Page 88 of The Women of Oak Ridge
It was nearly dark when I dragged myself up from the riverbank and started for home. I didn’t care if the mounted men found me. I didn’t care if I lost my job or even if they arrested me. Sissy was dead, and I was the only one who knew the truth.
As I’d lain on the hard ground, weeping, I came to a conclusion.
I would tell Mr. Colby everything. Today. Now. He often worked late hours, and I hoped he would still be in his office when I returned to K-25. If he wasn’t, I’d wait all night until he arrived in the morning. Clive needed to be arrested. To rot in prison for what he’d done. I would see this thing through for Sissy’s sake.
Bundled in my coat against the chilly night air, I crept past S-50, thankful for the shadows. No one called out an alarm. I continued on until I reached the main road. Night sounds filled the woods on either side of me. When two cars approached, I hid in the brush. Neither stopped.
More than an hour later, I crested a rise and nearly wept. I’d never been so relieved to see the massive structure of K-25 rising up out of the Tennessee soil, illuminated by outdoor lights. I quickened my pace. The sooner I got to Mr. Colby’s office, the sooner all of this would be over.
I’d almost reached the edge of the compound when headlights from an approaching car landed on me. There wasn’t anywhere to hide this time, but it didn’t matter. I had every right to be at K-25.
The car swerved into my path and stopped, forcing me to step off the road. With lights blinding me, the door opened, but I couldn’t see the reckless driver.
“Hello, Mae.”
Clive’s voice sent a wave of terror crashing through me, and I stood, frozen to the ground. He walked to the front of the car and leaned his hip against the hood, blocking one of the headlamps. With a casualness that belied the situation, he took a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and took a long drag. All I could do was stand there like a hunted animal, too afraid to move.
“I looked for you today. A girl in Mr. Colby’s office said you were out sick, so I went to your dorm. Funny thing is, no one had seen you all day. Not even your housemother, who checked your room. When I got to the barracks a little while ago, I overheard some of the MPs talking about a woman down by the river. ‘Surely it’s not Mae,’ I said to myself. ‘Why would she be down there?’ But two plus two always adds up, so I came to see for myself.” He took another drag and blew out the smoke. “What were you doing, Mae?”
Anger and disgust replaced my fear. I was done letting this creep intimidate me.
“I was looking for Sissy’s body.”
I let the words hang in the cold air. If he tried to silence me, as he’d done to my roommate, I would fight with everything I had in me. I’d left my purse in the dorm that morning, the knife still inside, but it didn’t matter. Justice and anger would be my weapons.
I couldn’t see his face because of the bright light, but I could well imagine his surprised expression when he heard the truth come from my lips. Did panic roll through him at finding his crime had been exposed? That would be satisfying.
But he simply puffed on the cigarette one last time before tossing it to the ground. With methodical movements, he ground the butt into the dirt with his shoe. Then he took a step toward me.
My body tensed, prepared to run. “Stay away from me, Clive Morrison. You may think you’ve gotten away with your crimes,but I know what you’ve done. I won’t rest until I see you behind bars.”
We stood facing each other for long moments. A standoff of good and evil.
He leaned against the front of the car again and crossed his arms. “You think you’re smart, don’t you, Mae?” He laughed, although the sound was not pleasant. “Here’s some advice. Don’t ever play poker. You just gave away your hand.”
I frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“You’ve got nothing left. No leverage. No ace up your sleeve. You just told me exactly what you plan to do.”
My heart sank. He was right. I shouldn’t have blurted everything out.
“I see I was right.” He straightened. “Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to get in this car, and I’m going to take you home. We’re going to pretend this conversation never took place. The day after Christmas, you’ll give me the documents, then I’ll bid you farewell. We never have to speak to each other again.”
I shook my head. “I don’t give a rat’s behind about the documents. Sissy is dead. I’m sure of it.”
“There you go, letting your wild imagination rule out common sense. Sissy took off because she was embarrassed and hurt. She’s home with her family in the backwoods of Georgia right this minute.” He turned and walked to the driver’s side of the vehicle. “It’s getting cold. Get in the car and let me take you home.”
I stared at him in disbelief. “You’re a liar. Sissy’s family hasn’t seen her. Her mother sent—”
I clamped my mouth shut. I’d done it again. I’d given away too much information.
He stood perfectly still. “What did her mother send?” When I didn’t answer, he took a menacing step forward. “You don’t want to mess with me, Mae. There’s too much at stake to let somesimpleton ruin everything. First one from Georgia, and now one from Kentucky.”
My blood surged. He’d all but confessed to killing Sissy.
“This simpleton from Kentucky has you figured out.” I bent down to pick up a good-sized rock and drew my arm back as if to throw the stone at him. “Get in your car and leave. Don’t ever bother me again or you’ll be sorry.”
Neither of us moved.
