Honeymoon for Three

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