Honeymoon for Three Read Online Free PDF

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 surveillance from here,
and his car blended in with all the other Fords on the road.
    Alfred relaxed the intense concentration he
had been forced into from the moment he had awakened. Then he began
to be aware of other things. Number one, he had to go to the
bathroom. Was this a problem that all detectives and spies faced?
Number two, he needed to get gas. He should have filled the tank
yesterday, but it had slipped his mind.
    Gary had one big advantage over him. The VW
got excellent mileage. His boat got lousy mileage, as he’d found
out when he’d driven it cross-country from Connecticut. His parents
had given him the car several years ago. He had persuaded them to
give him the same model that Penny had, although, of course, he
hadn’t said that was the reason he wanted it. He had been thrilled
with it at the time, but this mileage problem was a major
shortcoming.
    Alfred opened the glove compartment and
drove with one hand while he found his map of California. He spread
it out as well as he could and placed it on the steering wheel in
front of him. If they were headed for the big national parks, what
route were they likely to take? Shifting his eyes between the road
and the map, he studied the possibilities.
    The answer was Route 395, which went north
out of San Bernardino. If they turned onto 395, they were probably
going to be on it for a long time, and it would be safe for him to
stop. He had to make sure. Would his gas last that long? Would his
bladder hold that long?
    By the time they entered San Bernardino, the
gas gauge was tickling empty, and Alfred was in agony. He saw a
sign to 395. Five miles to go. Four miles. Hold on. Not much
longer. Three miles. When they were within a mile of the exit, the
VW pulled into the right lane, ending the suspense. Yes, they were
turning.
    Alfred also pulled into the right lane, but
well behind the other car. He took the cloverleaf exit and in a
minute found himself heading north on 395. He looked frantically
for a gas station and pulled into the first one he saw. He stopped
the car with a screech of tires, opened the door, and sprinted
toward the Men’s room.
    ***
    “Have you ever been to Reno?” Penny
asked.
    Gary glanced at her, sitting beside him,
wearing shorts and a white blouse. He was sure he was doing the
right thing. She had gotten a permanent to curl her short, brown
hair, which was blowing in the breeze entering through the
partially open windows. Her inquisitive brown eyes matched the
color of her hair. She looked desirable, but she was also smart and
sensible. All in all, an ideal wife.
    The car didn’t have air-conditioning, and
the open windows helped to moderate the inside temperature, made
warm by the still potent sun of the late August day. They were
heading north and would soon encounter cooler weather.
    “I’ve been to Reno once. My brother, Tom,
and I drove through Reno on our vacation trip in
nineteen-sixty-two. We stopped there for about twenty minutes. I
won ten bucks