Honeymoon for Three Page 19

  “Okay, but tape my hands in front. My shoulders are killing me.”

  There was no use trying to fight him. He was bigger, stronger. She had to pick her opportunity. She lay on the bed. First he taped her legs. Any hope she might have had of him taking it easy on her evaporated when he made her place her arms behind her back. He taped her wrists together. Then he bent her legs behind her and pulled them up toward her hands.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Taping your hands and feet together.”

  “No, absolutely not. I’ll…get cramps in my legs.” She was flexible from her days as a cheerleader, but this was probably a true statement.

  Nevertheless, Alfred insisted on doing it. He had seen her turn over when she was taped before. She would barely be able to move with her arms and legs taped together. He obviously didn’t want her to attract any attention when he got gas. When he had finished, he taped her mouth, in spite of her protests, and placed a blanket completely over her. She felt even more helpless than she had before. Would she ever see Gary again?

  CHAPTER 27

  The sheriff’s deputy, Officer Radziwill, didn’t seem to believe Gary’s story at first, and Gary couldn’t blame him. It sounded like something out of the Brothers Grimm. A phantom spiriting his wife away. The officer thought that perhaps Penny had wandered off somewhere. She might be lost in the woods. Gary persisted. He didn’t want a search effort to be misdirected. He asked the deputy to call Detective Landon in Montana to confirm that Alfred had pictures of Penny and was probably a killer.

  After the call, the officer treated Gary with more respect. In fact, because Alfred was undoubtedly on the move, he called in the California Highway Patrol, which had an office a short distance away, and they sent an officer over. The representatives of these two agencies didn’t think it was a case for the F.B.I. yet. They wanted proof that a kidnapping had actually occurred and that it might cross state borders.

  Unfortunately, Gary couldn’t tell them what kind of vehicle Alfred might be driving. They agreed to check for stolen cars. One thing that Detective Landon had done was to coordinate with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and ask them to keep an eye on Alfred’s apartment in Lomita. They had alerted his landlord, who would call them in case he returned to it.

  He might never return to his apartment. There was a lot of space between here and Lomita where he might be. He had Penny with him. What was he doing to her?

  After Gary had told the law enforcement people all he knew, he left the sheriff’s office, bereft and discouraged. He couldn’t expect much help from them. He agreed to stay in touch with them and let them know how they could contact him, but he had to do something on his own.

  He thought about calling Penny’s parents. That would scare the hell out of them, and what would it accomplish? They couldn’t do anything. He thought about calling his parents—or his aunt and uncle, since his parents were in Europe. Same problem. What he needed most was support, which they couldn’t give him from across the country. Maybe he and Penny should have waited and had a traditional wedding back east.

  Was he the one who had wanted to elope or was it both of them? If something happened to Penny, would it haunt him for the rest of his life? Yes.

  He drove south slowly on Route 101, trying to look at the passengers in all the vehicles that passed him in either direction. A lot of good that did. He came to Leggett where Route 1 started (or ended if you were heading north) and went to the coast while 101 continued south in more of a straight line.

  He stopped for gas while a new fear seized him. Up to now, he had assumed without really putting words to it that he was following the route Alfred and Penny were taking, and that, therefore, at least a chance existed that he might spot them. Now he had to make a choice. Which way would they go?

  After his gas tank was filled, Gary parked in a corner of the station and tried to block out his fear for Penny long enough to think rationally about what he should do. It wasn’t easy, but with effort he gained some semblance of control over his mind. Alfred wanted Penny all to himself. He would like to live with her in L.A., but he must realize by now that L.A. was a dangerous place for him, especially if he returned to his apartment.

  Penny would be trying her darndest to escape from Alfred. She might feel that it would be easier to escape from him in L.A. than up here, especially since escaping where there weren’t any people around to help her might not gain her anything.

  On the other hand, she would want to stay as close to Gary as possible. If she had any control over Alfred at all, she might try to influence him to go somewhere Gary might find them, such as a campground.

  Gary made his choice. He headed toward the coast. He would drive through every campground between here and San Francisco on Route 1. There were a lot of them, but it would keep him busy.

  ***

  When Alfred stopped the camper, Penny heard him get out and close the door. She assumed he had stopped for gas. She couldn’t see anything because the blanket was still over her head. She had worked the tape partially loose from her mouth again, but she doubted that screaming would help her situation, and it would certainly bring his wrath down upon her. Anyway, she didn’t think that she could open her mouth wide enough to scream loudly so that she could be heard outside the camper. The blanket would muffle any noise she made. She couldn’t get the blanket off her; in fact, she could hardly move at all.

  She waited for Alfred to reenter the camper, screaming internally from the pain of the cramps in her muscles. She needed him to untape her and agree to a new set of rules immediately, before the pain completely destroyed her.

  After half an eternity, she heard him get in and close the door. He started the engine and pulled away from the gas station. She started humming as loudly as she could. Humming was the only noise she could make without giving away the fact that her mouth was not securely taped, and she didn’t know whether he would hear her over the noise of the engine.

  Alfred drove for several minutes. If he didn’t react soon, Penny was prepared to risk giving away her secret by screaming out loud. Then he slowed down. Maybe he was looking for a place to pull over. After another minute, he stopped the camper and came back to her. First he took the blanket off her. She looked at him, her eyes wide, grateful to be able to see again, but humming loudly to tell him to rip the tape off her before her limbs froze in their current position.

  Moving in what seemed to Penny like slow motion, he pulled the tape off her mouth, and she blurted, “Damn it, Alfred. My legs are killing me.”

  This had an effect on him. He set to work immediately, tearing the tape off. When he had her arms and legs separated, Penny straightened her legs with a cry.

  “The backs of my thighs are tied in knots.”

  Alfred looked contrite. He rolled her onto her stomach and started massaging her upper thighs through her slacks while Penny directed him. Gradually he kneaded the knots out of her muscles. Although his hands came close to her genital area, he made no effort to touch her there, even though it would be easy for him since her wrists were still taped together.

  This surprised Penny. What kind of a man was he? She still didn’t have him figured out.

  When the pain finally stopped, she said, “Now take off the rest of the tape. And never do that again.”

  “I’m sorry I hurt you. We won’t have to get gas again until somewhere south of San Francisco.”

  She wasn’t ever going to let him tape her that securely again. She would die first.

  “Are you going to let me sit in front and be your navigator now?”

  Alfred hesitated. “If you start signaling to people or yelling out the window…”

  “I won’t. I promise.”

  She didn’t promise she wouldn’t jump out of the camper if they stopped in one of the villages along the way. She went forward and sat in the passenger seat and looked at the map. Fort Bragg would be a good place to make her escape. A center of population meant
people. People meant protection.

  Alfred must have read her mind. He was about to drive away when he glanced sideways at her. Maybe she looked too happy. He shut off the engine and got the duct tape.

  “You said you weren’t going to tape me.”

  “Just your legs. So you don’t jump out.”

  Aarrgg. She argued with him. He was adamant. If she wanted to ride in front she had to have her legs taped. The alternative was for her to lie on the bed. She couldn’t take the bed anymore. She let him tape her legs, but she didn’t give in easily. He did it in such a way that it would be time consuming for her to untape them. Then he taped her legs to the seat. He also took her shoes.

  Alfred got out of the camper, walked around the front, and opened her door. What was he up to now? He made sure her window was rolled up all the way. He securely taped the window crank so that she couldn’t open it. She had told him she wouldn’t shout out the window. He still didn’t trust her. He also taped the door lock in the locked position. He’d thought of everything.

  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 wan
ted 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.”