Halloween is a mystery short story by Isaac Asimov.
A standalone story, it was first published in the October 1975 issue of American Way magazine. It was later collected in The Best Mysteries of Isaac Asimov.
Summary[]
A nuclear technician, motivated by anti-nuclear ideology, has stolen a small amount of plutonium from a power station to demonstrate security flaws. He evades his pursuers by hiding in a large hotel but is eventually cornered and, during a chase, falls and suffers a fatal skull fracture. Before he dies, he whispers a single, cryptic word: "Halloween."
The security chief, Sanderson, explains the situation to Haley, a government agent. The plutonium, contained in a small, harmless box if left untouched, is missing. The thief did not have it on him when he died, meaning he hid it somewhere in the vast hotel. A full-scale search is impossible without causing public panic.
The only clue is the dying man's word: "Halloween." Haley deduces that since the theft and hiding occurred on October 31st, the word must be a direct clue to the location. He correctly interprets "Halloween" as the date "10/31" and finds the plutonium box hidden on a shelf in hotel room 1031.
Characters[]
- Haley (a government agent)
- Sanderson (the security chief)
- The Thief (an anti-nuclear activist)