he
awoke each morning. He reasoned that if he had survived the night
then the rest of the day would be easy. “One hundred forty days
down and 225 days left to go.” He shut his eyes and joined Kong for
a nap.
Sleep was even more of a friend than Kong. It alone
killed the loneliness, the guilt, the hunger, at least
temporarily.
8
“I ain’t in no trouble, am I boss?”
“No, George. I just have a few questions is all.”
“Okay.”
“Were you here in the building with Dave Freight when
the Gadget was tested?”
“Well, sir, that was almost a year ago. Let’s see if
I can recollect…”
“I’m not concerned any about you, George. It’s Dave
whom I’m worried about.”
“I figured as much. Now you got me to thinking that
what I say to you is going to get Mr. Freight in a pile of
troubles, maybe even get him fired.” He blinked and rubbed his
sweaty palms on his pants.
“I know I have a reputation for being a hard task
master. Please believe me that I’m only doing my job.”
George sighed. “I reckon so. My daddy always said
being a boss man ain’t no piece of cake. And he bossed people at
his restaurant back there in Texas until the day he died so he
should know.”
“Well?”
“Yes, sir. Me and Mr. Freight were both here when
they blew up that bomb.”
“Did he act strangely?”
“To tell a fact, he did act sort of strange thing
that day.”
“Oh?”
“Yes, sir. He didn’t want to look off at where you
were setting off the bomb at even though I had an extra pair of
dark glasses for him to put on.”
“So what did he do instead?”
“He hid himself in the supply closet
so’s the rays from the bomb wouldn’t go inside him. I didn’t think
it was necessary to be doing all that. But then I looked at some
movie called The Invisible
Ray .”
“The one with Boris Karloff as the mad
scientist?”
“That’s the one. The way his body soaked up all those
invisible rays and then anyone he touched died made me start to
thinking that maybe Mr. Freight is smarter than we give him credit
for.”
“Did he wrap himself up in tin foil to protect
himself? That’s the rumor I heard. Someone found the tin foil all
wadded up under his desk.”
George shifted in his chair. “Am I in trouble if I
tell you I helped him to do it?”
“No, of course not. I’m only trying to get the bottom
of all this is all.”
“Yes, sir. I helped him wrap himself up in tin foil.
You think it protected him from those invisible rays that came
shooting on out from that bomb?”
“The results are not in yet on all that. But we have
scientists studying the survivors of the blasts at Nagasaki and
Hiroshima. Eventually we’ll have all the answers. Researching
something so new is not easy. It has to be done slowly if we’re
going to get it right.”
George rose to go. “I sure hope they figure all that
mess out before they do any more tests around here. I got a wife
and kids depending on me. I can’t be having no invisible rays make
me to where I can’t work and support them no more. I best be
getting back to work now.”
“Thank you, George.” He waited until the janitor had
shut the door before scribbling notes: June 3, 1946. Interviewed
janitor George Seymour. He confirmed that he was a witness to
technician Dave Freight donning tin foil day Gadget was tested,
July 1945. Follow-up interview with Freight revealed… Anxious to
fill in the blanks, he buzzed his secretary. “Miss Marpler, please
locate Dave Freight and send him in.”
“Yes, sir.” She found Dave talking to George by the
water cooler, their favorite meeting place. “Mr. Freight, the boss
is waiting for you.”
“Okay. I’ll be right there.” He turned and shook
George’s hand. “Thanks.”
“But I thought maybe I got you into a heap of
heartache. You ain’t mad at me?”
“No. You told the truth. I couldn’t
ask for any more than that.” Armed with knowing what his boss
already knew, Dave settled on which role to
awoke each morning. He reasoned that if he had survived the night
then the rest of the day would be easy. “One hundred forty days
down and 225 days left to go.” He shut his eyes and joined Kong for
a nap.
Sleep was even more of a friend than Kong. It alone
killed the loneliness, the guilt, the hunger, at least
temporarily.
8
“I ain’t in no trouble, am I boss?”
“No, George. I just have a few questions is all.”
“Okay.”
“Were you here in the building with Dave Freight when
the Gadget was tested?”
“Well, sir, that was almost a year ago. Let’s see if
I can recollect…”
“I’m not concerned any about you, George. It’s Dave
whom I’m worried about.”
“I figured as much. Now you got me to thinking that
what I say to you is going to get Mr. Freight in a pile of
troubles, maybe even get him fired.” He blinked and rubbed his
sweaty palms on his pants.
“I know I have a reputation for being a hard task
master. Please believe me that I’m only doing my job.”
George sighed. “I reckon so. My daddy always said
being a boss man ain’t no piece of cake. And he bossed people at
his restaurant back there in Texas until the day he died so he
should know.”
“Well?”
“Yes, sir. Me and Mr. Freight were both here when
they blew up that bomb.”
“Did he act strangely?”
“To tell a fact, he did act sort of strange thing
that day.”
“Oh?”
“Yes, sir. He didn’t want to look off at where you
were setting off the bomb at even though I had an extra pair of
dark glasses for him to put on.”
“So what did he do instead?”
“He hid himself in the supply closet
so’s the rays from the bomb wouldn’t go inside him. I didn’t think
it was necessary to be doing all that. But then I looked at some
movie called The Invisible
Ray .”
“The one with Boris Karloff as the mad
scientist?”
“That’s the one. The way his body soaked up all those
invisible rays and then anyone he touched died made me start to
thinking that maybe Mr. Freight is smarter than we give him credit
for.”
“Did he wrap himself up in tin foil to protect
himself? That’s the rumor I heard. Someone found the tin foil all
wadded up under his desk.”
George shifted in his chair. “Am I in trouble if I
tell you I helped him to do it?”
“No, of course not. I’m only trying to get the bottom
of all this is all.”
“Yes, sir. I helped him wrap himself up in tin foil.
You think it protected him from those invisible rays that came
shooting on out from that bomb?”
“The results are not in yet on all that. But we have
scientists studying the survivors of the blasts at Nagasaki and
Hiroshima. Eventually we’ll have all the answers. Researching
something so new is not easy. It has to be done slowly if we’re
going to get it right.”
George rose to go. “I sure hope they figure all that
mess out before they do any more tests around here. I got a wife
and kids depending on me. I can’t be having no invisible rays make
me to where I can’t work and support them no more. I best be
getting back to work now.”
“Thank you, George.” He waited until the janitor had
shut the door before scribbling notes: June 3, 1946. Interviewed
janitor George Seymour. He confirmed that he was a witness to
technician Dave Freight donning tin foil day Gadget was tested,
July 1945. Follow-up interview with Freight revealed… Anxious to
fill in the blanks, he buzzed his secretary. “Miss Marpler, please
locate Dave Freight and send him in.”
“Yes, sir.” She found Dave talking to George by the
water cooler, their favorite meeting place. “Mr. Freight, the boss
is waiting for you.”
“Okay. I’ll be right there.” He turned and shook
George’s hand. “Thanks.”
“But I thought maybe I got you into a heap of
heartache. You ain’t mad at me?”
“No. You told the truth. I couldn’t
ask for any more than that.” Armed with knowing what his boss
already knew, Dave settled on which role to
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