Time Out of Joint by Philip K. Dick Page B

something we want to show you," Vic said.
    "Sure," Black said. "Let’s see it."
    Vic started off to get the magazines, but Ragle suddenly said, "Wait a minute." To Black he said, "Have you ever heard of somebody named Marilyn Monroe?"
    Black, at that, got an odd, secretive look on his face. "What is this?" he drawled.
    "Have you or haven’t you?"
    "Sure I have," he said.
    "He’s a phony," Vic said. "He thinks it’s some gag and he doesn’t want to bite."
    "Give us an honest answer," Ragle said. "There’s no gag."
    "Of course I’ve heard of her," Black said.
    "Who is she?"
    "She—" Black glanced into the other room to see if either Margo or Sammy could hear. "She’s a Holly-wood actress."
    I’ll be darned, Ragle thought.
    "Stay here," Vic said. He went off and returned with the picture magazine. Holding it so Black couldn’t see it, he said, "What picture has she made that’s supposed to be her best?"
    "That’s a matter of opinion," Black said.
    "Just name one, then."
    Black said, "The Taming of the Shrew."
    Both Ragle and Vic examined the article, but there was no mention of her having done the Shakespeare comedy.
    "Name another," Vic said. "That one isn’t listed."
    Black gestured irritably. "What is this? I don’t get to the movies very much."
    Ragle said, "According to this article, she’s married to an important playwright. What’s his name?"
    Without hesitation, Black said, "Arthur Miller."
    Well, Ragle decided, there goes all of that.
    "Why haven’t we heard of her, then?" he asked Black.
    Snorting with derision, Black said, "Don’t blame me."
    "Has she been famous long?"
    "No. Not particularly. You remember Jane Russell. That big build-up about The Outlaw."
    "No," Vic said. Ragle also shook his head.
    "Anyhow," Black said, clearly perturbed but trying not to show it, "they’ve got the machinery going. Making a star out of her overnight." He stopped talking and came over to see the magazine. "What is this?" he asked. "Can I look at it, or is it secret?"
    "Let him see it," Ragle said.
    After he had studied the magazine Black said, "Well, it’s been a few years. Maybe she’s dropped out of sight already. But when Junie and I were going together, before we were married, we used to go to the drive-in movies, and I remember seeing this Gentlemen Prefer Blondes that the article mentions."
    In the direction of the kitchen, Vic shouted, "Hey honey—Bill Black’s heard of her."
    Margo appeared, drying a blue willow plate. "Has he? Well then I guess that clears that up."
    "Clears what up?" Black asked.
    "We had a theory we were experimenting with," Margo said.
    "What theory?"
    Ragle said, "It seemed to the three of us that something had gone wrong."
    "Where?" Black said. "I don’t get what you mean."
    None of them said anything, then.
    "What else have you got to show me?" Black said.
    "Nothing," Ragle said.
    "They found a phone book," Margo said. "Along with the magazines. Part of a phone book."
    "Where did you find all these?"
    Ragle said, "What the hell do you care?"
    "I don’t care," Black said. "I just think you’re out of your mind." He sounded more and more angry. "Let’s have a look at the phone book."
    Vic got the book and handed it to him. Black sat down and leafed through it, with the same frenetic expression on his face. "What’s there about this?" he said. "It’s from upstate. They don’t use these numbers any more." He slapped, the book shut and tossed it on the table; it started to slide off, to the floor, and Vic rescued it. "I’m surprised at the three of you," Black said. "Especially you, Margo." Reaching out his hand he grabbed the phone book away from Vic, got to his feet, and started to the front door. "I’ll bring this back to you in a day or so. I want to go through it and see if I can track down some kids Junie went to Cortez High with. There’s a whole flock of them she can’t find; they’re probably married by now. Mostly girls." The front door closed after him and he