Page 94 of The Women of Oak Ridge

I nodded. “It’s the same story that led me to discover the secret about Oak Ridge.” I repeated as many details about Letty Gladding’s arrest and trial as I could remember. “That’s when I noticed Aunt Mae acting strangely. She started talking about someone hurting Grandma, Grandpa, and Dad. She kept saying she didn’t want to do it, buthemade her.”

Dad frowned. “I have no idea what any of it means.”

Jonas’s serious expression told me he was in detective mode. “When she saw me, she begged me not to arrest her and said she hadn’t wanted to take the papers. Thathemade her take them.”

The three of us looked at one another.

Dad’s eyes grew wide. “You don’t think she meant—”

He didn’t finish the question, but I knew what he was going to say. “That she stole secret documents while she worked at K-25?”

The loaded question hung in the silence.

“That’s impossible,” Dad said, yet he didn’t sound convinced.

“I can’t imagine her doing anything like that either, but it would explain why Aunt Mae has been so secretive. Why she doesn’t want to talk about things that happened during the war.” I glanced at Jonas. “If someone forced her to commit a crime, that would explain why she’s so frightened about revisiting the past. But,” I paused, shaking my head, unable to believe what I was about to say, “could the kind and wonderful woman we all know and love be guilty of...espionage?”

“I’m afraid that would be my guess at this point,” Jonas said, his voice and expression somber. “We won’t know until she’s lucid and able to tell us what’s going on.” He looked every bit a policeman in that moment.

Dad slowly rose, his gaze fixed on Jonas. “Are you going to take my sister in to be interrogated?”

Jonas shook his head. “No, sir, I’m not. That isn’t what I meant.But,” he glanced between Dad and me, “if Mae is guilty of espionage, the authorities will need to be notified.”

I gasped. “No,” I said. Dad grasped my hand, and we clung to each other. “It happened a long time ago. Even if she did steal confidential documents, it doesn’t matter now. Letty Gladding worked for the British government for years. She’s been supplying them information throughout the Cold War. That’s why they arrested her.”

A look of compassion filled Jonas’s face. “I understand that, Laurel. But a number of people have been prosecuted for spying during the Manhattan Project. If Mae passed confidential information to the enemy, she is guilty of espionage too.”

My heart raced, and Dad’s grip on my hand tightened.

“The only thing Mae is guilty of is having a wild hallucination, brought on by an injury to her brain,” Dad said, his voice firm. “I appreciate your kindness to our family, Detective Tyson, but I think it’s time for you to leave.”

I shot a look at Dad. He was dead serious.

“I understand, sir.” Jonas’s gaze met mine. “Let me know if I can be of help.”

I nodded and watched him leave, torn between wanting him to stay and wishing he’d never come in the first place. That a police officer had witnessed what might be Aunt Mae’s confession to espionage was alarming.

Dad’s shoulders slumped once the door closed behind Jonas. “What in the world has my sister gotten herself involved in?” He rubbed his face with both hands and sank down onto the sofa. “This could turn into a real mess. Especially now that your cop friend knows.”

“Jonas is a good man, Dad. He wouldn’t do anything to hurt Aunt Mae.”

“You heard him, Laurel. If Mae is guilty of passing secret documents during the war, she could go to prison, just like Letty Gladding.”

The sobering truth punched me in the gut. “What do we do now?”

His grim face said it all. “Wait for Mae to come to her senses and tell us what the devil is going on.”