Bad Habit

by JD Faver

  “Why didn’t I think of this?” Angel asked.

  She closed her eyes for a moment and wrote at the top of the page. “He was tall...as tall as you but not as muscular. He was thin and wiry, at least forty but he could be as old as fifty. He was wearing a brown suit. I immediately thought that he must be hot in a New York City suit.” She began drawing, making a series of circles and lines that suddenly came together to look like a face.

  “That’s great,” Angel said.

  “His forehead was wide and his hairline receded. His hair was reddish-brown and slicked back. Then his face narrowed with craggy cheekbones and chin.” She elaborated on the sketch. “His nose was long and the bridge was narrow.” She finished and held it back for a moment. “Yes, this is the man who saw me in the car.”

  He kissed her forehead. “This is amazing. I forgot who I was dealing with.”

  Teri grabbed his shirt front, forcing him to sit beside her on the bed. “Tell me what the kidnapper said to you.”

  He looked away for a moment, then gave her a searching look. “He said he recognized you and that you had something he wanted. He threatened to hurt Clem unless you called him back.”

  “Let’s call him back right now.” She rose to her feet, but Angel grabbed her arm.

  His stomach knotted, dreading the words he had to say. “Teri, if Clem has seen their faces, they won’t let her live. She could be dead already.”

  “No!” Her voice rose in a howl like a wounded animal.

  He struggled to find the right words. “Statistically, the only way to get Clem back is not to try to bargain with them, but to bust them before they can harm her. That’s what the FBI can do. They have a far better recovery rate than local police.”

  She dissolved in tears, burying her face in the pillow.

  Angel embraced her briefly. “Look at me. The best thing you could have done was to provide this drawing. It’s like a photograph of the kidnapper. I want you to stay locked in here with my mom while I take this to Sergeant Tolliver. He can search through the computer database for likenesses.”

  Teri nodded sniffling. “I’ll do anything. Please save Clem.”

  “I’ll do my best. Let me wash up before I go downtown.”

  She nodded, her face streaked with tears.

  Angel kissed her forehead and gave her a quick hug before leaving the room.

  #

  Teri felt numb as she listened to Angel splashing water in the bathroom. Two men were dead. She couldn’t be responsible for the death of a nun as well.

  Angel’s jacket hung on the back of the door. Teri slid her hand in the pocket. She held her breath and lifted out his cell phone.

  There was a chance she could do something more. Searching his recent calls, one number stood out with a New York area code.

  She rummaged through her meager belongings and located the pre-paid phone she’d purchased. She transferred the phone number to her cell and replaced Angel’s phone just as she heard his footsteps approaching.

  He embraced her and kissed the top of her head. “Try not to worry and stay inside. If anything out of the ordinary occurs call me immediately.”

  She nodded and watched him sprint down the stairs. She heard the back door slam and his car backing out of the driveway.

  A cold knot of terror formed in her stomach. The kidnapper wanted what was his. He was the person responsible for Colin’s death. He didn’t do the actual killing but he would be the one the killers worked for.

  Angel didn’t know she had the money because she’d lied to him when she first met him and he didn’t know there was a cop involved with Colin’s death. He believed in her. This was not a good basis for a long-term relationship.

  #

  Bernie sent Sister Antoinette and Sister Martina out the door with a wave of her hand. “Don’t worry. I’ll put everything away.” The two nuns came to Bernie for an art lesson once a week. She was pleased to be able to provide a pleasant art experience for the friends.

  She made sure all the lids were tightly screwed on to the acrylic paints and stored them in a drawer. The brushes had been cleaned and the nun’s works of art were drying on easels. Bernie went to the back and dampened a rag under the tap of the deep sink. She squeezed it out and turned toward her class room.

  Her throat tightened around a scream as she ran headlong into the solid form of Klaus Grunfeld.

  They stared at one another in silence. The hairs on the back of Bernie’s neck bristled with fear.

  “Sorry, lady,” he growled. “I was just checking to see if you were done in here. I have to mop the floors.”

  Bernie heaved a sigh of relief. “Yes, we’re finished. Let me wipe down the tables.”

  “I’ll start in the far corner.” The large man pushed his bucket of mop water to one side and started rearranging the furniture. He stacked the student chairs on top of the tables and began to swing the mop in a broad swath.

  Bernie wiped the table she and the other nuns had been using, but observed Klaus surreptitiously. His sleeves were rolled up to display the muscled arms of a weight lifter. At first, she had thought of him as being merely massive. Now she realized he was powerfully built and this fact made her feel uneasy.

  Keeping Klaus under observation, she noted that he also observed her, glancing up frequently to where she stood.

  She went to the back room to rinse the cloth and hang it to dry. When she returned to the class room, Klaus had almost finished the floors.

  “Thanks for doing such a great job,” she said. “I’ll get out of your way so you can finish.” She turned to the door.

  “Where are you going?” he asked.

  Bernie turned back. “I thought I’d go to the library and find a good book.” She remained gazing at him, her blue eyes wide with curiosity.

  “I...do you want me to walk over there with you?”

  “It’s just a short distance from here to the library. Is there a problem?”

  “No, I thought...” He seemed at a loss.

  Bernie narrowed her gaze. “Who are you really?”

  He avoided her eyes. “My name is Klaus Grunfeld.” He bent back to his mopping.

  “And...” Bernie advanced toward him. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m working. Go on lady. Let me finish my job.”

  Bernie backed out of the class room, breaking into a trot when she reached the hallway. Who is this man? Why is he watching me?

  It had to have something to do with her sister, Teri, and the death of her boyfriend. But what would make someone think she was a part of it?

  #

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Teri locked the bathroom door, her hands shaking. She pulled up the number she’d just added to her cell contacts and pushed the call button, fear roiling in the pit of her stomach.

  A male voice answered. “Yeah?”

  She took a deep breath and tried to sound matter-of-fact. “It’s Teri Slaughter.”

  “Well, well, well, Teri Slaughter herself. Do you have what I want?”

  “I want to talk to Sister Clement.”

  “I don’t care what you want.”

  “Then why should I care what you want?”

  “How about if I start cutting off little pieces of nun?”

  Her stomach churned like a coffee grinder. “How about if you let me talk to her? Otherwise I might think you don’t have anything to trade.” She heard him laughing.

  “You got some brass balls, Teri, I’ll give you that. But I make the rules.”

  “If the nun is already dead, I’ll take the money and disappear. I can go to South America. I’ve always wanted to travel.”

  “No!” he growled.

  Teri heard a soft gasp of pain. “Clem? Are you okay?”

  “I...I’m scared but they haven’t hurt me.”

  “Can you see them?”

  “Yes.”

  “That’s enough girl talk,” the man’s voice said. “How do you want your nun? Whole or
filleted?” This set him off on another peal laughter.

  “What do you want?” Teri gripped the phone with both hands.

  “I want what’s mine. I want the money your boyfriend stole from me.”

  “I’ll give you the money, but I have to know that Sister Clement is safe.”

  “She goes free when we have the money.”

  Teri licked her dry lips. “I must ensure her safety first.” There was silence on the other end of the line.

  “Do you want to take her place?”

  She felt her breath sucked out of her lungs. She struggled to regain a thin grasp on her composure. “If you want the money and I want the nun, we can both come out of this okay. The police have no idea I have the money.” She paused to let this fact sink in.

  “That cop must be one dumb son of a bitch.” He laughed a short, gruff syllable. “You must really have him pussy whipped.”

  “That’s not important,” she said. “What’s important is that I don’t want to go to jail. I’m willing to give you the money and keep my mouth shut, but the nun has to be safe.”

  “I’m not the dumb cop,” he said. “And I’m not screwing you so what makes you think I’d believe you.”

  “I can’t spend the money because I’m not supposed to have it. As I see it, here are my choices. I can take the money and run, I can keep the money hidden and remain quiet, or I can give it to you for the nun’s safe return.”

  There was a long silence on the other end. Teri’s pulses throbbed against her eardrums. She held her breath, forcing herself to wait for his response.

  “How would you suggest we make this trade?”

  “I’ll call you,” she said. “I have to get the money first. I’ll call you when I’ve gotten away from the detective and have the money in my hands. Is that good enough?”

  “Yeah, that’ll do just fine.”

  “In the meantime, you better take very good care of Sister Clem. If she’s not in mint condition, I’ll split with the cash.”

  “I hear you.” The phone disconnected.

  Teri stared at the cell. Panic rose from her core, clutching its bony fingers around her heart.

  What have I done?

  How can I face Angel with the truth?

  What if I get Clem killed?

  And myself?

  #

  Angel showed the drawing to Sergeant Tolliver. He was rewarded with a grunt.

  “That’s the perp?” Sergeant Tolliver held the drawing at arms length, squinting. “Dang it!” He scrabbled through the clutter on his desk. “My wife bought me some reading glasses at the pharmacy.” He located them and shoved them onto his face.

  Angel tapped the drawing. “My witness saw him outside the nun’s place last night.”

  “And your witness just happened to ask him to pose for a drawing?” Tolliver could convey a range of expressions from doubt to scorn with just one glance.

  “My witness is an artist. The drawing is from memory.”

  “You wait right here.” Tolliver left Angel sitting in his office and took the drawing to another detective. They held a murmured conversation, during which each glanced suspiciously at Angel multiple times through the glass surrounding Tolliver’s office.

  When Tolliver returned, he sat behind his desk and stretched his legs out underneath it. He regarded Angel across his desktop, piled with the papers that he insisted were in order.

  “We’re making a computer search for anyone with similar physical characteristics to the drawing.” Tolliver slammed his palm down on the only bare spot on the desk. “In the meantime, why don’t you start over at the beginning and tell me the whole story.”

  Angel took a deep breath. “I’m investigating a homicide that took place in New York City. I followed up on a marginal lead, searching for the only relative of the dead man’s girlfriend. The girlfriend’s sister is a nun and she transferred to a local convent to teach. I met with the nun and found that a local PI had been hired to check out the same nun in case her sister showed up. I talked to the PI and gave him a few bucks to let me know if anyone else was looking for the nun’s sister. Next thing I knew the PI was dead.”

  “Yeah. I know that much of your story. I checked it out with your boss. Tell me something I don’t know.” Tolliver glared at Angel.

  “I asked the nuns to move back to the convent and not to take any chances, but Sister Clement went back to the apartment today right after breakfast to print her lesson plans. This morning I got a call from Sister Clem and the kidnapper.”

  “Now why would anyone kidnap a nun?” Tolliver spread his hands wide. “Everybody knows they ain’t got nothin’.”

  “Agreed.” Angel shrugged. “Maybe the kidnappers think she’s got something.”

  Angel spent the next hour waiting for the computer geeks to search for the kidnapper while dodging any of Sergeant Tolliver’s questions that might endanger Teri.

  Another detective knocked on the door. “Sergeant Tolliver. The techs found a name for you, sir.” He handed Tolliver a sheet of paper.

  Angel jumped up and peered over Tolliver’s shoulder.

  Frowning, Tolliver passed the sheet to Angel. “Does the name Hugo Ludwig mean anything to you?”

  “Not to me.” Angel looked at the face staring back at him from the photograph.

  Tolliver narrowed his eyes. “Arrested but never convicted. It looks like he was a tough guy in his youth, but nothing recent.”

  “He must have been pretty well connected,” Angel said.

  Tolliver raised an eyebrow and scratched his grizzled head. “Or maybe he got smarter with a little age.”

  Angel looked up at him. “This is your town. How do we find him?”

  “If he’s from out of town he’s got to be staying somewhere. Let me get some people on this. We can circulate this photo at area hotels and maybe we’ll get lucky.”

  “I’ll forward the information to my boss. He may know this guy or have some ideas.”

  “I got to let the FBI in on it.” Tolliver scratched his head. “They may have more information on Ludwig.”

  #

  Teri walked to the end of the block, Colin’s empty carry-on bag clutched to her chest. She stepped into the waiting taxi and gave the driver the name of the bank close to the convent.

  When the cab deposited her in front of the bank, she paid the driver and got out. She felt as though everyone was staring at her.

  Teri entered the bank and gained access to her safe deposit box. Carrying it to a waist-high table in the vault, she lifted the lid. The sight of the neatly stacked rows of hundred dollar bills brought a strangled sob to her throat. So much misery had come from this money.

  She had one opportunity to make things right.

  Carefully stacking the cash in the brown paper bag, she secured it by wrapping adhesive tape around it several times. She stowed it in the carry-on bag and closed the zipper.

  Only one item remained in the safe deposit box: the hand written list of numbers. Teri gazed at it for a moment and tucked it inside her pink lace bra.

  As she left the bank she glanced around nervously. She walked as rapidly as possible without calling attention to herself. She went to the only place she’d felt entirely safe.

  Teri pushed open the door of the chapel. The alter cloth glowed white in the subdued lighting. Touches of gilding on statues glimmered in the glimmering candle light. Teri dropped the bag on the front pew and lit a candle for Sister Clement. She said a prayer for her own intentions before sinking onto the pew. She sat silently, feeling almost numb as she gazed into the shimmering reflection from the ruby glass candle holders.

  Teri started as a hand squeezed her shoulder. Turning quickly she found herself staring into Father Conlyn’s kind eyes. A wave of relief washed over her as she followed him into the confessional.

  When she exited the chapel, Teri felt as though a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She sat for a while in the rose garden on the bench she’d s
hared with Angel. Smiling, she thought of how he’d tormented her, knowing her real identity.

  Her cell phone rang. Teri glanced at the caller ID and was relieved to discover the call was from Bernie and not Angel or the kidnapper.

  “Bernie,” she crowed.

  “Hey, Sis.” Bernie sounded odd.

  “What’s the matter?” Teri sat up straight.

  “I’m fine. This is my conference period. I didn’t have any students so I’m checking up on you.”

  Teri took a deep breath. How could she tell her sister that she was up to her neck in murderers and kidnappers? “I’m doing okay,” she said. “What’s going on in the great state of Maine?”

  “I’m not sure,” Bernie said. “I think I’m being watched.”

  A wave of fear roiled up from her stomach. “Watched? By whom?”

  “There’s a man who started working here as a janitor and our old janitor just disappeared. No one knows what happened to him.”

  “That doesn’t sound right. What’s the new guy doing to make you suspicious?”

  Bernie made a sound in the back of her throat. “He’s not the kind of person to be working as a janitor in a convent. I know we don’t pay well. Our former janitor was retired from the local public school system. We paid him so little he could still draw his full retirement check.”

  “And the new man shows up in Armani suits?” Teri tried to laugh, but it came out as a croak.

  “No. That’s not it.” Bernie was silent for a moment. “He’s young and, I think you would call it buffed.”

  “Buff? He’s a muscle man?” Teri’s spine tingled from the nape of her neck all the way down to her tail bone. “Bernie, I’m worried. Is there anywhere you can go on short notice?”

  “Not since school started. This is a small convent. There’s no one to cover my classes.”

  “If you tell the Mother Superior that your life may be in danger I think she’d find you a substitute.”

  “Am I in danger, Teri?” Bernie suddenly sounded breathless. “Are you?”

  Teri drew in another deep breath and let it out slowly. Truth time. “We’re both in danger, Bernie. It’s entirely my fault. There are some men looking for me.”