Time Travelers Never Die - Jack McDevitt [16]
Ridiculous.
He pressed ENTER.
The dim glow of the electric candle faded and went out. Then the lamps came on. Two of them. Including the one he’d turned off just a moment ago.
He felt himself lifted off the sofa and dropped immediately back onto it. He sat listening to the silence. Got up. Looked at the lamps. But he was still at home. Still in his town house. Thank God for that.
But it had happened again. Something had happened again. His heart pounded.
He hung on to the Q-pod. Hung on as if it were a lifeline.
The Q-pod was doing it. He didn’t know how, didn’t even know what. But the goddam thing . . . !
He sat, not moving. Whatever it was, at least it hadn’t been a stroke.
Finally, he put the Q-pod down on the coffee table. Gingerly. Then he got up and made himself a rum and Coke.
CHAPTER 4
To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.
—WILLIAM BLAKE, “AUGURIES OF INNOCENCE”
THE sun was bright through the curtains, and the events of the day before seemed far away. Shel got up and looked at his watch, as was his habit. It showed 4:02. His alarm clock, which he hadn’t bothered to set, read 7:12. He checked the TV. The seven o’clock shows were on. But why was the watch three hours behind? Fear settled in. He tried to push it aside, made the watch right, and went over to Maggie’s for some pancakes.
Usually, he allowed himself time to relax and read the paper before going into the office, but he wanted to set his mind at ease and get back into his work routine, so after he’d finished his breakfast, he headed directly for Carbolite. He wondered what Linda’s explanation was going to be for hanging up on him the day before. Twice. She wasn’t exactly the most even-tempered person in the world, but that was way out of character.
When he arrived, she was in her office. “Hi,” he said.
She looked up from her keyboard. “Good morning, Shel.”
He sat down. “I don’t quite know what happened yesterday,” he said. “I got stranded. But anyhow, I’m sorry I didn’t call earlier.”
“Call about what?”
“About not showing up for work.”
She gave her head a shake, as if a ghost had appeared in the doorway. “What are we talking about, Shel?”
“About my not being here yesterday. Or didn’t you notice?”
She dropped her eyes to the floor, then came back to him. “Shel, you were here. At least until yesterday afternoon. Is that what you’re talking about?”
“Yesterday afternoon?”
“You do remember, right? I suggested you take the rest of the day off, and you went home early.”
“Linda, that was two days ago. I wasn’t here at all yesterday.”
“It was yesterday, Shel.”
“No. We’re confused here somewhere,” he said quietly. “I spent the entire day yesterday trying to get home from western Pennsylvania.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about, Shel?”
“Just what I said.”
“Western Pennsylvania?”
“Yes. A town called Sheffield. Dave came and got me.”
“Dave?”
“Dave Dryden. I think you know him. He’s been here a couple of times. But anyhow, that’s where I called from.”
“Sheffield.”
“Yes. And you hung up on me. Twice.”
Her jaw was sagging. She looked worried. “You’re saying I hung up on you?”
“You don’t remember that either?”
“Shel, I don’t hang up on people.”
“You did yesterday. I was stuck and I was trying to talk to you—” He stopped.
Linda got up and walked past him to the door of her office. “Sally,” she said, “would you come in here for a minute, please?”
Sally was her secretary. Dark skin, black hair, glasses. A bit too serious, probably. Linda looked at Shel. “Sally, was Shel here yesterday?”
“Well, of course,” she said. “He was here.”
“All day?”
“As far as I know. Except that he left early, I think.”
“This is crazy,” said Shel.
“You want to ask around?”
HE promised he’d make an appointment with a psychologist. Linda urged him again to take some time off, take the rest of the week