Free Halloween IV: The Ultimate Edition by Nicholas Page B

had much paperwork to get finished for the next day: reports; receipts for new equipment needed to be handled, there were some tax papers needing to be looked at, and on top of it all he had personal business to attend to, all sorts of bullshit. But, try as he did, he could not mange to get his mind in focus. It was because of that damn Loomis. He hadn’t heard from Loomis all day, and he had urgently called Haddonfield time and time again throughout the day, calling and fidgeting with his papers, calling and fidgeting.
    But all he got was nothing.
    Absolutely nothing.
    His patience wearing thin, he tried once more. One final time. Frustrated, he listened to the same automatic voice reciting the same automatic lines from the same accursed monotone female voice:
    “We’re sorry, your call did not go through……”
    He slammed the receiver down onto its cradle. Then he decided to dial the operator.
    “Yes, operator, I’ve been trying to reach the police in Haddonfield off and on all day, and now it’s become quite urgent…..”
    “I’m sorry,” the voice rang through the receiver, and it actually sounded like the same recorded monotone female, “we’re experiencing technical problems along our long distance lines.”
    “This is an emergency!”
    “I suggest you try your call again in an hour. Thank you for dialing AT&E. By the way, are you familiar with our new state-to-state long distance daytime services? For only ten cents a minute ”
    Infuriated, the doctor slammed down the receiver once more, this time shoving the phone from his desk and onto the floor with a clang .
    “Damn you, Loomis,” he cursed. “Why did you have to be right ?”
                 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Eleven
    “Make your move, Wade,” Brady told him, provokingly.
    Wade was hesitant. Actually, it was more than that; Wade was nervously hesitant. There was a difference. Looking back upon his friends with the distinct expression of someone asked to strip down to his balls in the center of the parking lot, he responded, “Don’t rush me, Brady. The timing’s got to be primo.”
    Brady stood there in his dark blue sales clerk smock with his two friends, Wade and Tommy, conversing with them from behind a service counter. It was usual for them to visit him this time of day, and at times he thought it a bit weird for them to come into the store to talk to him only an hour after he started. But his boss didn’t seem to mind, because it was at this particular time when business was slow, and he didn’t have any other work to do, anyway. Besides, he was a sales clerk , and not a stock boy.
    Then again, there was Kelly, who happened to be a sales clerk also (and an extremely attractive one at that), and she was busy at work stocking a series of racks with batteries two aisles down from a display of cheapo, half-priced watches. Nevertheless, since Brady had nothing whatsoever to do at the moment, he had taken up conversation with Wade and Tommy, the two eggheads that were always hot over Kelly. Perhaps that was why they always showed up at that time; not to see their good friend Brady, but to see the eighteen-yearold with the big batteries.
    Wade didn’t like to be rushed with these matters. Of course he wanted to ask Kelly out. What guy his age in their right mind wouldn’t? A fool, that was for sure. A damn fool. But Wade was no damn fool; he just need time . Tommy and Brady both just couldn’t seem to understand that, and both of them had better chances at her than he did. Hell, plenty of girls eyed Brady every day, with his cute features. Come on, Wade, admit it. Brady was cute and ol’ Wade just wasn’t. He hated that word, CUTE. It was something girls had an affinity for. That word.
    Then again, maybe he hated that word because nobody ever said that about him .
    He looked at Brady, irascibly. “I don’t see you asking her out. You