Page 36 of The Women of Oak Ridge

We sped past the buildings and followed the river around a bend. Twelve or more enormous storage tanks appeared, but Clive didn’t comment on their purpose as we went by. The dirt road eventually came to an end. Piles of unused building materials sat here and there.

Clive stopped the car and shut off the engine.

We sat in the stillness, not moving, not speaking.

The scenery was beautiful, with the Clinch River meandering along, surrounded by woods ready for a long winter’s slumber.

Clive’s presence, however, spoiled the tranquility.

I had no desire to remain here a moment longer than necessary.

The sun was on its westerly descent, and I wanted to be safely back at K-25 long before it dipped behind the hills.

His security clearance obviously gave him permission to be here, but if someone found us, I could be in serious trouble.

With unhurried movements, Clive removed his glasses, then took a small cloth from his jacket pocket and wiped the round circles of glass. After he returned them to the bridge of his nose, he faced me. “I want it back.” His words were measured but firm.

There was no reason to pretend I didn’t understand what he meant. “No.”

The muscle in his jaw ticked. “You don’t know what you’re dealing with, Mae. For your own safety, give me the badge.”

I shook my head and stubbornly crossed my arms. “Where is Sissy? Why do you have her ID? You answer those questions and I’ll consider giving you what you want.”

I wasn’t sure where this bravado came from, but I wasn’t leaving until I knew why Sissy left Oak Ridge so suddenly.

“I told you, she went home after I informed her I didn’t want to see her anymore.

She was upset and embarrassed. She said everyone assumed I was going to propose, which was the furthest thing from the truth.

” He gave a nonchalant shrug. “I guess she didn’t want to face you and the others, so she got on the first bus to Georgia. ”

I didn’t believe him. “She wouldn’t have gone home without saying goodbye. She didn’t take any of her belongings. Even if she planned to leave Oak Ridge, she wouldn’t have just vanished.”

“You can believe what you want, but the facts say otherwise.”

“The facts? The facts don’t make any sense. I think you threatened her. I think she discovered you’re a spy and you forced her to leave.”

There. I’d said it out loud. What would he do now?

We stared at each other, neither willing to look away. I wouldn’t let him intimidate me another moment. He was the one doing wrong, not me. If he truly was a spy, he was a traitor to the United States of America. A traitor to his fellow soldiers.

In an instant, his demeanor changed.

His eyes narrowed on me, and his breathing grew hard. “You’re a little fool, you know it? You’ve messed with the wrong person, Mae. Would you like me to tell you what happened to Sissy?”

A tremor raced through my body, but I nodded. “Where is she?”

He glanced out the window. “This was our favorite place to come. We’d neck, right here in this car.”

I grimaced, repulsed by his crudeness. “Where is she?” I repeated.

He took his time answering. “We were supposed to go to Knoxville that day, but Sissy wanted to talk. We came here instead. She said she was confused about our relationship and wasn’t certain we should continue seeing each other.

When I asked why, she said she couldn’t trust me.

” He gave a humorless laugh. “That was the wrong thing to say.”

When he turned to face me, his expression held its usual bland look. “I took her back to the dorm. That’s the last I saw of her.”

Even though parts of his story rang true, it didn’t explain why Sissy disappeared. “If she broke things off with you, why would she go home? She loved being here in Oak Ridge.”

“Because of you.”

I stared at him, confused. “What do you mean? Sissy and I are friends.”

“ Were friends, up until I told her I hadn’t been in love with her at all.” He paused. “I told her I was actually in love with you and had used her to get close to you.”

I reared back, as though he’d struck me. “What? Why would you say something like that?”

“I wanted to hurt her, the same way she’d hurt me.

I didn’t expect her to fly into a rage. She was furious with you.

You’d said negative things about me the entire time she and I were dating, but now she believed you were just jealous.

She took off her badge and threw it at me.

” He shrugged. “My guess is she got on a bus that very day and went home.”

I didn’t know what to believe.

Had Sissy truly thought I was interested in Clive?

It was an absurd idea, yet it would explain why she left in such a rush and why she hadn’t written to let me know she was safe.

Oh, Sissy. As soon as I returned to the dorm, I’d write to her and tell her that everything Clive said was a lie.

Hopefully she could get her job at Y-12 back and we could put all of this behind us.

I glanced at Clive. The self-satisfied look on his face made me sick.

“Even if Sissy went home because she was angry, she was right about you, wasn’t she? You’re some kind of spy. That’s why you have all those papers. She didn’t want to continue seeing you because she didn’t trust you. Neither do I.”

He smirked. “That’s rich, considering you’re the one who broke into my house.

But as for me being a spy, that is a figment of Sissy’s naive imagination.

My security clearance gives me access to everything about the project, including top secret documents.

Anyone who reported that wild tale to the MPs would look ridiculous, including you.

Do you really think anyone would believe a well-respected soldier in the Army is a spy? ”

Some of my bluster seeped out with his logical explanation. Wasn’t that what I’d thought all along?

“We’re done here. I have something in my trailer that belongs to Sissy. We’ll go by there and get it, then you can take the bus home.”

I was more than happy to leave this place. The sun had dropped behind the hills, and it would be pitch-dark soon.

We drove back to K-25 in silence. He continued past the plant’s entrance and turned into Happy Valley. Lights shone in many of the trailer windows, including those on either side of his, as well as the one across the street.

He parked in front of his small house. “Wait here. I won’t be long.”

Minutes passed. Laughter floated on the cold air, and I saw a couple walking up the street, holding hands, coming straight toward me.

I sank down into the seat so they wouldn’t see me.

Thankfully they were too occupied with one another to notice anything else.

If Clive didn’t come out of his trailer soon, I’d leave without seeing whatever it was he thought so important.

A short time later, he exited, carrying a box in one hand and a suitcase in the other. Instead of putting them in the back seat of the car, he opened the trunk and stored the items. Then he came around to my side of the sedan and opened the passenger door.

“Get out.”

I was happy to comply. “It’s late. Show me whatever it is you want me to see so I can go home.”

He closed the car door. “I’ve changed my mind. We’ll talk more tomorrow.” He took a step away, then stopped. “Don’t even think about discussing any of this with anyone. One word from me, and the MPs will arrest you. This time the crime will be far worse than a simple robbery.”

I stood in the road, fuming, and watched him climb into the driver’s seat and drive away. If he thought his empty threats would rattle me, he was wrong. He was as strange as ever, even more so now that I’d spent time with him. What had sweet Sissy seen in the guy?

I shook my head, exasperated. “Good riddance.”

I made a decision right then.

First thing tomorrow morning, I would go to Mr. Colby and tell him everything. The two documents, as well as Sissy’s diary and her ID, were enough evidence to cast a shadow of doubt on Clive. I’d let the authorities decide if they should investigate.

I tugged up the collar of my coat and started toward the bus stop. It had been a long day, and I was ready to get back to the dorm.

I hadn’t gone far when a scream broke into the night air.

“Fire! There’s a fire!”

I whirled around and gasped.

Flames shot out the window of Clive’s trailer.

People ran into the street, some with buckets of water, everyone shouting.

I stood, dumbfounded, trying to process what was happening.

How had his trailer caught fire so quickly?

Had Clive dropped a cigarette or match in his haste and accidentally set his home ablaze?

This time the crime will be far worse than a simple robbery, he’d warned before he sped away.

My body began to tremble as I stared at the shooting flames. Cold dread stole my breath.

He’d set the fire on purpose.

He’d brought me here and left me standing in front of his home so everyone would see me. So I wouldn’t have an alibi when the MPs came to accuse me of arson.

So I would keep my mouth shut.

About my suspicions. About the bomb. About Sissy.

About everything.