Bad Habit (27 page)

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.”

“
And I won’t stand for her being
railroaded.” Martin Kelso slammed his fist on the nearest desk, his
face an unbecoming shade of red.

“
Garcia,” Captain Benson said. “You
might as well get started on your report.

Angel nodded and went to his desk.
He logged on and began to write his account of the past nine days,
heavily edited. As he typed, he recalled the events as they
occurred and tried to keep his perspective.

He glanced up to see Kelso and the
attorney escorting Teri from the building. She met his eyes,
briefly before they rushed her out. He crossed to the front of the
building and looked down onto the street in time to see her being
hustled into a waiting limo and whisked away.

He heaved a sigh, feeling a huge
sense of loss. They’d been together for nine days and he was
hopelessly in love with her. After work he’d go by her place to
pick up his bag and let her off the hook.

“
We didn’t have enough to hold
her,” Captain Benson said. “Good work though, Garcia. Sergeant
Tolliver said you solved a San Antonio homicide while you were
there?”

“
Frank Altman, the man who killed
Colin Dowd also killed the San Antonio victim. You may have to
fight Tolliver for jurisdiction. Two other men involved with our
shooting were also arrested, Captain.”

“
Texas has the death penalty. I
don’t think Altman will fight extradition. Get that report on my
desk, Garcia.”

“
Yes, sir.” Angel returned to his
computer wondering what was going on with Teri. At least she was
with someone who seemed almost as protective of her as Angel
himself.

#

Teri sank back onto the soft
leather seats of the limo. She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry,
Martin. I didn’t hear what you were saying.”

“
I said it’s a good thing you called
me before you went to the station. No telling what they would have
charged you with.”

“
Mr. Kelso is right,” Luther Stone
said. “They’re just looking for a way to close the case and they
don’t care who they nail for it.”

Teri turned to look at him. “Really? What about
truth and justice?”

The men exchanged a glance and
chuckled.

Martin patted her hand. “My dear,
you are so refreshingly naïve.” He turned to Stone. “Didn’t I tell
you that she was a babe in the woods?”

Teri felt a sinking feeling in the
pit of her stomach. Had Angel only come after her because he
thought she was the killer? Did he want to close the case at any
cost?

No, that wasn’t true. He could have
taken her in days ago. He nestled her in the midst of his family
and surrounded her with the people who loved him. They welcomed her
and seemed to confirm what she believed, that Angel Garcia was in
love with her.

The limo pulled over to the curb
and Stone got out. As the driver pulled back into traffic, Kelso
directed him to Gallagher’s, a popular steak house. The interior
was intimately lit and the walls were filled with paintings of
famous race horses.

Martin beamed at her. “I hope you’re hungry, Teri.
New York has missed you and so have I.”

“
As a matter of fact, I could eat
something.” She smiled at him and he squeezed her hand.

They ate and Kelso talked about the office and
people she knew. She felt relaxed, as though the events of the past
few months hadn’t happened; as though she would go back to the
office and find Colin there waiting for her.

But everything had changed. Colin
was dead and she had fallen in love with someone else. She needed
Angel in her life and she feared that, somehow, she’d lost him
through some negligence on her part.

After a leisurely meal, Kelso took Teri to her
condo.

“
Thank you for everything, Martin,”
she said. “I appreciate that you’re always there for me. I don’t
know what I would have done if you hadn’t come to the police
station with Mr. Stone.”

“
Think nothing of it, my dear,” he
said. “I’ll see you up to your flat.”

“
Oh, no, you don’t have to do that.
I can make it upstairs by myself.”

The doorman swung the limo door open and reached in
to offer his hand to Teri.

Kelso looked extremely disappointed, but recovered
quickly. “Well, if you’re sure. I’ll check on you later. Be
careful, Teri.”

Upstairs, she unlocked her door and
stepped inside. The silence that greeted her was immense. She
walked to the floor to ceiling windows and gazed out at the
panoramic view of New York City. She’d lived in this location for
several years and it had always felt like her home. Today it felt
like an alien planet. She thought of the large Garcia household in
San Antonio, filled with noise and laughter and the aroma of food
cooking on the stove. She missed the loving chaos that wrapped
around her when she was in their home. She missed their firstborn
son who’d managed to wrap himself around her heart.

#

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Angel frowned at the words on his
screen and deleted several lines. His phone rang and he answered
it. “Garcia,” he said, absently.

There was a silence.

“
Angel?” It was her
voice.

His heart took a sudden lurch,
pounded his ribs. “Yes, it’s me, baby. Are you okay?”

“
I’m okay. I just...I missed
you.”

A floodgate ripped loose as all his
pent-up emotions came washing over him. He swallowed. “That’s good,
Mia. I was afraid you’d climbed into that big limo and I’d never
see you again.”

“
Idiot,” she said softly.

He grinned. “I love you.”

“
You’d better,” she said. “When will
you come home?’

The word ‘home’ suffused him with a
feeling of warmth. Angel felt as though a tight band around his
chest had been cut loose. “I’ll have to finish this report and I’ll
be right there. Do you want to go out for dinner?”

“
No, I want to stay in,” she said.
“I’ll go to the market and pick up something. Is there anything in
particular you want?”

“
I was in the mood for hot blonde.”
When he hung up he couldn’t stop grinning.

“
Garcia, do you have something
going on with that Teri Slaughter?”

Angel spun around on his chair and found Captain
Benson glaring down at him.

He took a deep breath, his stomach
clenched in a knot. “As a matter of fact, Sir, I do.”

“
Step into my office.” Captain
Benson led the way and ordered him to close the door.

For the next half hour Angel
explained how he happened to meet and fall in love with the witness
he’d been assigned to locate and return to New York. He skimmed
over the details, hoping the Captain could read the report and
realize he’d done his job well, arresting the men responsible for
the homicide he’d been investigating.

When he finished his tale, Captain
Benson stood shaking his head. “You mean, a beautiful and famous
woman gives a rat’s ass about you, a lowly Homicide
Detective?”

“
Difficult as it may be to believe,
Captain, we’re in love.”

The Captain stared at him for a long moment. “And
you didn’t do anything to compromise the case?”

“
I solved the case and kept her from
being killed.”

“
And so, what happens now between
beauty and the cop?”

“
When I finish writing my report, I
go to her place and have dinner,” he said. “She’s shopping
now.”

A wide grin spread across Captain
Benson’s face. “Finish your report tomorrow, Garcia. Go be with
your girl. This is the stuff a cop’s dreams are made
of.”

Angel stood up. “Yes sir.” He
grabbed his jacket and took the stairs two at a time. He hailed a
cab and, once inside, leaned back against the seat, grinning in
anticipation of being with Teri. He’d had to do his job, but so
far, everything was falling into place. Teri was free and Captain
Benson was okay with him seeing her. He’d have to thank Kelso for
bringing that lawyer. Of course, no one had asked about the money,
yet. If they could get over that hurdle, they might just slide into
home plate.

#

Teri bought too much food. She’d
gotten eggs and fresh bread and juice for breakfast and for dinner
she’d purchased a rotisserie chicken, salad ingredients, fresh
pasta and a bottle of decent pinot grigio.

The market was two blocks away and
the bags were getting heavy.

“
Here, let me help you with
that.”

Teri looked up as Martin Kelso took
one of the bags. He held a large bouquet of peach-colored roses in
his other arm.

“
Martin, what are you doing
here?”

“
I wanted to give you these roses
as a way to welcome you back to the city. You’ve been greatly
missed, my dear.” He handed her the bouquet and relieved her of the
other grocery bag.

“
They’re lovely.” She inhaled the
rich fragrance. “But, you’ve done enough. Coming to my rescue with
an attorney was what I needed most. You didn’t have to do
this.”

“
Yes I did, Teri,” he said. They’d
arrived at her building and the doorman held the door open for
them. “You don’t know how much you mean to me.”

“
You’re too kind, Martin,” she
said. “I’m sure all your employees are as fond of you as I am.”
Teri knew Martin harbored a not so secret crush on her, but she’d
always managed to sidestep the issue. It had been easier when Colin
was close at hand.

“
But I’m not as fond of them as I am
of you,” he insisted. “You’re a special girl, Teri. Very
special.”

When they arrived at the door to
her condo Teri felt compelled to invite him in. He put her
groceries on the counter as she located a vase for the
roses.

“
Sit down, Martin. Talk to me.” She
pointed to one of the cream leather barstools on the other side of
the counter. “My refrigerator is disgusting and I have to get rid
of everything before I put anything fresh in there.”

“
I love a domestic woman,” he said
enthusiastically.

“
I’m just a country girl,
remember?” She pulled the trash can close to the open refrigerator
and tossed everything from the crisper and the meat drawer. She
discarded condiments that were open and tried to remember what
other staples she would have to purchase.

“
What’s going on with the firm? Did
Jeanne go on maternity leave?” Teri wiped down the glass shelves as
she spoke.

“
Yes, she’s out for a while,” he
said. “Don’t you have a cleaning woman for that?”

“
I used to, but I guess she stopped
coming when I wasn’t around to leave a check for her. I like to
clean,” she said. “It’s therapeutic.”

“
Yes, my dear. You have been through
a lot.”

Teri gave the refrigerator a final rinse and placed
her few groceries inside. She turned to Martin with a smile.

“
You look radiant, dear one,
considering what you’ve been through.” He sat with his arms folded
upon her counter top. His manicured nails drummed idly making a
clicking noise against the polished granite.

“
Well, I survived.” She brushed a
lock of hair back from her face.

“
I can’t get used to your hair,” he
said. “I loved the way you used to wear it. It was the stuff of
men’s fantasies.”

“
Long hair is a lot of trouble.
But, I may grow it out again.” Teri shrugged. “Or not. Who
knows?”

“
Are you planning on returning to
the agency soon? I saved your position for you.” He raised a
speculative eyebrow.

She frowned. “I don’t know. Colin
was brutally murdered. His image is permanently etched on my brain.
I was nearly killed. I’m not the same person. I can’t just pick up
where I left off.”