HONEYMOON FOR THREE

by

Alan Cook

SMASHWORDS EDITION

“Obsession and stalking plague Gary Blanchard and his new bride, Penny, as they travel to various national parks on their honeymoon… It is a tale well-told, with graphic descriptions of the sites and an exciting conclusion.”

—Theodore Feit for Spinetingler Magazine

“The book takes you on a journey across country with a honeymoon couple and an insane and obsessive stalker. Unusual and scary, this is a tale well worth the read. American Authors Association gives this book its highest rating of FIVE STARS!”

—W. H. McDonald, Jr.

“Honeymoon for Three, by Alan Cook, is a delightful tale! Mr. Cook has an amazing talent for creating suspense and tension in his plot.”

—Debra Gaynor for Reader Views

PUBLISHED BY:

Alan Cook on Smashwords

Honeymoon for Three

Copyright © 2007 by Alan L. Cook.

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

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BOOKS BY ALAN COOK

Run into Trouble

Gary Blanchard Mysteries:

Honeymoon for Three

The Hayloft: a 1950s mystery

California Mystery:

Hotline to Murder

Lillian Morgan mysteries:

Catch a Falling Knife

Thirteen Diamonds

Other fiction:

Walking to Denver

Nonfiction:

Walking the World: Memories and Adventures

History:

Freedom’s Light: Quotations from History’s Champions of Freedom

Poetry:

The Saga of Bill the Hermit

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Many thanks to Dawn Dowdle for taking care of the “ands” and “buts.”

DEDICATION

To Bonny, my bride forever

CHAPTER 1

The ka-ching of the cash register irritated Alfred as he plunked the canned goods into a brown paper bag. Heavy items on the bottom—fragile items and perishables on top. He could bag groceries with his eyes closed. He should be a checker by now.

Keith had promised to make him a checker months ago. Then, when an opening occurred in the neighborhood grocery store in Lomita, California, he promoted Stephanie instead. Stephanie, the blue-eyed bitch with streaked blond hair who wouldn’t say two words to him, even when he was bagging at her counter, as he was now. She was probably sleeping with Keith. Alfred knew that she laughed at him. Laughed whenever she looked at his potbelly. Maybe not out loud, but inside. If she ever found out he had an outie bellybutton, that would only make matters worse.

However, none of this mattered anymore. Alfred had a much bigger problem—Penny. She had been acting very strangely the last few weeks. It was almost as if she were a different person. He was afraid of losing her. He was sure she was being unfaithful to him. She was his whole world. Without her, he would be left with nothing. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

He finished putting the groceries into the bags and the bags into the cart. He glanced at his Timex watch. His shift was over. He looked around the front of the market until he spotted Keith at the courtesy counter. He walked toward Keith, taking off his apron as he went. He wouldn’t need the apron anymore—because he was resigning, effective immediately.

***

The thunder of bowling balls rolling down the alleys and the staccato crack of pins being toppled provided background music to the buzz of conversation that emanated from the bowlers. Occasional shouts of triumph or groans of despair added syncopation to the other sounds. Penny sat at one of the tables in the refreshment area, aloof from it all, sipping a soda.

Not that she wasn’t a social person. In fact, she loved interacting with people, but tonight she was happy to be momentarily alone with her thoughts. Her thoughts centered on one person—Gary Blanchard—a tall, good looking young man bowling for the IBM team.

She had met Gary in person four short months ago, but that had been long enough for her to know that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. She, who had said she was never going to have any snot-nosed kids, was now willing to take on those and anything else that came along for this man who had upset her chemicals so much that she weighed less than she had since eighth grade. That was good, because the smashing figure it had given her had helped her win him.

They were leaving on a trip together in two days. They both loved to travel, and this would be a great adventure. When they returned, they would move into a brand new apartment—together—in Torrance. Life was almost perfect.

Almost. Penny had received two notes—notes that scared her. And telephone calls—from whom? Somebody who breathed into the phone but didn’t say anything. Today she had finished moving out of her apartment in Lomita. She would spend the last two nights before their trip with Gary in his apartment. Hopefully, that would stop the notes and the phone calls. She would have Gary to protect her.

***

Gary made his four-step approach and released the ball. He watched it roll down the alley, hoping that it would hook. He had never quite mastered bowling. Part of his game strategy was a dose of wishful thinking. Tonight, however, everything had come together. Just as his life had come together. The ball hooked into the 1-3 pocket, and the chain reaction leveled all the pins. Two strikes in a row. A good way to end the game and the season.

As he walked back to his teammates, Penny caught his eye and smiled at him from the refreshment area. That was the smile that had melted his heart. She had wanted to come tonight. She had wanted to watch him bowl in the last match for the IBM team. He couldn’t think of a sport more boring to watch than bowling, so she must really love him. Which was good, because he really loved her.

Gary rolled his two bonus balls. It took both balls for him to knock down ten pins, but he still had the best game of his life—a 216. When you’re hot, you’re hot. Since this was the last night of league play, there was some sort of an awards ceremony taking place in the refreshment area. Very informal, since this was primarily a social league. He collected Penny and introduced her to his teammates. With her smile and her personality, not to mention her looks, she was an immediate hit.

Gary was surprised when his name was called for an award. After all, he wasn’t even the best bowler on his own team. The award was for “highest single game score, including handicap.” His 216 had done it when added to his handicap. It paid to have a big handicap. He laughed as he accepted the award, but he got a good-natured round of applause, and Penny clapped enthusiastically.

A little later his team gathered for a drink. Lee, one of the older men in his IBM office—he was in his forties—said, “Gary, I hear you’re going on a trip. Tell us about it.”

“Well, we’re going up north. We’re going to hit some of the national parks. And I guess we’re getting married.”

Everybody looked surprised and then offered congratulations. Gary accepted them, grinning. He glanced at Penny. She was sitting with her mouth open, as if in shock. She shouldn’t be. They had discussed marriage. For example, whether to get married at the beginning or the end of the trip. She favored the beginning—because of what her New England relatives would say. And she just happened to have a wedding dress that she had purchased on her summer visit home. A dress her relatives insisted she buy, she had told Gary, making a face at the memory.

All right, so he hadn’t formally proposed to her on bended knee. They’d had a meeting of the minds, which was better.

***

Alfred had a feeling of impending doom. He had been sitting in his car for hours, on the street outside Penny’s apartment. He had parked in a spot he knew well and from where he had a good view of her bedroom window. The light inside her bedroom had never come on. Where was she? Even if she were out with that jerk boyfriend of hers, she should be home by now. Didn’t he have to work tomorrow? Alfred looked at his watch by the glow of a streetlight. Almost midnight.

Her car wasn’t there, either, parked in the apartment house lot where it should be. That meant she had driven somewhere to meet him. It wasn’t typical of her behavior. Ever since she had returned from her trip home to Fenwick, Connecticut, she had been acting differently.

What was the guy’s name? Gary something or other. He wasn’t worthy of holding her hand. Alfred was afraid that she was falling for him. Girls often fell for the bad guys. Alfred had actually been glad she had gone home. It meant that she couldn’t be serious about this Gary person—just as she hadn’t been serious about the dozens of other guys she had dated during the year since he had reconnected with her. Now his main source of information about her was cut off.

Every Sunday morning, Penny and her roommate used to go to a café on Pacific Coast Highway, eat breakfast, and talk. Alfred would sit in the booth diagonally across from them, so that he and Penny had their backs to each other. This cut down the possibility that she would recognize him. In addition, his beard, baseball cap, dark glasses, and the loose clothing he wore to hide his potbelly made him look much different than he had looked when they had graduated from high school six years before. The chances of her spotting him were minimal.

His sharp ears could hear every word they said. He knew Penny was going home for two weeks after she finished teaching for the year. He knew that her roommate was going home for keeps. She was giving up the ghost, giving up the California dream, and returning to the safety of her hometown, somewhere outside of New York City. Penny and her roommate flew east at the same time. Only Penny came back. The Sunday morning breakfasts ended.

With the end of the breakfasts, Alfred’s information flow dried up. That was when the horrible feeling that he was losing Penny began. This Gary person was winning her. Alfred’s warnings to Penny hadn’t changed anything. It was time for action. He could go to the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and call her number from the phone booth, to see if she were there. He had done that before. This time, he already knew the answer.

He took his flashlight and laboriously got out of his 1959 Ford Fairlane, stiff from sitting so long. He closed the door gently. He didn’t want to wake up any of the apartment dwellers along the street. He walked to the alley between Penny’s building and the one next to it.

Penny’s window faced the blank stucco wall of the other building. A few windows dotted the wall of Penny’s building, like rectangular eyes, but they were all dark. The only way he was likely to be seen was if somebody came walking along the street and glanced between the buildings. Somebody walking at midnight in Los Angeles was not a scenario he was worried about.

Penny’s window was above eye level. Alfred shone his flashlight into the flowerbed that had been planted alongside the building until he spotted what he was looking for, hidden behind a large bush. It was a wooden palette, the kind on which bags of cement, fertilizer, or similar items were typically stacked.

Alfred had stashed the palette there for emergencies like this one. He was glad that the building owner hadn’t found and removed it. He put the flashlight in his pocket and carefully lifted the palette out of its hiding place. He carried it to a spot directly beneath Penny’s window and leaned it against the wall.

The tricky part was climbing it and balancing on the top without falling into the thorns of a rosebush. He wasn’t the most agile person in the world, but if he were very careful, he could do it. With the flashlight in his pocket he was able to lift one foot high enough to place it on top of the palette. Then he had to push hard off the ground with his other foot and simultaneously use the strength of his upper leg to lift his body until he could grasp the sill of Penny’s window.

He did this now, teetering precariously on the top edge of the palette for a few seconds until he had both feet planted firmly on it. His body was pressed against the stucco. When he had stabilized himself, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the flashlight. He shone it through the window. The first thing he saw was Penny’s bed. Something about it looked strange. It was covered with a bedspread, but the spread was flat. There was no pillow underneath it. A minor thing, perhaps, but…. Alfred tensed.

The room looked different than it had the first time he looked through her window from the top of the palette. He had been watching that window from his car on and off for months. He knew it was a bedroom window because occasionally she would come to the window in a nightgown and look out. Alfred lived for those moments. Apparently she thought no one could see in because she never closed the drapes.

One night he hadn’t seen her car and thought she was out. He had an impulse to look into her room at close range. That was when he had found the palette set out on the street with the trash from one of the buildings. He had carried it to the window, climbed onto it, and was investigating the room with his flashlight when he heard a noise inside. He just had time to douse the flashlight when the bedroom light came on and Penny walked into the room—naked.

In spite of his fear of being discovered, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. The first thing he saw was her flat stomach and her beautiful innie bellybutton. The rest of her was just as spectacular. Then he ducked his head below the level of the window. He didn’t dare jump to the ground because the window was open, and she might hear him.

He balanced there for an eternity of seconds, his bent legs starting to shake from holding his body in a cramped position. Finally, not hearing any sounds from her room and afraid he would collapse, he took a chance and dropped to the ground. He froze there, listening. Silence surrounded him, except for the distant hum of automobiles, ubiquitous in Los Angeles. He hid the palette, being careful not to make any noise, and returned to his car.

Now, Alfred shone the flashlight around the room. It flashed across the top of the dresser, which was bare. In a panic, he moved the beam to the open closet door. The closet was empty. Penny’s clothes were gone. Penny was gone.

CHAPTER 2

Alfred came back to Penny’s apartment building about nine o’clock on Thursday morning. Not too early to arouse suspicion. His instinct that had told him something was about to happen had been right. It was a good thing he had quit his job, so that he could devote full time to this. He had saved some money. He never spent a dime, except for gas, rent, and food. His instinct had failed him in one respect. He hadn’t guessed that the bird would fly the coop.

He would prove to Penny that he was up to the challenge. He would prove that he was worthy of her. Alfred knocked on the door of the apartment manager. The door was opened by a small man with a small head, topped by thinning gray hair. He squinted up at Alfred, inquiringly, through his wire-rim glasses, with his head cocked. Alfred had been very careful about his prowling and was sure the man had never seen him before.

“Hi.” Alfred remembered what he had rehearsed. “I’m a cousin of Penny Singleton. I just arrived here from Connecticut and wanted to say hello to her. This is the only address I have for her. Can you give me her forwarding address?”

The man looked at Alfred, his eyes darting from Alfred’s baseball cap to his dark glasses to his potbelly. The small head moved too, with the jerky motions reminiscent of a bird. He said, in a high-pitched voice, “Hasn’t she given you her forwarding address?”

“I’ve been on the road.” Alfred forced a chuckle. “It would have been hard for her to get hold of me. And she doesn’t know my address in Los Angeles because, as I said, I just arrived here.”

“You say you’re from Connecticut? You could contact Penny’s folks and find it that way.”

Alfred was getting irritated, but he tried to hide it. “I’d like to get in touch with Penny right away. I don’t have a lot of money to waste on long distance phone calls.”

“Have you rented a place yet?”

“Yes, I have.” The man was trying to rent him Penny’s apartment. What could he do to convince this sparrow to give him Penny’s address? “The thing is, my mother’s sick. She and Penny’s mother are sisters, but they don’t talk to each other. Some kind of long-standing feud. I felt that Penny would want to know about her aunt.”

“Sorry. I can’t help you.”

He closed the door. Right in Alfred’s face.

***

Gil couldn’t help the man with the beard who claimed to be Penny’s cousin, because Penny hadn’t told him where she was going. Even if she had, he might not have passed on the information. Something was fishy about the guy. Starting with the fact that Penny had just vacated the apartment yesterday afternoon. How did he know that Penny had moved out? Even if he’d knocked on her door, the fact of her not being there would certainly not be evidence of that.

Gil was actually somewhat miffed that Penny hadn’t told him where she was going. Presumably off with her boyfriend, but Gil didn’t know where he lived. He suspected she had left a forwarding address with the post office, but she could have left one with him, too. After all, he had been friendly to her. He liked renting to good-looking girls. He tried to be nice to them and respond to their requests about maintenance quickly. Pretty girls were used to being catered to. He was sure Penny had already forgotten him.

At least, plants didn’t treat you like dirt. He would go work in his garden.

***

Penny hummed to herself as she finished putting her clothes into the one small suitcase that Gary had allotted her for their trip. She was in the roomy, two-bedroom apartment Gary shared with a man named Steve. It sat on a small hill in Monterey Park. On a clear day you could see the long outline of Catalina Island from its balcony. At the moment, it was too smoggy to see much of anything.

A 1962 Volkswagen Beetle wasn’t very large, and they had camping equipment, so one suitcase was all she could take. She didn’t care, though. She would go without any clothes if necessary—and that’s the way Gary preferred her.

She grinned when she realized what song she was humming. “Dream,” made famous by the Everly Brothers a few years ago. That had been “our song,” the song she had shared with her boyfriend in school. Actually, with her boyfriends—and there had been many of them. With the same song for all, at least she never forgot what it was.

She didn’t play games like that with Gary. He was different. Different than the four men who had proposed to her in the two years she’d been in California. One had expected her to accept the virginity of Mary, the mother of Jesus. She had laughed at him. Another said he pictured her wearing white gloves. She’d been forced to wear white gloves in her college dining hall, but this was the real world. She told him what he could do with his white gloves.

Penny knelt on the suitcase with her full weight to force it shut and then latched it. The only piece of clothing she hadn’t put into it was her wedding dress. She would hang that up inside the car to keep it from getting wrinkled. When she’d been home for her summer visit, she’d spent a day with her brother and his wife. At some point, when talking about Gary, she’d casually mentioned that they might be getting married.

“Do you have a wedding dress?” Barbara asked.

“I have a new blue dress that Gary hasn’t seen.”

Tim and Barbara hit the roof at the idea of a blue wedding dress. They rushed her out to a department store. Penny found a white, knee-length dress that fit her perfectly. Tim plunked a white hat on her head. So she returned to Los Angeles with a wedding dress in tow. In spite of that, she hadn’t quite believed she was going to get married, but apparently she was.

Penny had finished vacating her apartment yesterday. She had brought the last of her stuff here, and now it lay scattered around the spacious living room. She reached into a box containing some letters and lifted out a brown envelope. She hesitated, wondering whether she should throw it in the trash, but then she fished two wrinkled pieces of note paper out of it.

She placed them flat on the coffee table and smoothed them as much as she could. Both pieces had the name and address of a Las Vegas motel at the top. Not one of the big hotels. Just a rinky-dink motel Penny had never heard of. The messages on them were written in pencil. The handwriting was large and messy, as if a right-handed person had written them with his left hand or vice versa.

The notes had been slid under the door to her apartment, one in late July and one just two weeks ago, in August. The first message read, “Don’t stick to one boyfriend. Play the field.” Penny had thought it was a prank note from one of the other tenants. She had shown it to her landlord and several other people, but she hadn’t been very concerned about it. She hadn’t shown it to Gary.

The second note had scared her. It read, “I told you to play the field. You are walking on quicksand.” She asked her landlord if he’d seen anybody unusual on the day the note was delivered. He hadn’t. She no longer thought it had been written by one of the other tenants. The ones she knew were friendly and harmless. She asked several of them about a suspicious person on the premises. Nobody had seen anything.

She’d considered going to the police, but what could they do? She still hadn’t shown the notes to Gary. Why? Because she was afraid he would get cold feet? No, he wasn’t the type to scare easily. But what if he thought the notes reflected a shady past that she hadn’t divulged. She’d been open with him about her past, but their relationship was new enough so that she still had visions of a revelation of some long-forgotten sin ruining it.

Hopefully, she had escaped the writer of the notes. She put them back into the brown envelope. She couldn’t quite bring herself to throw them away. One reason the notes bothered her more than they probably should was a memory that haunted her from a year ago.

Penny had just finished her first year of living and teaching in California. She flew home to Fenwick, Connecticut to spend the summer of 1963. This was not an ordinary summer. Emily, her best friend since nursery school and a fellow cheerleader, was getting married. Penny was to be her maid of honor.

June, the wedding month, was busting out all over. Penny was excited for Emily, who had the looks and grace that Penny felt she herself lacked. A perfect nose, as opposed to Penny’s large one. And a good attitude toward marriage and children, which Penny had never had.

The wedding preparations were exciting. Dress fittings, gossip sessions, a shower. And then, just two days before the big event, Emily’s body was found behind Fenwick High School by Darren Filbert, the school janitor. She had been strangled.

That sent shock waves through the town of Fenwick. It was arguably the biggest news event since Lieutenant Gibbons scared off a Dutch sloop with a couple of cannon shots and claimed the area at the mouth of the Connecticut River for Viscount Saye & Sele and Lord Brooke in 1635.

At the funeral, Emily still looked beautiful. Penny had the eerie sensation that she would awake and end Penny’s nightmare. But, she didn’t open her eyes. The lid of the coffin closed over her quiet form, forever, and she was lowered into the ground.

Three weeks later, Darren Filbert was arrested for Emily’s murder. A bracelet belonging to her was found in his small apartment on Main Street. He claimed that he had discovered Emily’s body after she was dead. He could never satisfactorily explain why he took the bracelet, which was not worth much. In fact, he claimed he hadn’t taken it. He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

For Penny, that was a shock second only to Emily’s death. Penny had known Darren quite well. He was a big teddy bear of a man with not too much upstairs, but he seemed like a gentle soul, who trusted other people so much that he never locked his apartment. Penny and Emily were friendly toward him, partly because that was their nature and partly because Darren helped them.

For example, he let Penny into the school one Saturday morning when she needed to get some megaphones for a football game. As head cheerleader, Penny was always needing favors, and people like Darren could be very useful to her.

She didn’t have any qualms about going into the dark and empty school alone with Darren. Now she shuddered when she thought about it. Had she been naïve about this man or perhaps about men in general?

Penny had another thought that had gnawed at her previously. She wondered whether, if Emily, who had been born to be married, couldn’t make it to the altar, how could she, Penny, accomplish it? Was there something or somebody out there who would stop her?

***

“Please deposit one hundred dollars for the first three minutes.”

It wasn’t $100, of course, but to somebody as parsimonious as Alfred, the operator’s request sounded like a small fortune. He carefully counted out the correct change from the coins in his hand and placed them in the appropriate slots of the pay phone. Someday when he was rich, he would live in a big house with two telephones, not a dingy apartment without any.

The coins chimed as they dropped, and the operator, satisfied, put through the call. After three rings, a female voice said hello.

“Hello, Mrs. Singleton?” Alfred used his most persuasive voice. “This is Alfred. Alfred Ward. I went to high school with Penny. I just arrived in California, and I thought I’d look her up. I was wondering if you could tell me her address.”

“Alfred? Your name sounds familiar. Were you on the basketball team?”

“No ma’am. Listen, I’m on a pay phone—”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to run on. Penny lives in Lomita. I’ve got the address right here somewhere.”

“If you’re talking about the apartment on Narbonne, she just moved out of there.”

“She did? I can’t keep up with that girl. Well, she’s going on a trip. And in a couple of weeks she’s moving into a brand new place. In a city with a funny name. Terrence or something like that.”

“You mean Torrance?”

“Torrance. Yes, that’s it.”

“Do you know what her address will be there?”

“No. She’s hasn’t told me.”

“You said she’s going on a trip?”

“Yes. I think she’s going to visit some of the national parks, like Yellowstone. She’s always loved the outdoors.”

“Do you think she’s already left?”

“Maybe. School starts pretty soon.”

Alfred thanked her and hung up. He heard the click indicating that the phone had eaten his money. Mrs. Singleton hadn’t mentioned Penny’s boyfriend. Penny wasn’t telling her everything. Of course, Penny was going on the trip with him. Her roommate was no longer in the picture.

He had to find her boyfriend’s apartment. Fast. But how? What did he know about this guy Gary, other than that he was tall, thin, and probably had an innie bellybutton. All the girls liked guys with innie bellybuttons. He drove a green Volkswagen Beetle. Not much of a car. Alfred thought back to the Sunday morning breakfasts he had eavesdropped on. Penny had been excited about this Gary person from day one. She had told her roommate all about him.

She had confided that he lived in Monterey Park and worked for IBM. Alfred walked to his car, which was parked near the phone booth. He kept a lot of maps in his glove compartment. He sorted through them until he found one of the greater Los Angeles area. Monterey Park was east of downtown L.A. He went back to the phone booth and dialed Information. When an operator answered, he asked her whether IBM had an office somewhere in the East Los Angeles area.

After a twenty-second silence, the operator reported in the affirmative. Alfred wrote down the number. He hung up, his heart beating faster. Maybe this wasn’t going to be so hard, after all. Los Angeles only had one area code. He should be able to call the IBM office for a dime. He dialed the number.

“Good morning, IBM.”

“May I speak to Gary…? His last name has slipped my mind.”

“Do you mean Gary Blanchard?”

“Is he a tall, thin guy with short hair?”

“Yes.”

“That must be him. Is he there?”

“He’s at a customer’s office. May I take a message for him?”

“So he’s working today.”

“Yes, he’s working. May I take a message for Gary?” She sounded impatient.

“Uh, do you know when he’ll be back in the office?”

“He didn’t say. May I take a message and have him call you?”

Persistent bitch. “No thanks. I’ll call back.” He hung up.

CHAPTER 3

Gary was still walking on a cloud. He had finished his last day of work at IBM for two weeks—two weeks of fun and adventure with Penny. And oh yes—he was getting married. Well, most people got married sooner or later. Why not now? Living together in their own place would certainly save on rent.

He parked his car in his reserved spot in the apartment lot. It was a big apartment building, but fortunately, it had plenty of parking. They would be able to leave Penny’s car here until they returned. Gary retrieved the mail from his box and walked to the apartment on the second level.

As he entered, Penny ran to him and gave him a big hug and kiss. Now that was the way to be greeted when returning from the job wars.

“How was your day?” Penny asked.

“Outstanding, because I knew it was the last one I had to work for a while. How was yours?”

“Good. I got all the maps we need from the Auto Club, and I have a pile of information about the parks.”

“I hope it will all fit in the car.”

“If it doesn’t, we’ll strap it to the roof.”

Penny had prepared dinner for them in the small kitchen. She didn’t claim to be an expert chef, but she had cooked for Gary several times while they were dating, and he had survived. He appreciated her efforts.

“Have you seen Steve?” Gary asked.

“No. He hasn’t shown his head.”

“Well, don’t worry about him. He’s probably shacked up somewhere.” Steve sometimes didn’t show up for a couple of days at a time during the summer when he wasn’t teaching school. He would also supplement his teaching income by selling sets of pots and pans to suggestive teenage girls for their “trousseaus.”

Gary told this to Penny, and she said, “Speaking of trousseaus, I don’t have one. I haven’t had time to get one together. I noticed that you purchased a dozen T-shirts and pairs of underpants.”

Caught, Gary could only laugh. “I’ve been meaning to buy some things and this seemed like a good opportunity.”

They sat down to dinner at the table beside the kitchen. The menu consisted of hotdogs with all the toppings, baked potatoes, and corn on the cob, along with a celebratory bottle of cheap champagne. Gary couldn’t have been happier with it. He opened the champagne bottle with a pop and bounced the cork off the refrigerator. It reminded him of shooting woodchucks with a .22 on the farm back home.

He filled two water glasses—he didn’t have champagne glasses. “To us.”

“To eloping.”

They clinked glasses and drank.

Halfway through the meal, Gary noticed that Penny had become very quiet, which was unlike her. She was usually as bubbly as the newly opened champagne. He was about to make a quip about it, to attempt to lighten the suddenly oppressive atmosphere, when she spoke.

“Gary, there’s something I need to talk to you about.”

“Uh-oh, here it comes.” Gary was trying to keep it light.

“I received a couple of notes at the Lomita apartment.”

“Notes from old boyfriends?”

“I don’t know.”

The way she said it sobered Gary up. He gave her his full attention as she described the circumstances of receiving the notes. She went and retrieved them from the envelope.

“I also had several phone calls from somebody who didn’t say anything.” She placed the notes in front of Gary. “He just breathed into the phone.”

Gary studied the pieces of paper and the scribbled words. He didn’t know whether to be concerned or not. They looked like the work of a prankster, but one could never tell.

“Did you show these to the police?”

Penny shook her head. “I showed them to the apartment manager and a few tenants. That’s all.”

“You didn’t show them to me.”

“I was afraid you’d wonder what kind of a crazy girl you’d gotten mixed up with.”

“And you have no idea who wrote them?”

“None.”

“Did you tell anybody where you were going when you left your apartment?”

“Nothing specific. I said I was going on a trip. I told the owner I had rented a new place, but I didn’t tell him where it was. I’m sure he’s completely harmless, but he often looked at me a little funny. As if he could see through my clothes. He was always asking whether there was anything he could do for me. And I’ve been thinking about what happened to Emily.”

“Emily. Your girlfriend who was….” Gary stopped, unable to say the word. He said slowly, “Well, it seems to me that you’ve successfully covered your tracks. I don’t think whoever did this will be able to find you. Unless—it’s somebody connected with your school. If something else happens after school starts, I’d be concerned, but until then—”

“Gary, I don’t want to go into this marriage thing under false pretences. This may mean nothing, or it may mean a potful of trouble. If you want out, I’ll release you from whatever promises we’ve made.”

Gary stared at Penny. Want out? That was the last thing he wanted. She was so serious about it. He stood up and took her in his arms. “I don’t want out. I want you. I love you.”

He noticed that she was crying. “I hope you’re not crying because you want out.”

“No,” she managed to say between sobs. “No. I never want out.” She buried her face in his shoulder.

***

Alfred looked at his watch. It was almost six o’clock. Whatever hope he had nurtured that Gary would be coming back to the office had evaporated like water on a hot sidewalk. Not only was he not coming back, Alfred would bet anything that he and Penny were leaving on their trip tomorrow, even though tomorrow was Friday.

Alfred had spent all afternoon sitting in his car in the crowded IBM parking lot. Other cars had come and gone constantly, driven by well-groomed young men in blue suits and rep ties and young women in blue skirts and jackets. This must be some sort of sales office.

With his beard, hair that hadn’t been cut for too long, khakis, and old sweatshirt, he felt as out of place here as a mongrel at a dog show. He kept himself scrunched down in the front seat, hoping nobody would notice him. Even though he had seen a couple of other Volkswagens, if Gary’s car had pulled into the lot, he would have spotted it instantly, because he had recorded the license plate information the first time he had seen Penny get into the car at her apartment.

He opened his glove compartment and pulled out a picture of Penny. He had cut it out of their high school yearbook and pasted it on a piece of cardboard. She was wearing a cheerleader uniform consisting of a sweater and skirt, with a large F on the front of the sweater. One of her hands was raised high in the air, and she was smiling at him.

As he gazed at the black-and-white picture, Alfred saw it in color. Penny’s skirt was light blue, and her sweater was yellow. The F on the sweater was the same blue as the skirt. The green grass of the football field filled the background. Penny’s cheeks were pink, and her smile enticed Alfred and told him she belonged to him. His hand went under his shirt and played with his bellybutton. This went on for several minutes until reality interfered, in the form of bodily needs.

He desperately had to pee, and he was thirsty and starving. Leaving his car in the lot, now almost empty, he walked across the street to a restaurant. It wasn’t busy, so he was able to get a booth all to himself after he went to the restroom. He ordered a hamburger and iced tea and contemplated his next move. How many apartment buildings were there in Monterey Park—one hundred? Two hundred? Or more? How could he narrow it down?

What had Penny told her roommate about Gary’s apartment at their Sunday morning breakfasts, other than the location? Think, Alfred. He sipped his tea and tried to think. The rays of the late August sun had heated the interior of his car, making him sleepy, and numbing his brain. He had been sitting in a solar oven.

He concentrated on the Sunday morning restaurant setting and conjured up Penny’s voice. Hadn’t she said one time that Gary lived in a new building? Alfred had brought a map of the East Los Angeles area into the restaurant. He laid it flat on the table of his booth and focused on Monterey Park. How many streets would he have to cover looking for a new apartment building?

***

Alfred drove south on Atlantic Avenue, feeling the agony of defeat. He couldn’t remember how many new-looking apartment buildings he had stopped at, how many parking lots he had walked through, how many streets in front of apartments he had paced, looking for either Penny’s car or Gary’s car. A few buildings had underground parking with locked gates in front of them. There was nothing he could do about them. However, he seriously doubted that Penny’s car would be parked underground since she was a visitor.

What else could he do? Hope was gone. Story of his life. He would return to Lomita and beg Keith for his job back. Keith would give it to him because he was a good worker. Maybe he could even get something going with Stephanie. Maybe Stephanie was just shy and that was the reason she didn’t talk to him. If he couldn’t win her with his looks, he would impress her with his personality.

He passed a building on his right that he hadn’t noticed before. It was on a hill above street level. It looked new, and it looked like an apartment building. Alfred swung a U-turn on the almost-deserted avenue and drove back to the intersection he had just gone through. The entrance to the building—or perhaps several buildings—was on the side street.

Alfred parked on the street and walked up the driveway into the complex. The gray stucco buildings had apartments on several levels, reached by outside stairways. He walked through the big parking area, dimly lit by a few spotlights. Most of the cars were parked under several long roofs. After ten minutes he spotted Gary’s car. He became excited. Then he calmed down. It was a small victory, but now he had to find Penny’s car. To make sure she was here with Gary. That took another ten minutes, but he found it, parked in the unreserved section.

His elation was short-lived. Now what should he do? There was no connection between parking slots and the apartments. He wasn’t even sure which building Gary’s apartment was in. There was only one thing he could do. Wait until they came out in the morning. If they were leaving on their trip, that might be early.

Alfred’s Timex said two-thirty. In the morning. Had he been searching that long? No wonder he was exhausted. His car was on the street near the only entrance to the parking area. He would sit in his car and wait for one of their cars to come out. Then he would follow it.

If he followed them and they were leaving on a trip, he would need some things. Clothes. A toothbrush. He couldn’t risk driving back to his apartment. That must be close to thirty miles one way. They might leave before he returned. Fortunately, he had all his money with him, hidden under his seat. He didn’t trust banks.

No, he had to wait here. He settled into his car, trying to get comfortable. Not too comfortable. He didn’t want to fall asleep. He opened the front window, letting in the cool night air. That would keep him awake.

CHAPTER 4

If the distinctive engine roar hadn’t jogged his brain, Alfred might have slept blissfully on. The harsh noise of the Volkswagen accelerating in first gear woke him with a jerk. As he struggled to open his rebellious eyes and sit up from the prone position he had slid into after failing in his effort to stay awake, he caught a glimpse of Gary’s car, headed down the short hill toward Atlantic Avenue.

Alfred fumbled for the key to his Ford, his hand shaking. It was in the ignition. He managed to grasp and turn the key, and he heard the engine crank and catch. Simultaneously, he adjusted his stiff limbs to the driver’s position, blinking his eyes to dissipate the mist in front of them.

He failed to check his rearview mirror before pulling away from the curb, but fortunately, nobody was approaching from behind at this early hour. As he started down the hill, he saw the green VW make a left turn onto Atlantic. Gary was heading north toward the San Bernardino Freeway. That just about clinched it. He and Penny had to be leaving on their trip. If Gary were going to his office at IBM, he would have turned right on Atlantic.

Alfred had to stop for the traffic light at Atlantic. A quick glance at his watch told him that it was barely six-thirty. The sun had been up for an hour, but it felt like the middle of the night. The odds were overwhelming that Gary was going to get on the freeway, but in which direction?

If they were traveling up or down the California coast, they would head west on the freeway. If they were going toward Phoenix, say, or Las Vegas, they would head east. Alfred remembered Penny’s mother saying that Penny wanted to visit national parks, like Yellowstone. Yellowstone was inland. That meant east.

Alfred had to make a quick decision, since he was approaching the freeway entrance and the green VW was nowhere in sight. He jogged onto the eastbound onramp and accelerated as he merged with the moderate morning traffic headed out of L.A. The cars were moving quickly. The powerful engine of his Ford enabled him to easily stay with the flow.

A Volkswagen had a top speed of what—about seventy miles per hour? By going seventy-five, Alfred should be able to catch it soon—assuming he had guessed right about Gary’s direction. If he had guessed wrong—well, he wouldn’t think about that.

Fifteen minutes later he spotted a green VW ahead, cruising in the second lane from the right. He had to make sure it was Gary’s car. He approached from two lanes to the left of it until he was close enough to read the license plate. Yup, it was the correct car. So far so good.

There was one more thing. He had to make sure that Penny was actually in the car. He dropped back and moved right three lanes. There was a gap in the traffic ahead of him, enabling him to close the distance to the VW again. He pulled up almost even with it until he could look in the right-side window.

He saw Penny’s profile, as pretty as a cameo. His heart soared; he had found her. He didn’t want her to take note of him or his car, so he dropped back again and assumed a position in the lane to the left of the VW and several hundred yards behind it. He could easily maintain surveillance from here, and his car blended in with all the other Fords on the road.

Alfred relaxed the intense concentration he had been forced into from the moment he had awakened. Then he began to be aware of other things. Number one, he had to go to the bathroom. Was this a problem that all detectives and spies faced? Number two, he needed to get gas. He should have filled the tank yesterday, but it had slipped his mind.

Gary had one big advantage over him. The VW got excellent mileage. His boat got lousy mileage, as he’d found out when he’d driven it cross-country from Connecticut. His parents had given him the car several years ago. He had persuaded them to give him the same model that Penny had, although, of course, he hadn’t said that was the reason he wanted it. He had been thrilled with it at the time, but this mileage problem was a major shortcoming.

Alfred opened the glove compartment and drove with one hand while he found his map of California. He spread it out as well as he could and placed it on the steering wheel in front of him. If they were headed for the big national parks, what route were they likely to take? Shifting his eyes between the road and the map, he studied the possibilities.

The answer was Route 395, which went north out of San Bernardino. If they turned onto 395, they were probably going to be on it for a long time, and it would be safe for him to stop. He had to make sure. Would his gas last that long? Would his bladder hold that long?

By the time they entered San Bernardino, the gas gauge was tickling empty, and Alfred was in agony. He saw a sign to 395. Five miles to go. Four miles. Hold on. Not much longer. Three miles. When they were within a mile of the exit, the VW pulled into the right lane, ending the suspense. Yes, they were turning.

Alfred also pulled into the right lane, but well behind the other car. He took the cloverleaf exit and in a minute found himself heading north on 395. He looked frantically for a gas station and pulled into the first one he saw. He stopped the car with a screech of tires, opened the door, and sprinted toward the Men’s room.

***

“Have you ever been to Reno?” Penny asked.

Gary glanced at her, sitting beside him, wearing shorts and a white blouse. He was sure he was doing the right thing. She had gotten a permanent to curl her short, brown hair, which was blowing in the breeze entering through the partially open windows. Her inquisitive brown eyes matched the color of her hair. She looked desirable, but she was also smart and sensible. All in all, an ideal wife.

The car didn’t have air-conditioning, and the open windows helped to moderate the inside temperature, made warm by the still potent sun of the late August day. They were heading north and would soon encounter cooler weather.

“I’ve been to Reno once. My brother, Tom, and I drove through Reno on our vacation trip in nineteen-sixty-two. We stopped there for about twenty minutes. I won ten bucks playing blackjack. Then we drove on toward San Francisco where we were meeting friends. So I’m a lifetime winner in Reno.”

“Did you actually see any wedding chapels there?”

“I think so. There are wedding chapels in Las Vegas, so there must be some in Reno. It’s known as the divorce capital of the U.S. Don’t weddings and divorces go together?”

“Bite your tongue. Once we get married, it’s going to be forever.”

Gary hoped that was true. “Where a need exists, somebody’s going to supply what is needed. Since there’s a waiting period to get married in California, Nevada is filling the gap, so to speak.”

Penny was looking at the map. “It’s going to be dark before we get to the campground.”

“That’s all right. All we have to do is to put up the tent and unroll the sleeping bag.”

The double sleeping bag Penny and her two girlfriends had slept in when they had driven across the country two years before, fresh out of college. Gary liked the concept of a double sleeping bag.

***

How far were they going? Alfred hadn’t reckoned with the necessity of following them in the dark. Especially now that they had turned off 395 onto a smaller road that was curving its way through the mountains toward Lake Tahoe. He could see this from the signs, even though he could no longer read his map.

A while back they had entered Nevada on 395, but if they continued in this direction they would reenter California. That set Alfred’s mind at rest concerning one worry that had been bugging him. Apparently they weren’t going to get married tonight.

He passed a sign announcing that they had climbed to over 7,000 feet. Mountainous terrain. He hadn’t been this high since he had driven over the Continental Divide on his cross-country trip.

Following them in the dark and the hills and the curves was a much harder proposition than following them during daylight. During the day, when they had stopped to eat or get gas, he had stopped farther on, duplicating their activities, and watched for them from the window of one of the many mom-and-pop diners. He had gotten into a rhythm, sometimes driving behind them, sometimes ahead of them, but always knowing exactly where they were.

Now he had to stay much closer to them to make sure he was behind the correct set of taillights. The traffic was sparse, but another danger was that they would turn off and he would miss their turn because they were out of sight around a curve. He might sail right on by them. This closeness made the chances of them becoming suspicious of him much greater than it had been.

Alfred was right behind the VW when it turned left onto Route 50, trusting in the darkness to keep them from noticing his car. He dropped back a few yards and caught glimpses of Lake Tahoe on the right by the light of the moon. They drove through the resort city of South Lake Tahoe, mixing with enough other traffic to keep him on high alert.

The VW suddenly turned into what looked like a driveway. Alfred couldn’t afford to take this turn, but he strained to read a sign as he drove by. El Dorado Campground. He drove on around a curve, parked, and used the car’s interior light to read his watch. It was almost ten o’clock. It had been a long day. He was having a hard time staying awake.

As he waited five minutes to make sure they had checked in and driven away from the entrance, Alfred put his hand under his shirt and felt his bellybutton. His outie bellybutton. If it had been an innie, his life might have turned out differently. He might have been the person in the car with Penny. He might be sleeping with her tonight. He might be….

Rage expanded inside him, like steam from a teakettle. His body vibrated. Life was unfair. He became wide awake. He started the car and made a U-turn. The Ford had a wide turning radius, and he didn’t judge the distance correctly. He had to back up to complete the turn. When he was in reverse, a car came around the curve, traveling fast. Alfred didn’t have time to do anything. He watched, mesmerized, as the headlights seemed to drill right into him, but the car swerved at the last second as it roared by, its horn blaring.

Now his shaking was from terror. He pressed the gas pedal, forgetting that his car was still in reverse. It flew backwards into the bushes alongside the road, narrowly missing a tree. He braked belatedly and finally got it into drive. The wheels spun for seconds. Then he surged forward with a squeal of tires, almost going off the road on the other side before he got the car under control.

He turned into the campground and stopped beside the office. He had to sit for several minutes until his bodily functions returned to a semblance of normalcy. He got out of the car. The first thing that registered was how cold the night air felt. It penetrated his sweatshirt and khaki pants. He was wearing all the clothes he had brought. He quickly entered the office to get warm.

***

When Alfred entered one of the campground restrooms, he remembered how poorly equipped he was. Not only was he underdressed, he also didn’t have a toothbrush or toothpaste. He hadn’t brushed his teeth for over thirty-six hours. He had to settle for rinsing his mouth out with water he sucked from a faucet by sticking his head into a sink and tilting his mouth up. He tried to remove the scum that coated his teeth with his tongue. He could imagine what his breath smelled like.

He didn’t have any shaving equipment either. Of course he was wearing a beard, but he was thinking that it might be better if he shaved it off. He had been in close proximity to Penny during those Sunday mornings in the café. If she saw him, she might recognize him by his beard.

He could sleep in his car, lying across the bench seat. That wasn’t comfortable, as he knew from his experience last night, but the worst part was that he didn’t have any blankets. He would freeze his ass off. He couldn’t handle that prospect yet. He decided to find Penny’s campsite.

The campground was dark and silent. The inhabitants slept in their tents or campers. It was too cold and too dark for anybody to be outside drinking wine at one of the wooden picnic tables. Alfred used his flashlight sparingly and walked warily along the rough roads of the campground, trying not to run into one of the many tall evergreen trees, or step on a large pinecone, or, worst of all, come into contact with one of the bears that his imagination saw prowling at night, looking for food.

It was a large campground, and he wasn’t at all sure of his directions. He had the feeling that he was going over the same paths again and again. Just as he was about to give up and return to his car—assuming he could find it—he spotted the green VW. In the dark it looked black.

He had to make sure it was the correct car. He came right up to it and stooped in front of the license plate. He shone the flashlight on it, shielding it with his hand so its rays wouldn’t spread. This was Gary’s car, all right. Next to the car was a small tent. What he would call a pup tent. It must be the smallest tent in the campground, just big enough for two people. If they were friendly. That thought brought back Alfred’s rage.

He stood motionless, a few feet from the tent, and stared at its dark outline. When he looked directly at it, the fabric blended into the blackness of the night and disappeared. The way he would like to make Gary disappear.

He heard noises coming from inside the tent. Whispers. Soft giggles. Then grunts. A stifled shout. He knew what they were doing. He pictured Penny’s body, the way it had looked when he saw it from her window. Perfect. The body of a goddess. And that bastard was ravishing her.

Alfred wanted to dive on top of the tent and bring it crashing down on them, then beat them with a fallen tree branch until they stopped. Stopped the whispers. And the giggles. The grunts and the cries. He would silence them. Forever.

No. He couldn’t do that. He couldn’t kill Penny. Gary, yes. He could kill Gary in the blink of an eye. Easily. Without remorse. But Penny might still be his. She might see the light. Recognize that he was the only one who truly loved her. For months he had watched her from a distance. He had been afraid to approach her, afraid that she would reject him. Just like the one other girl he had been brave enough to approach had rejected him. But now he was ready to act. He had to act—before it was too late.

He silently backed away from the tent until he couldn’t hear the noises inside. Slowly his insides cooled. His skin cooled off more rapidly, matching the temperature of the night air. He shivered. He forced himself to start walking back toward his car. He needed to get some sleep. If he could.

CHAPTER 5

Penny laughed as she put a dime into the slot that turned on the water for the shower. A shower with class—cobwebs, peeling paint, and aromatic canvas curtains. What a way to start her wedding day. A nontraditional wedding day if there ever were one. Their conformity scores had been correct.

She and Gary had met through a computer matching service called Human Inventory. Although as Gary, the IBMer, had pointed out, the probability that the service actually used a computer in 1964 was not high. Computers were just barely up to that kind of challenge, and the programmers who could make them work were still too scarce for a startup company to employ.

The concept sounded good. Even if they’d only used a punched card sorter, it had worked for her and Gary. All applicants had taken a series of tests for interests and attitudes. Interests of matched couples didn’t have to coincide exactly; some diversity was good, but the scores should be close on several attitudes. And they were. They had both scored very low on conformity. Thus her easy acceptance of the current situation. And they had both scored high on—she peeked through the curtains to make sure nobody else was about, afraid that somebody might read her thoughts—attitude toward sex. Those scores had also been correct.

***

Gary fired up the Coleman stove he and Penny had purchased by pooling their Blue Chip Stamps and pondered how his life had changed so much in four short months. Well, okay, six months. Although it was just four months since Penny and he had met each other face to face. But for two months before that they had corresponded anonymously, through Human Inventory. He was Adam plus a number, and she was Eve.

Their letters covered a lot of territory, and by the time they went on their first date to the San Diego Zoo, they knew each other better than many couples do after months—or years—or forever. Gary wondered what would have happened if one or both of them hadn’t been truthful in the letters. They would certainly have found out on that marathon first date which had lasted twelve hours. It would have been two months down the drain, but then, life was a risky business.

Fortunately, they had been truthful, and they were still being truthful with each other. Although, Penny hadn’t told him about the notes and phone calls she had received until the night before last. However, he trusted her, and she trusted him.

Since their families were both on the east coast, if they were going to get married at all it was easier to do it this way than try to coordinate from long distance. He had mentioned the possibility of marriage to his mother on the phone a few weeks ago. She had immediately started naming the dates they weren’t available, including right now. They were in Europe on an extended vacation.

He put a pot of water on the stove to heat for cocoa, and a frying pan for eggs. He was happier than he’d ever been.

***

Alfred didn’t know whether it was the sunlight or the cold or the noises of other campers that woke him, but as soon as he opened his eyes, he was startled enough to take a quick look at his watch. Almost nine o’clock. Panic. What if the birds had flown?

Actually, he didn’t notice the cold until he moved, but when he tried to get up, he realized just how stiff his body was. Frozen stiff. Last night, after he had returned to the car, he had run the engine with the heater on high until the interior heated up, not caring how the noise affected the people in the adjoining campsites.

That warmth had allowed him to go to sleep. It had long since dissipated. When he made it to a sitting position, he considered what to do first. Based on yesterday’s experience, that was obvious. He walked to the nearby restroom, trying to ignore tempting odors of food and drink wafting from nearby campsites. He had nothing to eat with him, except the remains of a bag of peanuts.

Since Penny’s campsite was on the other side of the campground, there was no chance of running into her or Gary. He washed his hands and face in the icy tap water, wet his hair, and ran his fingers through it. He took handfuls of water and reached up under his clothes to wash his armpits, in lieu of using deodorant. The cold shocked his body into full wakefulness.

Then, ignoring the inquisitive looks of a couple of other men who had the unkempt and slightly soiled appearance that campers always had, he placed his mouth under a faucet and drank as much water as he could consume. He could picture all manner of stuff dissolved in the metallic-tasting liquid, but it might be the only breakfast he would get.

Alfred returned to his car, walking among the tall pine trees and inhaling their fragrance. It reminded him of a trip his family had taken to the White Mountains of New Hampshire when he was a boy. Some of the sun’s rays found their way through the foliage, descending to the earth in parallel lines. They were heating up the air. The campground was alive with activity. Children ran about, and adults drank coffee at their picnic tables. His hunger pangs returned. He must stop thinking about eating.

He was faced with immediate decisions. Should he drive to their campsite and risk having them notice his car, or should he walk? He was quite sure he could walk the distance in five minutes by daylight, now that he could see where he was going. That also meant five minutes getting back to his car when they left.

Neither alternative was appealing. He drove to the entrance, instead. Once there, he parked his car near the office where several other vehicles sat, keeping his eyes glued to the rearview mirror. After a few minutes he remembered that he had seen some snack food for sale in the office last night.

He got out of the car and covered the few feet to the door of the office at a trot. Once inside, he glanced out of the window every few seconds as he picked out several bags of chips and nuts and paid for them. Back in the car, he opened a bag of chips and started to munch on them. With his other hand, he opened the glove compartment and pulled out a map.

Alternately looking at the mirror and the map, he ate with one hand and used the other hand to hold the map as he tried to figure out where they might be headed. The minutes dragged by, and no VW appeared. Why was he so sure they were still in the campground? A map of the campsites was posted in front of the office. He had at least been smart enough to note the number of their campsite last night. He got out of the car and found the number on the map. It was close to the entrance.

He walked along the side of the narrow campground road, keeping out of the way of the vehicles of families who were departing to explore exotic Lake Tahoe, or gamble in the Nevada casinos. He spotted the green car through the trees. No need to go any closer. He saw Penny as she walked around the car, and his heart gave a bound. She was dressed in shorts and a sweatshirt. She and Gary were packing up. Their tent had disappeared. Only a stove remained on the table. They were about to leave.

Alfred scurried back to his car. Within five minutes the VW appeared in his rearview mirror. He started his car as the other one rolled by. It paused at the campground entrance and then turned onto Route 50.

Route 50 went north along the east side of Lake Tahoe, into Nevada, and east through a mountain pass to 395. If they continued north on 395, they would come to—Reno. An awful thought occurred to Alfred, not for the first time. They might be going to get married. But all he could do right now was to keep them in sight.

***

“Well, here we are in Reno.” Gary drove the car slowly along Virginia Street. “What do we do now?”

“Uh, find a place to get married.”

“Shall we stop at a phone booth and look in the yellow pages?”

“That won’t be necessary. Look.”

Gary followed Penny’s pointing finger and saw the freshly painted white building to their right. A sign on it read “Park Wedding Chapel.” A red neon sign that said “Weddings” emphasized its purpose. A fake spire at the top of the building enclosed another neon sign with the outline of a bell.

Gary parked on a short street in front of the chapel. Penny remembered to take her sweatshirt off before she got out of the car. Gary put a few coins in the parking meter, and they walked hand in hand up four steps and through the front door of the chapel. They entered a small room with red, patterned wallpaper on the lower part of the walls. The carpet was also red. The rest of the room was painted white, including a number of doors.

The smiling receptionist sat behind a counter. Her hair and clothes were as immaculate as her surroundings. She told them that they could get married as soon as they obtained a marriage license.

“The courthouse is closed for lunch. It opens again at one o’clock. It’s right across the street. I suggest that you wait by the entrance so that you’ll be able to get your license when it reopens. Then you can come back here and get married.”

“Just like that,” Gary said. Events were moving very rapidly.

“Just like that.” Her sympathetic look said that being a little nervous was par for the course.

“Where can we change our clothes?” Penny asked.

“Right here in our dressing rooms. I suggest you change right now before you go to the courthouse.”

“They’ve thought of everything,” Gary said, as he and Penny walked back to the car. Even to locating the chapel across the street from the Washoe County Courthouse, an impressive building, complete with Greek columns and a dome.

“This is exciting.” Penny carefully removed her dress and Gary’s suit from where they were hung up inside the car.

Gary took his suit from her. “Look out, world. Here we come, ready or not.”

***

Alfred was frozen. This time it wasn’t cold air; it was the events that were happening right before his eyes. He sat in his car, parked on the street to the side of the chapel, and kept his eyes on the front door. In a few minutes, Penny and Gary would come through that entrance, and when they did they would be married.

He’d watched as they’d made their initial foray into the chapel, his car partially shielded by another car parked on the other side of the street. Shortly after, he saw them come out, get their wedding clothes out of the car, and return to its hallowed depths. There could be no doubt as to what was happening. Why couldn’t he do something? Many times he had pictured himself getting married to Penny. Standing at the altar, watching her walk down the aisle bathed in light, beautiful in white. Now it was happening, and he wasn’t the one at the altar. He was watching from the window of a car.

What could he do? Should he go running into the chapel and break up the wedding? Carry the bride off in his arms and escape with her the way young Lochinvar did in the poem by Sir Walter Scott? His car would be his steed. She wouldn’t resist; she would understand that they were meant for each other.

If that were true, why hadn’t he had the courage to speak to her since he’d been in California?

It was too late for regrets. It was time for action. He got out of the car, leaving it unlocked for a fast getaway. As he shut the door, he glanced at the sleeve of his grungy sweatshirt. That would never do. He impatiently took off the offending garment and threw it into the backseat. The T-shirt he wore underneath wasn’t quite as grungy. Penny would understand. When they got married, he would look elegant.

He forced himself to stride briskly to the chapel and up the four concrete steps before he lost his nerve. He opened the glass door and walked inside. Then he stopped short. The reception area was small, but a number of closed doors ranged along the walls. It was a rabbit warren.

He turned to the receptionist, sitting behind the counter, who anticipated him and asked, “May I help you?”

“I hope I’m not too late. I got here as soon as I could.”

“I’m sorry. Are you here to attend a wedding?”

“Yes.” Wasn’t it obvious?

“Which one?”

“Penny and….” He couldn’t remember his name. “…Gary.”

“You’re in luck. They’re changing their clothes. Then they have to get their license across the street at one o’clock. They’ll be getting married after that.”

Alfred felt momentary relief. Then a letdown. Then panic. He had to get out of there before they saw him. He turned and opened the door, calling over his shoulder, “I’ve got to get something to eat. I’ll be back at one.”

***

Penny looked at herself in the mirror. She liked what she saw. The knee-length white dress with the fringe was a size eight, something she had never been before as an adult. She wouldn’t put the hat on yet. She wanted to save it for the actual wedding. Something should be a surprise for him.

She walked out of the dressing room just as Gary walked out of an adjoining one. He looked very handsome in his blue suit and tie and short, sandy hair. If she weren’t convinced before that they were doing the right thing, watching him look fondly at her and feeling his firm grip as he took her hand did it.

“What a good looking couple you are,” the receptionist said.

She probably said that to all the hundreds of couples who passed through this wedding mill, but nevertheless, it was nice to hear.

“Your friend was just here,” that woman continued. “He said he’ll be back at one for the wedding.”

“Friend?” Penny said, confused. Nobody even knew that they were getting married today, let alone where. She glanced at Gary. He looked equally baffled.

“He said he just got here. He was dressed a little…informally. Maybe he’s got some other clothes in his car.”

“Are you sure he’s not here for another wedding?” Penny giggled. “Nobody knows we’re getting married today.”

“He said the wedding of Penny and Gary.”

They exchanged bewildered looks.

“Did he tell you his name?” Penny asked.

“No.”

“Can you describe him?” Gary asked.

“Well, he’s about your age but quite a bit shorter. He has longish brown hair and a beard. He was wearing a T-shirt and sneakers. And he has a potbelly.”

“That doesn’t ring a bell,” Penny said.

Gary shook his head. “I don’t have any friends with beards. Well, if he shows up at one o’clock, I guess we’ll find out. Let’s go get our license.”

He took her hand, again, and they walked across the street to the courthouse.

CHAPTER 6

Alfred could see Penny and Gary standing at the top of the courthouse steps across the street, talking to another couple. A couple probably also waiting for a marriage license. The four were partially hidden by one of the marble columns in front of the building. They weren’t looking in his direction.

He carefully got out of his car and walked back to the chapel, keeping an eye on the foursome. When he entered through the glass door, the same receptionist looked at him. This time she wasn’t smiling. She must have told them about him, and they drew a blank. He needed to regain her confidence.

He gave her a big grin and said, “Penny and Gary are going to be so surprised to see me. They aren’t expecting me here at all.”

“What did you say your name was?” The woman looked skeptical.

“Jack. Jack London.” It was the first name he came up with. He hoped it didn’t sound too fake.

“They’re certainly going to be surprised to see you. Maybe you should go across the street and tell them you’re here.”

“Good idea. I will in a minute. But first, I just want to say what a nice thing you’re doing.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t understand.”

“By marrying them. After all, Gary is trying to start over. This will give him the opportunity.”

She looked puzzled.

“I guess you don’t know the story. There’s no reason why he would tell you. And after all, what else could he do?”

“I’m not following you.”

“He killed his parents. Back in Kentucky. They deserved it. They had been beating him for years. He got out of there and came west to start a new life. In California and Nevada, nobody cares about your past. But, of course, they don’t see it that way in Kentucky. They’re still looking for him back there.”

The woman was staring at him with her mouth open, glancing at the telephone on the counter in front of her. Had he said enough to impel her to action?

“I don’t want to alarm you. I don’t think he’s dangerous. But, of course, you never know. Once you’ve killed someone, it’s easier the next time.”

“Where in Kentucky did this happen?”

“Er…Berea.” It was the only place Alfred could think of in Kentucky—the place where his father had been born. “Please don’t tell Penny. She doesn’t know any of this. And as I said, I don’t think she’s in danger. Maybe I’ve said too much. I’m going across the street to let them know I’m here.”

He turned toward the door and looked at her one more time before he stepped outside. She had picked up the receiver of the phone and was already dialing. Good.

***

The sun was shining as only a high desert sun can shine, and the day had warmed up nicely. Gary took off his suit coat so he wouldn’t get too sweaty. He glanced at his watch. It wouldn’t be long now.

He might have felt funny waiting here with Penny on the courthouse steps, with both of them dressed in their wedding clothes, if another couple hadn’t been doing the same thing. Apparently this was normal for Reno.

A uniformed policeman walked up the steps toward them. Well, this was the courthouse. He was undoubtedly here as a witness for a trial. Gary thought he was going to walk around them to the front entrance when he stopped and said, “Which one of you is Gary Blanchard?”

“I am,” Gary said.

“I need to ask you a few questions. Come with me, please.”

“Questions about what?”

“I’ll let you know when we get to the police station.”

“But—”

“I don’t want to have to put the cuffs on you.”

“What’s going on?” Penny asked, fear in her voice.

“Routine questions,” the officer said.

“I’m going along.” Penny walked down the steps with them.

“Sorry, miss. Can’t take you in the patrol car.”

“Where’s the police station?”

“On Second Street. Up that way and turn right.”

“Keys. I don’t have the car keys,” Penny almost screamed.

Gary reached into his pocket. Then he saw the officer make a movement toward the gun strapped to his belt. He said, “My keys are in this pocket.”

The officer watched him warily as he pulled out the keys and handed them to Penny. She looked so frightened that he said, “It must be a misunderstanding. Don’t worry. I’ll get it cleared up.” His voice sounded shaky, even to himself.

The officer opened the back door of a patrol car that was sitting at the curb. Gary slid into the recesses where there were no door handles or window cranks and a metal screen separated him from the front seat. The door slammed shut.

***

Alfred looked approvingly at his reflection in the mirror of the barber shop. He saw a different person. His beard was gone; his hair was as short as Gary’s. If that’s the kind of person Penny liked, that’s the kind of person he was going to be.

He thanked the barber and tipped him. He walked out of the shop to the clothing store the barber had told him about, determined to upgrade his wardrobe. It was only a few doors away. Once inside, he quickly found two decent-looking, long-sleeved sport shirts on sale. He held them against his body in front of a mirror, not wanting to take the time to try them on. Then he found a pair of washable pants in his size.

The only problem was that his body didn’t look like Gary’s. He had this potbelly, and he was at least six inches shorter than Gary. Not to mention his outie bellybutton. He hoped Penny would come to her senses and leave Gary. A nice girl like her wouldn’t want to be associated with a jailbird. He would show her that external looks were superficial.

Alfred had watched the drama unfold from his parked car. He retreated there after telling the story to the receptionist at the chapel. He saw Gary being driven away in the police car. Penny remained, alone and vulnerable, left at the altar in her wedding dress. She looked as if she might cry. He had an urge to confront her right then and there—to console her, to let her know he cared about her.

Something inside told him that would backfire. Then she got into the VW and drove after the police car, and the opportunity was gone. That’s when he knew he had to change his appearance. Leaving his car parked where it was, he found the barber shop by asking a clerk in a store.

The barber had told him where the police station was located. He carried his package of clothes back to the car and drove to the police station. He parked a block away and put on his new pants and one of his new shirts in the car. The receptionist at the chapel wouldn’t recognize him now. He donned dark glasses to complete the transformation.

Alfred walked to the police station. In its parking lot he saw the Volkswagen. He was glad and sad at the same time. Glad because he knew where Penny was. Sad because she hadn’t left that jailbird yet. He took up a position across the street from the police station to await developments.

***

Penny had never been inside a police station before. She didn’t like it. Most of the people who came in looked like losers. They had the haunted appearance of victims. Victims of crime, victims of being associated with criminals, either by blood or romantically, which was worse because they were in the relationship by choice.

She sat on a wooden bench, conspicuous in her wedding dress, waiting for information. She had been told nothing. The officers on duty would tell her only that Gary was being questioned. About what? Had he not told her everything? Was there a dark secret lurking in his past? It was hard to believe, and yet she supposed it was possible. She put her head in her hands.

“You look like you got a problem, honey.”

Penny lifted her head and saw the woman who had sat down beside her. She was double the size of Penny and wore a black dress the same color she was. She looked like the mammy that Penny’s grandfather had had, at least based on how he had described her.

“You don’t belong here, neither,” the woman continued. “Wearing that fancy white dress and all.”

“I’m supposed to get married today.” Penny’s voice faltered.

“That do looking like a wedding dress. What happened, your man get busted?”

“He’s being questioned, but I don’t know about what.” She wanted to place her head against this woman’s ample bosom, be enveloped in her huge arms, and make the world go away.

“Well, one of two things is going to happen. Either way, it’s for the best. Either he’s innocent or he’s guilty. If he’s innocent, you can go ahead and get married. If he’s guilty, it’s better you find out now. I know because I been through it. More than once.”

This made a strange sort of sense. The woman’s name was Rowanda. She began talking about her own husbands—plural. Right now she was here because her son was in trouble. As Penny listened to her sad story, she felt a little bit better about her own situation. Then she remembered Emily.

When Rowanda paused in her story, Penny said, “I may be jinxed. My best friend was murdered a year ago, just before she was going to get married. She would have been the perfect wife. Sometimes I have the feeling that because she couldn’t get married, I can’t either.”

“That’s silly talk.” Rowanda took Penny’s hand in her own baseball gloves and patted it. “If the Lord means for you to be married, you will get married. It don’t matter what happened to your friend.”

***

Gary didn’t know why the young police officer whose badge said his name was McGinty and who had thick eyebrows that gave him a perpetual scowl kept asking him about Kentucky. He had never even been to Kentucky, as he tried to point out. He certainly hadn’t killed anybody there.

“I grew up in Western New York—near Buffalo.” This wasn’t the first time he had said it. “That’s where my parents live. They’re both alive. You can call them and verify it.”

“We’ve been calling the number you gave us. There’s no answer.”

Gary suddenly remembered that his parents were in Europe. He had completely forgotten that. His heart sank. Who else could vouch for him? His brother, Tom, was a grad student at Harvard. He was in L.A. for the summer, working as a FORTRAN programmer for an aerospace company. He lived in an apartment, but Gary didn’t know his phone number. The youngest of the three brothers, Archie, was with his parents. He had just finished his undergraduate work and was taking some time off before getting serious about life.

Gary’s aunt and uncle were the best possibilities. He had lived with them during his senior year of high school. He knew the phone number of their farm house well. They might be home today, since it was Saturday. With the three-hour time difference between here and New York, it would be late afternoon there.

Gary gave an “I completely forgot that my parents are in Europe” excuse to McGinty. It sounded lame. He told the officer to call his aunt and uncle and gave him the phone number at the farm. McGinty wrote down the information and went out of the room, leaving him alone.

The wooden chair was uncomfortable. The room was dismal. He hadn’t eaten since breakfast, and he was starving. His white shirt was wet with sweat under his arms, and not just from the afternoon heat. Even if he were let go, would Penny still want to marry him? Would he want to marry her if the situation were reversed?

McGinty returned, holding Gary’s driver’s license. “These things can be faked.” He looked at the license from various angles, as if searching for some elusive truth. “Make it easy on yourself. Tell me how you killed your parents.”

Gary stared at the officer with the neck as wide as his head. Certainly not somebody to get into a fight with. And he was taking a bull-in-the-china-shop approach with his questioning. A young man, trying to make a name for himself. What did you do when you were telling the truth but you weren’t believed? Make up a lie that would be better received? Should he say that he had chopped them up with an ax, a la Lizzie Borden? He didn’t answer.

“What’s your real name?”

“My real name is Gary Blanchard.”

“How long have you lived in California?”

“Four years. Well, four and a half years.”

The questions were getting repetitive. He stole a glance at his watch. One forty-five. He had been here almost an hour. Where was Penny? Poor Penny. She must be either worried sick or ready to dump him. McGinty asked some more questions. Then he apparently became tired of questioning him and left the room again.

It seemed like a long time before the door opened and McGinty returned. He said, almost reluctantly, “You’re free to go.”

Gary was stunned. He wasn’t sure he had heard correctly.

“We talked to your aunt. She verified everything you told us. She said your father works for the city of Buffalo. She confirmed your address in L.A. The only thing is, she didn’t know you were getting married today.”

“We were planning to send her a telegram.”

“And one more thing. We got an answer to our query from the Kentucky state police. They’re not looking for any kids who offed their parents.”

“Who told you I killed my parents?”

“We got a tip. From the wedding chapel.”

“But who told her?”

“I can’t tell you that.”

Because he didn’t know, and wouldn’t admit it. Gary had been questioned based on something pretty slim. He wasn’t going to receive an apology, either. He decided not to wait around for one. He got up, remembering to retrieve his wallet with his driver’s license from McGinty, and walked swiftly out the door before the officer changed his mind. He found his way to the lobby and looked for Penny. He saw her in deep conversation with a large woman.

He walked toward her, wondering how she would react to seeing him. As he approached, she looked up. Her face changed instantly from sorrow to joy.

“I’m free,” he said.

Penny jumped up and wrapped her arms around him.

The woman also got up, much more laboriously. “Now you children are back together again. You will have a long and happy marriage.”

“This is my instant friend, Rowanda,” Penny said. “Rowanda, this is my fiancé, Gary.”

When Rowanda hugged him, Gary didn’t know whether he would escape without any broken ribs.

“Come to our wedding, Rowanda,” Penny said. “You can be my matron of honor.”

Rowanda’s body shook when she laughed. “Honey, I’m not dressed for it. I’m dressed more for a funeral than a wedding. Anyway, I got to stay here and see about my truant son. You children go and get married. Have a nice life.”

Penny and Rowanda hugged each other. Then Penny turned to Gary. “Let’s get married.”

CHAPTER 7

The receptionist at the wedding chapel looked surprised to see Gary and Penny together. He felt resentment toward her for calling the police, but he tried to hide it.

“It turned out that I didn’t murder my parents after all.” He spoke lightly. “Was it the same guy you told us about before who accused me of murder?”

The receptionist nodded, her look of surprise turning to puzzlement.

“Did he give you a name this time?”

“He told me his name was Jack London.” She gave a wry smile. “He didn’t give me his correct name, did he?”

“I suspect not. I don’t know any Jack London, and the author by that name has been dead for fifty years.”

“I’m sorry I put you through that. I didn’t know. I thought you might be in danger.” The receptionist indicated Penny. She seemed sincerely apologetic.

“It’s all right.” Penny clung to Gary’s arm as if he might get away. “All’s well that ends well.”

***

The diminutive room they were ushered into had what looked like a small cabinet covered with a white cloth that served as an altar. Two lit candles sat on top of it. Two large bouquets of pink and white flowers graced the floor in front. Penny’s matron of honor was a middle-aged lady who worked at the chapel.

“Time out,” Gary said.

Penny’s heart did a flip until she realized that he was looking around for his “best man.”

“I’m down here.” The small voice belonged to a girl who barely came up to his shoulder.

The matron of honor knocked on a little door and said, “If you please.” It opened, and the minister walked through the doorway. It looked as if he had stepped off a large Lazy Susan. Rotating from one chapel to another? By the time he had introduced himself and said a few words, it dawned on Penny that they were halfway through the ceremony. They exchanged gold rings they had purchased at the White Front department store in Torrance for nineteen dollars apiece.

As soon as they said “I do,” a photographer breezed into the room and took a couple of pictures of them in front of the altar. The staff was the epitome of efficiency, but Penny didn’t care. The alternative would have been for her alcoholic father to walk her down the aisle in front of her friends and relatives while she pretended to be happy about the situation.

When they went back into the reception area, they were presented with goodies: Blue Cheer, Bufferin, Micron mouthwash, spray-on starch, five-day deodorant pads, and a bottle of Joy. And a temporary marriage certificate.

After a member of the staff took pictures of them in front of the chapel, Penny said, “I’m famished. We need to get something to eat. And to send telegrams. I’ll bet your aunt and uncle are wondering what’s happening to you right about now.”

“I’m sure they’ll be glad to know that I’m not in jail for ax murders,” Gary said. “Let’s go to the Cal-Neva Club. I saw it on my ride to the police station.”

***

Alfred didn’t dare enter the wedding chapel again. He had lost his credibility with the receptionist and was positive she would call the police if he showed his face. Even though he’d changed his appearance, she would recognize him by his damned potbelly.

His visions of rescuing Penny and carrying her off had to be abandoned. He had done his best to prevent the wedding from taking place. In part he blamed Penny, herself. She should have heeded Gary’s run-in with the police as a warning and washed her hands of him. When they climbed back into the VW together at the police station, he knew she was going through with it. Well, she was young and naive. Gary had her buffaloed. It was Alfred’s job to protect her from him. And he would.

He watched from his car as they came out of the chapel to have their pictures taken in front. They were married. They looked radiant. Alfred’s stomach churned. Then they went back inside. When they reappeared, they were in their old clothes. He prepared to follow them.

They drove only a few blocks, to the Cal-Neva Club. That wasn’t unexpected, since they hadn’t had anything to eat since breakfast. It would also give Alfred a chance to grab a hamburger. He had been subsisting on chips and peanuts.

***

Gary took a bite of his sandwich. “Nobody knows where we are. So how could somebody show up and try to stop us from getting married? That’s what this guy was doing, right? Why else would he falsely accuse me of murder?”

“Maybe it was a mistake,” Penny said. “Maybe…the woman at the chapel thought he was talking about you, but he was really talking about someone else.”

He watched her sip her iced tea through a straw and hoped she was right, but that didn’t seem logical, either.

“He gave my name—our names. Remember, she told us he came in the first time while we were changing our clothes and asked for us by name. She wouldn’t have told the police he was talking about me if she weren’t sure. The whole thing doesn’t make any sense. I don’t know anybody who cares whether I get married or not. Certainly not enough to come all the way to Reno to try to stop it with a cock and bull story.”

Penny put her hand on top of his. “In any case, he didn’t succeed. So let’s not let it spoil our honeymoon.”

“The only people who even had a clue to where we were going are Steve and Tom.”

His roommate, Steve, hadn’t been at the apartment the night before they left, although Gary thought he had mentioned to him previously that they were going to Reno first. They had eaten dinner with his brother, Tom, a few days before they left. Tom had been horrified that they were going camping without a tent and had bought the pup tent for them as a wedding present. They had scoured West Los Angeles in the evening after dinner until they had found an open army surplus store.

“They don’t fit the description she gave. Neither Steve nor Tom has a beard. Or a potbelly. And they are both well above medium height. And both liked the idea of us getting married, if I recall correctly.”

Gary grinned at her. “Well, you’ve successfully eliminated them as suspects. Although Steve at least has a possible motive. He has to find a new roommate to help pay the rent.”

“He appears to be pretty successful with girls. Maybe he can get one to live with him. And pay the rent. The last time I saw him, he didn’t seem to be particularly worried about losing you as a roommate. Anyway, we’ve got a long drive ahead of us. We’d better hit the road.” Penny started to get up.

“You’re a good detective and you’re practical, too. No wonder I love you.”

“Let’s just play one game of Keno. It only costs a dollar.”

“And financially astute. If we lose, I’ll still be a lifetime winner in Reno.”

***

This was getting old. Following their car while trying to remain invisible. It was likely they would have spotted him by now if they weren’t so wrapped up in each other. Alfred had watched them from a distance as they ate lunch at the Cal-Neva Club. It was disgusting how they held hands and gazed into each other’s eyes. He wanted to barf.

They had stopped for dinner at a converted trolley car. Alfred had grabbed a quick sandwich a little farther on. He was getting tired of living like this, eating bad food on an irregular schedule, trying to keep warm while sleeping in the uncomfortable car. That was another thing. His sweatshirt was completely inadequate for the cold weather they were encountering. They had turned off 395 onto 139, and he had a strong suspicion they were planning to camp at Crater Lake. He was sure it would be freezing there.

To help keep himself alert, he scanned the car’s radio dial, trying to find a station that wasn’t all static. He finally found one. He heard Connie Francis singing the mournful song, “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool.” The words resonated with him. Was he Penny’s fool? He certainly wasn’t her plaything, as another line said. She didn’t even know he existed. Was there any point to what he was doing? He was acting like a fool.

They crossed into Oregon after dark, and a half hour later they were in the small city of Klamath Falls. Apparently everybody in town was Saturday night cruising. Except that cruising didn’t describe the situation because traffic was practically at a standstill. Alfred lost sight of the VW. Completely. Irrevocably. There was nothing he could do, since it was taking him five minutes to go a single block.

He mentally weighed his options. He could assume they were going to Crater Lake. He would show up late at night at the campground and probably freeze to death before morning. Or he could stay here in a comfortable motel. In the morning he would head back to L.A. He would return to his old job. He would work hard and get promoted. He would start a new life to go with his new look.

There were other fish in the sea besides Penny. He would find a girl who appreciated him. Penny had shown herself unworthy of his love. He was through with her. As he was thinking these thoughts, he spotted a motel on the right, conveniently located. This was a sign. He pulled into the driveway and felt a surge of relief.

CHAPTER 8

The noise that woke Penny sounded like the percussion section of McNamara’s Band on a drunken spree. As she became more aware, she realized that she had heard the same noise several times during the night. She was going to ask Gary what it was, but he was still sleeping, warm and comfortable. She decided not to disturb him.

She crawled out of the sleeping bag and at once felt the bite of the cold air. They weren’t in Southern California anymore. It was still dark, but with the aid of a flashlight she found her clothes piled in the corner of the small tent and pulled on as many as she could as fast as she could, shivering as she did.

“What time is it?” Gary asked, his face still buried in the sleeping bag.

“Time to rise and shine. The sun will be up soon.”

Gary said something incomprehensible. Penny undid the tent flap and crawled out into the even colder morning air. Her peripheral vision registered a flash of movement nearby. She turned her head and watched a bear lumber off into the woods. He had been eating out of the garbage can beside their campsite.

“Gary,” she said, yanking back the canvas panel and sticking her head into the tent, “I just saw a bear.”

“Well, don’t let him eat our breakfast.” Gary was now fully awake. “Wow, it’s cold.” And then, as an afterthought, “We’ve been married a whole day now. Amazing.”

“Put on your warmest clothes and let’s get the show on the road. We’ve got places to go and things to do.”

***

Gary was awed by the beauty in front of him. Crater Lake had the bluest water he had ever seen, surrounded by two thousand foot cliffs that were also reflected in the water, giving it an appearance of great depth. Two small, sharply defined islands completed the picture. Penny had read from the guidebook that Crater Lake was created when the 12,000 foot Mount Mazama collapsed 7,700 years ago following a large volcanic eruption.

They were driving around the crater on Rim Drive, stopping at viewpoints. The only problem was the cold. And the fact that he couldn’t get the events of yesterday out of his head. Penny commented on how somber he was.

“I’m still thinking about what happened yesterday,” he admitted. “I can’t figure out who could have accused me of murder.”

“Well, do you see him here?”

There were only a handful of people at this viewpoint, and none of them remotely fit the description of Jack London, or whoever he was.

“No, but I did come up with a remote possibility during the night.”

“Tell me,” Penny said as they hustled back to the car to get warm.

“I had a roommate before Steve. His name was Henry. He could have fit the description the woman at the chapel gave, at least in a dark room. He had a beard. He may still have one.”

“When was the last time you saw him?”

“About a year ago. But he called me just before we left, and I told him something about what we were doing. I can’t remember exactly what, but he did imply that because I had been the best man at his wedding, he should be mine. I told him we were eloping, but I’m not sure he bought it.”

“Why do you think he might be a suspect?”

“He’s an odd duck. He loves to play practical jokes. But they go beyond joking and verge on cruelty. For example—”

“Yes?”

They got into the car. As Gary started the engine, he realized that he was going to have to be careful what he said.

“I shouldn’t even be telling you this on the second day of our marriage. Henry got married two years ago, and, as I said, I was his best man. For some reason he spread the rumor that I was…queer. I have no idea why he did it.”

“Well, I can give you a reference. Do you think it might have anything to do with the fact that you’re probably a lot better looking than he is?”

“I never thought of that. Anyway, he got everybody connected with the wedding to believe it.”

“Since you were roommates, didn’t that implicate him?”

“He told people that we had separate bedrooms and agreed to live our own lives. I brought in guys, and he brought in girls. Of course that never happened—including him bringing in girls. He wasn’t a big success with the ladies. He got his wife because she found out that he was a member of a rich family. Not to put too fine a point on it, but she was a gold digger.”

“Did you confront him with this?”

“Yes, but he laughed it off. Said it was just a joke and nobody would care in two years.”

“Except that it’s been two years, and you obviously still care.”

“Because of what happened. They got married in San Diego where the bride’s parents lived. The wedding party was staying in a hotel. Henry engineered it so that on the day of the wedding I didn’t have a room to use to change into my wedding clothes.”

“How could he do that?” Penny sounded belligerent.

“Because he was paying for my room.” Gary sounded sheepish. Maybe he shouldn’t have started this topic. “Anyway, he said he needed my room for something else. He said the only room available was the one the bridesmaids were using. I would have to share it with them.”

Penny gasped, and Gary knew he was digging himself deeper.

“I figured the girls would veto it, but they said fine.”

“So you got dressed in the same room with the bridesmaids?”

“Yes.” He wanted to end the discussion right there.

“How many girls were there?”

“Three.”

“Were they good looking?”

“Oh, average.”

“Sure they were.” Penny didn’t try to hide her sarcasm.

All right, they were gorgeous. The one thing he liked about the bride was her girlfriends. Out loud, he gave a noncommittal grunt.

“How did it work out for my poor Garykins?” Penny asked with mock sympathy.

“We made do. We respected each other.”

Penny snorted. “Gary, I feel for you, but I can’t quite reach you.” She started playing an imaginary violin. “You were the fox in the henhouse.”

He didn’t tell her that the girls ran around before the wedding in garter belts, sans bras, because they didn’t want to get their backless dresses dirty, but she had obviously figured it out.

Trying to regain some of his dignity, he said, “But let me tell you what happened next. At the reception I danced with the bridesmaids. There was one I kind of liked, and I tried to make time with her. She just laughed at me.”

“Aw, the light dawns. My Garykins got laughed at by a girl. You poor thing.” Penny laughed herself. “But that’s okay. Aphrodite was watching over you and looking out for my best interests. You were being saved for me.”

“I guess so.” He grinned. He would get no pity from her. He was glad he was out of that conversation.

“How did the marriage go?”

“She divorced him a year ago. Got a big settlement, as I understand it.”

“So you think he might be envious of you. From what you’ve said, I believe it. What you need to do is call him and make sure he’s home.”

“It’s a long distance call, and we’re in the middle of nowhere.”

“I’m sure there are phone booths at Rim Village. You can call from there. Your peace of mind will make it worth the cost.”

“I’ll call him collect. He owes me.”

***

Alfred wheeled into Mt. Mazama Campground as if he owned the place. He had no intention of staying at another campground, after his cold night in Lake Tahoe, but if Penny and Gary were following the route he thought they were following, their tent should be here.

Last night, he had watched the movie Moulin Rouge on the television set in his motel room. It was the tragic story of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, with Jose Ferrer playing the crippled French painter. Seeing it on the black and white TV gave it a stark, almost tragic appearance. He identified with the man who hadn’t been able to find true love because of his deformity.

Alfred wasn’t exactly a painter, but he had some talent at drawing. He could draw a pretty good likeness of a person. He had made two sketches of Penny. In fact, they were with a sketchpad in the trunk of his car. After the movie ended he retrieved the drawings and spread them out on the bed.

One was of Penny in her cheerleader outfit. He had copied it from the yearbook picture. It looked just like her. He had also tried to sketch how she looked when he saw her through her apartment window. He had never done a nude before, but he thought it had turned out pretty well, considering the fact that he only caught a glimpse of her. He remembered the mole on her left breast. He spent a long time trying to get her bellybutton correct. He really should take an art class sometime.

Seeing the drawings made him want to see Penny again in person. A good night’s sleep in the comfortable bed of the motel refreshed him and reinforced the feeling. He had come a long way. He wasn’t going to go home until he saw her one more time. Just to make sure she was all right.

He ate breakfast and then went to a clothing store and bought himself a winter jacket, gloves, and a hat. It cost him a significant portion of his financial resources, but he wasn’t going to freeze again.

Then he drove north to Crater Lake. He had never seen so many trees in his life as he had during the last three days. Especially evergreen trees. He didn’t know there were this many trees in the world. Most forests in the East were much smaller than the ones around here. There weren’t any forests in parts of the Midwest. After this trip he would be completely satisfied if he never saw another forest.

Alfred drove openly through the campground. Penny and Gary wouldn’t be here right now. They would be out sightseeing. They must love sightseeing or they wouldn’t have come here. Looking at trees. And mountains. And lakes. He didn’t understand anybody who could go gaga over a tree. It must be Gary’s doing. Penny was more sensible than that. This was evidence that he was leading her around by the nose.

He spotted an olive drab tent. It must be theirs. It was smaller than any of the other tents. He hadn’t gotten a good look at it during his night perambulations at Lake Tahoe because it had been almost pitch dark. A green stove sat on a picnic table near the tent. It looked familiar, but many campers had similar stoves.

He stopped the car and got out. He became immediately glad he had purchased warm clothes as the cold wind hit him. There was nobody around. Time for some investigation. He unzipped the vertical zipper that held the two front tent flaps together and the two horizontal zippers at the bottom and folded the flaps back, so that daylight filled the inside. It was small in there—claustrophobic. How could anybody sleep in a space this size?

Alfred noted the double sleeping bag, and his blood started to boil. There were other things inside the tent: a cooking pot, a frying pan, plastic utensils, bowls, and cups. Put in there so they wouldn’t blow away if the wind came up. No food, however. He had read a sign about bears at the entrance to the campground. They must be keeping their food in the car.

The sleeping bag was unzipped, and the top half had been folded back, airing out the inside. He lay down on the padded cloth and wondered which side of the bag Penny slept in. He could smell some body odors, but he couldn’t tell one from another. The ground was hard. How could she sleep in this environment? Gary was torturing her. Alfred would never treat a girl like this.

There were also some items of clothing. What interested him most were a pile of maps and a spiral notebook. He picked up the notebook and opened it to the first page. It contained dates and locations. He glanced through it and realized that this was their itinerary. Valuable information.

He turned several pages and found what must be a journal of their trip in neat, schoolteacher handwriting. The first sentence that caught his eye read, “The ceremony was just perfect for us.” Penny must be writing the journal. That sentence could only have been written by a girl. He backed up to just before the description of the wedding to see what it said about Gary’s run-in with the police.

Not much. The narrative stated that Gary had been taken to the police station for questioning. Penny went to the station and talked to a motherly woman. Gary was released in about an hour. It was all a misunderstanding. There was no mention of how the misunderstanding came about. No reference to another person, which would be him. And no mention of any doubts that Penny might have about Gary.

Well, that had to change. He had to sow seeds of discontent. Alfred zipped the tent flaps together while still holding the notebook. He stood up and returned to his car, throwing the notebook onto the passenger seat. It contained useful information. They would blame each other for its disappearance. He wanted a document in Penny’s handwriting, anyway. Even if he didn’t like what she had written.

Now that he knew where they were going, he was getting out of here. Out of the rugged country and the cold weather. The outdoor life wasn’t for him. He wasn’t cut out to be a camper. He had enough money to hang on for a few more days. He would meet them a little later in their trip. Assuming that they didn’t call the whole thing off, which was what he wanted to happen.

***

“I had it this morning. I’m sure I put it with the maps.” Penny frantically looked through the pile of maps and guidebooks again, even though she had already done so twice. She compulsively looked in and under the sleeping bag and threw the dishes around the tent in frustration.

“I’ll look in the car,” Gary said.

“I know I put it in the tent.” But since the notebook obviously wasn’t in the tent it made sense to look in other possible places. So she let Gary check the glove compartment and under the front seats. The backseat contained a pile of food and clothing, almost to the ceiling. She couldn’t have put it there.

Penny was close to crying. She had wanted their honeymoon to be perfect, but it wasn’t turning out that way. Gary returned, empty-handed. When he saw the expression on her face, he took her in his arms.

“It isn’t worth getting upset about, honey. We can recreate our schedule from memory.”

“But it also contained our trip log.”

“This is only the third day of our trip. We can recreate that too. I’ll do it. I’m supposed to be the writer in the family, anyway. Let me keep the log from now on.”

Penny clung to Gary. More than ever, she was sure she had made the right decision to marry him.

“When we go into the village, we’ll get a notebook or something to write in,” Gary continued. “We can probably find something where we’ll buy postcards. We’ll eat supper in the village and watch the show at the lodge. I’ll try to call Henry again.”

There had been no answer when Gary had tried to call Henry before.

“You’ve just made everything all better,” Penny said. “Now can we crawl into the tent and snuggle for a while? I’m freezing.”

CHAPTER 9

“We’ve been married two whole days now.” Gary was filled with awe. He couldn’t grasp the implications of this change in his life that had happened so quickly and yet was so permanent. “Or to put it another way, this is the third day of our marriage.”

“And we’re out of the snow,” Penny added. “It’s getting warmer.”

It had been snowing while they made breakfast.

“Now all we have is rain.”

“A little rain never hurt anybody.”

“There must be enough wheat out there to feed the whole country.”

They had been passing through miles and miles of wheat fields as they neared the Columbia River, which marked the border with Washington.

“After we cross the river we’ll start gaining altitude again on the way to Mt. Rainier,” Penny said, looking at the map. “We may run into some more cold weather.”

“We’re tough. We can take it.” Gary was feeling good. Even though he hadn’t been able to get hold of Henry, he had a feeling that nothing could go wrong.

***

Alfred didn’t want to get too far ahead of them. He stopped at a lodge in Packwood, a few miles from Mt. Rainier National Park. Last night he had stayed in a motel in northern Oregon. Traveling this way, while not luxurious, was at least comfortable. Eating in restaurants, driving through the countryside in a leisurely fashion. He mustn’t get used to it, because he was rapidly burning through his money.

It was clear from the notebook that they intended to visit the 14,000 foot peak. He hoped they weren’t going to try to climb it. Actually, he wouldn’t mind Gary climbing it, because it was a treacherous mountain, but he didn’t want anything to happen to Penny. He, himself, had never climbed a mountain, and he wasn’t about to start now.

He spread his Washington map out on the bed and studied it. He figured that sometime tomorrow they would show up at Paradise, a village inside the park. Although the park was large, it didn’t have many roads. He should be able to spot them there easily.

He had mixed feelings about finding them. On the one hand, he wanted to see Penny again. On the other hand, if they did make it here, it meant that they were still together and getting along all right. It meant that Penny hadn’t yet seen the light.

***

The food served in the rustic dining room of the lodge was delicious, and there was plenty of it. The walls were dark wooden logs, just like the walls of the cabin he was staying in. That was a real log cabin, albeit with modern conveniences. From what Alfred had learned about the original log cabins in school, they were dark, cold places, and he wouldn’t want to live in one.

He was chowing down on a healthy hunk of meat when out of the corner of his eye he saw a young couple come into the dining room. He looked directly at them and then jerked his head away. They were supposed to be camping. He hadn’t seen a campground in the vicinity. Did that mean they were staying here?

He became petrified, not able to move for several seconds. Then he turned his head slightly and peeked at them. A waitress escorted them to a table on the far side of the room. Good. They were seated with their profiles toward him, meaning that they probably wouldn’t notice him.

With Gary, it didn’t matter anyway, because he no longer looked like the person who had probably been described to them by the woman at the chapel. Penny hadn’t seen much of him for six years. Well, she had undoubtedly seen him at the restaurant in Lomita when he had eavesdropped on her conversations with her roommate. She couldn’t have recognized him.

His current short hair and hairless face resembled his yearbook picture a lot more than his previous look did, but she would still have a problem recognizing him at this distance. Especially if he didn’t let her get a good look at his face.

Breathing easier, he finished the main course and ordered apple pie a la mode. Since he didn’t dare call attention to himself by getting up to leave until they were gone, he might as well enjoy himself. He looked at them from time to time—casually, ready to turn his head away if they glanced in his direction.

His precautions were unnecessary. They only had eyes for each other. They bantered; they laughed; sometimes they reached across the table and held hands. They were obscene.

Alfred finished his pie and drank coffee. The dining room wasn’t full, so he wasn’t pressured to give up his table. He grew impatient, waiting and watching what he didn’t want to see. Fortunately, they didn’t linger over dinner, which would have increased his agony. Any time spent watching them together was too much. He didn’t know how much longer he could stand it when they finally finished eating and left.

Now what? He had gotten his glimpse of Penny. She was obviously happy. Now he should do what he had planned—go home, get his job back, and rebuild his life.

But first, he hastily paid his bill, put on his new winter jacket, and left the dining room. Outside it was dark, but he heard a tinkle of laughter coming from among the evergreen trees. Walking swiftly and silently on a blanket of pine needles, he followed the laughter and was just in time to see them enter one of the cabins.

He returned to his own cabin. It was roomy, with a living room, bedroom, and a small kitchen at the end of the living room. Once inside, he turned up the heat and turned on the television set. A movie called Man on Fire was playing, with Bing Crosby and Inger Stevens. The movie didn’t grab him. He kept the sound on to provide background noise while he took out his sketchpad. He extracted the sheets containing the sketches of Penny and placed them on a coffee table in front of the couch where he sat.

He opened the pad to a blank sheet and started drawing Penny in profile, the way she looked tonight. He knelt on a throw rug in front of the table and concentrated on his work. He had trouble getting it right. He ruined one drawing, turned the paper over, and tried drawing her on the other side. That didn’t look good, either.

He crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it across the room. Then he retrieved his jacket. He went outside and pulled the hood over his head. He didn’t like the cold. That’s why he’d left Connecticut. He walked downhill to their cabin. A light shone in one of the windows. If he could get another look at Penny, he might be able to draw her correctly.

Because of the sloping terrain, the window was above his head. Just like Penny’s window at her apartment. He looked around in the dark for something to stand on. The only thing he could see was a rock—actually a small granite boulder ten feet from the window. He tried to lift it and almost collapsed. If he succeeded in getting it off the ground, he would end up with a hernia.

However, he found that he could roll it because it was roughly spherical in shape. Very roughly. It didn’t want to go where he tried to direct it. It was much more interested in heading down the slope toward the woods and away from the cabin. By the time he got it near the window, he was hot and panting, in spite of the cold night air.

Now the trick was to stand on top of the uneven surface. He placed his hands against the logs of the cabin to steady himself and gingerly stood up on the rock. As he inched his body higher, his eyes came above the windowsill, and he could see into the cabin.

There they were, sitting on a couch to his left, similar to the one in his cabin. Penny and Gary were looking at the television set, which was to his right. He glanced at the screen and saw the blond beauty of Inger Stevens. They were watching the same movie he had been watching.

Watching was too precise a word. They did glance at the screen, occasionally, but they were more interested in each other. They kept kissing and fooling around. Now he was touching her—inappropriately. Now he slid his hand under her sweater. In spite of his disgust at what they were doing, Alfred unzipped his jacket, unbuttoned a couple of buttons of his shirt, and put his hand through the opening, pushing his T-shirt up and out of the way. He found his bellybutton and started manipulating it.

This helped to relieve his tension, but he still could barely watch the two of them. His body began to vibrate. He had only one hand available with which to steady himself. He pulled his other hand out of his shirt, but not in time. His body began to tilt, slowly but irrevocably. There was nothing on the side of the cabin that gave him a firm grip. His hands skittered along the log wall as he fell off the rock.

He landed clumsily and twisted his ankle. He tried, unsuccessfully, to suppress a cry of pain. Even though he landed on the pine needles, his body made a thump. They must have heard the cry or the thump. He got up and limp-ran toward the woods. Fortunately, there were no more cabins between him and the woods. The biggest problem in the dark was not tripping on rocks and pinecones.

Once in the woods, Alfred stopped behind one of the larger trees. The trunk was wide enough so that it easily hid him. He leaned against the rough bark and panted for a few seconds. Then he looked around the trunk of the tree and back toward the cabin. The door was open, and Gary was silhouetted in the doorway. He was looking around.

There was no way Gary could see him. Where he was in the woods it was almost pitch black. Gary came down the steps in front of the cabin. He was carrying a small flashlight, and Alfred could follow his progress by watching its beam. Gary walked to the side of the cabin where Alfred had looked through the window. He wouldn’t find anything there except a rock under the window. He wouldn’t be observant enough to see that the rock had been moved.

The light of the flashlight flitted along the ground and among the trees surrounding the cabin. Alfred didn’t think Gary would come into the woods, but he was prepared to keep the trunk of this granddaddy tree between them if he did. Gary’s search, however, was cursory. There was nothing for him to see. Alfred hoped he would go back inside. This one time he was depending on Penny’s allure to pull him back into the cabin like a rubber band.

Gary did return to the warmth of the cabin—and the warmth of Penny’s body. Alfred cursed him for that, but at least he appeared to be out of danger. He waited five minutes after the door closed. Five cold minutes, since he rapidly cooled off from his recent exertions.

He made a wide circuit of their cabin as he returned to his own. He limped because his ankle hurt. It was uphill to his cabin, which made it more difficult. When he reached his refuge, he collapsed on the sofa without taking off his coat. The movie was still playing. He watched it without much interest while he decided that Penny could go to hell for all he cared.

CHAPTER 10

“I don’t believe Mt. Rainier actually exists.” Penny was disgusted. She made an adjustment to the focus of their binoculars and looked again. “The map clearly shows Mt. Rainier to the south, but all I see is clouds.”

The map on the Observation Deck of the Space Needle pinpointed the grand peak to the south and slightly east of their location five hundred feet above the bustling metropolis of Seattle, but it was nowhere to be seen.

“Mt. Rainier is a myth whose purpose is to draw tourists to the great state of Washington.” Gary took the binoculars from her.

Penny was sure of it. That morning they had driven into cloud-covered Mt. Rainier National Park. The majestic peak was nowhere in sight. At the Visitor’s Center near Paradise Lodge, they found out that the glacier caves had been closed for a year due to snow. They tried to walk to Nisqualy Glacier in Paradise Valley. They reached a viewpoint, only to see fog and more fog. They did get a look at the lovely Fairy Pond.

They escaped from the fog and drove through Tacoma on the way to Seattle. In Seattle, they walked along the wharf area, stopping at The Old Curiosity Shop, with its shrunken heads, mummies, and other exotic imports, including items showcased by “Ripley's Believe It or Not.” Other large importers occupied nearby buildings. Random walking took them to the site of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair and the Space Needle.

“Anyway, there’s a good view of Puget Sound.” Gary swung the binoculars to the southwest. “Look, there’s a freighter.”

“Let me see.” Penny playfully fought him for the binoculars. Gary gave them up without much of a struggle. She looked in different directions, pretending to hog them. Gary hovered nearby, so she finally gave them back, acting as if it were a magnanimous gesture on her part.

She mentally pinched herself. It was hard to believe she was actually married. At one time she hadn’t been able to picture herself getting married at all. So far married life had been a blast. The curse of Emily hadn’t affected her, after all. Well, maybe a little. But they had overcome it. She glanced around the platform, its height a good metaphor for the high she was on.

Then she looked straight down. That was a mistake. The platform extended out from the supporting structure, so there was nothing below except the ground, which looked miles away. Penny backed up as the universe reeled. She braced herself against the wall for a few seconds as she tried to put her stomach back in its proper place. One more jolt like that, and she wouldn’t be able to eat any dinner.

She wandered around the platform to see the view in different directions as other tourists did the same. She saw a man staring at the view whose profile looked vaguely familiar. Those big ears, the slight hook in his nose. She glanced at him several times, trying to place him. When he placed his hand on his stomach inside his jacket she was sure.

“Alfred,” she said, approaching him. “Alfred Ward.”

He focused on her, a startled expression suffusing his face. He looked like a deer caught in a driver’s headlights. For a moment, Penny thought he was going to turn and run from her.

“It’s me, Penny.” He still looked dazed. “From Fenwick.”

Recognition seemed to dawn in his eyes. Haltingly, he said, “Hi, Penny.”

“It’s good to see you, Alfred.” Penny went up to him and gave him a hug, backing off when he didn’t return it. “What has it been—six years? Well, I guess we’ve seen each other a few times since high school.”

“Yes, a few times.” Alfred appeared to find his voice and managed something of a smile.

“Tempus fugits, as Miss Warren used to say. Imagine running into a classmate in Seattle. What are you doing here?”

“Err…I’m sightseeing. Yes, I’m just here seeing the sights.”

“I’m on my honeymoon.” It was the first chance Penny had had to say those words to somebody she knew. The word honeymoon felt good rolling off her lips.

“Congratulations,” Alfred said. “Well, this is a good place to go. Lots to see.” He giggled.

“We’re actually going all over the place. We just came from Mt. Rainier—although it was so foggy we couldn’t see the mountain. We don’t believe it really exists. We’re going on to Leavenworth tonight.”

“You’re moving faster than a speeding bullet.”

“We have to cover a lot of territory before school starts. I’m a teacher. What do you do?”

“Uh, I’m in the retail business. Meat, produce, canned food. That sort of thing.”

“Where do you live?”

“Los Angeles.”

“No kidding. Me too. This really is a coincidence. We’ll have to get together.”

Gary came up beside Penny. He had seen her talking to a strange man. “Gary, this is Alfred Ward. We went to high school together. Can you believe that?”

“Glad to meet you, Alfred.” Gary extended his hand.

Penny was glad Gary wasn’t the jealous type. Of course, he had no reason to be, especially with Alfred. But since Alfred had been a classmate of hers and because they had known each other forever, she owed him more than just a hello and good-bye.

“We’re going to take the monorail back to the wharf and have dinner there. Would you like to come with us? We can catch up on what’s been happening since high school.”

***

Alfred had not expected to run into them in Seattle. They were a day ahead of their schedule, as laid out in the notebook he had purloined. That morning he had waited until they drove away before he set foot outside his cabin. He was still limping from the effects of his fall, but he could manage to get around.

After he ate breakfast at the lodge, he had to decide what to do. He knew he should go back to L.A. He was on a fool’s errand, as he’d realized when he heard Connie Francis singing about fools. In addition, his money wasn’t going to last forever. He needed to get his job back. However, he didn’t want to leave on such a negative note, with his tail between his legs.

He wanted to feel that he had at least accomplished something. He didn’t know what that something was. Maybe if he went to Seattle and did some sightseeing he would feel better about himself. Then he could tell people—if anybody asked—that he had been on vacation. Seattle was a city, and he liked cities much better than the wilderness he had been seeing.

When Penny accosted him on the Space Needle, he was shocked. His first instinct was to run away, but that was impossible. Then, when she was so friendly, he remembered how she had acted toward him in high school. She was almost the only member of the in-crowd who had paid much attention to him. She had always smiled and showed concern for his well-being.

The dinner went well. They ate in a cafeteria at Pike’s Place Market with a view of Puget Sound. By the time they arrived there, Alfred had regained his poise. He was witty as they reminisced about the foibles of the students and teachers at their high school. He kept them both laughing with his stories. He had learned to play the class clown in school to gain attention, and this ability stood him in good stead now.

“We were always doing things like taking the flags from the golf course and hiding in the trees. One time, a group of us were wandering around on a summer night, looking for something to do. The house where the Coles live now was about to be built. The boundaries of the house were staked out, and the stakes were connected with string. We moved one of the stakes. The next day the builders dug the foundation. They never spotted the error.”

“That house has always looked skew-geed to me,” Penny said, covering her mouth with her hand. “So you’re the one who did it.”

“You didn’t tell anybody about it?” Gary was frowning.

“Uh oh, I should have warned you,” Penny said. “Gary has very high moral standards. Yesterday, we stopped and bought a box of plums. When he saw me take a couple from another box and add them to our box, he said, ‘Are you going to teach our children to do that?’ Of course I was just replacing bad ones…”

“Where are you headed from here?” Gary asked, interrupting Penny.

“Los Angeles. Gotta get back to work.”

“What part of Los Angeles do you live in?” Penny asked. “We’re going to be living in Torrance.”

“Nice place, Torrance. I’m living inland. East of there. I’m not rich enough to live near the beach.”

“Give us your address and phone number, so we can get together.”

“Well…I’m in the process of moving. I’ll let you know where I am after I’m settled. If you’d like to give me your information….”

Penny was already writing it down. This was much easier than calling somebody in Fenwick. He wasn’t about to let them know that he’d been living so close to Penny. Better to have them believe he was living in one of the many cookie-cutter communities that people might have heard of but couldn’t exactly place.

Los Angeles was such a big metropolis that two people could live there for a hundred years and never run into each other. Unless they wanted to.

CHAPTER 11

It was raining off and on, but that didn’t daunt Alfred. He felt invigorated as he drove toward Grand Coulee Dam on a scenic road that ran alongside a pretty blue lake. He drove with one hand and fingered his bellybutton with the other. He felt like a new person. There were good reasons for his feelings. Penny liked him. She really liked him. She liked him well enough to leave Gary for him.

He was sure of it. She had given him all the signals. Of course, she couldn’t come right out and say so in front of Gary. It was his turn to take action. He was the man. He had to claim his property.

First, she gave him a big hug when she spotted him. Then she asked him to have dinner with them. She readily gave him her address and phone number. And she hugged him again when they said good-bye.

On top of that, she was upset with Gary because he had corrected her about the plums. A small thing, perhaps, but a harbinger of what was to come. She understood that. She was a smart girl. She would dump him now before they became too entangled. She was just waiting for Alfred to make the first move.

This revelation had come to him during the night as he tossed and turned in his motel room, unable to sleep. He had figured the whole thing out. He was proud of his logical mind—a steel trap—when he chose to use it. Well, he was using it now.

First, he had eaten some crow. He had to admit his mistake in not approaching Penny before this. When he had moved to Lomita a year ago, he should have made himself known to her. It would have saved a lot of grief on his part and a lot of dating errors on her part. There never would have been a Gary. He, Alfred, and Penny would be going on their honeymoon together, not Penny and Gary.

But Alfred had been suffering from a recent rejection when he arrived in California. A rejection it had taken him months to get over. Psychologically, he wasn’t in any shape to say anything to Penny. Well, that was over and done with. He had recovered his poise. He was ready to talk to Penny the way he should have long ago. He was ready to be a man.

His shyness and insecurity had played him false before, but he had overcome them. He knew what he wanted, and he would go after it like a bull in a curio shop. He would get the girl, and they would ride happily ever after into the sunset.

They would be going on his kind of honeymoon. A honeymoon not so outdoorsy, with more creature comforts. Perhaps to a luxury resort. Penny would love it. She was just doing this roughing it thing because Gary wanted to. But she had wised up about Gary.

Once Alfred had figured everything out last night, he had to make a decision. Should he wait until Penny was back in Torrance, or should he act immediately? The answer was obvious. He had to act now. Strike while the poker was hot. Penny would expect it of him. He expected it of himself. He had a head of steam going, and it would lead him to victory.

Penny and Gary had graciously verified their schedule for him at dinner. It was almost the same as the one outlined in the notebook. They planned to stop at Grand Coulee Dam today, probably for lunch. Alfred had gotten smart. He had his lunch with him. He was sure he was ahead of them. He would be there when they arrived.

***

Gary was singing off-key along with a country song playing on the car radio. “I can’t help it if I’m still in love with you.”

“What’s the matter?” Penny asked. “You look as if you’ve lost your last friend.”

He realized that he had a pained expression on his face. “That’s a hurtin’ song. Written by Hank Williams. That’s how you’re supposed to look when you listen to that type of music.”

“It’s too mournful. If it affects you that much we’d better turn it off.”

Gary clicked off the radio. Penny was right. This was a time for joy, not sorrow.

“I can’t believe we’ve been married five days,” he said.

“It’s four days since August twenty-ninth.”

“I’m counting the day we got married as one.”

“All right, Mr. Mathematician. Have it your way. Are you going to try to call Henry again?”

Gary had forgotten about his old roommate. He hadn’t been able to reach him in several phone calls. They hadn’t had any problems since the day of their wedding.

“No, I’m going to write off my brush with the law as a bad dream.”

Gary couldn’t believe how happy he was about being married. Although he had never been actively unhappy in his life, there had always been something missing. Penny filled that void. It was true that he had been in love his last few months of college. However, there had been several strikes against that affair from the start.

One was that he had long planned to go to California the day he graduated, leaving Michigan where he was a student at the U of M, and Western New York where he had grown up, far behind. That was the guillotine hovering above the heads of his girlfriend and himself. They both knew it would drop at a preordained time. And it did.

Another problem was the age difference. Alice had been a first semester freshman, too young, too smart, too ambitious to get married, or to follow him to California. And Gary, himself, had not been ready for any kind of permanent commitment. The romance ended the day he boarded a plane for Los Angeles. He had not seen her since.

The echoes of Alice had reverberated for the first two years he was in California. He compared all the girls to her and found them wanting. He had bouts of living like a monk and at times verged on depression. Even after he got his dating act together, he had not found any fish worth keeping. He had thrown them all back. These failures had led him to join Human Inventory. It was one of the smartest things he had ever done.

“Viewpoint for the dam ahead.” Penny brought him out of his reverie.

He turned the car in the direction the sign indicated, and they were soon sitting at the foot of the largest concrete structure in the world—producer of hydroelectric power, irrigator of farmland.

“Darn this rain,” Penny said. “We’ll melt if we go out there. We’ll just have to eat lunch in the car.”

Fortunately, they had plenty of food with them, including pineapple juice, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cookies, potato chips, and a can of peaches.

“A feast fit for a king.” Gary was particularly addicted to potato chips and made sure he got his share.

“Look at that car over there. Except for the color, it’s just like mine.”

Gary directed his gaze at a 1959 Ford Fairlane parked about fifty yards away, whose occupants apparently were also looking at the dam. He couldn’t see who was inside the car. The two-tone, green and white model had wings that were less pronounced than those of the 1957 model had been. It looked stylish, but it was a gas hog. Which is why they had opted to drive his economical Volkswagen on this trip, even though Penny’s car, given to her by her parents, would hold a lot more baggage.

***

Alfred saw their car pull up to the viewpoint. He had guessed right about their destination, but he had parked far enough away so they wouldn’t see him inside his car. They didn’t know what his car looked like yet. It was just the car of another sightseer. He was safe for the moment. Soon they would know his car, but it would be because Penny was leaving in it with him.

He could sit here and plot his next move. The immediate problem was the rain. It was coming down in sheets, and they showed no inclination to get out of the VW. It must be cramped in that little car, especially with all the stuff they had in the backseat. He was glad he had the roominess of his Ford, even though buying gas for it was rapidly depleting his cash supply.

As long as Penny stayed in the VW, he wouldn’t be able to isolate her so that he could talk to her. He needed to catch her away from Gary. How could he do that? Alfred finished his lunch. Penny and Gary stayed in their car. Alfred thought about creating some sort of disturbance that would get their attention and separate the two of them long enough for him to do what he had to do. It was raining too hard.

While he dithered, time passed. Before he could come up with a workable plan, they drove away.

***

Penny wasn’t sure why she felt the way she did. The feeling was not one of terror, but the prelude to terror, when the hairs on the back of your neck tell you that something really bad is going to happen, but you’re not quite sure what it is. Why should she feel this way at a pleasant campground in Little Round Pond State Park near Sandpoint, Idaho?

They were cooking their dinner on the Coleman stove and contemplating camping here for the night. Gary was busy tending the stove and seemed to be as happy as a mouse sitting on a mountain of cheese. They had come through Spokane, Washington, in intermittent rain and then crossed into Idaho. At Coeur d’Alene they had purchased some groceries and then headed north through beautiful scenery—trees, hills, the occasional lake. One thing the U.S.A. had in abundance was beautiful scenery.

It was cool but not cold. The sun would be setting in a while. Its rays were being filtered through the evergreen trees. The air had that fresh, foresty aroma, the aroma of an outdoors with clean air and no Los Angeles smog.

The ranger in charge of the campground was being very attentive to them. He had the time to be attentive because they were the only people in the campground. He was middle-aged and mild-mannered. He wore glasses and a ranger uniform. He looked as if he wouldn’t hurt a mosquito.

He was chatting with Gary at the moment, asking where they had come from, where they were going. Why had they decided to elope to Reno to get married? Didn’t they have family? Friendly questions. Nothing to be concerned about. Questions that anybody might ask. Questions that an ax murderer might ask.

Since it was the end of the camping season, the chances of anybody else showing up at this campground tonight were slim. All right, the chances of the ranger actually being an ax murderer ranged from slim to nonexistent. He was no more an ax murderer than Gary was. Penny admitted to herself that her fears were completely irrational. But irrational fears destroyed many a night’s sleep.

Maybe it was the ghost of Emily, coming to haunt her. Making sure that even when everything seemed idyllic, she had something to worry about. Things were going too well. That was a crazy thought, perhaps, but Penny couldn’t shake it.

Before they put up the tent, she broached her fears to Gary. She didn’t say that she thought the ranger was an ax murderer. She said that the campground felt creepy since they were the only campers. He was surprisingly sympathetic. He didn’t tell her she was crazy. He said that if she felt this way they would go on and stay somewhere else. She got the impression that he felt the isolation too.

CHAPTER 12

The landscape was getting wilder and wilder. Alfred had not known that large portions of the United States were completely uninhabited. While driving across the country he had encountered the emptiness of the plains, but at least there had been scattered farm houses.

He didn’t know where Penny and Gary were. He hoped he was ahead of them, because that’s what his plan called for. He had stayed the night at a motel in Sandpoint, Idaho, and gotten an early start this morning. Today, he knew that they planned to go into Glacier National Park on the Going-to-the-Sun Road. They had talked about hiking to a place called Sperry Chalet where they would stay overnight. That was complete madness, and Alfred would put a stop to it.

He ate an early lunch in Kalispell, Montana, because his map didn’t show anything beyond it that looked civilized. He had been picking up maps at gas stations as he went. Fortunately, most of them were free. As far as dinner was concerned, he expected to be back here by then, with Penny sitting happily beside him.

He drove into Glacier National Park and alongside Lake McDonald. He knew that the trail to Sperry Chalet started from the lake. He drove carefully on the road that some halfwits might call scenic, looking for signs. With trees on one side of the road and the lake on the other, unbroken expanses of green and blue, it was almost impossible for him to know exactly where he was. He was afraid that he might have passed the trail when he saw the sign. He pulled into a parking lot at the trailhead.

His heart sank as he spotted the green Volkswagen, sitting among a handful of other cars. Penny and Gary were nowhere to be seen. Alfred parked his car and walked over to the VW. It was locked. They were already on the trail.

***

“Do you remember when we climbed Mt. Manual in the Big Sur?” Gary asked as they stopped to take a breather.

“Do I ever.” Penny sipped water from her canteen. “It’s a good thing I had my hiking boots. If Grandpa hadn’t sent me the ten dollars to buy them… Do you know that you’re my first boyfriend he’s ever approved of?”

“You must have told him a good story.” Gary had never met her grandfather. In fact, he hadn’t met any member of her family except an uncle and aunt and a couple of cousins who lived in Goleta.

“I told him all about you in my letters. And, of course, I saw him when I went back east. I think the thing that sold him on you is the fact that you’re not Catholic.”

“Then for my sake, I’m glad I’m not. Anyway, Mt. Manual was a good training hike for this one. And I’m the one who got blisters.”

“That rattlesnake scared the bejesus out of me. I almost jumped off the mountain.”

The snake had skittered across the trail in front of them. They had been hiking alongside a cliff, and for a moment Gary had been afraid that Penny was really going to jump off. That was when he found out how scared of snakes she was.

“I wouldn’t have made it if it hadn’t been for you,” Penny continued. “Remember, I sat down and said I couldn’t go another step.”

Gary had been sure they were very close to the top. He went on ahead and spotted the peak. Then he returned and persuaded Penny to go the rest of the way. She staggered to the top, sank down on the ground, and took off her shirt to cool off. She looked very appealing, sitting there in her white bra, but neither of them had the energy to do anything about it.

Gary commented on that and Penny laughed. “As I recall, we were sharing the peak with a herd of wild pigs, so we would have had spectators if we had started messing around. Anyway, this trail is duck soup compared to that one.”

After they had left the campground last night, they had driven on to the thriving wilderness city of Libby, Montana, and stayed at the Hotel Libby. It was a nice room, but they weren’t sure whether they were sharing their bathroom with others. This morning they drove to Kalispell, picking up purple and green rocks on the way for a table they were planning to make. The rocks were to be inlaid in plastic to form the tabletop.

In Kalispell, they cashed travelers' checks and purchased groceries. They arrived at Lake McDonald shortly after noon and ate in the car because the meadow hummed with bees. Then they set out for Sperry Chalet.

This trail wasn’t really easier than Mt. Manual. It was longer, at 6.7 miles, with a 3,300 foot gain in altitude. They had to hike through stream beds, and sprinkles of rain fell on them from time to time. They were both holding up very well. Gary figured they might make it to the chalet in three hours, which was certainly faster than the average bear.

That thought made him look around. They were indeed in bear country, including grizzlies, and they wanted to stay clear of those big bad bears that could be killers. If Penny thought rattlesnakes were scary… He didn’t mention this to her, but they should keep moving. He shouldered his pack and said, “Time to hit the trail.”

***

The fates were conspiring against Alfred. Yesterday it was the rain at Grand Coulee Dam. Today they had beaten him here, somehow. He thought they were going to sleep at a campground near Sandpoint last night. If they had, he would have arrived here before them. They usually dallied along the way, and he had come directly here with only a couple of short stops.

All of the hope and optimism he had acquired as a result of the meeting in Seattle had evaporated. Now he was faced with few options. He could go home. If he had started for home two days ago, he would be getting home today. Now he was farther away from L.A., and it would take longer. It wasn’t a trip he was relishing.

He could try to figure out where they were going next and meet them there. According to the notebook, they were planning to visit Glacier and Yellowstone parks for the next few days. He was not planning to do any more camping, and other options were few inside the parks. It would be difficult to keep tabs on them. Besides, his money supply was approaching the precarious stage, and he couldn’t afford to keep doing this forever. He needed to have the Penny situation resolved quickly.

He could wait here tomorrow morning and meet them when they came down from the chalet. That would mean going back out of the park to find a place to sleep and returning in the morning. It might work, but among the other things he was running out of was patience for waiting.

Or—and this would have been unthinkable a couple of days ago—he could hike up to the chalet and have it out with them there. They wouldn’t be able to avoid him in an isolated environment. The more he thought about it, the better he liked the idea.

There were a few niggling problems. He didn’t have hiking boots. However, the start of the trail looked fairly smooth. Maybe he didn’t need them. He didn’t have a pack. But then, he didn’t have anything to carry in a pack. He had his jacket with a hood, so he shouldn’t be cold. When the temperature was warm enough that he didn’t have to wear it, he could tie it around his waist.

On the plus side, he had a bottle he had filled with water that he could carry with him. It had contained orange soda, originally. It was made of glass; he would have to be careful not to drop it, but it couldn’t weight much over two pounds filled. He would travel light and move fast.

Alfred started along the trail, striding briskly and whistling. One hundred yards later, his ankle started hurting. He had completely forgotten about that damned ankle. He wasn’t going to let that stop him. He would tough it out. He kept going, albeit a little slower and with a slight limp.

***

They were enjoying dinner in the rock building that contained the kitchen and the dining room when a commotion occurred at the entrance. Penny wouldn’t have paid any attention, figuring that it was just a latecomer for dinner, but the door was opened with enough force that it swung in a 180-degree arc and slammed against a doorstop, making all the diners look up.

Then a hooded figure fell into the room, landing facedown on the floor. The figure lay there, not moving, while dead silence replaced the normal buzz of conversation. Everybody was frozen in place for several seconds, like a tableau painted by a French impressionist.

Just when Penny started thinking that time had stopped altogether, a man who was sitting at a table near the door got up from his chair and walked over to the prone figure. He put a hand on the figure’s shoulder and said, “Are you okay?” Penny didn’t hear a response. The man lifted the hood of the figure, revealing a head with short hair. It belonged to a male.

The man on the floor groaned and slowly lifted himself to his hands and knees. He groaned again and lifted one knee off the floor. Penny saw that his pants were ripped, and the knee poking through the hole had blood on it.

“That’s your friend from high school,” Gary said.

Penny recognized Alfred at the same time. What in the world was he doing here? And in this condition? She instinctively got up and ran over to him. She knelt beside him and helped him get to a sitting position.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

He stared at her, and she wondered whether he recognized her. “I broke my water bottle. It smashed when I fell.”

“Is that when you hurt your knee?”

He looked at his bloody knee, as if seeing it for the first time. He nodded.

***

Gary was extremely dissatisfied with what appeared to be the only solution to the situation. He walked back toward their table where Alfred was now sitting with Penny, showing a voracious appetite, eating everything in sight. The scrape on his knee had been cleaned and bandaged, using the first aid kit belonging to the chalet. Gary helped him take off his wet shoes and socks. The socks, especially, stuck to his feet and had to be peeled off. Gary lent him a pair of socks, which he now wore. He still wore his jacket to help him warm up, but at least he wasn’t wearing the hood.

Gary caught Penny’s eye and motioned to her. She got up and followed him to the corner of the dining room, underneath one of the gas lights, hanging from the ceiling, that was now lit. Tom Edison’s electric lights hadn’t found their way here yet.

“They don’t have any rooms available,” Gary said. “They’re full. They’re willing to put a cot in our room and let him sleep there.” The tone of his voice betrayed how much he liked that idea.

Penny put an arm on his shoulder and said, “It’s a terrible imposition, honey, but it’s only for one night. If it’s any consolation, I got my period today.”

That was slight consolation. “Did you find out what he’s doing here?”

“He said that we made it sound like so much fun when we told him about the chalet that he decided he wanted to stay here.”

“So he drove all the way from Seattle with no equipment and no hiking experience, just to hike up here. It’s a wonder he didn’t kill himself. And of course he didn’t have a reservation either.”

“I agree, it wasn’t the smartest thing in the world to do. But then, as I recall, he was never very swift upstairs in high school, either.” She tapped her head.

Gary didn’t want to be the bad guy. He knew that showing compassion for Alfred would reflect favorably in Penny’s eyes. It was only for one night. He felt a little better, knowing the number of points he would make with her.

***

The cot wasn’t that uncomfortable. It was definitely more comfortable than the front seat of his car. Alfred lay on his back with the blankets pulled up to his chin and grinned into the dark. He could see the stars shining brightly through the uncovered window. Stars were fine, just as long as they were outside and he was inside.

In spite of the primitiveness of this place—no electricity, no hot water, no indoor toilets—things had turned out a lot better than he could have anticipated when he was halfway up the trail, wondering whether he would make it to the chalet before dark, or perhaps get lost and eaten by bears.

He was finally warm, under five blankets, after having wet feet for most of the hike. His knee didn’t hurt. He had devoured a good dinner. He was feeling better than he had felt for a long time, even though he was exhausted. There were no lights in the bedroom. Since the only light was provided by a small flashlight that Penny and Gary had brought, they had all gone to bed as soon as they had come from the other building.

After dinner, Penny and Gary had played dominoes in the dining room. Alfred claimed he was too tired to play, but he watched them. Gary was merciless, beating Penny in every game. This was another reason she would be glad to get rid of him. He was dominating her. Alfred knew that Gary would probably beat him, too. He didn’t know whether this would be good or bad in Penny’s eyes, so he made the wise decision to stay out of it.

He listened for sounds of movement from the double bed. Aside from a few whispers when they first turned off the flashlight, there hadn’t been much noise forthcoming from that direction. They certainly weren’t doing anything of a sexual nature. That was one thing he was happy about.

He would never attempt a hike like this again. Why any sane person would engage in such misery on purpose, he didn’t know. He did have to hike down in the morning, but going down should be a lot easier than coming up.

During the few minutes he had been alone with Penny, he considered trying to win her over. There wasn’t time to do it, and he was too tired and too hungry. His brain wasn’t working. He didn’t want to negotiate from a position of weakness. Tomorrow he would have a much better opportunity. He had spent the last few minutes making a plan that he was sure would succeed. Now it was time to get some sleep.

CHAPTER 13

Getting them down the trail wasn’t as difficult as Gary had been afraid it might be. He had Penny go first, then Alfred. He stayed close behind Alfred, hoping to be able to catch him if his slippery shoes betrayed him on the damp rocks. That was probably wishful thinking, and he certainly couldn’t prevent the klutz from getting wet feet. His shoes weren’t waterproof, and they had to wade through shallow streams.

Last night had been a pain, but it could have been worse. Gary and Penny had slept in most of their clothes under many blankets. Their sex life would have been restricted even if Alfred hadn’t been in the room, and they were all so tired they had gone to sleep rather quickly. In a little while they would see the last of him.

They went slowly, which required a lot of patience on Gary’s part. Their muscles were all sore from the ascent, but it was clear that Alfred had the biggest problems. He walked stiff-legged and had trouble stepping down, which is what they had to do for almost seven miles. His calves must be screaming. In addition, it was obvious that his knee bothered him at first, but it appeared to loosen up, and after a while, he stopped limping. But he had to rest frequently.

They arrived at the parking lot about noon and decided to eat their trail lunches in the meadow, ignoring the bees. Because they were concentrating on their steps on the way down, they hadn’t talked about anything else. Now Penny asked Alfred what his plans were.

Alfred swallowed a bite of his sandwich. “This place is so beautiful. Since I’ve come this far, I’d like to see a little more of it. Perhaps drive through the park today.”

“That’s what we’re going to do,” Penny said.

“You two have done so much for me, already. I hate to impose any more, but, uh, I don’t think I can drive today.”

Gary stared at him. Not drive? If he could walk, he could drive.

“The backs of my legs are so sore.” Alfred touched one of his calves and winced in pain. “And my knee is too. I’m afraid that I wouldn’t be able to put the brake on hard, and this road has so many hills and curves. If I can’t use the brakes…” His voice trailed off.

“What you should do is drive slowly back to the Kalispell area,” Penny said. “The road is easier going in that direction. Then rest for a day or so until you’re not so sore.”

The corners of Alfred’s mouth turned up. “If I had all the time in the world, I could do that. I have to get back to work in a few days. What I was thinking—and I know it’s a terrible imposition—well, since we’re going in the same direction, perhaps Penny could drive my car and follow Gary.”

Gary couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He had to tread carefully because Penny appeared to be sympathetic to Alfred’s problems. “What kind of a car do you have?”

“It’s that Ford over there.”

Gary followed Alfred’s pointing finger and with a shock recognized the car. Where had he seen it? “Did you stop at Grand Coulee Dam two days ago?”

“Why yes.”

“We were there at the same time,” Penny said. “We saw your car. I remember it because it looks just like my car. I didn’t know it was yours.”

“Really? Where’s your car?” Alfred looked around the parking area.

“We didn’t bring it,” Penny said. “We brought Gary’s car.”

“What kind of a car do you have?” Alfred asked Gary.

“The green Beetle.” Gary indicated his car, parked thirty feet from Alfred’s.

“I remember your car,” Alfred said, beaming. “VW’s are so…cozy. As I recall, it was raining hard at the dam.”

“Speaking of the car, I need to get something from it.” Gary nodded to Penny to accompany him.

When they were out of earshot of Alfred, Gary said, “How much longer are we going to have to put up with this guy?” He was scowling, but he couldn’t help himself.

“He is becoming a pain. I tell you what. We’ll help him out today, and that’s it. Tomorrow he’s on his own. I’ll drive his car because I’m used to driving an automatic. You’re better with the VW in the mountains. This road is really tricky.”

“Where is Alfred going to ride?”

“I can tell by your tone of voice that you don’t want him riding with you. He can ride with me. It’s okay. He’s harmless.”

“I’m not worried about that. I’m worried about being separated from you. After all, this is only the seventh day we’ve been married.”

“You’re so sweet.” Penny gave him a hug. “We’ll be together at all the viewpoints. I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”

When Penny talked like that, he would do anything for her. One day shouldn’t make that much difference out of a lifetime.

***

Penny drove the Ford from the parking lot onto the road behind Gary. He had promised to drive slowly in the mountains, so that she wouldn’t have any trouble keeping up with him. They would be stopping often.

The jagged peaks were gray on top, except for pockets of white snow. Lower down, blankets of green covered the hillsides where the evergreen trees ruled. Everything looked so sharp and fresh and clean. You could eat off the landscape. They headed uphill and would be going over the continental divide.

Penny glanced at Alfred sitting in the seat beside her. He had changed from the pants with the torn knee into another pair. He looked very much the same as he had in high school, with his hair short and his head a little too large for his body. Ears and nose to match. He had unzipped his jacket, and Penny could see the bulge in his stomach. That hadn’t changed either.

“Fantastic scenery.” Penny tried to make light conversation.

“We don’t have much time,” Alfred said.

Time for what? They had plenty of time.

“Look.” Penny braked as a mother grizzly bear and two cubs loped across the road in front of them. The mother ran on three legs, holding the fourth aloft. They disappeared over the cliff at the side of the road.

“We don’t have much time,” Alfred repeated, “so I’ll make this quick. I want you to come with me.”

“Come with you where?”

“Leave Gary and come home with me.”

She must not have heard him correctly. “What did you say?”

“I want you to leave Gary and come home with me. Now. Today.”

He couldn’t be serious. He wasn’t smiling, but she decided to treat it as a joke. She laughed and said, “Alfred. I never knew you had such a sense of humor.”

“I mean it. Gary’s no good for you. I’ll take care of you.”

“All right, joke’s over. I don’t want to hear any more talk like that.”

Penny glanced at Alfred. He was looking at her with his mouth slightly open. After a pause he said, “I’ll protect you from Gary. You don’t have to be afraid of him.”

“I’m not afraid of Gary. Now will you get off this subject?” She was getting mad.

“We had an understanding.”

“What?”

“At the Space Needle. And dinner afterward. Gary is controlling you. With his so-called morals and his domineering nature. I saw it in your eyes. You were appealing to me to help you get away from him.”

“Alfred, you have completely lost what little mind you had. If you say one more word, I’m going to stop this car and dump you out.”

“It’s my car. But before you do anything rash, listen to this.” His voice had suddenly developed a hard edge that Penny had never heard before. “What do you think Gary will do when he finds out that I know you have a mole on your left breast?”

Penny turned to look at him and almost drove off the cliff. She jerked the wheel to turn the car away from the cliff and then had to slam on the brakes to prevent them from driving into the mountain on the other side of the road. She brought the car to a stop and sat there trembling.

“How do you know that?” She immediately realized that it was the wrong thing to say. She was admitting that he was right. How could he know? It must have been a wild guess. She could tell from his wolfish grin that he knew he had scored.

“Remember the party at Joan’s house when we were seniors in high school?”

She shook her head.

“Let me refresh your memory. Halloween night. Everybody went in costume. As I recall, your boyfriend of the moment was off somewhere. You put on quite a show.”

It was coming back. She had long forgotten about that night. Repressed it. She had gone as a cheerleader. Nothing unusual about that since she was a cheerleader at Fenwick High School. Underneath her cheerleader uniform she had worn sexy pink panties, instead of tights, and a pink bra.

It was her secret, and she didn’t really intend to show off her fancy underwear—at least that’s what she told herself—but when the Thunderbird wine started flowing, she became warm—from the wine, the bodies, and a fire in the fireplace. Somebody put marching music on the phonograph—the kind the school band played at football games. That’s when she started doing cheerleading routines. Which made her even warmer.

The boys, who had also been sucking up the wine, started shouting, “Take it off.” She used the heat to rationalize taking off her sweater, evoking more cries. So she took off her skirt. She remembered doing handstands and then going out in the yard and turning cartwheels. She wasn’t certain what happened after that. Alfred must have been at that party—she didn’t remember—but what did he know that she didn’t? How did he find out about the mole on her breast? Penny decided that silence was her best defense.

Horns blew behind her. She was stopped in a traffic lane on the narrow road. Cars were trying to get by. She drove forward, still trembling a little.

“You did a striptease,” Alfred said. “Then you passed out on the lawn.”

She must have passed out because her memory ended at that point. It was definitely out of character for her. It had cost her a boyfriend, although that had been a minor loss. There were plenty of boys aching to go out with her. But what about Gary? She had represented herself to him as an All-American girl. Would this bother him? After all, it had happened seven years ago. Youthful indiscretion.

What had occurred after she passed out? She was afraid to hear what Alfred was going to say next.

“Of course, I wasn’t drinking,” Alfred continued.

Ouch. Puritan Alfred.

“I was looking out for you. I and another guy carried you upstairs and put you on a bed in Joan’s spare room so you’d be safe.”

Uh oh. She definitely didn’t want to hear this. She spotted the green VW stopped at a turnout. She pulled in behind it. This should give her a reprieve for a moment. And time to collect her thoughts.

CHAPTER 14

Gary saw the Ford coming around a curve and breathed a sigh of relief. He had started to worry when he saw that Penny was no longer behind him. He pulled into the first available turnout and waited for several agonizing minutes. Had she lost control of the car and…? He couldn’t bring himself to finish that thought. But he realized how empty life would be without her.

Penny brought the car to a stop and got out. Alfred exited awkwardly from his side. He really was hurting. Maybe it was dangerous for him to drive. Penny walked directly to Gary and gave him a big kiss. That was a nice way to be greeted.

“What happened to you?” Gary’s anxiety made his voice harsher than it should have been.

“I…I thought I had a flat tire. We stopped to check.” Her voice sounded strange.

“It’s dangerous to stop on this road. Let me check the tires.” Gary walked around the Ford. The tires looked fine to him. He went back to Penny. Alfred was a few feet away, looking up at the Garden Wall, a spectacular mountain ridge.

“Is Alfred acting okay?” Gary sensed that Penny was jumpy. He had labeled Alfred as a weirdo from the moment he met him.

“He’s fine,” Penny said, quickly but unconvincingly. “He’s complaining about his aches and pains, but I can handle him.”

“He can ride in the VW with me for a while.”

“It wouldn’t be fair to foist him off on you. He’s my classmate and my problem. I’ll drive him.”

“Your problems are my problems.”

“What I mean is, I don’t want him to bore you. At least he and I can reminisce about the old days.”

Gary wasn’t satisfied. He was about to argue when Penny said, “His legs are really sore. He has to stretch them out. He needs the legroom in the Ford.”

The VW actually had a lot of legroom for such a small car, but Gary didn’t want to start an argument right there, especially in front of Alfred. He decided to accept the situation.

***

Penny dreaded what was coming next, but she couldn’t let Alfred ride with Gary, at least until she heard how bad Alfred’s story was going to get. He had become a loose cannon. The little convoy started up again, with Gary in the lead. Alfred didn’t say anything at first. Penny decided to wait him out. Maybe he would forget about it. Maybe it was just a bad daydream. She navigated the mountain road slowly and carefully, staying close behind Gary.

“The guy who helped me carry you upstairs was drunk. He wanted to do more than just put you on the bed, if you know what I mean.”

Penny cringed inside. She knew all too well. She noticed that Alfred had placed his hand on his stomach with his fingers inside his shirt, like pictures of Napoleon she had seen. That gesture had helped her identify him at the Space Needle.

“I kicked him out of the room and shut the door. I put you under the covers so you wouldn’t be exposed.”

Alfred paused again. What did he want, a medal? This was agonizing, hearing the story come out piece by piece. She didn’t know whether he was telling the truth, but she couldn’t contradict him.

“You don’t remember any of this, do you?” Alfred said.

He had called whatever bluff she had. “I remember things.” She tried to sound indignant, but the words didn’t come out very forcefully.

“You were very grateful to me.”

Penny could tell that Alfred was watching her, waiting for her reaction. She decided to return to silence.

“Very grateful, if you know what I mean. And I really like your mole.”

So this was the story. This was what he would tell Gary. She shuddered.

Additional memories returned to her. She had indeed woken up in Joan’s spare bedroom in the wee hours of the morning—naked. With a splitting headache. Once she figured out where she was, she turned on a light and found her clothes in the room. Someone had collected them for her. She got dressed, snuck out of the house, and walked home. It was less than a mile. She snuck into her own house and made it into her bedroom without being seen. Her brothers were asleep. Her mother was asleep. Her father was asleep and probably drunk to boot.

There was gossip at school, of course—that’s what had cost her a boyfriend—but nothing that enlightened her about what had happened when she was unconscious, except that it was Joan who had put her clothes in the room. It was a lost slice of her life that she couldn’t get back.

Penny negotiated a hairpin curve and said slowly, “There’s no way I’m going to run off with you. So what do you want?”

“I want to be your friend. That’s all, Penny. I just want to be your friend.”

Alfred’s voice had a pleading tone. And the word “friend” sounded innocuous enough. If only he would settle for that.

***

They were cooking their dinner at St. Mary’s Campground located at the east entrance to Glacier National Park. At least they weren’t sleeping in the campground. They had gotten two inside rooms at St. Mary’s Lodge. Alfred hadn’t argued about getting himself a separate room. He had Penny where he wanted her, and he wouldn’t push his luck just now.

Gary was tending to the Coleman stove. He was very good at this camping stuff. Good at climbing treacherous mountain trails and staying in places with no heat, lights, bathrooms, or hot water. Roughing it. Making Penny rough it. This was no life for Penny. Alfred would see that Penny lived a life of luxury.

Alfred helped Penny set the wooden picnic table. Gary was busy at the stove. The hamburgers wouldn’t be ready for a few minutes. Alfred said to Penny, “Come with me and watch the sunset. It’s going to be beautiful.” He didn’t care that much for sunsets, but it was a convenient excuse to get Penny away from Gary.

She looked at him. He returned her gaze. He had the power to make her go with him. It gave him a surge inside, almost electrical in nature. She told Gary they’d be back soon and walked beside him. He took her to a spot where they could see the beautiful sunset better, but also a spot away from everybody else.

He gave her a few seconds to admire the sunset and then said, “I need a hug.” He took her by the shoulders and turned her toward him. He put his arms around her, going inside her arms that hung limply by her sides. At first she just stood there. Then, slowly, she put her arms loosely around his neck. She felt good against him.

He lowered his hands to the bottom of her sweater and slid them underneath it. He untucked her shirt and pulled it up until he felt the bare skin of her back. He felt her muscles tense, so he stopped moving.

She started to pull away. He held her with one hand and moved his other hand quickly around her body, following the curve of her waistline, letting the smooth skin slide sensuously through his fingers. He found her bellybutton. Her fabulous innie bellybutton. He touched it as he would a shrine, respectfully.

Penny abruptly jerked away from him and punched him hard in the face, making him stagger backward and grunt loudly.

“Don’t ever do that again,” she shouted. She turned and ran back toward Gary and their picnic spot.

Alfred watched her go, feeling his aching jaw with his hand. She really packed a wallop. Anger flared inside him. How dare she hit him? She would pay for this. As he practiced opening and closing his mouth to make sure his jaw wasn’t broken, another thought came to him.

He had gotten to first base with her. Of course he couldn’t go all the way on the first date. She wasn’t that kind of a girl, but she was amenable to his advances. She had hugged him. He had the upper hand. She couldn’t afford to have him tell Gary about her past. There would be other opportunities for him. He was sure she had enjoyed it. She was just being coy. He walked back slowly with a big, if painful, grin on his face.

***

Gary was flipping the hamburgers when Penny came running up to him, out of breath. He barely had time to put down the spatula before she ran right into his arms. Her body was shaking.

“What’s the matter? Is it Alfred?”

She didn’t speak; she just clung to him. As her breathing slowed, she said, “There he comes. Don’t say anything. I’m okay. Everything’s fine. I’ll tell you later.”

Alfred came strolling up, grinning. “Is dinner ready? I’m so hungry I could eat a bear.”

Gary thought his grin looked lopsided. Maybe Alfred’s face was lopsided, and he just hadn’t noticed before. Gary had an urge to wipe the grin off his lopsided face, because he was sure Alfred had done something to Penny. Penny didn’t want him to act impulsively. He would hear her story later and take appropriate action. Meanwhile, he would keep his cool and try to be the perfect host.

Neither Penny nor Alfred talked about what had happened during dinner. In fact, Alfred acted as though nothing had happened. Penny was very quiet, unusual for her, and she sat close to Gary.

He had a hard time not challenging Alfred, but he honored Penny’s wishes. Tonight was definitely the last time they would have to put up with him. Tomorrow they would leave him behind. Gary wouldn’t accept any more reasons for Alfred tagging along with them.

***

Penny and Gary weren’t alone for any length of time until they went to their room at the lodge to go to bed. Penny finally made it her job to extract them from Alfred’s company, giving excuses to him even though it was fairly early, telling him that they were tired after a strenuous day.

The three of them had attended a ranger show and washed clothes together in domestic bliss, with Alfred babbling about all the sights they had seen. He obviously expected to do more sightseeing with them tomorrow. That was probably the reason he didn’t tell his story about her to Gary. He thought he had power over her, even though she had hit him. That hadn’t fazed him at all. What a strange person.

Penny tried not to antagonize Alfred further. She didn’t want him to say anything to Gary that would inflame the situation. Gary would erupt and probably attack Alfred. They both might end up hurt and get themselves thrown out of the lodge. She wasn’t sure what it would do to their marriage. If they could escape with no blood being shed and the marriage intact, she would be happy.

Once they were inside their room with the door closed, Penny had to tell Gary something. She simply said that Alfred had made a pass at her, and she had rebuffed it. She didn’t elaborate.

“That son of a bitch. I’m going to go punch his lights out.” Gary started to open the door.

“Leave him alone.” Penny restrained him. “You’ll only get us kicked out of this place. Alfred’s not worth it. We’ll leave before he gets up in the morning. With any luck we’ll never see him again.”

She hoped that was true. She set their travel alarm clock for five a.m. before she turned out the light.

Penny didn’t want Gary to touch her because she felt dirty and unworthy, although she knew he was hungry for her. She told him she still had her period. That was unfair to him. She had other ways of satisfying him. She employed them now. He was asleep in ten minutes. It would be a different matter for her.

She lay awake thinking about Alfred, wondering what motivated him. He had always been a little peculiar, but nothing like this. He had become excited from touching her navel, instead of, say, her breasts, which is what she would have expected him to do when his hands started to wander. Peculiar behavior, indeed. And very scary. She wouldn’t tolerate it, regardless of the consequences.

CHAPTER 15

Gary didn’t want to give up his dream, but something was pulling him inexorably back toward consciousness.

“Honey, wake up.” Penny’s hand was on his shoulder.

He reluctantly opened his eyes. He couldn’t see anything. They had an inside room at the lodge with no windows.

“What time is it?” he asked groggily.

“Five o’clock.” She turned on the lamp sitting on her nightstand. “I’d like to get up now and get out of here.”

“It’s the middle of the night.”

“If we leave now, we can shake Alfred.”

Gary stretched his hand to his lamp and switched it on. He tried to wake up enough to think clearly. Alfred. Alfred had eaten dinner with them. He had gone to the ranger show on geology with them. He had even done laundry with them at the lodge. And he had somehow molested Penny, although she had downplayed it.

At dinner, Alfred had asked them where they intended to go in Yellowstone. Penny secretly put her finger to her lips, warning Gary not to be specific. He talked in generalities about their plans. Alfred suggested that they continue driving together. Gary and Penny didn’t respond.

Yes, Penny was right. They should get out of there right now and leave Alfred behind for good. Alfred was a burr; once he stuck to you, he was almost impossible to get rid of. In addition, Gary was afraid that if he saw him again, he would beat him up. That wasn’t appropriate behavior for a honeymoon.

Gary threw off his covers and hopped out of bed, grimacing as his bare feet hit the cold wooden floor. “We can be out of here in ten minutes.”

***

Alfred was livid. He stomped around the parking lot. He picked up pinecones and threw them at trees. Penny had betrayed him. They had a deal, and she’d betrayed him. That bitch. That damned-to-hell bitch.

He had woken up at seven-thirty after a very pleasant sleep. He had dressed and gone to their room and knocked on the door. No answer. He had gone into the lodge café to see if they were having breakfast. They weren’t there. He had gone outside and looked for their car in the parking lot. The car was nowhere to be seen.

He ate breakfast at the café, hoping against hope that they might be back soon. An hour later they hadn’t come back. They weren’t coming back. Penny had double-crossed him. He paced back and forth the length of the parking lot, looking in vain for the VW and throwing more pinecones. He became aware of people watching him and started feeling self-conscious. Well, he would find her. She couldn’t get away from him.

Alfred drove south toward Yellowstone, because he knew they were headed in that direction. His calves were still sore, but if he were careful, he could drive safely. As he went, savage thoughts flooded his brain. It was Gary who was doing this, not Penny. He had forced her to leave, against her will. He was a domineering, moralistic pig. Gary was the cause of all his problems. There was only one solution. He had to kill Gary.

His money situation was growing desperate. When he stopped for gas in Helena, the capital of Montana, this got his attention like a jab in the gut. After paying for the gas, only a few lonely bills remained in his wallet. Not enough money to eat, pay for motels, and buy gas for the return to Los Angeles, even if he drove back by the shortest route.

What should he do? Alfred parked his car in downtown Helena and walked around with his hands in his pockets. He strolled past the state capitol with its dome on top. The dome had a statue on it. There was another statue in front. Statues of important people. People with money and influence. He had neither.

During his meandering he passed a pawnshop with various items for sale inside the dirty window. He walked another block and stopped. One of the items in the window had been a small gun. That’s what he needed. He walked slowly back to the pawnshop. He had never been inside one before. He stood at the front window for a minute, afraid to enter.

How much did a used handgun cost? If he said he wanted a gun, would the owner interrogate him—ask him what he wanted it for? Expose his ignorance of firearms? He had never shot a gun, except for a BB gun when he was a child. The draft board had declared him 4-F for a minor physical problem—not related to his bellybutton—so he hadn’t learn how to fire a rifle, courtesy of Uncle Sam, let alone a handgun.

What would he say in answer to questions? He would think of something. His need overcame his trepidation, and he opened the door to the jingling of a bell.

***

They purchased groceries in cold Choteau, Montana. Then they drove from light rain into blue skies as they approached Helena. They crossed the headwaters of the Missouri River at Three Forks where three rivers come together: the Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatin.

All this time, whether she was driving or riding as a passenger, Penny had been thinking how wonderful Gary was. He was cheerful and attentive to her. He was supportive of her, but not domineering. He enjoyed sightseeing as much as she did. If she had any doubts about marrying him before, they had evaporated.

She filled him in on the details of what Alfred had done to her, now that they were separated from him. She told him she had punched Alfred. He laughed and said that since she had punched him, he didn’t need to. She told him he had asked her to run away with him. Gary became very upset, but Penny assured him that she had told Alfred in no uncertain terms that she would never do that.

She loved Gary too much and told him so. She would give herself to him without reserve tonight. He deserved it.

***

A half hour after he had walked into the pawnshop, Alfred walked out with a gun in his jacket pocket. He also had some bullets and knowledge of how to load it, how to work the safety, and how to fire it. It had taken almost his last dollar, and he’d haggled to get the price down to one he could afford. He felt surer of himself, more powerful, knowing that he had a weapon.

What he had to do next was to replenish his money supply. He continued to drive south toward Yellowstone. The afternoon wore on. He was getting hungry, but he didn’t have any money to buy food. In one of the towns along the route he spotted a grocery store. He pulled into the parking lot and backed his car into a corner stall where he had a view of the entrance.

He knew grocery stores. He felt comfortable inside them. He sat in his car and watched shoppers go in and out, trying to get up his nerve. He pictured how the interior of the store would look—where the checkout counter would be located, close to the entrance. He knew cash registers. He knew that checkers often placed their large bills underneath the money tray. In order to get all the money, you had to lift the tray.

This was a mom and pop store, much smaller than the one he had worked at in Lomita. It didn’t have as many customers, and it wouldn’t have as much money in the till. He didn’t need a lot of money—just enough to tide him over until he could get back to work.

The sun set, and he began to have hunger pangs. All he’d had to eat since breakfast were some snacks. He kept track of who went in and out of the store, and he was certain that there were no customers inside at the moment. This was the time to act. His stomach started churning, and he wondered whether he would throw up. He swallowed to keep the bile down. He would feel a lot better when he had the money and was far away from here.

Alfred took one bullet and carefully placed it in the chamber of the gun, following the instructions of the pawnshop owner. He had considered leaving the gun empty, but having it loaded gave him more confidence. He wouldn’t feel as if he were bluffing, even though he had no intention of firing the gun.

He left the car keys in the ignition and the door unlocked. He put up the hood of his jacket and sauntered toward the entrance of the store, his hands in his jacket pockets where he could feel the comforting hardness of the gun. He went inside and was glad that the man near the checkout counter had his back turned to him. He was placing some cans on a shelf.

The man was older and thinner. Alfred was heavier and should be able to overpower him, if that became necessary. He was confident that it wouldn’t, but it was comforting to be dealing with somebody smaller.

He wanted to verify that nobody else was in the store. He strolled down one of the few aisles, grabbing a bag of potato chips on the way. He quickly checked the other aisles. The store was empty except for the clerk.

Taking a deep breath, Alfred walked to the checkout counter and plunked his bag of chips down. The man turned away from the cans and came to the counter. He wore glasses and peered at Alfred through the lenses with a slight squint.

“This all for you?” he asked.

Alfred nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

The man rang it up and said, “That’ll be thirty-nine cents.”

Alfred still couldn’t say anything. He froze for what seemed an eternity. He felt like an actor who had forgotten his lines. To cover his discomfiture he reached for his wallet.

“Gonna get some rain tonight.” The man waited patiently for him to produce his money.

Alfred had been driving through light rain part of the day. He nodded and fumbled with his wallet. He pulled out his last dollar bill and handed it to the man. He felt a sense of relief. Maybe he would just pay for the potato chips and leave. The man probably ran the store with his wife. He had a family. He wasn’t rich. He couldn’t afford to lose his day’s receipts. He was just trying to keep the wolf from the door.

The man opened the drawer of the cash register. He took out coins for change. Alfred saw the bills stacked neatly by denomination. There was enough money there to last him for a week. He needed that money.

He cleared his throat and said, “I’ll take it all.”

“Pardon?” The man turned his head toward him.

He reached his hand toward Alfred with the coins. Alfred had mumbled, and the man apparently hadn’t understood him—or he had pretended not to understand him. Alfred could still take the coins and get out of there. No harm done. But he was hungry, and it was getting cold outside. He needed to find a place to stay.

He jerked the gun out of his pocket and said, “Give me all your bills.”

The man looked at the gun and then at Alfred’s face. His eyes widened, but he didn’t show any other emotion. He carefully scooped the bills out of each of the containers, his hands trembling a little. He placed them together in a single stack and handed them to Alfred.

That was easy. “Underneath. Lift the tray.” Alfred made a lifting gesture with his hands.

The man lifted the tray. There were checks underneath, but no bills. Alfred didn’t want the checks. He had the cash. He needed to get out of there. But first he would tell the man to lie on the floor and not move for ten minutes, so he wouldn’t see Alfred’s car.

Before he could do that, the man said, “I’ve got more money in the safe under here.”

He stooped, facing the counter in front of Alfred. Alfred hadn’t thought to ask about a safe. He couldn’t see what the man was doing, but he could hear a noise that might be the turning of the dial of a combination lock. He looked nervously at the entrance to the store and hoped the man would hurry.

There was a click and a creak that must be the door of the safe swinging open. The man looked as if he were reaching inside. Then he started to stand up. Alfred leaned forward over the counter and saw a glint of metal. He pulled the trigger of his gun without meaning to. Reflex.

The sharp noise of the shot startled Alfred. His safety had been off. He looked at his gun, not believing that he had really fired it. The man groaned and disappeared from view. For a split second Alfred stood there. Then, heart pounding, he shoved the gun into his jacket pocket. He took two quick steps around the end of the counter and looked down at the man. He was lying on the floor, clutching his chest. Red blood pulsed from between his fingers. His expression as he tried to focus on Alfred was accusing.

Alfred ran for the entrance. He banged his shoulder into the door to open it. He stumbled and then raced for his car, ignoring his sore calves. He opened the door with one hand, slid onto the seat, and threw the bills down with his other hand. He turned the key. The car started with a roar as he depressed the accelerator.

Suddenly he knew he was going to vomit. He opened the door and leaned over the asphalt, heaving his guts out. Some of the odiferous mess didn’t make it to the ground. It ended up in the car. He continued to retch long after his stomach was empty. Sweat poured down his face, and he felt as if he were burning up.

Finally the retching stopped. He sat for a minute, trying to control his breathing and his heartbeat. He closed the door and forced himself to concentrate. He shoved the shift lever into drive and tried to pull forward. The car moved under protest. What was the matter? Damn. The emergency brake was on. He released the brake, pulled out of the parking lot, and roared off into the night.

CHAPTER 16

They had entered Yellowstone National Park at Gardiner, Montana. Now they were in Wyoming at the Mammoth Hot Springs Campground. Snug and warm in their double sleeping bag, while wolves—or were they coyotes—howled on the mountainsides.

Warm even though they were naked, their bodies pressed together like ham and cheese in a sandwich. Penny was especially amorous tonight. Gary had never suspected that married life could be so good. On the eighth day of their marriage he was sold on the institution.

***

The red light that appeared in Alfred’s rearview mirror was quickly followed by the sound of a siren. Shit. It was a cop. For the last half hour he’d been driving south toward Wyoming as fast as he could navigate the roads at night, hardly slowing down for the villages along the way. He was going through one now.

He considered trying to outrun the cop but quickly rejected the idea. That would bring the whole state of Montana down on him. He needed to get this resolved quickly. He slowed down, pulled off the road, and stopped. The red light stopped behind him. His heart was pounding again. He took a quick look around the car and saw the stack of bills sitting on the seat beside him. He opened the glove compartment and shoved them inside. Then he remembered the gun. He took it out of his pocket, threw it into the glove compartment, and slammed the door shut.

Through his outside mirror he could see the cop approaching, looking large and dark and menacing in his broad-brimmed hat. Alfred cranked down his window and tried to compose himself. He pulled his wallet out of his pocket.

The cop came up to the window and said, “Do you know how fast you were going?” He spoke slowly, with a drawl.

“No sir.”

“Thirty miles over the speed limit. May I see your driver’s license?”

Alfred handed it to him. He unhooked his registration from the steering column where he kept it because California law required it to be visible. He gave that to the officer, on request.

The policeman studied the documents. “You Californians think you can come out here and drive any way you like. We got laws here, you know. It’s not just cowboys and Indians.”

His head was right at the window. Alfred heard him sniff the air. He smelled the vomit. Alfred had driven for a while with the window open, trying to get rid of the smell, even though he froze doing it.

“Would you step out of the car please?” the officer asked, but it wasn’t really a question.

Alfred complied. The cop asked him to walk a few steps.

“Have you been drinking?”

“No sir.”

“You don’t look drunk. But that’s a healthy odor in your car. Actually, more of a nauseating odor. I don’t see how you can stand it.”

“I…I was feeling sick. Something I ate.” Actually, he hadn’t eaten. His hunger pangs had returned.

“I’m going to have to ask you to follow me to the station. Here are your options. Since you’re from out of state, we can’t just let you go. You can post bail and then leave. Or you can stay the night and go up before the Justice of the Peace in the morning.”

Alfred knew he’d better be on his best behavior. The officer went back to his car and made a U-turn. Alfred followed him. Five minutes later they were at the police station. Alfred took some of the money from the glove compartment and placed it in his wallet before he got out of the car. The station was located in a small building. Inside, one other officer sat at a desk. The cop who had stopped Alfred explained the situation to the other one.

The second officer grinned amiably and spoke to Alfred. “Well, son, bail is fifty dollars. You can pay that now and go merrily on your way. Or you can stay with us tonight, courtesy of the Bozeman Police Department, and talk to the JP in the morning. We got a spare cot in the room there.”

He indicated a small room with an open door. Alfred could see an army cot through the doorway.

“What will the fine be?”

“Probably about twenty dollars.”

So he could save thirty dollars and have a free place to stay tonight. That was tempting. Reality intruded. The man at the store had undoubtedly been found by now. Some kind of a bulletin must have been issued. Didn’t cops trade information with each other? Since he was coming from the direction of the shooting, he would be a natural suspect.

A teletype machine started clanking next to the seated officer. Alfred could read some of the words that were printing on roll paper from his side of the counter. He saw the word “store” and the word “robbery.” He made out the word “murder.” My God, the man was dead. He had killed him. He had to get out of there. Fortunately, the officer was ignoring the teletype at the moment. But he would be reading it soon enough.

“Well, I’ve got an appointment in Billings tomorrow.” Alfred tried to look casual and sound important. “I’ve got a deal going. I’ll post bail.”

He produced his wallet and counted out fifty dollars. That was a good chunk of his take. He chafed while the officer took his time about completing the paperwork, trying not to get sick again. When it was finished, he forced himself to walk, not run, to his car and drive away at a moderate speed.

***

Alfred knew he had to ditch his car and get another one. He hated the thought, but he had to do it. And he had to do it damn fast, before he turned south toward Wyoming and gave away his direction. The cops had recorded his license plate, and the two-tone Ford Fairlane was too distinctive, anyway.

The car was paid for and it was his. He had a lot of good memories associated with this car. It had always been faithful to him, unlike the people he knew. But now it had to go. It would be a magnet for the cops now that they had his license number and description. He hadn’t meant to kill the man. If only the fellow hadn’t acted so suspiciously…

Alfred cruised slowly through the next town, wondering how to go about acquiring another car. He wasn’t skilled at breaking into cars, and he didn’t know how to hot-wire one. He drove into a residential area where cars were sitting on streets and driveways in profusion. He parked the Ford. Taking the gun and the rest of the money with him, he strolled along a street.

Even though it was Friday night, all was quiet. A few of the houses had lights showing through their curtains. He kept looking up and down the street for signs of people as he cautiously tried a few car doors. They were locked. Even if he got into a car, he wouldn’t know what to do next.

Maybe it would be enough if he switched license plates. That would be easy to do; he had a screwdriver in the toolkit in his trunk. That would enable him to keep his car, at least until he got back to Los Angeles. Then he would worry about the next step.

He turned around and was walking back toward his car when he saw lights coming down the street toward him. He assumed the appearance and pace of a casual stroller as the car went by him. It turned into a driveway just a few doors past Alfred and immediately stopped. The driver’s door opened, and a teenage boy got out. He walked around the car and opened the passenger door. He handed a girl out of the car. At least he had manners. They walked together up to the front door. He could see them kissing.

The girl opened the door to the house. She was saying goodnight. Alfred was about to turn back toward his own car when he saw the boy follow her inside. The door closed behind them. What impressed Alfred was that the driver’s door of the car was still open.

He had to check. This might be too good an opportunity to pass up. He strolled across the street, keeping his eyes on the door of the house. He walked quickly up the driveway to the car and glanced inside. He saw the key in the ignition. This must be a low-crime area.

He glanced at the house again. If the boy came out now, he would say he was shutting the car door. There was no movement from the house. Alfred quickly got into the car. It was a Ford Falcon with a manual, three-speed transmission. Fortunately, Alfred had learned to drive in a car with a manual transmission.

He put the gearshift into neutral and released the brake. The car coasted backwards down the inclined driveway and into the street. Alfred turned the steering wheel and stopped the Falcon when it faced the direction in which he wanted to go. He started the car, shifted into first gear, and drove slowly away, hoping that the engine noise wouldn’t arouse the suspicions of the owner.

He made several quick turns and then headed out of town. After a few minutes, he stopped behind another car in a deserted area. He would make this a foolproof operation. He got out and opened the trunk. He found a small toolkit, mostly by feel. With the help of the car’s dome light, he located a screwdriver inside the kit. It took him five minutes to switch his plates with those of the parked car.

Now he had Montana plates, but not the ones the police would be looking for. The aluminum-colored plates with the outline of the state of Montana blended in nicely with those of the other cars on the road. They wouldn’t attract the attention that California plates would in this part of the country. The parked car from which he had taken the plates had the dirty windows of a vehicle that hadn’t been driven for a while. It might be days or weeks before the switched plates were discovered.

Alfred had to do one more thing. He headed out of town on the highway and stopped where there were no houses in sight. He took his gun out of the glove compartment and wiped it off with his handkerchief. That would get rid of the fingerprints. He wrapped the gun in the handkerchief and slid it into his pocket.

He got out of the car and walked into a patch of woods by the light of the moon. The trees were far enough apart that the moonlight marked a path through the trees, perhaps a path used by animals, or perhaps it was just his imagination and there wasn’t really a path at all. But he liked to think that the moon acted as his ally and showed him the way to safety and success.

He walked until he was far enough from the road that a casual stroller or someone having to pee wouldn’t come this far. He picked up a branch that had a sharp point where it had snapped off a tree in a windstorm. With a grunt he shoved it into the dirt. The forest floor was soft from the recent rains, and he was able to penetrate it.

Using the branch, sometimes as a pick, sometimes as a shovel, he dug a hole. It was hard work. Soon sweat was streaming down his face, despite the coolness of the evening. He had to stop and rest several times. When the hole reached the depth of a foot or so, he dropped the gun into it and covered it with the accumulated dirt. He stamped on the dirt to pack it down and then used the other end of the branch, which still had twigs attached to it, as a rake to smooth out the ground in the vicinity of the hole.

Satisfied with his work, he tossed the branch away. The gun was the only evidence that connected him with what had happened at the market. May it rest in peace. Alfred thought about erecting a small cross to mark the spot and smiled at the idea. He wasn’t just your garden variety dumb criminal. He knew how to cover his tracks. He returned to the Falcon and drove toward Wyoming.

CHAPTER 17

Penny had promised to call her mother several times during the trip, so she took advantage of a pay phone at the Wildlife Museum in Mammoth, just inside the north entrance to Yellowstone National Park. It was Sunday afternoon in Connecticut. Her mother answered on the third ring.

When Penny said hello, her mother said, “Did the police find you?” She sounded excited.

“The police? Mom, what are you talking about?”

“They called me this morning. They said that boy from your class shot a clerk in a food store.”

“What boy in my class?” Penny’s mother didn’t always make sense when she was excited.

“You know, the boy with the big head and ears and the potbelly.”

“Alfred? Are you talking about Alfred Ward?”

“Yes, Alfred. He’s the one. I remember that he always seemed to be a little bit out of step with you other kids.”

“Mom, tell me again what Alfred did.”

“He shot somebody. A clerk in a food store, I believe. Anyway, the man is dead.”

Alfred shot somebody? He was weird, but Penny didn’t consider him to be dangerous in a physical sense. “Where was this?”

“Somewhere in Montana. The police called from Montana.”

The conversation was unreal. Penny looked for Gary. He wasn’t in sight. She said, “Did Alfred get arrested?”

“No. They don’t know where he is, but they think he might be looking for you.”

It was getting more and more confusing. “Why did the police call you?”

“Because Alfred had your yearbook picture in his car. You know, the one in your cheerleader uniform.”

“I thought you said they didn’t know where Alfred is.”

“They don’t, but they found his car.”

Okay, she would accept that. “So he had my picture in his car? And they traced the picture to Fenwick High School?”

“That’s right. Please be careful, Penny dear. Alfred is a dangerous character.”

Maybe her mother was right. Their meeting with Alfred in Seattle couldn’t be just a coincidence if he had her picture. She didn’t want her mother to worry. “We’re safe, Mom. We’re in Yellowstone. He’ll never find us here.”

“The police want you to call them collect. I wrote down the number. I put it here somewhere. Just a minute.”

While her mother was searching for the phone number, Penny spotted Gary buying postcards. When she caught his eye she waved frantically for him to come to the phone. He took his time coming, which made her mad, almost the first time she could remember being mad at him. Then she realized it was because of the tension she was feeling.

Her mother came back on the phone. “I’ve got the number. Do you have a pencil and paper? The police want you to call them right away.”

Penny wrote down the number. She didn’t want to hang up abruptly on her mother, so she chatted about where they were and what they had done. She told a couple of funny stories about their experiences, but she didn’t mention that they had been with Alfred. She didn’t want her mother to worry about her. When her mother seemed calmer, Penny said good-bye and hung up.

By this time, Gary had been cooling his heels for several minutes. Penny blurted out, “Alfred killed somebody.”

“Huh?”

“He shot a clerk in a food store.” She was acting as disjointed as her mother, so she took a deep breath to slow herself down and told Gary what she knew.

“He’s been following us,” were the first words out of Gary’s mouth. “He’s crazy. It’s a good thing we got away from him when we did, and that we didn’t give him specific information about where we were going in Yellowstone.”

“I have to call this number,” Penny said. “Maybe the police can tell us more.”

She dialed the operator and told her she wanted to make a collect call. After the officer who answered accepted the call, she was asked to wait and impatiently suffered on hold for thirty seconds. Then a man came on the line and said, “Detective Landon.”

Penny identified herself. In response to his questions, she acknowledged that she knew Alfred and that she had seen him recently. She asked how they knew he had murdered someone.

“Shortly after the murder, he was stopped for speeding in another town. He posted bail, but when the officers in that town received news of the killing, they immediately informed us about him, because he had acted suspiciously. We put out an APB for his car, and it was found apparently abandoned three or four hours later. Inside we discovered several bullets that were the same make and caliber as the one in the victim’s body.”

“Did you find a gun?”

“We haven’t located the murder weapon. Or Alfred Ward. We think he may have taken another car that was stolen from a driveway not far from where his car was found. We have an APB out for that car.”

“Do you know where he’s headed?”

“He told one officer he was going to Billings, but based on other evidence in the car, we suspect he may be following you.”

“What other evidence?” Penny looked at Gary. He must have seen the fear on her face, because he was paying close attention to what she was saying.

“We found a spiral notebook in the car. Did you recently get married in Reno?”

“That’s our notebook.”

“And there were several pictures of you.”

“More than one?”

“Yes. I’d like to meet with you. Where are you now?”

“Mammoth, in Yellowstone.”

“It’ll be a while before I can get away. Can you meet me at the coffee shop at Mammoth Hot Springs at six o’clock this afternoon?”

Penny agreed.

Detective Landon told her to watch for Alfred. He described the car Alfred was suspected of having stolen, including the license plate number.

“Do you think he’ll find us here?”

“Your plans for Yellowstone, as stated in the notebook, are pretty general. And, of course, he no longer has the notebook. We have the Park Service employees at the entrances to Yellowstone looking for his car, but I would certainly keep an eye out for him.”

Penny hung up the phone in a state of shock and said to Gary, “He’s got our notebook.”

“So that’s what happened to it. He must have taken it out of our tent at Crater Lake. No wonder he knew where to find us. Although that doesn’t tell us how he followed us to Crater Lake.”

“Gary, he’s the one who had you arrested and disrupted our wedding.”

“But the description the woman at the chapel gave was that of a man who had long hair and a beard.”

“And a potbelly.”

“My God. I think you’re right. He could have shaved off his beard. He must have followed us all the way from Los Angeles. Which means that he knew where you lived there. That boy is sick.”

“I never did anything to encourage him—to lead him on.”

“It’s not your fault, honey. As I said, he’s sick.

“But he must think…. Anyway, we’re meeting the detective at the coffee shop here at six. He thinks Alfred is still following us.”

“It sure sounds like it.”

“And he may still have a gun. What shall we do now?”

Gary thought for a minute. “Let’s stay on the move. I think it’s the safest thing we can do. We can spot his car easier on the road, but Yellowstone is a big place. There’s a good chance he’ll never find us. Anyway, I’ll protect you.”