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 shared 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.”

“I knew that,” Bernie said. “We’re talking about the men who killed Colin?”

“Yes, but it gets worse.”

There was a long silence. “Tell me.”

Teri outlined the death of Marcel Farmer and the kidnapping of Sister Clement. She told Bernie about the money and her plan to trade it for Clem.

“Holy Mother of God!”

“Bernie...”

“Are you out of your mind? Where is this Detective Angel in all this?”

“Detective Angel Garcia doesn’t know I have the money. When I met him, I lied to him. I said I didn’t know about it. I didn’t trust him at first and I didn’t know if I’d have to use it to run again.”

“So now it’s a sin of omission?”

Teri smiled, in spite of her fear. “Even I can’t sell that one.”

“What are you going to do now?” Bernie asked.

“I’m going to call the kidnapper and try to get Clem back. What about the janitor?”

“I’ll try to avoid him. I don’t think he’ll enter the convent. I can hang around until my classes start and run like a chicken when the students leave.”

“Atta girl.”

“Teri, please don’t try to take on the kidnappers by yourself. You can tell your Angel about the lie. He’ll understand and protect you.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Teri said. “I made a deal with his mother that I wouldn’t get him killed.”

“He’s got a gun and you don’t.” Bernie let out a soft whimper. “Teri?”

“I’m here.”

“Just this once, you have my permission to be a complete bystander. Let someone else be a super hero. You have to make a deal with me not to get yourself killed.”

“I’ll do my best, Bernie. I can’t bear it if anyone else dies because of me...I’ve gotta go now. Pray for me.”

She hung up abruptly and tucked her cell in her pocket.

Time to save the day or die trying.

#