Honeymoon for Three (26 page)

This was galling. Penny did not like being
told what to do in the best of times, and she hated being
physically restrained. If she got out of this mess, nobody would
ever tell her what to do again.

***

More campgrounds existed along this stretch
of Route 1 than Gary thought. Not only public campgrounds but
private campgrounds such as KOA—Kampgrounds of America. He stopped
at each one. He drove through the larger ones and walked through
the smaller ones.

He didn’t know what he was looking for. Some
sort of car, probably. A lack of camping equipment. Would they be
sleeping in the car? Gary didn’t want to think about the sleeping
arrangements. If he did, he might kill Alfred when he found him.
Since they didn’t have camping equipment, wouldn’t they stay in a
motel? Alfred didn’t have much money. Otherwise, why would he have
robbed the food store? They had been told he hadn’t gotten a lot of
money from that. Penny had no money with her. He had found her
wallet in the Beetle.

How would Alfred prevent Penny from
escaping? Would he keep her tied up? She was feisty and wouldn’t
like that. How could he keep her hidden? Maybe somebody would see
her and report it to the Highway Patrol. It was a faint hope, but
he had nothing else to cling to.

This was an arduous process. Gary could
easily spend all night doing this. Well, he might as well. It would
keep his body and mind occupied. He certainly wasn’t going to be
able to sleep.

***

Fort Bragg was an actual city, albeit not a
large one. It had streets and people and even traffic lights. One
would think it would offer an opportunity for Penny to escape. It
might have, if Alfred hadn’t been as clever as he was. Penny
couldn’t open her door or her window. She couldn’t even get up and
hop to the sliding door.

She could pound on her window and mouth
words to somebody who wouldn’t understand what she was saying.
Alfred would retaliate; she knew that. No, there would be a better
time. And place.

They were soon past Fort Bragg, driving
along the rugged coast, where the sea lions and otters ruled,
swimming and diving amidst the treacherous rocks that dotted the
water near the shore. Seagulls were everywhere, staining the rocks
with icky white pooh. Route 1 skirted Mendocino, because that city
is located on a peninsula sticking out into the ocean. There were
no other significant centers of population for a long way.

The sun was dropping toward the water like a
sky diver whose parachute has just opened, slowly but inexorably.
Penny suggested several campgrounds where they could spend the
night. Campgrounds that might afford opportunities to escape.
Alfred listened to her, but he didn’t say anything. If fact, he
hadn’t been talking much at all. For somebody who was trying to woo
her…

He slowed down. Penny wondered what he was
doing. He pulled off Route 1 onto a dirt road that led inland, up
into the hills. Away from the coast and even more deserted than the
coast. Her heart sank. He had no intention of staying at a
campground. He drove for several miles, bumping along on the uneven
surface, filled with ruts and rocks. She wondered whether the
camper would get stuck. If it did, would that be good or bad? Or
maybe he would drive off a cliff. But he drove carefully. He wasn’t
suicidal.

Alfred found a level place he liked and
parked the camper under some redwood trees. Silent sentinels,
watching over the land, but they weren’t watching out for her,
Penny thought.

“Take off the tape, and I’ll cook dinner for
us,” Penny said.

Actually, she hadn’t won any awards for
cooking. She and Gary had been preparing simple meals on the trip.
Growing up, she hadn’t done much more than boil water. She had
driven out to California with two girlfriends two years before,
right after college, and although they had teaching jobs lined up,
the jobs didn’t start until September. They wouldn’t get paid until
October. They had almost run out of money.

Penny’s aunt and uncle in Goleta took pity
on them and gave them a place to stay until school started, but
they had to get jobs. Penny lined up a job as a short order cook at
Santa Claus Lane, near Goleta. She was supposed to start the same
evening. She was petrified, because she knew she would botch it.
She spent her last dollar on lunch and walked into the Goleta
bookstore.

She talked as she had never talked before to
convince the owner to hire her, telling him about her bookstore
experience in accounting and inventory control, some of which was
actually true. She would have done anything to get that job. Well,
almost anything. He gave her the job. At the end of the summer,
when she told him she was leaving, he told her that he had hired
her just to find out what her real story was.

Before she and Gary left on their honeymoon,
she purchased a Fannie Farmer cookbook, in preparation for her
domestic duties in their apartment. She hadn’t read it yet.

Alfred surveyed the area. Penny followed his
eyes. She could run into the trees, but where would she go? He must
have decided it was safe, because he untaped her legs. She put on
her shoes and got out of the camper. She had to exit through the
sliding door, because the lock on the passenger door was still
taped down. Once on the ground, she was glad to be able to stretch.
Alfred got out the Coleman stove while Penny took a look at the
food supply.

She was surprised there was so much—and it
was nutritious. Canned fruits and vegetables. Hamburger in the
refrigerator. Alfred hadn’t stocked it; she was sure of that. Did
he steal the camper with the food already in it? He hadn’t said how
he had obtained the vehicle, and she hadn’t asked. She didn’t want
to do or say anything that might make him mad.

While Alfred set the Coleman stove on a flat
rock and started it, Penny checked the utensil drawer for knives.
The only knives she found were dull, not suitable for killing
someone. Her plan to conceal one in her clothes faltered. She
didn’t see any suitable weapons. She might find a rock to hit him
with, but he kept her in sight at all times. She didn’t think she
could get behind him.

It wasn’t difficult for Penny to cook an
edible dinner, utilizing the hamburger and a couple of cans. If
things had been different, she would have been proud of herself.
The refrigerator contained soft drinks, and they had their own
water supply. She found paper plates and cups. They ate at the
table inside the camper.

It was time to talk about sleeping
arrangements. So far, Alfred had shown no inclination to rape her.
He must want something from her. She needed to get him talking.

“I’ll sleep on the top bunk. You can have
the lower one.”

“The lower one is a double. Two people can
sleep on it.”

“Yes, but I don’t want to crowd you.”

“We’ll both sleep on the lower bed.”

He said it with finality. Penny knew better
than to argue. They cleaned up the frying pan and the pots, using
water heated on the stove. She found dish soap, cloths, and towels
among the supplies. When they were through, it was dark outside.
Now what?

“Do you know how to play backgammon?” Alfred
produced a backgammon set from the storage cabinet.

Surprised, Penny said with forced eagerness,
“I’ve always wanted to learn how to play. Teach me.”

The longer she could postpone going to bed,
the better. Although she knew they wouldn’t play backgammon all
night.

CHAPTER 28

What did married couples do in the evening?
Alfred wondered this as he told Penny the rules of the game. Did
they play backgammon? Watch television? Of course, they didn’t have
television here, but they would buy a set when they got back to
L.A. Maybe Penny already owned one. He hadn’t been able to see into
the living room of her apartment to find out.

She seemed to be very interested in learning
how to play backgammon. He was glad of that. She was adjusting to
life with him. They played game after game. After a while, Penny
started beating him. She learned fast. That was all right. She
should win some of the time. It was only fair.

After two hours of playing, Penny said she
wanted to play more. She said she wasn’t sleepy. Well, he was. It
had been a long day. He was ready to enjoy being in bed with her.
That was what being married was all about, after all.

“One more game,” Alfred said. “Then we’re
going to bed.”

***

Those were the words Penny had been
dreading. They finished the game. She decided to try to get him
talking.

“Alfred, you know a lot about what I’ve been
doing, but I know very little about your recent history. In
Seattle, we talked mainly about high school days. Tell me, when did
you come to California?”

Alfred stared into space, as if he were
thinking. Penny wondered whether he would tell her anything.

“About a year ago,” he finally said in a
subdued voice.

“So you came out last summer?”

“Yes.”

Had he been spying on her all this time?
Penny gave an involuntary shudder. Should she try to get him to
admit it? No, that might be dangerous for her. When she said the
words “last summer,” a picture of Emily came into her head.

“So you were in Fenwick when Emily was
killed?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t remember seeing you at her
funeral.”

“I…I was sick. I couldn’t go. I wanted to,
but I couldn’t.”

At least he had given more than a one word
response. “Did you know Darren Filbert?”

“Slightly.” He smiled. “He used to ride his
bicycle to the school. He kept it inside his apartment. It’s a
wonder it wasn’t stolen.”

“Do you think he’s capable of murder?”

Alfred looked at Penny for the first time
since she had started the conversation.

“Why? Don’t you think he did it?”

“He was convicted. He must be guilty. The
police found her bracelet in his apartment. Who else could have
done it?”

“I don’t know. I don’t want to talk about it
anymore. I want to go to bed.”

So much for stalling. Alfred wouldn’t let
her go off by herself in the dark to pee. She had to do it a few
feet from him. He relieved himself at the same time she did.
Ugh.

He produced a toothbrush and toothpaste and
proceeded to brush his teeth. He offered it to her, but she
declined, figuring that in addition to the gross factor of using
someone else’s toothbrush, the worse her breath smelled the better
off she would be. She rinsed her mouth out with water, but that was
all.

Penny climbed into the bed. With Gary she
slept on the left side of the bed. She deliberately moved to the
right side of the camper bed. She didn’t want this night to be
anything like her nights with Gary. She lay on her left side in a
fetal position, as close to the side of the camper as she could
get, and pulled the blankets up to her chin.

Alfred closed the sliding door and said,
“You didn’t take off your clothes.”

“It’s cold.”

“The blankets are warm. Take off your
sweater and pants.”

Penny didn’t move, hoping he wouldn’t
insist.

Alfred ripped the blankets off her. “You
don’t sleep that way with Gary. Take off your sweater and
pants.”

At least he hadn’t asked her to take off all
her clothes. Yet. She sat up and turned toward him so she could
watch his reaction. She pulled the sweater over her head, revealing
her bra. He was looking at her body, but he seemed to be focusing
lower than her breasts. She unzipped her pants and slid them off
her legs. She thought Alfred was concentrating on her stomach. At
least it was flat, unlike his. But then she realized that he was
looking at her navel.

In the past, having a man look at her like
that would sometimes make her tingle. Now it scared her. She
hesitated, wondering whether he would ask her to take off her
underwear. He didn’t say anything, so she scooted back under the
covers, relieved. He didn’t know that with Gary she usually slept
in the nude.

Alfred turned out the dome light of the
camper. They were in almost complete darkness. Penny lifted her
head to see what he was doing. It appeared that he was also taking
off his outer garments. In the dark. He was a prude. He didn’t want
her to see him undress. This gave a slight lift to her spirits. She
felt the balance of power shift a little.

He climbed into the bed, being careful not
to touch her. A further lift to her spirits. She went back to the
fetal position against the side of the camper. Alfred settled down,
and all was quiet. Penny almost didn’t breathe, her ears alert to
the slightest movement on his part. Five minutes passed.

She felt his hand on her back. She tensed.
Now it was going to happen. She was prepared to fight for her
honor. She would die before she would let him have sex with her.
That was Gary’s exclusive territory. Alfred’s hand slipped around
her waist until it reached—her navel.

She remembered the evening in the campground
when they had taken a walk together. He had gone for her navel
then, too. Detective Landon’s analysis that Alfred had a navel
fetish was correct. He began to investigate her navel with his
finger. Penny didn’t like his hand on her, but it could be a lot
worse. If this was all he wanted, she could stand it.

“Alfred, I want the light on. I-I’m scared
of the dark.”

He didn’t say anything. He kept playing with
her navel. Penny sat up on the bed, cast off the blankets, and
swung her legs around, leaving his hand behind. She slid to the
floor of the camper, feeling the cool night air on her body. At
least she was still wearing socks so her feet wouldn’t get cold.
She had watched Alfred turn off the dome light, and she was able to
find the switch by feel. She turned it back on.

She swiveled back toward the bed and saw
that Alfred was now the one with the covers up to his neck. He was
looking at her with an expression she couldn’t interpret. Surprise?
Uncertainty? She lifted the sheet and blankets high enough to see
what Alfred was wearing, and then slid back under them. A T-shirt
and boxer shorts. Not the most appropriate costume for seducing a
girl.