Sabotage in the Secret City

by Diane Fanning

  On the drive back to Oak Ridge, we decided to fan out and talk to as many people as we could to dig up anything more about the train accident and then meet together at my flat-top on Sunday morning. My suggestion of 8 a.m. evoked a negative response until I said I’d have breakfast ready. After dropping the men off at the dorm, I stopped by the grocery store and loaded up on eggs, sausage and bread for the next day. Then I made door-to-door inquiries of all the nearby houses. No one in my neighborhood had any new information to offer that didn’t sound like wild speculation. The most outrageous stories were that the train was coming from Washington D.C. loaded with senators and every one of them perished in the crash; that the train was filled with German P.O.Ws who were now spreading through the countryside committing acts of destruction; and that scores of injured men who had survived the fighting in Europe had been killed on their way home to their families. Not one of those tales had the ring of truth to it.

  The next morning, over breakfast, my first concern was Tom but no one had heard from him or anything about his whereabouts. Then, we shared the rumors we had gathered about the accident on the tracks. The only universal fact that we had learned from neighbors and friends was not anything different from what we suspected the night before: there had been a train wreck and some people had died. Joe, Gregg and I were tasked with talking to Charlie the moment he arrived at work on Monday morning to find out if he knew anything more.

  Everyone carried their dirty dishes into the kitchen. Gregg tuned in the news broadcast on the radio, hoping the wreck would be reported there. Teddy and I remained in the kitchen; Teddy washed, I dried. While we worked we listened to the latest news.

  In the European Theater, Saturday’s events filled the report with good news. The Czech resistance fighters had launched the Prague uprising while the Soviets moved in from the other direction with their Prague Offensive. The German troops in the Netherlands had officially surrendered and Denmark was set free from Nazi domination by the Allies.

  The next story was bittersweet – the liberation of the Mauthausen concentration camp. Freedom for the enslaved prisoners was wonderful news but the nausea-inducing details of the conditions suffered by the men, women and children incarcerated there were revolting. Led by an armored car, a US Army team from the 41st Reconnaissance Squadron of the US 11th Armored Division had passed through the gates of the death camp and disarmed the Nazi police. All around them, the prisoners with emaciated faces and stick bodies cheered with as much energy as they could muster.

  In the Pacific Theater, the news was discouraging. The Japs continued their successful kamikaze attacks around Okinawa. From Oregon were reports of the first enemy-inflicted casualties on the mainland: Pastor Archie Mitchell, his pregnant wife Elsie and five children had been playing with a large paper balloon in the woods. What appeared to be an innocent toy was actually a deadly weapon: a Japanese Fire Bomb. When it exploded, all their lives were lost.

  Teddy and I joined the others in the living room where we exchanged worried glances with each other. My concerns were reflected in their faces, a collective dread of unforeseen consequences that could descend on the world at any time.

  ‘It might be happening right now,’ Dennis said.

  ‘Then why are we still processing product for the gadget?’ Gregg asked.

  ‘Simple,’ Joe said, ‘the military doesn’t want anyone to know the timing and they certainly do not trust any of us.’

  All we could do now was work and wait.

  TWENTY-ONE

  In the morning, we all went to our respective workstations waiting for Charlie to enter his office. When he did, we converged on his doorway where he waved us all inside.

  ‘Charlie,’ I said, ‘what is going on? Was there really a train accident and what happened?’

  Charlie looked from one of us to the other. ‘Close the door.’

  Gregg pushed it shut.

  Charlie continued, ‘I am not supposed to discuss any of this …’

  ‘The truth needs to get out, Charlie,’ Gregg said. ‘The rumors are ranging from hysterical to preposterous.’

  Charlie raised his hands. ‘I said that I’m not supposed to tell anyone. But if you’ll agree to keep it within your group, I will tell you what I know. But it’s not much. The train was serving double duty as troop transport and cargo shipment of raw materials for our facility. As it approached the bridge, the engine brakes screamed, alarming the men in the caboose. When the train stopped with a jolt, the men in the back ran to the front to discover that the engine hung sideways over the abyss. The next couple of cars fell on their sides providing some dead weight to hold the locomotive in place for the moment but it was not stable.

  ‘One man from the back of the train crawled on the sides of the downed cars and yelled into the engine car but got no response from the three men in there. The crew feared that the weight of the engine would pull the whole train into the abyss. They had two choices, they could try to evacuate the train, but knew that at some point the loss of weight in the back cars would cause it to cascade over the edge before everyone could escape – and when it fell, it could easily sweep many of those beside the locomotive into the abyss. No matter how they looked at it, lives would be lost. Since they did not know if the three men in the engine car were still alive, they opted to uncouple it from the train.

  ‘The crew decided that to be absolutely safe they needed to sacrifice the first two cargo trains as well and uncoupled it there. They saved the troops and most of the cargo but if anyone remained alive up front, they would not have survived the fall. We still don’t know if they died in the original crash or after the plummet down into the gorge.’

  Possibilities ran higgledy-piggledy through my thoughts. ‘What happened to the bridge? Do you think it was intentional? Was it an act of sabotage?’

  ‘I have no idea, Libby.’

  ‘Do you think we’ll ever know?’ Joe asked.

  ‘You mean do I think whatever the truth is, the military will bury it?’ Charlie asked.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘It wouldn’t surprise me.’

  The rest of the morning, I startled at every small noise and jumped at every movement in my vicinity. I didn’t know why the train accident had set me on edge like it did. Maybe it was a delayed emotional reaction to seeing my mother. Or perhaps, the surrender of Germany made me apprehensive about the reaction from Japan. At any rate, I was as jumpy as my kitty cat but I wasn’t enjoying it the way he did.

  When I went to the cafeteria for lunch, I saw two M.Ps leading Joe into a jeep and driving off towards the military area of the reservation. I rushed back inside and told Charlie.

  ‘I’ll call around and see what I can learn,’ he said. ‘I have that right since he is one of my scientists but that doesn’t mean I’ll get any answers. Go eat. I’ll do the best I can.’

  I spotted Gregg in the cafeteria and talked to him about Joe. ‘I just don’t understand. Do they think he had something to do with the accident on the bridge?’

  ‘It could be something totally unrelated. It could be because of one of the pranks.’

  ‘It’s possible they think it’s all connected.’

  ‘But wouldn’t that be bizarre?’ Gregg said. ‘People were killed on the tracks. No one was hurt here in the lab. How could they have anything to do with one another?’

  ‘I wonder if Crenshaw picked up Joe, hoping he could be rattled easier than me. Maybe they think he would reveal the names of everyone in our group.’

  ‘I don’t think he would. But why in heaven’s name does Crenshaw even care?’

  ‘He hates not knowing. He thinks everyone should obey him. And it infuriates him when there is something being hidden. He expects to be omniscient and resents when he is not.’

  ‘Are we sure that Crenshaw hasn’t locked up Tom somewhere?’

  My stomach twisted and my appetite fled. ‘No. We can’t be. We can’t be sure of anything.’

  I went straight to Charli
e’s office when I returned to the lab. He didn’t have good news.

  ‘I’ve been assured that no one picked up Joe,’ he said.

  ‘But I saw it with my own eyes.’

  ‘I know. I believe you. But no one will admit it.’

  ‘I think you need to report Tom as a missing person now. Who knows? He could be locked up somewhere, too.’

  ‘I’ve irritated the military enough for one day. At the end of the day, I’ll go down to the police station and see if I can get anywhere there. And, yes, I’ll ask about Joe, too.’ He pulled on his suit jacket and his felt hat. ‘Wish me luck.’

  Luck was his only hope. The authorities always appeared willing to hide the truth behind the veil of patriotic duty and the war effort.

  I was in worse shape that afternoon than I had been in the morning. I broke a piece of glassware and dropped a sample on the way to the scale. I mumbled at myself as I prepared another one to weigh.

  I walked out of the building with Gregg at day’s end. We froze and stared at the street. A line of jeeps filled with M.Ps sat parked with their engines running. Two uniformed men walked in our direction. ‘I think we need to go back inside,’ I said.

  We turned and took a step. A voice boomed out, ‘Abbott. Mr Abbott.’

  Gregg turned around and so did I.

  A sergeant stepped in front of him. ‘Mr Gregg Abbott?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘I need you to come with me.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because I’ve been ordered to pick you up.’

  ‘Why?’

  The sergeant stared at him and sneered, ‘I didn’t ask. Are you going to come with me voluntarily or do we need to take you by force? Either way works for me.’

  Gregg took two steps forward and two soldiers bracketed him for the walk to their transportation.

  ‘Where are you taking him?’ I shouted.

  Although all the civilians in front of Y-12 were staring at me, not one member of the military acknowledged my existence. I repeated my question but nothing changed. I ran after the sergeant and pounded on his back with my fist.

  He spun around. ‘I could take you in for that.’

  ‘Fine. Do it.’

  ‘Go home, little girl. This is none of your business.’

  Now I wasn’t just worried, I was seething. Before I could respond, though, commotion at the far end of the building drew my attention away. Dennis and Teddy were both being escorted to jeeps by military police.

  I ran in that direction but before I could get there, the two vehicles took off. Teddy spotted me, smiled and waved. I turned to go back inside, intending to update Charlie but I saw him emerge from the building with an MP on either side. I sensed that Crenshaw was behind these arrests and could only blame myself for not finding a way to allay his suspicions.

  I hurried up to Charlie and used both fists to pound on the man holding his right elbow. ‘Lady, I don’t know what you think you are doing but you’d better stop right now.’

  ‘No! Let him go.’

  ‘Libby,’ Charlie said. ‘Don’t do this. I need you here. You need to keep the lab running. Stay here. Do your job. Please.’

  The pleading look in his eyes hit me harder than his words. My hands dropped to my sides and I slumped in defeat. I felt so helpless and useless. Then I thought of Ruth and rushed to the dormitory to make sure she’d made it home from work.

  TWENTY-TWO

  I arrived at Ruth’s room out of breath from my speedy walk from Y-12. I bent over with my hands on my knees to catch my breath before knocking. I was straightening up when the door flew open.

  ‘Good heavens, Libby!’ Izzie said. ‘What is wrong?’

  ‘Ruthie, is she here? Is she okay?’

  ‘Sure she is. Come on in.’

  ‘Libby, what has you in such a state? Were you worried about me?’ Ruth asked.

  Izzie put an arm around my waist and said, ‘C’mon, let’s get you over to the bed where you can sit down and finish catching your breath.’

  They sat down on either side of me and tears welled up in my eyes. Their kindness melted my anger and exposed my underlying distress. I struggled to keep my voice steady as I described the events at the lab. ‘And then, I thought about you, Ruthie. I was so scared that you’d been hauled off again. And it’s all my fault. If you weren’t my friend, Crenshaw wouldn’t have bothered you.’

  ‘Oh, pshaw! You don’t know that. It could be he was fixin’ to question anybody who just arrived here. If that’s what he was doin’, you had nothin’ to do with it.’

  ‘Maybe you shouldn’t be seen with me for a while.’

  ‘Izzie, what do you think?’ Ruth asked. ‘Has she snapped her cap? I guess that means I’ll have to be spendin’ as much time with her as possible now, doesn’t it?’

  ‘Sure enough, Ruthie,’ Izzie replied. ‘Maybe we should stay with her in shifts so she’s never alone.’

  ‘Okay, okay,’ I said. ‘I get the message. But still I will worry about you, Ruthie.’

  ‘Not as much as I’ll be frettin’ about you,’ Ruth said.

  I declined their invitation to join them for dinner. I wanted to confront Crenshaw and see what he would tell me. I hopped on a bus to his neighborhood. This time, I went straight to his front door.

  ‘Miss Clark, what an unpleasant surprise,’ Crenshaw said by way of greeting.

  ‘Where are they? Why were they picked up? What is happening?’

  ‘You think I know everything? You think I’m responsible for everything?’

  Crenshaw exhaled harshly. ‘All right, who are you claiming was picked up?’

  ‘Not claiming,’ I said trying to keep the anger out of my voice, ‘witnessing. I saw it with my own eyes. MPs grabbed Joe Barksdale, Dennis Jance, Gregg Abbott, Teddy Burke and Charlie Morton.’

  ‘When was this?’

  My jaw clenched tight making it difficult to speak. ‘Barksdale at lunch. The rest after work.’

  ‘It sounds as if Barksdale must have told someone something that pointed to the others.’

  ‘I imagine you want me to believe that.’

  ‘I assume all of these men are part of your little group of malcontents.’

  I knew he wanted me to erupt over that description but I forced myself to present a calm façade. ‘No, sir. Not all of them.’

  ‘Really? Interesting. Well, it’s been nice chatting with you. My wife is putting dinner on the table and I don’t want it to get cold and upset her,’ he said as he turned back to step into his home.

  I grabbed his forearm and forced him to face me. As he did, he shook off my hand. ‘I’d advise you to keep your hands off of me, Clark. You don’t want to push me too far.’ He spun around, entered his house and slammed the door in my face.

  I lifted my fists to pound on his door but decided it was not a good idea. Next stop, the Military Police office. I doubted my luck there would be any better but I had to try.

  I walked up to the front counter and said, ‘I am here to see Joe Barksdale, Gregg Abbott, Charles Morton, Theodore Burke and Dennis Jance.’

  ‘Why do you think they are here?’

  ‘Because I saw MPs take them away.’

  He turned and rustled through papers on his desk. ‘Sorry, ma’am, I can neither confirm or deny that allegation.’

  ‘Don’t you keep records of the people the MPs pick up? Or are they just allowed to go out and round up anyone they want on a whim?’

  His expression turned thunderous. ‘We do nothing on a whim. I suggest you move along.’

  ‘I need to know where my co-workers are.’

  ‘I need you to leave. Now.’ He reached under the lip of the counter and in moments four MPs marched into the front office and stood shoulder-to-shoulder at attention behind him.

  ‘Now, ma’am.’

  I have never come so close to spouting a string of street profanity in my life. I stared at them while I mustered up as much dignity as I could, then turned and left the b
uilding.

  What now, I wondered as I walked back to my flat-top. I could try to contact General Graves although I had serious doubts that he would interfere. By now, he probably doesn’t remember my name. Perhaps in the morning, they would all be back at their stations with little harm done. I didn’t really believe that but it was the best hope I had. I clung to it as tightly as if it were a solitary piece of wreckage in a storm-tossed sea.

  TWENTY-THREE

  My disappointment was palpable when I arrived at the lab and the lights were still off. Charlie was usually here by this time. At my station, I looked up whenever I heard footsteps. Each time, my hopes rose only to be dashed when it wasn’t Charlie, Joe or Gregg in the doorway.

  I felt powerless to do anything about the missing men. However, I knew I could keep the lab running smoothly in Charlie’s absence. I entered his office to check on the inbox. First, I tackled the purchase order requests. I signed three and delivered them to the appropriate individuals. Then I approved two more that needed to go to the administrative building via the interoffice mail. One remained that I had doubts Charlie would approve. I set it aside.

  He had numerous memos stacked in a pile. I reviewed and divided them into groups based on their urgency. I set most of them aside but two required immediate attention. One of those needed data I’d collected at Charlie’s request. I retrieved the documentation from my station.

  When I returned to Charlie’s office, the phone was ringing. I lifted the receiver. ‘Good morning, Charlie Morton’s office.’

  ‘Could I speak to Mr Morton, please?’

  ‘He’s not in the office at the moment.’

  ‘Where is he? When will he be back?’

  Oh dear. Is this someone who could help me? Or is this a trick? ‘I’m sorry. I do not have that information.’

  ‘Don’t have it or don’t want to tell me?’

  ‘I do not know where he is or when he will return.’