“We can’t even get these to behave properly. There’s not the slightest chance that some barely educated teenage girl is going to be able to operate this machine.”

“It’s a fool’s errand.”

Finally, Nora had had enough. “It may well be a fool’s errand, but it’s my responsibility, and you can be sure that not only do I take it seriously, but I will make it work.”

“It’s nothing personal, Nora,” Del said. “You’ve experienced firsthand the difficulties we’ve encountered. These girls aren’t being trained to problem solve. They’re being given a rudimentary explanation and told to keep the needle between two points. They don’t understand why; they don’t know the science. How can they possibly succeed, when those of us who have a full understanding of the complex scientific process are failing on a daily basis?”

Initially, Nora had wondered the same thing. Then it had come to her. Her girls didn’t need to understand the science; they simply needed to get results. Sometimes, too much knowledge can be a hindrance.

“The Alpha-1 calutrons will be online soon, and we’re not convinced we have a workable design. They’re still tinkering in Berkeley,” Berkeley Boy B complained.

Nora prayed for patience. “Tomorrow I’m going to get a good look at the girls and the training your colleagues have been doing with them. Once I see that, I’ll know how to help them do what we need them to do. I recognize that neither you, nor your colleagues, have faith in this arrangement, but I do. When all is said and done and these girls produce the necessary results, you’ll be singing a different tune.”

Her words held more bravado than she felt, but Nora had never failed at anything. She wasn’t about to fail now.

CHAPTER NINE

Mary glanced over her shoulder one more time to make sure no one was watching her. So far, she’d been lucky. She was able to sneak her suitcase out of the house when her mother was hanging the wash in the backyard.

You’re nervous as a cat. Stop skulking around; it makes you look suspicious. She stored her suitcase in the locker at the bus station as she’d planned and managed to get out of there without seeing anyone she knew. Next, she approached the ticket counter.

The man behind the glass partition looked bored. “How can I help you?”

“I want to purchase a one-way ticket to Knoxville, Tennessee, please.” Saying it out loud made her stomach flip.

“When do you want to leave?”

“Tonight, please.”

The clerk consulted his map of routes and scheduled departure times. “The bus leaves at 7:05 p.m. and arrives in Knoxville at 1:30 p.m. tomorrow. How many tickets do you want?”

“One, please.”