Honeymoon for Three

of here, perhaps at Trinidad or McKinleyville. He could drive to them in a few minutes.
    Which way would Alfred be taking Penny? Gary remembered that he had been living in Lomita, very close to her. Would he head in that direction? What would a rational kidnapper do? Was there any such thing as a rational kidnapper? Was Alfred rational? How could he be? He had killed one person; he had tried to kill them. He was obsessed with Penny. Rational was not a word that applied to Alfred.
    Gary started the VW and headed south. He was moving at close to the top speed of the little car when he caught a logging truck. He couldn’t safely pass it, so he rode in its slipstream. These trucks really moved, and although he was anxious and impatient, he realized he couldn’t do much better than to cruise in its wake. He arrived at the village of Trinidad in fewer than fifteen minutes.
    He stopped at the first gas station he came to and asked directions. He found out that the sheriff’s station was in McKinleyville, a little farther south. Another ten minutes and he was there. He parked in front of the building and went inside. When the deputy on duty asked him what he wanted, he blurted out, “I think my wife has been kidnapped.”
    ***
    Alfred was determined not to get stopped for speeding. He had been stopped for speeding in Montana, and, as a result, he been forced to give up his car. If he were stopped now, the police would see Penny with the tape over her mouth. There was no way he could hide her completely, unless he placed her on the top bunk and crammed her into the back of the camper where she wouldn’t be visible from ground level. He would have to tape her so securely that she couldn’t move at all.
    He wouldn’t do that, even if he could somehow get her up there. Not if he wanted her to love him. He could put a blanket over her head while she was on the lower bunk, but the shape of her body would be suspicious to a cop. He would just have to drive carefully. At least he wasn’t driving a stolen car. Mattie had been very kind to him. He would have to return the camper to her when he was through with it. Or at least write her a note and tell her where to find it.
    Alfred decided not to try to drive all the way home in one day. It would be too hard on him, since he had to do all the driving. He had a camper. He would find a nice campground, north of San Francisco. Camping wasn’t so bad when you had a vehicle like this. He had food and water. Penny would enjoy it. She liked camping. They could do it if he could trust her.
    In addition, he needed time to win Penny over. The sooner he could do that, the better life would be. Maybe he could do it tonight. Tomorrow he would drive the rest of the way home. He couldn’t actually go to his apartment, at least not until he knew whether the police were still looking for him. She and Gary were moving into a new apartment. He and Penny would go there. Instead of Penny and Gary, it would be Penny and Alfred. That sounded better.
    He would get back his job at the grocery store, or maybe work at another one. Penny would teach. Alfred would become a checker and maybe even a store manager. Penny would be proud of him. They would live happily ever after.
    ***
    Penny couldn’t remember when she had ever felt more uncomfortable. Her arms ached from being behind her back, and she had no feeling in her hands. She couldn’t separate her legs. She had cramps from lying in the same position. She had to go to the bathroom.
    There was one ray of light. The single piece of tape over her mouth was not completely effective. She had attempted to open her mouth as soon as Alfred’s back was turned and partially succeeded. She could talk—indistinctly—or even scream. With further effort, by working her lips and jaws, she could probably free her mouth altogether.
    She had to pick the right opportunity, since she knew that Alfred was watching her in the rearview mirror of the camper. She could tell because she could see his eyes in the mirror when she lifted her head and looked forward. She kept her mouth closed, making it look as though it were still securely taped. She didn’t want Alfred to double- or triple-tape her mouth.
    Her discomfort had drowned out her fear. If he were going to kill her, wouldn’t he have already done so? No, he wanted her alive. At least for the moment. He seemed to change his mind more often than the tide changed. If Darren, the gentle janitor at Fenwick High