‘Who is this?’
I bit off the urge to turn his question back on him. ‘Libby Clark, sir.’
‘Miss Clark, Charlie speaks very highly of you. I find it hard to believe he didn’t inform you where he was going or when he expected to return.’
‘His departure was unusual,’ I said.
‘Let me be frank, Miss Clark. My name is Dr Barrett. There is a rumor floating around that he was picked up yesterday evening by the Military Police. I want to find out if there is any truth to that.’
After a momentary pause to consider my options, I decided to answer his question. ‘It is the absolute truth. I saw the MPs escorting him away. They also picked up three other scientists – two from our lab and two from Alpha.’
‘When was this?’
‘One chemist at lunchtime. Two as they exited the building. They went inside to retrieve Charlie.’
‘I don’t know why the White House doesn’t understand that scientists and the military are a volatile combination. This is ridiculous. Is this a result of the train incident?’
‘I don’t know. I don’t have any details about what happened in the train accident.’
‘It wasn’t an accident.’
‘It wasn’t? Are you saying it was sabotage?’
‘When are you breaking for lunch?’ he asked.
I looked at my watch. ‘I can be ready to leave in an hour.’
‘Good. I’ll park out front and wait for you. I’ll stand beside the car holding a teddy bear to make identification easy.’
‘A teddy bear?’
‘Yes,’ he said with a chuckle. ‘My daughter left it in the car the other day, I might as well put it to good use. See you in an hour.’
The call was over so quickly that I didn’t realize he’d left my question unanswered until I set down the receiver. Does he think sabotage was involved? Does he know it? Is he responsible? Or did Dr Barrett just lay a trap for me that he is about to slam shut?
I stepped out of the office and into the lab. Other than me, the only member of our group remaining at work today was Stephen. ‘Stephen, can you break for a minute?’
‘Just a second,’ he said and walked across the room.
I led him into the office and shut the door. I explained about our missing members and Charlie as well as the phone call from Dr Barrett and my concerns about my meeting with him. ‘So, if I am not here tomorrow morning, I need you to talk to Gary and Rudy.’
‘Maybe this lunch is just that – lunch.’
‘Maybe so, Stephen. I just want to be sure in case it’s not.’
‘You’re probably making a mountain out of a molehill. But, yeah, I’ll do that. Nobody knows where they all are?’
‘I’m sure someone does but they’re not telling me. Maybe Dr Barrett can get some answers. I also plan to go talk to Mrs Morton – maybe she’s been told something.’
‘Sometimes this place is scarier than a Lon Chaney movie,’ said Stephen. He walked back to his lab bench, shaking his head.
I left the lab with hope in my heart and fear in my craw. I prayed Dr Barrett had only the best intentions.
TWENTY-FOUR
Dr Barrett was easy to spot. He really didn’t need the teddy bear. He was standing next to a teal-colored Plymouth – not the kind of car you’d see around that often. From the small patch of gray at his temples to his impeccable posture, he radiated the stereotypical good looks of an urbane professor whose female students wanted to swoon when he entered the classroom. He opened the car door for me and we were off. He didn’t speak about our telephone conversation until we were past the gates.
‘Miss Clark, you asked about the train incident. Let me tell you what I know, but whatever you do, do not reveal me as your source. Can you do that?’
‘Certainly, Dr Barrett.’
‘It was not an accident. Someone damaged a section of the bridge. It wasn’t a particularly big explosion as those things go, but the end results could have been worse if the train had approached from the other direction. As it was, the engine compartment went over the edge and killed three crew members. Everyone is still surprised that the rest of the train didn’t follow. The oddest complexity was the posted signs along the tracks.
‘Someone created handmade signs warning that the bridge was out – six of them leading up to the bridge on both sides. Right now, they don’t know if the sign maker and the demolisher are the same person or persons or if one person was trying to defuse the situation.’
‘Either way, it doesn’t make a lot of sense. If a person wanted to cause an accident, why would he leave a warning? If it were a different person who made the signs, why wouldn’t he contact the authorities?’
‘Exactly. It isn’t at all logical. If a scientist were responsible, you’d expect a more rational plan. However, I think the military suspects your fellow chemists of involvement and that’s why they were picked up.’
‘Was there something on the train of importance?’
‘Yes. More raw material for the work at hand. They are determined to find out if the culprit knew that shipment was coming in at that time or if the coincidence was unrelated. That could be the question that they hoped to get answered by your co-workers.’
‘But, I have no idea when a shipment is due to arrive. I only know when the refined material is going out. I really don’t know how anyone in my lab would have that information.’
‘As a manager, I suspect Charlie would know the shipment schedule.’
‘Can you sit there and tell me that you think Charlie is capable of blowing up a bridge?’
‘No, Miss Clark. Not the Charlie I know. But the military operates from an entirely different viewpoint than you or me. And we don’t know if that’s what they suspect or if they think he wittingly or unwittingly divulged that information to another party. If he did, I doubt you’ll see Charlie again.’
‘Charlie is not careless with information,’ I said.
‘I’ve never known him to be. Still, he was involved in your last escapade and was shot in the process.’
I bristled at his characterization. ‘It wasn’t an escapade. It was a mission in the service of our country.’
‘Don’t lash out at me, Miss Clark. I am only telling you how it is perceived by Crenshaw and the top management in administration. I understand, though, that you possess some information that they want. They could have rounded those men up to bypass you and find it elsewhere. What is it that you know?’
I folded my hands in my lap and stared down at them.
‘Miss Clark?’
‘You are better at making me feel guilty than my mother has ever been.’
‘You think that’s what I’m doing here?’
I kept staring at my hands.
‘I want to help you – well, I don’t really know you. It’s not you – it’s Charlie. I want to help him. I don’t want him disappearing into some military installation somewhere for the duration of the war whether it’s a month away or years away,’ Barrett said.
‘Dr Barrett, I am not free to answer your questions.’
‘Are you doubting my motives?’
I closed my eyes. Then, I turned and faced him. ‘Yes, sir, I do.’
Barrett sighed. ‘We’re just a block from the restaurant. Let’s go have some lunch and continue this conversation on the way back.’
I sat across the table from him and contemplated using the powder room excuse to bolt out of the place and catch a bus back home. After the waitress took our orders, though, Dr Barrett launched into funny anecdotes about his daughter and the culture shock his wife experienced upon arriving in Oak Ridge. He was an excellent storyteller and proved to be very entertaining company. Still, I dreaded the ride back.
When we pulled out of the parking space, Dr Barrett said, ‘I understand why you are not inclined to trust me but, honestly, I want to help.’
Why is it when people use the word ‘honestly’ I tend to doubt their credibility? Same for those wh
o say ‘believe me.’ Both set my teeth on edge and make me doubt every word I hear. Dr Barrett was no exception. I start with accepting a person’s words at face value but when they feel the need to qualify statements that way, I always have doubts. ‘I need all the help I can get, Dr Barrett, but I’ve learned the hard way to be skeptical.’
‘It’s not surprising when you see your supervisor and co-workers taken away but …’
‘Listen. I have asked multiple sources for the location of all those men but everywhere I go, I get denials. If you can find out who ordered them to be picked up and where they are right now, it would go a long way to allowing me to lower my skepticism.’
‘I’ll see what I can do,’ he said, then switched the conversation to a discussion of the progress of the war.
After we entered the gates, I said, ‘Could you drop me off at Charlie’s home? I want to talk to Mrs Morton.’
‘I’m not certain that is a good idea.’
‘Well, I am and if you won’t drop me off there, I’ll still be going. I don’t know if she’s been informed about Charlie’s whereabouts or not. If she has been, maybe she’ll tell me. If she hasn’t, she’s probably worried sick about him staying out all night.’
A few minutes later, he pulled up outside of the Morton’s cemesto house. ‘Good luck, Miss Clark. If I can find anything out, I will let you know.’
‘Thanks, Dr Barrett, and thank you for the lunch.’ I walked up to the front door and it popped open before I could knock.
‘Hello, Mrs Mor—’
‘Libby Clark, right?’
‘Yes, ma’am. I—’
‘Where is Charlie?’
‘I—’
‘He never came home last night. Have you been working overnight?’
‘I was hoping you’d know where I could find him.’
‘Oh, dear. Come in. Come in. Follow me to the kitchen. I’ll make some coffee. You don’t know where he is?’
‘No, ma’am.’
‘He just disappeared?’ she asked as she scooped coffee into the percolator on the stove.
‘Not exactly.’
‘What do you mean by that?’
I explained what I saw the day before as the worry wrinkles etched deep into her face.
‘You haven’t seen him since?’
‘No, ma’am. Not Charlie. Not any of them.’
‘Have you made inquiries?’
‘Yes, I have. Everyone denies any knowledge of what happened.’
She poured two cups and set them down on the kitchen table with two teaspoons, the creamer and the sugar bowl.
As we stirred our coffee, I asked, ‘Do you know Dr Barrett?’
‘Rodney Barrett? Yes. Charlie and Rodney were in undergraduate school together. After Rodney got his doctorate, they renewed their relationship when they started working together. As a result, we were friends with Rodney and his wife Christina. Why do you ask?’
‘He asked me to lunch today. He wanted to know if the rumors were true about Charlie being picked up. He said he wanted to help.’
‘Really? Humpf,’ she said with a sneer on her face.
‘You doubt his intentions?’
‘I probably should say nothing. Charlie likes him. He says my judgment of Rodney is too harsh.’
‘But?’
‘I just don’t trust him. He told Charlie that he’d help him get a paper published. It was published all right but with Rodney’s name on it. He claimed it was a secretarial error. I heard rumors about him taking advantage of others. I don’t think he ever helps anyone unless he thinks there is something in it for him.’
‘Interesting. He made me a bit uneasy, too.’
‘Stay that way. Maybe I’m wrong but there’s something about him …’ she said staring into her empty coffee cup. ‘Do you want another?’
‘No, I’d better get back to work.’
‘I’ll go up to the administration offices this afternoon and demand an answer about Charlie’s whereabouts.’
‘I hope you get one.’
‘You think they’ll stonewall me?’
‘They might. But it is worth a try. Would you let me know if you learn anything?’
‘Of course. Come see me when you get off work. And stay for dinner. If I don’t get an answer, I’ll want to talk to you about what to do next.’
TWENTY-FIVE
As I entered the building the next morning, a flutter of hope beat against my ribcage. But, sadly, not one of the missing were back in the lab.
I checked for any new arrivals in Charlie’s inbox. There were a few items but nothing that was urgent or pressing. I leaned back in the chair pondering whether I should take a chance that I would be remembered and contact General Groves. Before I could decide, Stephen rapped on the doorframe and walked into the room.
‘You need to gather everyone together and tell them what is going on,’ he said.
‘But I don’t know what is going on, Stephen.’
‘Then tell them that. They need someone to acknowledge the upheaval in the lab and to know that someone is doing something more than sweeping it all under the rug. A couple of chemists think we’re being shut down.’
‘Okay,’ I said with a sigh. ‘Gather them up and I’ll fully explain my ignorance.’
‘Libby, please.’
‘Don’t worry, Stephen. Short of lying, I’ll do everything I can to calm their anxieties.’
Within two minutes the staff had crammed into the space making it feel claustrophobic. ‘I don’t know much yet but I will tell you what I do know. As most of you are aware, Charlie, Gregg and Joe from our lab and Teddy and Dennis from Alpha lab were picked up yesterday by the military police. At this moment, I do not know why or who ordered it. I have spoken to Lieutenant Colonel Crenshaw and the military police and they deny any knowledge. I am certain someone – or everyone – is lying. Because of the timing, I feel confident that it is connected to the incident out at the bridge. I have no proof of that but I will not stop seeking answers until our supervisor and our co-workers return.’
The questions rolled by like a river: ‘Are we being shut down?’ ‘Will all of us be sent home?’ ‘Are you sure they are still here in Oak Ridge?’ ‘Will the MPs come for us next?’
‘I do not think they are closing us down. I doubt if the people in this room are scheduled to be sent home since none of you were picked up yesterday. I don’t know if that will change. And, no, I am not sure if our co-workers are here in Oak Ridge but I think they are.’
‘Is that what happened to Tom – did they pick him up first?’
‘That’s a possibility. I just don’t know. But I will tell you when I know more.’
‘What can we do to help?’
‘For now, please, just get back to work – and work harder than before. We all need to apply ourselves to fill in the staffing gaps. Thank you and feel free to come to me with any private concerns you may have.’
I cleared out Charlie’s inbox and went to my workstation. It seemed as if everyone took my last words seriously because no one even looked up as I moved through the room. All assignments and samples given to Gregg and Joe yesterday no longer sat in impotent piles by their areas. The other chemists had picked up the slack. I imagined all of us would be working late tonight.
When I finally left for the day, I spotted Gary pacing the walkway running by Y-12. He perked up with my arrival and rushed to my side. ‘I think I saw Tom this morning.’
‘Really? Where?’
‘I got up early and went for a walk. I was going past the chapel when I spotted a thatch of red hair walking away from me. From the back, he looked like Tom. I called out to him and he started running. I tried to catch up but I lost him. For the life of me, I don’t know how. It was as if he disappeared.’
‘Is this the first time something like this has happened?’
‘Yeah. I’ve had other times I thought I saw him, but it always turned out to be someone else.’
‘Maybe it
wasn’t Tom …’
‘Well, why did he run when I hollered? That was when I was sure it was him.’
‘You may be right. He has to be somewhere, why not here? Let me know if you see him again.’ I tried hard to put myself in Tom’s shoes – to imagine that I was filled with grief and anger – and then figure out what I might do if I were that overwrought. But imagining that and living it were two different things. I could not conceive of any reason for Tom to miss his father’s funeral and not return to work without informing someone. Maybe that was because there was no logical reason. Perhaps Tom had had a nervous breakdown. I never knew anyone who experienced that and I didn’t really know if it was a realistic notion. Maybe Tom simply needed to be alone. I did not know him well enough – and I didn’t think anyone here did – to determine if this possibility was likely.
I needed to get the remnants of our group together and try to hash it all out between us. But right now, I needed food and sleep more than anything else.
I trudged up the steps to my flat-top. My feet felt like grounded anchors tangled in sunken debris. It was an effort to get to the door. Before I opened it, I saw a folded piece of paper partially pushed across the threshold. I picked it up and carried it inside.
G.G. demanded my immediate attention and I knew from experience, he would not relent until I filled his food bowl. I dropped the paper on the table, took care of the cat and put on a kettle for tea. Then I unfolded the paper and read: ‘I need to talk to you but I’m afraid. I made a big mistake and I don’t think I can ever make it right. Tom.’
I stepped out on the landing and looked all around my home. I walked the perimeter, looking for any sign that Tom was nearby. I saw no one moving and few houses with lights still lit. Back inside, I wrote on his note: ‘Yes. When and where? I will come alone.’ I grabbed an empty canning jar and set the paper with the container on top of the front porch. I could only hope he would return and find it.
Where are you Tom O’Malley and just what are you thinking?
TWENTY-SIX
The next morning, I checked the stair landing. The jar was still there but the note was missing. I hoped Tom had picked it up but wondered why he hadn’t left a response. One of the problems with living in a world where secrets were a way of life was that you were never sure if what you thought was true, really was. On the way to work, suspicion took hold. Was the note really from Tom? Or was someone trying to trick me or use me for an unknown purpose?
Sabotage in the Secret City Page 12