Bad Habit (5 page)

“
Let’s go for a walk,
Bernie.”

They strolled silently, not looking
at each other and not touching, although Angel had to stifle his
desire to reach for her hand again.

She led him to a stone bench under
an ancient oak tree and sat down, averting her gaze. She was
anxious, not controlled as she had been at the café.

Angel stretched comfortably,
extending his arm across the back of the bench. He stared at her,
determined to wait her out. He’d invaded her turf without
invitation.

She turned to him. “Why are you smiling, Angel? Is
something funny?”

“
Why did you decide to become a
nun?” He watched her color rise. Not unattractive.

“
You called me out here to ask me
about my vocation?”

“
You’re a very beautiful woman,
Bernie. You must have had lots of choices. I was just wondering
what made you think you could be a nun.”

“
You don’t think I’m a nun?” she
snapped.

“
Not like any nun I’ve ever
known.”

She looked flustered. After a
moment she said, “I was in college when I made the
decision.”

“
Did you date in college?” He
thought that question should stir her up.

“
Not a lot. Teri was the popular
one. I was the bookworm. Why do you ask?”

“
I’m having trouble with your
decision to serve the Lord. Most pretty women would choose to be
what Teri became. You could have made the same choice.” He could
almost see her spine stiffen.

She raised her chin and gazed at
him steadily. “I don’t have to justify my choices.” Her voice rose
in timbre.

“
No, but if I had
gone to school with you, I would have been knocking on your door
day and night. You could have my heart at your feet.”
Consider that fair warning,
Chica.

Spots of color appeared high on her
cheeks. “That’s a little dramatic, Detective.”

“
It’s my Latino nature, Bernie.
We’re a very passionate people. We feel all of our emotions
strongly. Love, anger, jealousy, desire.”

She squirmed under his intense
scrutiny. “Are you flirting with me, Detective?”

“
Would you like it if I
was?”

“
It would not be appropriate. I
have to go now.” She rose, walking back to the chapel with a very
straight back.

Angel watched her departure. She was much tougher
than she looked. He hoped he was right about her true identity.

He’d have a lot to apologize for if
he was wrong.

#

Teri gasped for breath. It was all
she could do to walk at a moderate pace. Getting away from Angel
and his prying questions was her only goal. He must have learned
her true identity. Otherwise, he would never have spoken to her as
he did.

Why was he flirting with
me?
She knew he found her attractive, but
would he make a play for a nun? Did he know she wasn’t? Did it
matter to him either way?

“
Good evening, Sister Bernadette,”
Father Conlyn broke into her thoughts. “You look upset. Is
something wrong?” He stood smoking his pipe under the portico in
front of the chapel.

“
I’m fine, Father.” She leaned
heavily against the fluted pillar and expelled the breath she’d
been holding.

“
Mother Immaculata told me your
sister was missing. Have you heard anything?”

“
Nothing helpful,
Father.”

“
What is your sister’s name?” He
tapped out the ashes from the bowl of his pipe.

“
Teresa. Her name
is Teresa.”
Now I’m lying to a priest. I’m
going to fry.

“
I’ll pray for her, Sister
Bernadette.” He tucked the pipe into his breast pocket and entered
the chapel to hear confessions.

Teri glanced around and saw Angel Garcia watching
her from the end of the walk. He lifted his hand as she turned and
fled into the shadows of the chapel.

Father Conlyn entered the
confessional. Several nuns and a few area residents wandered into
the chapel.

Teri crept behind one of the
curtains. When he opened the window she poured her heart
out.

“
My dear child,” he said. “You
cannot continue to live like this.”

“
I know, Father,” she said. “But I
feel that I have no choice. My life is in danger and I’m so
afraid.”

“
The students say your classes are
excellent. You must have a gift for teaching.”

“
I’m trying my best, Father but I
know I’m a complete fraud.”

“
Indeed.” Father Conlyn was silent
for a long moment. “I cannot advise you to endanger yourself. Are
you asking for absolution?”

“
No, Father.” A sudden thickness in
Teri’s voice betrayed her emotion. “I needed to confide in someone
who could keep my confidence and bolster my courage. It seems to be
fading.” Tears rolled unnoticed down Teri’s cheeks.

Father Conlyn cleared his throat as
though he, too, was having trouble managing his emotions. “Let me
bless you and pray for your safety.”

“
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?”