Page 78 of The Women of Oak Ridge
Thankfully Dad would be here tomorrow. Maybe between the two of us, we could get down to the bottom of what happened to Sissy and why it still seemed to haunt Aunt Mae.
The aroma of coffee woke me the following morning. I lay in bed, sleepy confusion muddling my brain. Had the car accident only been a dream? Was Aunt Mae in the kitchen, making breakfast as usual?
I sat up and rubbed my face. The clock hands indicated it was nine thirty. Peggy wasn’t at the foot of my bed, but the clothes I’d worn yesterday lay on the floor exactly where I’d dropped them before falling into an exhausted sleep.
Sounds from the kitchen drew me down the hall. When I reached the tiny room, I found Dad standing there in his rumpled business clothes, a cup of coffee in his hands. Peggy sat at his feet, but when she spotted me, she stood and barked, as though saying, “Look who’s here.”
“Daddy.” I flew to him, nearly spilling his drink.
“Hi, baby girl.” He set the cup on the counter and wrapped his arms around me. How good it felt to know I wasn’t alone anymore.
When we parted, I asked, “When did you get here?”
“Just now. I managed to get on a late flight to Atlanta lastnight, but the commuter flight from Atlanta to Knoxville didn’t leave until this morning.”
I sat at the kitchen table. “I’m glad to see you. I’ve been so frightened for Aunt Mae.”
He took the seat across from me. “How is she? I want to get to the hospital as soon as possible.”
I filled him in on everything the doctor said, then told him about Aunt Mae’s outburst.
“It was so strange, Dad. It was like she’d gone back in time and believed her roommate Sissy was right there with her. They sedated her after that, so I came home.”
He frowned. “I can’t imagine what that was all about. Hopefully it’s just a result of her injury and won’t affect her long term.”
“I have something else to show you.” I went to my room and retrieved the MP’s report and newspaper articles. As Dad glanced through them, I explained. “While I was searching for information about the bomb and Oak Ridge’s history, I found this notice in the newspaper requesting information about Sissy’s whereabouts. It was posted by Aunt Mae. Then Jonas—he’s a friend and a cop—found a complaint that was filed with the MPs against Aunt Mae by a man named Clive Morrison.” I paused. “The troubling part of the story is that Clive Morrison’s trailer burned to the ground the day after he filed the complaint. A newspaper article says he wasn’t home at the time of the fire and was uninjured. It doesn’t mention anything about Aunt Mae, but the timing is worrisome.”
I sat back and waited for Dad to process the disturbing information. The frown on his brow grew deeper while he read the articles. When he finally looked up, his expression revealed he was as bewildered as I felt.
“I can’t imagine what all of this means.” He glanced between me and the papers spread across the table. “You said a policeman helped you track all of this down? Is Mae in legal trouble?”
I explained how I met Jonas and how he’d been such a big help, especially when we learned of Aunt Mae’s car accident. “I don’t believe Aunt Mae started the fire, but it does seem suspicious that it happened the day after the report was filed. And then there’s her odd behavior anytime Sissy’s name comes up.”
“I’m sure my sister hasn’t wanted to talk about any of this. Am I right?”
I nodded. “I made the mistake of pushing a little too hard when I first arrived. I don’t want to do that again, but I have to admit I can’t help but wonder if part of the reason she doesn’t want to talk about the past is linked to all of this.”
He studied the MP’s report. “This says Mae was accused of breaking into this guy Morrison’s house.” His eyes widened, and he met my gaze. “He also said they were lovers.”
I pressed my lips. “I know. It doesn’t sound at all like Aunt Mae.”
“I’ve known her my entire life, and I’m confident she wouldn’t break into someone’s home. She certainly wouldn’t set it on fire.”
“Do you think the part about her being romantically involved with Mr. Morrison could be true? He claims Aunt Mae was jealous. Maybe they’d had an argument and he wanted to get back at her by filing the report, although I can’t imagine she’d resort to arson.”
Dad’s shoulders lifted. “I’ve never heard her mention an interest in anyone, but then I was just a kid when we moved to Oak Ridge. I don’t recall our mother ever talking about Mae having a boyfriend. She fretted over Mae’s singleness and didn’t want her to be alone her whole life.”
“I hope now she’ll be willing to move to Boston.”
“We’ll have to wait and see. First she needs to get better.”
We made plans to leave for the hospital after we’d both cleaned up. When we arrived at the medical center, the doctor was inattendance at Aunt Mae’s bedside. She was sitting up and seemed coherent.
“Harris,” she said when she saw Dad. Her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. “I didn’t know you were coming. My goodness, what a lovely surprise.”
Her speech was normal. No slurring or confusion.
“How’s my big sis?” Dad moved to her bedside. She reached a hand to him, which he clasped. “I don’t like finding you in the hospital.”
