Free Bad Habit by JD Faver Page B

side street and
parked where he could observe the nun’s apartment, the convent and
school. He kept the motor idling with the air conditioning running
for survival. Thankfully, the rental car idled silently. He
observed the area for several hours and made notes concerning some
of the vehicles and passers-by. It appeared that the cars parked
along the street were either tenants or visitors at the apartments.
The area around the school and convent was quiet and dimly lit with
deep shadows, making it easy to secret oneself.
    Angel exited the vehicle and
quietly closed the door. He walked, in what he hoped was a casual
manner, along the sidewalk across the street from the apartment and
convent. He examined each car and found them to be unoccupied.
Arriving at the corner, he crossed and returned on the opposite
side. These cars were also unoccupied.
    Angel checked the grounds and
ducked into the shadows as a priest and several nuns left the
church. They chatted for a few minutes and then separated. The
priest went to a small bungalow located at the back of the property
and the nuns went into the convent.
    Angel remained where he was,
breathing silently and listening for anything out of the ordinary
as his eyes became accustomed to the darkness.
    Crickets chirped and traffic noises
from a busy main artery several blocks away punctuated the
stillness. The night was hot and damp. He smelled the fragrance of
flowering shrubs nearby.
    He stepped from the shadows and
walked quietly around the perimeter before making his way to the
nun’s apartment in the next block. He circled, approaching from the
rear.
    He stopped short. The smell of a
cigarette reached his nostrils. A thousand pinpricks tingled at the
back of his neck as all his senses went on alert.
    A smile quirked his lips. Someone
stood in the shadows behind the tree where he had encountered the
private investigator earlier. The tip of a cigarette glowed in the
darkness and a thin wisp of smoke curled upwards.
    Angel made a wide and surreptitious
circle, coming up behind the smoker.
    “ Marcel, Marcel.” He said. “What am
I going to do with you?”
    Marcel dropped the cigarette and spun around. “Jeez!
You scared me.” He leaned his hand against the tree for
support.
    Angel took a step closer.
    “ Don’t hit me!”
    “ Marcel, you need to respect the
need for privacy here. Leave them alone.”
    “ Look, man,” Marcel croaked out. “I
don’t want any trouble.”
    “ In that case, you should leave
now.”
    “ I can’t,” he said. “I need this
job.”
    “ You can tell me who hired you.”
Angel took another step toward him, his hand resting lightly on his
holstered weapon. Not that he’d ever draw it without just cause,
but it posed an implied threat, nonetheless.
    Marcel swallowed. “I
can’t.”
    “ Yes, you can. If it’s not someone
harmful, I’ll leave you alone.”
    Marcel seemed to consider this,
eyeing Angel and his threatening stance. “Okay. It’s a man named
Martin Kelso from New York. I got this referral from an
acquaintance and he’s paying top dollar. I’m just supposed to look
out for a woman whose sister lives in this apartment.”
    “ And if she turns up? What
then?”
    “ I’m supposed to call this Mr.
Kelso. That’s all.” Marcel looked at Angel, his palms spread
upward.
    “ Okay. You can keep your vigil, but
don’t bother the nuns. They shouldn’t even know you’re
here.”
    “ I’ll be invisible,” Marcel assured
him.
    Angel took out his wallet, peeling fifty dollars out
and handing it to Marcel with his card. “If you notice anyone else
interested in the nuns, call me. I’ll pay you for the
information.”
    “ Yeah, thanks man.” Marcel pocketed
the bills. “I’ll do that.”
    Angel slipped into the shadows and
returned to the car. He blasted the air conditioner on high and
checked to see if he was being followed. When he determined he was
alone, he drove back to his family home, smiling broadly in
anticipation of