Time out of joint by Philip K. Dick

Author:Philip K. Dick
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Puzzles, Psychological fiction, Puzzles - Psychological aspects, Science-Fiction, Fiction, Psychological, Science Fiction, Space and time, Psychological aspects, General, Suburban life
ISBN: 9780375719271
Publisher: Random House, Inc.
Published: 2002-05-14T09:05:50.149000+00:00

NINE

The door chimes rang. Junie Black dropped her magazine and got up to answer it.

"Telegram for Mr. William Black," the uniformed Western Union boy said. "Sign here, please." He handed her a pencil and pad; she signed and received the telegram.

Closing the door she carried the telegram to her husband. "For you," she said.

Bill Black opened the telegram, turned away so that his wife couldn’t read it over his shoulder, and saw what it had to say.

CYCLE MISSED TRUCK. GUMM PASSED BAR-B-Q. YOUR GUESS.

Never send a boy to do a man’s job, Bill Black said to himself. Your guess is as good as mine. He glanced at his wristwatch. Nine-thirty P.M. Later and later. It was too late now.

"What’s it say?" Junie asked.

"Nothing," he said. I wonder if they’ll find him, he wondered. I hope so. Because if they don’t some of us will be dead by this time tomorrow. God knows how many thousands of dead people. Our lives depend on Ragle Gumm. Him and his contest.

"It’s a catastrophe," Junie said. "Isn’t it? I can tell by the expression on your face."

"Business," he said. "City business."

"Oh indeed?" she said. "Don’t lie to me. I’ll bet it has something to do with Ragle." Suddenly she snatched the telegram away from him and rushed out of the room with it. "It is!" she cried, standing off by herself and reading the telegram. "What did you do —hire somebody to kill him? I know he’s disappeared; I was talking to Margo on the phone and she says—"

He managed to get the telegram back from her. "You haven’t got any idea what this means," he said with mighty control.

"I can tell what it means. As soon as Margo told me Ragle had disappeared—"

"Ragle didn’t disappear," he said, almost at the end of his mighty control. "He walked off."

"How do you know?"

"I know," he said.

"You know because you’re responsible for his disappearance."

In a sense, Bill Black thought, she’s right. I’m responsible because, when he and Vic popped out of that clubhouse, I thought they were kidding. "Okay," he said. "I’m responsible."

Her eyes changed color. The pupils became tiny. "Oh I hate you," she said, shaking her head. "I wish I could slit your throat."

"Go ahead," he said. "Maybe it would be a good idea."

"I’m going next door," Junie said.

"Why?"

"I’m going to tell Vic and Margo that you’re responsible." She hurried to the front door; he went after her and caught hold of her. "Let me go," she said, yanking away from him. "I’m going to tell them that Ragle and I are in love with each other, and if he survives your vicious—"

"Sit down," he said. "Be quiet." And then he thought again of Ragle not being around to work tomorrow’s puzzle. Panic got started in him, then, and began to control him. "I feel like getting into the closet," he told his wife. "No," he said, "I feel like burrowing down into the floor. Down into the ground."

"Infantile guilt," Junie said, with derision.

Bill Black said, "Fear.

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