Honeymoon for Three (16 page)

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.”

Gary gave her a hug. Penny felt better in
his arms. Could he really protect her from Alfred with a gun? He
might get shot. She would never forgive herself for that.

***

Alfred was feeling remorse about giving up
his car. He loved that car. He should have been able to figure out
a way to keep it. If only that man hadn’t tried to pull a gun on
him. Or had he? Alfred didn’t remember actually seeing a gun, only
a glint of metal. And then blood. Lots of blood. He hadn’t meant to
shoot. He thought the safety was on.

Oh well, no use crying over spilt milk, as
his grandmother used to say. He had slept in the car on a side
road, not trusting himself to register at a motel. The police knew
his name. He could register under an assumed name, but he had never
done that before, and he might make people suspicious by his
nervousness. And, of course, his California driver’s license would
give him away, if he had to show it.

The inside of the Falcon wasn’t as large as
that of his Fairlane. He had been uncomfortable and cold while
trying to sleep, even wearing his jacket. His stomach had growled
all night, since he hadn’t eaten much yesterday.

Now he was thawing out at a café with plenty
of hot coffee and good food. Trying to figure out what to do next.
He was determined to kill Gary. Gary wouldn’t be his first. Killing
Gary wouldn’t make much difference in what would happen to him. It
might be his last grand gesture. If he couldn’t have Penny, Gary
couldn’t either.

He wondered whether he would have a problem
getting into Yellowstone. He had to pay an entrance fee; that was
no problem. The Park Service employees might be on the lookout for
the stolen car, but if they were looking for the plates that were
on the car when he had taken it, they wouldn’t find them. They
might also have a description of him. What could he do about
that?

The day was warming up. He took off his
jacket and put it in the trunk. Underneath he was wearing a
sweatshirt that the police hadn’t seen. He bought a pair of
sunglasses and put them on. He also bought a cheap version of a
cowboy hat. The kind they sold to souvenir hunters. Really cheap.
Made of straw, or something like that. He had left a baseball cap
in his car, but this hat would help him blend in with the local
population.

He had also left some of his clothes and the
pictures of Penny in his car. He hadn’t even remembered to bring
the treasured pictures. Damn it. Actually, once he took the new
car, he didn’t have time to stop and retrieve anything from his own
car. Well, seeing her again would make up for not having the
pictures.

Confident now that he wouldn’t have any
trouble getting into Yellowstone, he drove south toward
Wyoming.

***

Gary placed his eye up to the viewfinder and
focused on the herd of Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep. As a ram with
large curling horns came into profile, he fired away. He and Penny
had been following the sheep up the Mt. Washburn trail.

Mt. Washburn was a ten thousand footer, and
it was highly unlikely that Alfred would hike up here, even if he
found their car at the trailhead. His recent history at Sperry
Chalet told Gary that. They were about as safe on the mountain as
they would be anywhere.

Gary loved this kind of outdoor adventure.
Sure it was windy, but that was part of the fun. Penny seemed to
like it, too. She certainly enjoyed seeing all the animals they had
spotted today, including moose, elk, bears, antelope, horses,
chipmunks, and now sheep.

As they approached the peak, Gary saw a fire
tower on top. They could climb that and get a good view of
Yellowstone. When they went back down the mountain, they would have
to keep a sharp eye out for Alfred. Gary had vowed to protect
Penny, and he would do it.

***

Everybody who visited Yellowstone went to
see Old Faithful. The geyser that erupted regularly day and night
had achieved fame throughout the world. As predictable as a
Disneyland ride, the fact that nature and not man had created it
made it better than the mouse kingdom.

Everybody included Penny and Gary. They had
presumably been sightseeing in the park since this morning. They
planned to be here for several days. They would get to Old Faithful
tomorrow, or the next day at the latest.

Alfred would be there waiting for them. He
had a new resolve. He couldn’t do anything worse than he had
already done. He wouldn’t have been forced into killing that man if
Gary hadn’t enslaved Penny. Circumstances had made Alfred the way
he was. It wasn’t his fault. He deserved revenge. He would see that
Gary got his just desserts.

He hadn’t had any trouble getting into
Yellowstone. It had been ridiculously easy. The Park Service
employee had barely glanced at him as he paid the entrance fee.
Maybe the police weren’t looking for him. Maybe he had made a
mountain out of a clump of dirt. Nothing tied him to the murder.
There were no witnesses. The only person who could connect him with
the gun was the pawnshop manager, but the gun wouldn’t be found for
years, if ever.

He was home free. Free to take care of Gary.
He watched for Gary’s Volkswagen as he drove south toward Old
Faithful. If he spotted it, fine. If not, the day of reckoning
would come at the geyser.

CHAPTER 18

The coffee shop was rustic, with wooden
benches in the booths. Gary and Penny arrived about a quarter to
six, because Penny hated to be late for anything. The sound of a
dozen conversations kept the noise level high enough so that they
would be able to talk without anybody overhearing.

Rather than sit and wait for Detective
Landon, they ordered dinner. Exhausted after a day of sightseeing
and hiking, they didn’t have enough energy to cook dinner at the
campground.

At least they hadn’t seen Alfred. With any
luck, he would be arrested, and the danger would end. Penny
certainly hoped so. During the day she had racked her brain, trying
to remember whether she had ever led Alfred on. She had been
friendly to him, but she had been friendly to everybody at her high
school, even the students the snobs ignored. She felt that all
human beings deserved fair treatment.

She and Emily had also been friendly to
Darren, the janitor at Fenwick High School, and he had killed
Emily. Friendship apparently wasn’t any guarantee that the friend
wouldn’t turn on you.

Why Alfred would think she had a special
interest in him she didn’t know. He had never given any indication
of having a crush on her, but apparently he had taken her picture
out of the class yearbook and carried it around with him. Plus
other pictures. She wondered what other pictures he had. Was it her
fault that he was infatuated with her?

“Are you Penny Blanchard?”

Penny started. She had seen the young man
come into the coffee shop, but he was too young and preppy to be a
detective, with his cable-knit sweater over a button-down shirt.
She had pegged him for a college student. She wasn’t used to
answering to her new last name, and it took a couple of seconds
before she realized that he was speaking to her.

She looked up at his freckled face under
reddish hair and said, “Yes, I’m Penny.”

“I’m Detective Landon.” He offered his hand.
“You look just like your picture.”

She shook his hand and said, “How do you do?
This is my husband, Gary.”

“Don’t stand up,” Detective Landon said as
Gary made an effort to unwedge himself from his booth seat.

They reached out and shook hands and
murmured greetings to each other. Gary moved over to give the
detective room to sit down beside him. He was carrying a briefcase
that he placed on the floor.

At that moment the waitress brought their
salads.

“We were hungry, so we ordered dinner,” Gary
said. “Would you like something to eat?”

“No thanks,” Detective Landon said quickly.
“Maybe a cup of coffee.”

The waitress nodded and scurried away.

“Did you find Alfred?” Penny asked.

The detective shook his head. “Haven’t seen
hide nor hair of him. No word that he’s come into the park, but I’d
still be careful if I were you two.”

“Why did he kill the man in the grocery
store?”

“Probably because he needed money. He got
several hundred dollars.”

“But killing him. I didn’t think he was
violent.”

“The clerk had a gun, although he didn’t get
a chance to fire it.”

“Are you sure Alfred did it?” Gary
asked.

“Pretty sure. The bullets in his car match
the one in the body. From his direction and speed when he was
stopped, it appears that he would have been at the store about the
time the murder occurred. What I’d like to do now is find out when
you last saw him.”

He was looking at Penny. His blue eyes were
kindly, but she sensed that she’d better tell him everything.

“Two days ago.”

Detective Landon cleared a space on the
table for his briefcase, opened it, and took out a small notebook.
He started taking notes with a ballpoint pen.

“We first ran into him in Seattle.”

Penny related that experience while the
detective wrote. He asked occasional questions, and Gary filled in
some of the details. The waitress delivered the detective’s coffee
and then their dinners. The dinners sat uneaten, as did their
salads.

They told him about Alfred showing up at
Sperry Chalet in Glacier National Park and how they helped him get
down the trail. How he pleaded that he was too sore to drive. Penny
told how Alfred asked her to run off with him, but not about his
threat of blackmail.