Bad Habit

by JD Faver

  “You did.” She smiled at him. “Speaking of protection, thanks for taking care of my sister, Bernie. She told me about the policeman you sent to watch over her.”

  “She was a target, too. I couldn’t let anything to happen to her.” He pulled to a stop in front of the convent and turned off the ignition. “Next stop,” he said.

  Teri swallowed against the lump in her throat. “Thank you.”

  He escorted her inside to say goodbye to the people who had unknowingly given her a haven. Mother Imaculatta gave her a fierce hug and when she pulled away her eyes were teary.

  Father Conlyn drew Teri aside. “Sister Clement gave me a package yesterday.” His brows drew together into a rarely seen frown. “Am I to understand this is for a memorial scholarship?”

  Teri glanced over at Angel where he stood chatting with Mother Imaculatta. His steady gaze gave her strength. “Yes, Father. Make it in the name of Colin Dowd. He was my friend.” She said goodbye to Father Conlyn.

  Angel held out his arm and she tucked herself into his embrace. They walked arm-in-arm down the block to the nun’s apartment.

  Connie opened the door and yelled for the other two nuns. They dragged Teri and Angel inside and he stood back as the four women hugged and rocked back and forth. Clem had told the others about Teri’s ruse.

  “I never would have guessed you weren’t a real nun,” Connie said.

  “Lessons from my sister, I guess.” Teri squeezed her hand. “And having the three of you as role models.”

  Clem put her hands on Teri’s shoulders. “I thought I was going to die. I never dreamed I’d survive yesterday. It changes the way one feels about all the little things one takes for granted. Thank you for giving me a chance to do more with my life and to experience it with greater appreciation.”

  The two women held each other tearfully. Teri swallowed the lump in her throat. “I’m glad we both survived. I’m sure the kidnappers would have finished me off if Angel hadn’t cleaned up my mess.”

  Clem beamed at her. “It was truly a miracle.”

  #

  On the flight, she held his hand but she was withdrawn. He wished he could reach inside her and touch that lonely place she went when she was sad. He kissed her fingertips and she turned to focus on him.

  Her brow puckered. “Angel, I’m sorry I made things so difficult for you.”

  He expelled a breath. “Teri, this has been the strangest case I can remember. We need to be straight with each other from now on out. No secrets.”

  She heaved a sigh. “So, we’re having our talk now?” She searched his face. “I know you think I made another wrong choice, but yesterday, when Clem was taken, you told me we couldn’t do anything. You said Clem would be killed because she had seen the kidnapper faces. I couldn’t let that happen.”

  He was torn between admiration and being angry with her for endangering herself. “How did you convince them to let Clem go?”

  “I,…um...I traded for her.” She couldn’t quite meet his eyes.

  “I was there when they found your underwear in the bag. That was a good trick, but what was it they thought they were getting?”

  “Angel,” her voice broke. “I had the money all along. It was in Colin’s bag. They knew I had the money and I used that to get her back.”

  He shrugged, trying to appear offhand. “I figured you had it stashed somewhere. Where did it come from?”

  She gazed at him earnestly, imploring him with her eyes. “I don’t know, but Colin left it with me and he was killed for it. I didn’t want to reward the men who killed him.”

  He absorbed her words, struggling to maintain a calm façade. “What happened to the cash?”

  “I gave it to the church.”

  A bubble of laughter welled up in his chest. He started laughing and couldn’t stop. A woman across the aisle turned to stare at him.

  Teri glanced at him uncertainly. “Angel, I...”

  “No, it’s funny,” he insisted. “We have a tape from the elevator in Colin’s office building and I saw you go up and come back down with the blue bag. So here I come looking for you, wondering what’s in the bag. Then, when I find you I see this blue bag and it’s empty. When the three bad guys come after you looking for this money, you toss the bag at them but it’s full of underwear. In the end, you give the money to the church and we still don’t know its source.” He laughed again, wiping tears from his eyes.

  “It’s not that funny,” Teri said evenly.

  He forced himself to be serious. “A lot of misery could have been avoided if you’d leveled with me in the beginning.”

  “I was scared,” she said. “I still haven’t made sense of what happened. Colin was killed because of the money, but I don’t know where it came from or why he left it with me.” She shrugged. “There are so many unanswered questions.”

  “I have unanswered questions of my own.” A heaviness settled in his gut, weighing him down with uncertainty.

  She seemed to sense his sadness. “Angel, is something wrong?”

  He couldn’t explain that he feared losing her; that every second they grew closer to the city, his anxiety increased. “Lots.” He kissed her fingers, forced himself to focus on the moments they had together, knowing they would inevitably come to an end.

  “I mean is there something that I don’t know about? You seem a little down.”

  “Sorry,” he said. “I’m just anticipating getting back to work.”

  She nodded, allowing him to leave his feelings unsaid.

  When they arrived at JFK, he called his boss and agreed to bring Teri to the station the next morning. They took a taxi to Teri’s condo and he started to walk up with her, dread gathering like a knot in his gut.

  “Get your bag, Angel,” she said.

  He stood back, his breath caught in his throught. “I thought you might like to have some privacy.”

  She dimpled. “You thought wrong. Pay the driver and bring your bag.”

  He hesitated a moment and followed her direction.

  Teri turned and greeted the doorman, Seymour, by name. He was effusive in returning her greeting, but eyed Angel suspiciously. Perhaps he recalled Angel questioning him in regards to her disappearance.

  They rode in silence to the top floor. She seemed as nervous as he felt.

  When Teri tried to put her key in the lock, her hand shook.

  Angel grasped how she must be feeling. Silently, he took the key from her and swung the door open.

  She leaned against him for a moment, then straightened and stepped inside. She walked to a wall of windows framing a panoramic view of the city.

  He came to stand behind her and folded her rigid body in his arms. He pressed a kiss against her neck and felt her tension melt away at his touch.

  She emitted a little mew of pleasure and arched against him. She turned to him and lifted her chin. “Thanks for being here with me.” She sighed heavily. “This is my place. I’ve always loved to be here, but it feels empty now.”

  “It’s just quiet after all the chaos. We’re here now so it can’t be empty.”

  She smiled up at him. “I don’t think I could bear it without you.”

  He tried to breathe through the tightness in his chest. “I’ll be with you as long as you want me to be.”

  She nodded and pulled away. “Let’s order in. I hate to think of what’s lurking in the fridge after all this time.” She walked around turning on all the lights.

  He followed her into the bedroom and steadied her when she visibly recoiled. She gazed, transfixed, at the suitcases piled in her dressing room, untouched since the trip with her dear departed Colin. Angel stroked her bare arm, wondering what she was thinking; wondering if she longed to be in Colin’s arms instead.

  “It’s over, Teri,” he said. “You need to turn the page and get on with your life.

  She nodded, her hair making a scrunching noise against his shirt. “I know what I need. I need you and I need Bernie. As long as
I have the two of you, my life will be okay.”

  A rush of hope flooded Angel’s chest. He kissed her forehead. “You’ll have me as long as you want me.”

  They ordered Chinese and tossed the cartons in the trash.

  Teri ran water in the tub. She called out to Angel and he entered her ultra-lush bath. He felt somewhat bemused by the infinity tub and other lesser gadgets.

  He raised his brows when Teri began to unbutton his shirt.

  She grinned at him. “I’m not supposed to get my stitches wet so I thought you could help me. That sponge bath Elena gave me last night just didn’t do it for me.”

  “Always glad to help.” Angel kicked out of his shoes and dropped his pants.

  The water was a perfect temperature. Angel stepped into the tub and helped Teri to ease in on top of him. “Nice.”

  She suspended her left leg on the edge of the tub and, leaned back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her. “I think this is more than nice,” she breathed.

  He bathed her, using a large sponge and lavender-scented body shampoo. When he lifted her out and wrapped her in a thick towel, he sensed that her earlier tension had dissipated.

  They made love tenderly on Teri’s cream colored sheets. He prayed he would never spend another night away from this woman.

  “Angel,” she whispered in the darkness. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too, Mia,” he said. I hope you feel the same way in the morning.

  #

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Teri awoke feeling confused. She couldn’t remember the dream. Angel was in it and the mere thought of him made her feel warm and wet. She was alone in the bed. Might as well get up.

  “Donde va?” he called.

  “You frightened me. I was afraid you were gone.”

  “I wouldn’t leave you like that.” The sound of the razor scraping across Angel’s cheek riveted Teri’s attention. He stood in the open doorway of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his hips. A thin stream of water ran in the sink and moisture from his recent shower clung to his skin.

  Wrapping the sheet around her torso, she went to stand behind him. He smiled at her reflection in the mirror before stroking another path through the lather. “Good morning, mi querida.”

  The shave gel smelled like mint. Curling her arms around his waist, she planted a kiss on the back of his shoulder. His smooth skin felt warm under her lips.

  Angel drew in a breath and set the razor on the edge of the sink. He splashed warm water on his face then reached for the towel she handed him. He kissed her, the aroma of his shave gel clinging to his skin.

  Teri inhaled the scent, her lips grazing his skin.

  “Here we are. I told you I’d get you back to the city.”

  Teri giggled. “Did I forget to say thank you?”

  “You don’t need to thank me. I was just doing my job.”

  Stung, Teri stepped back. “Your job?”

  “Yeah, I was doing my job. You do remember that I was on assignment?”

  “But, what happened...”

  “What happened between us was not part of my job.”

  Teri felt the prickle of tears and turned away. “And what would you say happened between us?”

  “I lost my head. I lost my heart.” Angel began dressing himself. “I behaved unprofessionally.”

  Teri was overwhelmed by an aching void in her stomach. “You weren’t unprofessional, Angel.”

  “Tell that to my boss. I’m not supposed to make love to a witness. I should have brought you back to New York when I first identified you.”

  “Spending time with your family was wonderful,” Teri said. “And if we’d come back earlier you couldn’t have caught those men.”

  “Doesn’t matter. It wasn’t my assignment.” Angel slid a tie around his neck. “I’m prepared for the probability that I’ll be reprimanded, at least.”

  The gravity of the situation settled upon her. “Oh, no! I can’t let that happen.”

  Angel turned to her, his expression somber. “I can’t tell you what to do, Teri, but I think you should distance yourself from me, for your own sake.”

  “What are you saying? I’ll just tell the truth.”

  “Let’s examine this truth as we know it.” Gently, he took her by the shoulders and seated her on the bed. “Your dead boyfriend left a bag stuffed with hundred dollar bills in your care. You admitted to me that you had this mystery money all along. We don’t know the source of this money and now, it’s not in evidence, I’m afraid you might be held liable for it.”

  Her throat tightened. She felt dread gathering inside her, but Angel remained calm. “What’s going to happen now?”

  “I have to file a report. I kept in touch with my boss so he knows the generalities, but I didn’t tell him about us. I neglected to tell him that I’d figured out your identity early on. He thought I was watching your sister, Bernie. I don’t care what repercussions fall on me, but I don’t want anything I’ve done to reflect on you.”

  Panic squeezed her insides. “What are you telling me? You want me to lie?”

  He shook his head solemnly. “I don’t plan to lie. Whatever happens to me happens. I think you should get a lawyer, just in case.”

  “In case?”

  “In case there’s more to this money thing than we know. It’s better to be prepared.”

  “You’re really worried about this, aren’t you?” She asked. “You’re worried they’re going to arrest me.”

  “No, baby, I’m arresting you,” he said. “You have the right to remain silent...”

  “You can’t be serious.”

  “If you give up your right to be silent everything you say may be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to have an attorney present when you are questioned.”

  Teri gazed at him sadly. “I see. I’d better get dressed.” She left him sitting on the bed and went into her dressing room, selecting a beige silk shirt and a black suit. She slipped into her heels and gave her hair a flip.

  “You look beautiful,” he said when she emerged.

  “You’re taking a risk telling me that. It’s too personal for a man doing his job.”

  “I’m not as big a risk-taker as you are. Not where you’re concerned.”

  “Still taking care of me?” She stepped into the bathroom and closed the door. Teri pressed a cold, damp cloth to her eyes and allowed the tears to flow.

  “I’m trying to,” Angel said to the closed door.

  As soon as she’d applied a little make-up, Teri called Martin Kelso.

  “Teri, you’re home!” He sounded excited.

  “Yes, and I need your help.”

  “You know I’d do anything for you, my dear.”

  She expelled a deep breath. It was good to have powerful friends in high places. “I need an attorney,” she said. “I don’t know anyone to call. I’m in custody and being taken to the police headquarters for questioning.”

  “Oh, my!” He sounded shocked. “Don’t worry, Teri. I’ll bring the best attorney money can buy. Trust me. Everything will be fine. Just don’t say anything until you talk to the lawyer.”

  “Thanks, Martin.” She hung up abd turned to face Angel. “I’m ready.”

  “Teri,” he said. “Don’t confuse what I have to do with the way I feel about you. I love you with my whole heart.” He cupped her face in both hands and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

  “Thank you for clearing that up,” she said.

  #

  The ride to the precinct house was silent. Angel glanced at her several times, but the woman beside him was cool and distant, completely self composed. He knew he’d hurt her and he hoped she’d forgive him.

  If she didn’t...

  If she never spoke to him again, he’d at least know he’d protected her and done his job. He glanced at her profile. She was biting her lower lip. He wanted to reach out to her; to comfort her, but he sensed she was hanging on by a slen
der thread.

  When he escorted her into the squad room, everyone turned to gape at her. Teri Slaughter was still a high-profile celebrity. His Captain met them and seemed a little star struck as he led the way to an interview room.

  “Miss Slaughter,” Captain Benson said. “Has Detective Garcia explained to you your rights?”

  Teri gave him a long stare before replying. “Yes, Detective Garcia informed me of my rights and I have a statement to make.”

  Angel felt his stomach knot up.

  “Go ahead, Miss Slaughter.” Captain Benson flipped on a recorder.

  “First, I want to thank you for sending Detective Garcia to protect me. The men who killed Colin Dowd would surely have killed me as well.”

  Captain Benson fell under her spell and blustered a little. “Think nothing of it. We were doing our job. Locating and protecting you was Detective Garcia’s assignment.”

  “He performed his assignment very bravely.” Teri blinked back tears and the Captain pushed forward a box of tissues.

  The door of the interview room was thrown open. “Teri! Don’t say anything!” Martin Kelso entered the small space with another man. “This is your attorney, Luther B. Stone. He needs to have some time to advise you.”

  Martin Kelso wasn’t a tall man, however his energy made him appear larger than life. His receding hairline was threaded with silver, a contrast to his ruddy complexion. He seemed anxious, although pleased with himself.

  Teri remained alone with her attorney while Martin Kelso paced back and forth outside, ranting at the two detectives. He exuded a powerful vibe that demanded attention.

  “Why would you ever think someone like Teri Slaughter could have anything to do with Colin Dowd’s death? She was deeply in love with him. It’s been a tragedy all around, unnecessarily compounded by your complete idiocy.” His piercing blue eyes looked like marbles under water as he alternately glared at Angel and then Captain Benson.

  Angel frowned. He recalled Teri telling him she and Colin were friends and companions who became lovers. But everything he knew about Teri Slaughter told him she was in love with him, not Colin Dowd.

  “Mr. Kelso,” Captain Benson said. “We don’t know what happened. She may have been a witness to his death. She may have pulled the trigger, herself. We are offering her a chance to clear this up.”