‘What a strange way to live. Life is peculiar for everyone right now with the rationing but it certainly seems a bit worse down here.’
‘Yes, it is. But at least we have some shops now. When I first got here, the only store was Williamson’s drugstore and it was nothing more than one glass counter with cosmetics, aspirin and things like that set up in the corner of the cafeteria. There’s one item, though, that’s pretty easy to get here – easier than most places, I would imagine.’
‘What’s that?’
‘Stockings. I can get all I want whenever I need them.’
‘Are you serious?’
‘Oh, yes. How do you think I could send you three pairs at Christmas?’
‘I couldn’t imagine how difficult that was at the time. But now, you’re saying it’s easy. How’s that possible?’
‘There’s a hosiery manufacturing plant right outside of the gates in a town called Clinton. Inside the fence, there are several women who have family working there. They make a little money on the side by selling them to the rest of us.’
‘Lucky you. Feel free to send me stockings every birthday and Christmas for the duration of the war.’
With dinner eaten and all the conversation fit to be overheard done, Aunt Dorothy requested coffee for two in her room. As we ascended in the elevator, I ran over the important points I wanted to make, apprehensive about her reaction to it all.
TWENTY-FOUR
I tried to deliver the facts of the situation and keep my emotions in check but sometimes my voice caught in my throat, betraying me. I explained about meeting Ruth’s sister, Irene, for the first time on Christmas night, the search for Irene the next day, and the discovery of the body under the bleachers at the high school football field.
Although horribly tragic, those facts marched straight and true to the drumbeat of reality. Aunt Dorothy murmured and nodded in response as I ticked off the details.
Then I had to veer away from the typical thread of a tale of murder to a place where everything became distorted like a step through Alice’s looking glass into an alternate universe where facts were incidental and truth was variable. I knew this part of my story would be the most difficult for Aunt Dorothy to accept at face value.
‘The police insist there was no body under the bleachers. The military agreed with them. So who moved Irene’s body from where I’d seen it with my own eyes to where it was later found on the other side of the Solway Bridge?’
Aunt Dorothy’s face grew long and pale as the story twisted into something unrecognizable. I told her about the promise I made to Ruth and Hank, my frustrating encounter with the sheriff, my confrontations with army officers and civilians, and the military’s inquisitive visit to Ann’s home.
Two things I kept to myself were the mittens with the menacing message and the unsettling stare from the mysterious Dr Smith. I wasn’t sure they were related to the big problem and I didn’t want to make Aunt Dorothy worry anymore than she already was.
After I finished, we sat in silence for a few moments. Then Aunt Dorothy said, ‘So as I understand it, your dilemma is between a promise to a friend and the insistence by the authorities that revelation would be detrimental to the war effort. Is that correct?’
‘Yes, ma’am.’
‘Do you have any reason to suspect that Irene was involved in anything nefarious?’
‘You mean, like spying? No. She was nothing more than a fun-loving girl looking for good times and a husband. Nothing more serious than that ever crossed her mind. I’m certain of it.’
‘If that’s true,’ she said, ‘then there would be no official reason that she needed to be silenced.’
‘Silenced? You think our government would do such a thing? Kill a civilian?’
‘Worse things have happened in time of war. If she saw something she wasn’t supposed to see, whether she understood the importance of it or not, who knows? When the stakes are this high, some men will stop at nothing.’
I tried to process this possibility but it conflicted with my notions about my government. ‘How could that be possible?’
‘The people have given up so much in the name of this cause. I have. You have. I believe our mission is just. I believe this war is necessary. But no matter how valiant the effort and how willing the populace, we no longer have freedom of movement throughout this country. We no longer have ready access to goods and food. We no longer have any assumptions about privacy in our correspondence. No matter how great the cause, there are always scoundrels around – men in power who will use this trying time and these extraordinary circumstances to seek their own advantage. That’s one possibility. Another is that this unknown boyfriend is someone whose work is vital to the war effort and no one wants to interfere with his progress. The last possibility I can imagine is that you’ve been told the truth. They are genuinely concerned about the morale and they fear what would happen if the residents lost their sense of safety and security. And then, of course, there is the possibility that it is a combination of the above or something that hasn’t even crossed my mind.’
‘Poor Irene, a simple country girl dazzled by her new life, she didn’t deserve to be discarded as if she didn’t matter. And now the authorities are willing to destroy her memory by alluding that she was up to no good at the hutments.’
‘The hutments?’ Aunt Dorothy asked.
I described the primitive living conditions in the colored area of the community. ‘I don’t know how our government can treat human beings that way.’
‘It’s deplorable how the poor are treated the whole world over, Libby. I’ve been working to change that all my life.’
I was lost in despairing thoughts about the intransigence of poverty until Aunt Dorothy spoke again. ‘Before you make your decision on your course of action, Libby, make sure you are certain that there is no possibility that Irene did something that made her a target. If she’s in the wrong, you do not want to join her.’
‘Irene worked in the guest house, Aunt Dorothy. She was never near any of the labs. Nothing that I can understand, or even imagine, would make Irene a threat to security.’
‘You’re probably right. And the first question is: who moved the body? Was it the same person who killed her?’
‘I don’t think it could have been her killer. Irene was there until the police and military arrived and I can’t imagine them standing idly by while the murderer whisked away the body. It had to be the army or law enforcement that moved the body or someone working under their auspices.’
‘Are you sure she was seeing that married scientist exclusively? Are you certain she wasn’t seeing someone else at the same time and when that man found out about the scientist, he flew into a jealous rage? Maybe that man was a policeman and the department wanted to protect one of their own. Or maybe a soldier – or even an officer, a high-ranking one possibly – whom the military thought was too essential to the mission.’
‘She’d dated all of the above,’ I had to admit. ‘But Ruth believed that her sister was only seeing the one man right before she died. I suppose, though, that one of her former dates could have killed her in anger because she ended their relationship.’
‘Jealous rage is a strong motive, you can’t overlook it. Sometimes the line between love and hate can run precariously thin. For the sake of argument, let’s say you decided to keep your promise to the Nance family. What do you think would be the first thing you should do?’
‘I’d say the most productive first step would be to determine the identity of that married scientist named Bill.’
‘I agree: that is logical.’
‘But how can I do that, Aunt Dorothy? I’m being watched. I know it. I have to be careful. I can’t put an announcement in the newspaper. I can’t ask everyone I see. And to make it even more complicated, all the top scientists have code names and I don’t know if “Bill” is his real name or an alias.’
‘You’re not an investigator. You can’t do this on your own. Y
ou need allies. So who would be your best choice? The women in the dorm who knew Irene?’
‘No, except for Ruth who’s now back home, there’s no one there who really trusts me. They hold me at a distance because I’m unnatural. I’m not waiting for the war to end so that I can get married and make babies, because my work is more important to me than a happy little home in the suburbs.’
‘What about the young scientists you work with? Now that I mention it, that does sound best. You scientists naturally question authority and seek meaningful answers. Wouldn’t that be the best place to turn since you’re looking for one of them?’
‘That’s just it, Aunt Dorothy. I don’t fit in there, either, because I’m not a man.’
‘You’ve got to play the hand you’re dealt, Libby. Don’t waste time hoping for the impossible. There is a special power in being a woman and you’ve been gifted with more than just good looks. You’re intelligent, educated and full of common sense. You’re a strong woman, Libby Clark. You’ve demonstrated that all of your life.’
‘But Aunt Dorothy that takes me back to the first and most basic question: is it right for me to pursue these answers?’
Dorothy leaned forward and grabbed both of my hands and looked into my eyes. ‘Let’s start with what you know for a certainty. You know you promised Ruth that you would find out what happened to her sister, right.’
‘Yes,’ I said, nodding my agreement.
‘You accepted a car from her family in order to help you keep that promise, correct.’
‘Yes.’
‘You’ve been told that keeping that promise would be a violation of the nation’s security, right?’
‘Yes, but not specifically why – it was so vague.’
‘That’s right, Libby. You don’t know for a fact that it is an honest claim because you have not been given details and because those who told you are possibly involved in Irene’s murder or in the cover-up of that crime. If they are involved, it would be irresponsible and immoral for you to allow them to get away with it.’
‘Agreed.’
‘So tell me madam scientist, when you put those two opposing viewpoints on the scale, which side wins?’
‘My promise. But if I do what is right, I could lose my position here. I could be sent home in disgrace. I could embarrass you.’
‘If you stand up for your principles and do what you think is right, I will never be ashamed of you and I will always stand by your side with pride. You must look for answers unless or until you uncover something that tells you that you are endangering the nation’s security or crippling the war effort. If that happens, stop long enough to think it through and re-evaluate the situation – make sure what appears to be is actually what is. Then, if it is, take that knowledge and move in that direction, even if it means putting it all into reverse.’
I closed my eyes in a vain attempt to stop the tears seeping through my eyelashes. ‘Am I strong enough, Aunt Dorothy?’
‘Absolutely! But beyond that, you have to be clever. You need to think carefully about who your allies should be and then pursue them in any way you can. And if you make a mistake along the way, learn from it and move forward to your goal.’
‘Irene deserves justice – who could deny that? That goal should not be dismissed by anyone in this country.’
‘You are right, she does. Seek the truth and find that justice – not just for Irene and her family but for all of us. We are not working to defeat the Axis just to destroy ourselves along the way.’
TWENTY-FIVE
At the Solway gate, soldiers stopped my car and made me get out of the vehicle and wait on the side while they searched it, paying close attention to the glove box and the trunk. When they finished, one of them asked, ‘Where were you?’
‘The Andrew Johnson Hotel.’
‘Why were you there?’
‘To visit with my aunt who is travelling through the area on business.’
‘What is your aunt’s name?’
‘Dorothy Clark.’
‘Wait right here,’ he said then walked away and talked into his mobile radio. He waited in silence with his back rigid. I knew this delay was not the typical treatment for returning workers. Other residents would not be scrutinized in this way. But if they thought it would discourage me, they were wrong; it merely made me more convinced that I was right and firmed up my determination to find the truth.
The radio squawked. He spoke into it, his words indiscernible from the distance. He marched back and stood in front of me. ‘Your story has been confirmed, Miss Clark, you may pass.’
I was seething at the injustice as I stepped back into the car wondering who was behind it all. I could probably make a long list of the possibilities. I needed to think about who I could trust. The first person that came to mind was Gregg Abbott. I had some doubts about him, too, but I would have to take some risks or give up without trying.
The lab was in a state of high energy when I walked in the next morning. The new Calutron was being installed. It was only a matter of days before we’d actually have some product from it and be able to get down to serious work. We all tested and retested equipment, checked supplies, and did all we could to make sure we’d be ready when the racetrack was up and running.
Mid-morning, I slipped over to Gregg’s station and asked, ‘Think I could tag along with you at lunch?’
His eyes scanned my face as if, by doing so, he could find a reason for my request hidden there. Then he asked, ‘Something on your mind, Clark?’
‘Yes, Abbott.’
‘Something serious?’
I nodded.
‘OK,’ he said. ‘We’ll need to be the last to leave so that everyone is already seated and less likely to join our table.’
I agreed and went back to my work station. At lunchtime, I watched as one by one, the others drifted out on their way to the cafeteria. I cleared up my area and acted busy in order to leave the moment Gregg gave the word. Finally, he approached and said, ‘Ready?’
‘Yes,’ I said, grabbing my coat. At the door, we slipped off our good shoes and slid into our galoshes to trudge down the street.
‘I’ve noticed you’ve seemed preoccupied lately, Clark.’
‘Yes, I have been. By the way, I wouldn’t mind if you called me Libby.’
‘I wouldn’t mind that either,’ he said with a grin. ‘I always use your last name at work because I wanted to deliver the message that I considered you an equal.’
‘I appreciate that, Gregg. You may be in a minority, though.’
‘No, there are a few dinosaurs in the lab but most of them are smart enough and progressive enough to understand that a woman can be as smart – or smarter – than the rest of us. The others just make us look bad. Is that what this is about? Is one of the chemists giving you trouble?’
‘No, Gregg. I wish that were the problem, but it’s far more serious.’
Gregg pulled open the cafeteria door and said, ‘Let’s get something to eat and find a corner where we can talk without being disturbed.’
After we settled at a table, Gregg said, ‘I don’t know if you noticed but as we walked back here, a few guys waved at me, trying to get me to join them. I pretended as if I didn’t see them but it’s bound to stir up some talk.’
‘You mean about us?’ I asked and Gregg nodded. ‘I don’t mind. I stopped paying attention to idle chatter a long time ago.’
‘So what’s your problem?’
‘Before I start, I need to know that if you don’t want to help, you’ll keep what I tell you in confidence.’
Gregg furrowed his brow. ‘Does this have anything to do with the war effort, Libby?’
I swallowed hard before I answered. ‘I’ve been told it does, Gregg, but I don’t believe it. I think I’m being pressured to drop the matter under a false pretense.’
‘You’ve been threatened?’
I nodded.
‘Even though you were singled out by General Groves?’
‘Yes.’
‘Nonetheless, you’re confident it is not a matter affecting national security?’
‘Gregg, I’ve been over it in my mind looking for anything that might have a bearing on our war effort. I can’t find it. If you see something, I want you to tell me what I’m missing. At this point, I can only conclude that someone is pulling strings for his own personal benefit – using the security threat to protect himself from criminal prosecution.’
‘That’s a serious charge, Libby.’
‘And I don’t make it lightly.’
‘I never suspected that you would. It’s serious enough that if your arguments make sense to me, I will agree to help you and, if I don’t I will agree to keep everything you say in confidence.’
‘Thank you, Gregg. Well, here goes. The best place to start is to explain about the people involved first.’ I outlined my history with Ruth and her sister Irene, the discovery of the body and the events following Irene’s murder.
Gregg listened with an open mouth and exclamations of surprise. ‘It is difficult to believe. But I don’t doubt what you’re saying. Libby, if it is a massive cover-up, whoever is behind it must be high up in the organization here.’
‘Maybe, Gregg, or maybe it’s just a simple matter of Roane-Anderson or the military not wanting anyone here to know that a crime took place. They’re always pushing the image of our safe, crime-free environment.’
Gregg laughed. ‘Except for those occasional drunken scuffles.’
‘But, they don’t really happen, Gregg – they couldn’t. We are in a dry county,’ I said.
‘Sarcasm noted. I know for a fact that the top-ranking officers and the management ranks have cocktail parties on a regular basis.’
‘And if there’s no one actually hiding a still on the premises, there are plenty of locals peddling Splo.’
Scandal in the Secret City Page 16
