“No. She’s hasn’t told me.”

“You said she’s going on a trip?”

“Yes. I think she’s going to visit some of the national parks, like Yellowstone. She’s always loved the outdoors.”

“Do you think she’s already left?”

“Maybe. School starts pretty soon.”

Alfred thanked her and hung up. He heard the click indicating that the phone had eaten his money. Mrs. Singleton hadn’t mentioned Penny’s boyfriend. Penny wasn’t telling her everything. Of course, Penny was going on the trip with him. Her roommate was no longer in the picture.

He had to find her boyfriend’s apartment. Fast. But how? What did he know about this guy Gary, other than that he was tall, thin, and probably had an innie bellybutton. All the girls liked guys with innie bellybuttons. He drove a green Volkswagen Beetle. Not much of a car. Alfred thought back to the Sunday morning breakfasts he had eavesdropped on. Penny had been excited about this Gary person from day one. She had told her roommate all about him.

She had confided that he lived in Monterey Park and worked for IBM. Alfred walked to his car, which was parked near the phone booth. He kept a lot of maps in his glove compartment. He sorted through them until he found one of the greater Los Angeles area. Monterey Park was east of downtown L.A. He went back to the phone booth and dialed Information. When an operator answered, he asked her whether IBM had an office somewhere in the East Los Angeles area.

After a twenty-second silence, the operator reported in the affirmative. Alfred wrote down the number. He hung up, his heart beating faster. Maybe this wasn’t going to be so hard, after all. Los Angeles only had one area code. He should be able to call the IBM office for a dime. He dialed the number.

“Good morning, IBM.”

“May I speak to Gary…? His last name has slipped my mind.”

“Do you mean Gary Blanchard?”