CHAPTER 13
Getting them down the trail wasn’t as difficult as Gary had been afraid it might be. He had Penny go first, then Alfred. He stayed close behind Alfred, hoping to be able to catch him if his slippery shoes betrayed him on the damp rocks. That was probably wishful thinking, and he certainly couldn’t prevent the klutz from getting wet feet. His shoes weren’t waterproof, and they had to wade through shallow streams.
Last night had been a pain, but it could have been worse. Gary and Penny had slept in most of their clothes under many blankets. Their sex life would have been restricted even if Alfred hadn’t been in the room, and they were all so tired they had gone to sleep rather quickly. In a little while they would see the last of him.
They went slowly, which required a lot of patience on Gary’s part. Their muscles were all sore from the ascent, but it was clear that Alfred had the biggest problems. He walked stiff-legged and had trouble stepping down, which is what they had to do for almost seven miles. His calves must be screaming. In addition, it was obvious that his knee bothered him at first, but it appeared to loosen up, and after a while, he stopped limping. But he had to rest frequently.
They arrived at the parking lot about noon and decided to eat their trail lunches in the meadow, ignoring the bees. Because they were concentrating on their steps on the way down, they hadn’t talked about anything else. Now Penny asked Alfred what his plans were.
Alfred swallowed a bite of his sandwich. “This place is so beautiful. Since I’ve come this far, I’d like to see a little more of it. Perhaps drive through the park today.”
“That’s what we’re going to do,” Penny said.
“You two have done so much for me, already. I hate to impose any more, but, uh, I don’t think I can drive today.”
Gary stared at him. Not drive? If he could walk, he could drive.
“The backs of my legs are so sore.” Alfred touched one of his calves and winced in pain. “And my knee is too. I’m afraid that I wouldn’t be able to put the brake on hard, and this road has so many hills and curves. If I can’t use the brakes…” His voice trailed off.
“What you should do is drive slowly back to the Kalispell area,” Penny said. “The road is easier going in that direction. Then rest for a day or so until you’re not so sore.”
The corners of Alfred’s mouth turned up. “If I had all the time in the world, I could do that. I have to get back to work in a few days. What I was thinking-and I know it’s a terrible imposition-well, since we’re going in the same direction, perhaps Penny could drive my car and follow Gary.”
Gary couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He had to tread carefully because Penny appeared to be sympathetic to Alfred’s problems. “What kind of a car do you have?”
“It’s that Ford over there.”
Gary followed Alfred’s pointing finger and with a shock recognized the car. Where had he seen it? “Did you stop at Grand Coulee Dam two days ago?”
“Why yes.”
“We were there at the same time,” Penny said. “We saw your car. I remember it because it looks just like my car. I didn’t know it was yours.”
“Really? Where’s your car?” Alfred looked around the parking area.
“We didn’t bring it,” Penny said. “We brought Gary’s car.”
“What kind of a car do you have?” Alfred asked Gary.
“The green Beetle.” Gary indicated his car, parked thirty feet from Alfred’s.
“I remember your car,” Alfred said, beaming. “VW’s are so…cozy. As I recall, it was raining hard at the dam.”
“Speaking of the car, I need to get something from it.” Gary nodded to Penny to accompany him.
When they were out of earshot of Alfred, Gary said, “How much longer are we going to have to put up with this guy?” He was scowling, but he couldn’t help himself.
“He is becoming a pain. I tell you what. We’ll help him out today, and that’s it. Tomorrow he’s on his own. I’ll drive his car because I’m used to driving an automatic. You’re better with the VW in the mountains. This road is really tricky.”
“Where is Alfred going to ride?”
“I can tell by your tone of voice that you don’t want him riding with you. He can ride with me. It’s okay. He’s harmless.”
“I’m not worried about that. I’m worried about being separated from you. After all, this is only the seventh day we’ve been married.”
“You’re so sweet.” Penny gave him a hug. “We’ll be together at all the viewpoints. I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”
When Penny talked like that, he would do anything for her. One day shouldn’t make that much difference out of a lifetime.
Penny drove the Ford from the parking lot onto the road behind Gary. He had promised to drive slowly in the mountains, so that she wouldn’t have any trouble keeping up with him. They would be stopping often.
The jagged peaks were gray on top, except for pockets of white snow. Lower down, blankets of green covered the hillsides where the evergreen trees ruled. Everything looked so sharp and fresh and clean. You could eat off the landscape. They headed uphill and would be going over the continental divide.
Penny glanced at Alfred sitting in the seat beside her. He had changed from the pants with the torn knee into another pair. He looked very much the same as he had in high school, with his hair short and his head a little too large for his body. Ears and nose to match. He had unzipped his jacket, and Penny could see the bulge in his stomach. That hadn’t changed either.
“Fantastic scenery.” Penny tried to make light conversation.
“We don’t have much time,” Alfred said.
Time for what? They had plenty of time.
“Look.” Penny braked as a mother grizzly bear and two cubs loped across the road in front of them. The mother ran on three legs, holding the fourth aloft. They disappeared over the cliff at the side of the road.
“We don’t have much time,” Alfred repeated, “so I’ll make this quick. I want you to come with me.”
“Come with you where?”
“Leave Gary and come home with me.”
She must not have heard him correctly. “What did you say?”
“I want you to leave Gary and come home with me. Now. Today.”
He couldn’t be serious. He wasn’t smiling, but she decided to treat it as a joke. She laughed and said, “Alfred. I never knew you had such a sense of humor.”
“I mean it. Gary’s no good for you. I’ll take care of you.”
“All right, joke’s over. I don’t want to hear any more talk like that.”
Penny glanced at Alfred. He was looking at her with his mouth slightly open. After a pause he said, “I’ll protect you from Gary. You don’t have to be afraid of him.”
“I’m not afraid of Gary. Now will you get off this subject?” She was getting mad.
“We had an understanding.”
“What?”
“At the Space Needle. And dinner afterward. Gary is controlling you. With his so-called morals and his domineering nature. I saw it in your eyes. You were appealing to me to help you get away from him.”
“Alfred, you have completely lost what little mind you had. If you say one more word, I’m going to stop this car and dump you out.”
“It’s my car. But before you do anything rash, listen to this.” His voice had suddenly developed a hard edge that Penny had never heard before. “What do you think Gary will do when he finds out that I know you have a mole on your left breast?”
Penny turned to look at him and almost drove off the cliff. She jerked the wheel to turn the car away from the cliff and then had to slam on the brakes to prevent them from driving into the mountain on the other side of the road. She brought the car to a stop and sat there trembling.
“How do you know that?” She immediately realized that it was the wrong thing to say. She was admitting that he was right. How could he know? It must have been a wild guess. She could tell from his wolfish grin that he knew he had scored.