“Why didn’t you tell me this?” David demanded.
“I should have,” Angela admitted. “I’m sorry.”
“If nothing else, we’re learning that we shouldn’t hold secrets from each other,” David said. “What about Calhoun? Have you heard from him yet?”
“No,” Angela said. “I even left a message as you suggested. What are we going to do?”
“I don’t know,” David said. He stood up. “In the meantime let’s take a look at that bay window.”
The police were in no hurry. It took them almost three-quarters of an hour to arrive. To David’s and Angela’s chagrin, Robertson himself came in full uniform. Angela was tempted to ask if it was his Halloween costume. He was accompanied by a deputy, Carl Hobson.
As Robertson came through the front door he glanced at the refuse on the porch and noticed the broken window. He was carrying a clipboard.
“You people having a minor problem?” he asked.
“Not minor,” Angela said. “Major.” She then described what had happened from the moment the man appeared to David’s arrival.
Robertson obviously had little patience for Angela’s story. He fidgeted impatiently as she explained all that had happened, rolling his eyes for his deputy’s benefit.
“Now, you sure this was a real gun?” Robertson asked.
“Of course it was a real gun,” Angela said with exasperation.
“Maybe it was just a toy gun, part of a costume. You sure this guy wasn’t just trick-or-treating?” He winked at Hobson.
“Just one goddamn minute,” David said, breaking into the conversation. “I don’t like what I’m hearing here. I’m getting the distinct impression that you’re not taking this seriously. This man had a gun. There was violence here. Hell, even part of the bay window has been blown out.”
“Don’t you yell at me,” Robertson said. “Your good wife has already admitted that your darling daughter blew out the window, not the purported intruder. And let me tell you something else: there’s an ordinance against discharging a shotgun within the town limits unless it’s done at the range by the dump.”
“Get the hell out of my house,” David raged.
“I’ll be happy to,” Robertson said. He motioned for Hobson to precede him. At the door, Robertson paused. “Let me offer you people some advice. You’re not a popular family in this town, and it could get a whole lot worse if you shoot at some innocent child coming by for candy. God help you if you actually hit some kid.”
David rushed to the door and slammed it behind Robertson as soon as the oaf was out the door.
“Bastard!” David fumed. “Well, we no longer have any illusions about the local police. We can’t expect any help from them.”
Angela hugged herself and fought off a new batch of tears. “What a mess,” she said, shaking her head. David stepped over and comforted her. He also had to calm Nikki who was shocked by the sharp exchange between her father and the chief of police.
“Do you think we should stay here tonight?”
“Where can we go at this hour?” David said. “I think we should stay. We can make sure we have no more visitors.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Angela said with a sigh. “I know I’m not thinking straight. I’ve never been this upset.”
“Are you hungry?” David asked.
Angela shrugged. “Not really,” she said. “But I’d started getting dinner ready before all this happened.”
“Well, I’m starved,” David said. “I didn’t eat lunch.”
“Okay,” Angela said. “Nikki and I will put something together.”
David called the phone company and reported that their phone was out of order. When he mentioned he was a doctor they agreed to send a repairman as soon as possible. Next, David went out to the barn and found some additional outdoor lighting. When he was finished, the entire outside of the house was brilliantly illuminated.
The phone repairman arrived while they were eating. He quickly determined the problem was outside; the phone line had been cut where it entered the house. While the repairman worked, the Wilsons continued their dinner.
“I hate Halloween,” the repairman said when he came to the door to announce that the phone was fixed. David thanked him for coming out on a Sunday night.