could you help me set up my easel on the screened porch upstairs?”

  He brushed the side of her face with his fingertips. “I’m glad you decided to paint.” He settled Teri on the porch with her painting supplies arranged, and left the house. He felt confident that she would be safe, nested in the bosom of his family.

  He drove to the police headquarters and asked to speak to Sergeant Tolliver. The Sergeant came to the front and escorted Angel to his office.

  Sergeant Tolliver stuffed himself behind the aged and battered wooden desk. “I hope you came to give me some good news?” He sorted files around on top of his cluttered work surface.

  “I brought you a suspect.” Angel handed him a sheaf of papers including a copy of Altman’s mug shot and the photo from Marcel Farmer’s memory card along with a print out of the NYPD information on his priors.

  Tolliver leafed through the material. “Who is this guy?”

  “He’s been identified as one of the killers on my case. He had a partner but the second guy is unknown at th
is time.”

  “Why do you think he’s involved with the death of Marcel Farmer?”

  “Farmer was hired to look for a principal in the case I’m working on. He was staking out the convent in case the biological sister of one of the nuns showed up. This photo was taken outside the convent just a few days ago so it stands to reason the killers are looking for the same person. Perhaps Marcel Farmer got in the way.”

  Tolliver pushed back from his desk, regarding Angel with a deeply creased frown. “That’s nice and tidy, isn’t it?”

  “Sometimes the right answer is the simple one.” Angel shrugged his shoulders. “Occam’s Razor.”

  “I’m a Gillette man myself. I think you know more than you’re lettin’ on.”

  “I’ve told you everything that could possibly relate to your case.” Angel pushed his chair back and stood up. “Since this man has a record as long as your arm and he’s right here in your jurisdiction, I thought you might be interested in him.” He turned, as if to leave.

  “Hold on! Just hold on now.” Tolliver gestured to the chair Angel had vacated. “No need to get your panties in a wad. Just sit back down and talk to me.”

  By the end of their conversation, Tolliver agreed to put out an APB on Altman and to inform Angel if he was apprehended.

  When Angel returned to the house he was relieved to find Teri on the screened porch where he’d left her. His sister Elena was curled up in a wicker rocker, an open textbook and the orange kitten in her lap. Teri had roughed in a remarkably good likeness of them. He watched her from the doorway.

  She looked relaxed for the first time since he’d met her, the haunted look missing from her eyes. She was too engrossed in her task to notice him so he took the time to observe her. She wore jeans and a tee shirt and her feet were bare.

  He smiled as he noticed her toes. A small gold toe ring sparkled from the middle digit of her left foot. If he’d seen that, he would have known that she wasn’t a nun earlier.

  “What are you grinning at, big brother?” Elena asked.

  Teri spun around, a look of surprise on her face.

  “What are you girls doing?” he asked, pretending he’d just arrived.

  “I’m studying,” Elena said. “Big Sociology exam this week.”

  “And I took advantage of a model who would sit still for me.” Teri lifted the canvas off the easel and set it on the floor facing the wall.

  “Hey!” Angel turned the canvas over. “That’s really good. Don’t you know how talented you are?”

  “My sister, Bernie has all the talent,” she said. “I just know how to daub a little paint now and then.” She plunged her brush up and down in a jar of cleaner.

  Angel wondered how he could have thought her vain. “You don’t have to stop painting just because I’m here.”

  “I thought I should start cleaning up. We don’t want to be late to Esme’s play rehearsal.”

  Angel smiled, pleased that she considered Esme’s feelings. “I didn’t forget.”

  She flashed a grin at him over her shoulder. “I didn’t think you would. It takes me a while to clean up with oil paints.”

  He brushed a strand of hair away from her face and when she raised her chin he leaned toward her, stopping just short of kissing her. He glanced at Elena.

  “Would you two just get a room?” Elena said. “I’m trying to study here.”

  Angel drew Teri away from the porch, leaving his grinning sister to shake her head. He led her to his former room and swept her inside. He closed the door and backed her against the wall. He stroked her cheek with his fingertips and lowered his lips to hers. His kiss was soft, his lips caressing hers again and again. When he pulled away her expression tore at his heart.

  “Would you like to do that, Teri?” he asked, his voice thick with emotion. “Would you like to get a room?”

  Her eyes widened before she ducked her head. She spoke against his chest. “Yes and no.”

  “Just one straight answer. That’s all I want.” He raised her chin.

  Her eyes teared up. “Yes, I’m incredibly attracted to you, but I’m also terrified of you.”

  “You? Scared of me?” His brows drew together. “I’m not scary. You can’t be afraid of me.”

  A gurgle of laughter escaped her throat. “You’re the scariest man I’ve ever known.” She smiled through the tears that betrayed her. “I’m afraid of the way you make me feel.”

  “Is that more than just being attracted to me?”

  She ducked her head again and nodded against his chest.

  He sighed and stroked his hand over her short cropped hair. “I’ll take what I can get.”

  #

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  A few minutes before two, Teri and Angel walked hand in hand into Incarnate Word High School. She felt surprisingly buoyant considering her situation. Having her hand in Angel’s gave her courage. For the first time since she had left New York City, she felt secure.

  He winked and squeezed her hand.

  “You seem to know your way around here pretty well,” Teri said.

  “Both Rosario and Elena graduated from this fine institution. It hasn’t changed too much.”

  “It’s pretty upscale when compared with St. Pius.”

  “It’s run by a different order of nuns and it’s affiliated with Incarnate Word University. There are plenty of well-heeled alums to help out.”

  “The grounds are beautiful,” Teri said.

  “They’re always improving the place but they stick with the original architecture so everything goes together. Here’s the gym.” He pushed through one of a set of double doors.

  The gym was a multi-purpose space with a raised stage at one end and a large shiny floor marked for basketball. Two netted hoops were folded up out of the way at either end of the room.

  They walked toward the group of people gathered around the stage. Esme caught Angel’s eye and grinned from ear to ear. She covered her mouth and whispered to the girl beside her. All of the girls as well as the teacher turned to stare at the newcomers.

  The teacher, a woman around Teri’s age, flicked an appreciative glance over Angel and turned to Teri. “Teri Slaughter! I recognize you. I’ve seen your face on lots of magazine covers.”

  “That was a while ago.” Teri self-consciously swept her fingers through her cropped hair before recovering her manners. She reached out to shake the woman’s hand. “I’m pleased to meet you.”

  “I’m Ruth Barnes. I wanted to be you.” She turned to Angel and offered her hand. “And the beloved big brother slash super hero.”

  Angel shot a look at Esme that reduced her to a fit of giggles. Angel and Teri were given folding chairs and allowed to see the entire production of The Wizard of Oz.

  Esme played the Wicked Witch.

  Teri and Angel applauded in all the right places though the production was stopped for changes in blocking several times. When they left, Esme turned to Angel.

  “Well, what did you think? Was it okay? Was I good?”

  Angel held his nose. “I smell ham; spoiled, rotten ham.”

  “Don’t pay attention to him, Esme,” Teri said. “You were wonderful. When is your opening night?”

  Esme’s eyes sparkled. She danced along beside them. “Two weeks from Friday. Do you really think I was good?”

  “You were great,” Teri said.

  “Stop! You’re giving her the big head.” Angel ruffled Esme’s hair. “Next thing you know she’ll be running off to New York to be an actress and Mom will be mad at you for encouraging her. Seriously, Esme, you were terrible.”

  When they were in the car, Esme curled her feet under her and fell asleep leaning against the pile of books on the seat beside her.

  “She’s wiped out,” Teri said in a whisper. “Tell me, how was your visit to the police department?”

  Angel glanced at Esme and spoke in a low voice. “It was no big deal. Sergeant Tolliver put out an APB on Altman. If he’s arrested, Tolli
ver said he’d call me.”

  She gazed at him anxiously. “Is that likely to happen?”

  “You never know. It would make my job easier.”

  “It would make my whole life easier,” she said.

  “We still have to find the other man. We don’t know that he’s in San Antonio. He could still be in New York.”

  “Is that a park?” Teri pointed out the window to a lush wooded area.

  “Brackenridge Park. The San Antonio Zoo is just beyond the trees there.”

  “It’s beautiful. It looks like Central Park without the tall buildings crowded around it.”

  “Keen observation. We can take a detour through the park if you like.” Angel turned onto one of the winding drives criss-crossing through the verdant recreational area. The oak trees grew thick and reached long intertwining branches across overhead. The car splashed through a shallow stream artfully rushing across the road.

  Angel stopped for a flashing light as a wooden arm came down at a railroad crossing. A few seconds later a train chugged by and the arm raised.

  “How cute! She said. “It looks just like a real steam engine, only smaller.”

  “That’s the famous Brackenridge Eagle. It’s the longest miniature railroad in the world. It’s built to one-fifth scale.”

  “Thanks for taking the long way,” she said. “It’s beautiful. Someday I’d love to explore this park.”

  “That can be arranged.” He drove them to the Garcia house and gently woke Esme. After a moment of disorientation she blushed and stretched.

  Teri smiled to see how tender he was with his family. A considerate man. She closed her eyes to reminded herself that she’d only known him a short while and that he would be arresting her soon. Not a good basis for building a relationship.

  She followed him into the house as he carried Esme’s books and guided her with his hand on her shoulder.

  “You better hit your homework fast because I don’t think you’re going to last very long.” He gave Esme a pat as she headed upstairs yawning.

  “Thanks for coming to my rehearsal.” She waved from the top of the stairs and disappeared into her room.

  #

  After dinner, Teri slid closer to Angel on the sofa in the front room. He picked up her hand and pressed his cheek against it. The stubble of his beard prickled her skin, aroused her senses.