Honeymoon for Three

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