HALLOWEEN III: NOVEL EXCERPTS
Last Updated: 04/03/03
From Chapter 4
The third time he saw Ellie Grimbridge was at her fathers funeral.
He was supposed to meet Linda at the bank to cosign their income tax refund from last year. He phoned the house and told her he was on all but he would meet her on his lunch break the following day. She breathed into the phone and accused him of forgetting the children's food allowance for the week. Then she informed him that her car was not running satisfactorily. He did not argue. When she had calmed down she announced that without four new tires she would not be able to drive the kids to school. He told her to put the tires on his credit card and promised to put the missing check in the mail that afternoon. He wrote out the check while they were talking. He told her that. Before he could say anything else, she hung up.
The service was at Dry Lawn Acres. It occurred to him to send flowers. There were plenty already there. It was a simple ceremony with no eulogy and only a few families and a lot of children in attendance. Ellie Grimbridge came alone. He saw her get out of the car and walk up the hill unassisted. She was not wearing black, but somehow that all seemed right.
From the other side of the plot, a distance of no more than twenty feet, her features were so faint they almost disappeared like carbon-paper tracings under the veil. Her tiny, perfect mouth did not move, not even to thank those who pressed her hand with condolences. She could only nod to them.
No one wept, not even Ellie. He had the impression that there were no other close relatives in attendance. Once he caught her looking at him with those oversized eyes, but she made no attempt to speak.
I know what your thinking, he thought, I don't know what I am doing here, either.
They walked back to their own cars and drove away without a word.
Chapter 10
Closing in.
At the end of the alley, a car idled in neutral.
It was waiting.
He flattened against the fence.
He heard the car doors open and close. The motor purring.
He edged backwards.
He felt the last board on the fence.
There was a break in the alley. Another pathway, a tunnel-like passage. Between the houses, to the main street.
The way was tinged with candlelight from pumpkins set out on back windowsills.
One more day to Halloween, he thought.
Even here.
Especially here.
He plunged down the path.
Something else moving. High above him, on the eaves of a frame house. A cat?
No. It was a camera. As he ran past, its servomotor panned with him, tracking him with the deep cherry glow of infrared.
He did not slow until he came to the pavement. London Bridge is falling down, he sang in his head, falling down, falling down....
One more block gone, another. His legs pumped past the dingy stores. All closed. In one doorway a reddish face watched his passing but made no attempt to interfere. Dead eyes, utterly without compassion. A symbolic sentinel, like a cigar-store Indian. No more than that. Hardly alive.
There. Off the walkway, half-hidden by an awing.
A phone booth.
He couldn't believe it.
He slowed to a walk and, at the last second he disappeared himself inside.
He closed himself in, rifled his pockets for change. No traffic outside. He could see the street clearly, razor sharp through the glass. Absolutely no graffiti.
He plugged the last of his coins into the slot. He dialed zero.
Still clear outside.
A busy signal.
He broke the connection.
Think! Think!
The coin came back. He shoved it in again and dialed another number. He knew it by heart.
"Please deposit eighty-five cents for the first three minutes."
"For God's sake...!!!"
"Please speak up sir. I can't hear you."
"Operator, this is a matter of life and death!"
"Eighty-five cents for..."
He throttled the receiver. "Make it collect," he rasped.
"The name of the party your calling?"
"Anyone. Whoever answers. I don't have time to--"
"Your name, sir?"
"Daddy."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Dan. Daniel Challis."
"One moment, sir."
Ring
"Hello?"
"Willie! This is--"
"I have a collect call for anyone from Daniel. Will you accept the charges?"
"It's Daddy, son!"
"Daddy!"
"Will you accept the charges?"
"Huh?"
"Will you...?"
"I wanna talk to my Daddy!"
"He accepts the charges, operator."
"Go ahead, sir."
"Willie, listen to me. you remember those masks your mother....?"
"Daddy. I didn't see you! I..."
"Honey, is your mother home? Is Mommy there? I need to talk to Mommy."
"Mom! It's Daddy! He's coming over right now! He says..."
"Hello, Dan? Where have you been? The children waited all day yesterday. And today..."
"Will you shut the hell up? I'm calling--never mind where I'm calling from. There isn't much time, only one more--"
"You're drunk again. You were drinking yesterday and you've been drinking all day today and now you..."
"Will you shut the fuck up with all that? I'm trying to tell you something! It's about the masks. Silver Shamrock. You have to burn them--no! Don't try to burn them. Throw them away. Take them to the sheriff. Yes, and tell him to get the state police up here---Santa Mira---right now! Do anything but get them out of the house. Do it!"
"Masks?" What are you talking about? The ones I bought? Oh sure, I get it. Mommy gives them something, and Daddy tries to take it away. It's the same old crap. It's not enough that you walk out of us, that you stand our children up every---"
"YOU FUCKING BITCH! You fool! You--"
"You're jealous because you know they love me and they don't need you anymore. Well, you can go to hell!"
She hung up.
The phone become silvery. He jerked around as light staffed the booth.
Headlights.
He left the coiled cord dangling as he ducked out of the booth and cloaked himself in the shadows.
The receiver swung in a slow arc, the metallic cord stroking like a pendulum.
Until a man in a gray suit stopped at the booth long enough to hang it up.
More graysuits.
They spread out, combing the street in every direction.
From his hiding place, Challis watched them coming. They came on and on.
More soon!!!
What a bod!