To Kill a President (11 page)

Lansky shook his head.  “It was Marcello.”

“Marcello?  Why would he go after Jack Kennedy?  His problems are with Bobby Kennedy surely?”

“I thought the same thing, why take out Jack when it’s Bobby that is trying to deport him.  He said that a dog will continue to bite you if you cut off its tail but if you cut off its head it will stop causing you trouble.”

“I really don’t know about this Meyer, I don’t think I want to be involved in the murder of a President.”

Meyer’s face changed, this last comment had clearly angered him.  “Bobby it’s your job!  You know what kind of business we work in.  You didn’t think twice about Maranzano!”

“This isn’t like Maranzano!  This is the President of the United States!”  Bobby could feel himself getting angry, Meyer had never acted this way with him before.

“Oh come on Bobby we both know he has it coming!  He used his daddy’s connections with the mob to get himself elected and then he and his idiot brother decide they are going to crack down on us.  You don’t bite the hand that feeds.  He has pissed everyone off.  I mean look at Cuba and that damned Bay of Pigs fiasco, the son of a bitch could have got rid of Castro there and then but he wouldn’t follow through!  You know how much money I’ve lost because of Castro.”

“I know Meyer but I don’t want to get involved in this, why can’t Marcello get Wray Gill to do it?”

“Jesus Bobby!  Wray is working on Marcello’s deportation case and he’s based in New Orleans, don’t you think that would look a bit strange that he then goes to Dallas to defend Kennedy’s killer.”

“I don’t care how it looks Meyer, I’m not doing it.”

“Do you really think you can just say no and walk away from this?  People don’t say no to me Bobby!”

“What you would kill me after everything we’ve been through?  We’ve been friends for thirty years.”

“You are my lawyer Bobby not my friend.  You work for me!  And no I wouldn’t kill you but Marcello would.  He wouldn’t think twice about it.”

Bobby could feel his cane trembling in his hand, he had no choice Meyer wouldn’t protect him and Marcello would tie up any lose ends.  “Who am I defending?”

“The guy is Lee Harvey Oswald.”  Meyer glanced at his watch.  “We need to go down to the restaurant Hoover will be waiting.”

Chapter 20

Bobby and Meyer entered the restaurant and saw that they were already seated at Meyer’s regular table.  J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the FBI seemed to have aged considerably since the last time they had met he had brown hair that was rapidly turning grey and it seemed to be thinning. He wore a navy suit white shirt and a black tie.  He was joined by his second in command Clyde Tolson who seemed to always be scowling.  Both men got up and extended their arms to shake hands with Meyer and Bobby, Bobby accepted but Meyer sat down and said “Sorry boys I know where your hands have been.”

Hoover blushed, Clyde was still wearing a scowl but appeared to be confused by the comment.  Bobby took his seat feeling incredibly awkward and Hoover and Clyde followed suit.

“So boys are you enjoying your stay?” Meyer asked.

“Yes it has been lovely so far hasn’t it Clyde?”

Clyde nodded in agreement.

“Well I know how much you both appreciate a free lunch but before we get around to that we need to have a quick chat.  Do you remember my friend Bobby here?”

So now they were friends again Bobby thought.  Chauncey had been right Meyer was on edge Bobby had never known him to act like this.  It was Hoover who again answered the question.

“Yes I believe the last time we met was at the race track.  I here you have a new investigator?”

Meyer looked at Bobby in surprise and Bobby had no idea how to respond.  “Eh yes he just started yesterday, how did you know that?”

Hoover chuckled. “I have my sources.”

Bobby hated Hoover he always had but he could not understand how the hell Hoover could know about Derrick.

“Who’s the guy?” Meyer asked.

“He’s a friend, Derrick Stinson, no relation he is dating my secretary Nancy.”  Meyer nodded in approval.

“I believe he has led quite a chequered life?”  Hoover asked.  Meyer interjected before Bobby could answer.

“We all have our secrets don’t we Edgar?”

Hoover again blushed.  “Yes I suppose we do.”

Despite the conversation he and Meyer had just had Bobby couldn’t help but be impressed as Meyer expertly intimidated Hoover.  Lansky had acquired various photographs of Hoover involved in homosexual activity and one in which Hoover was dressed as a woman.  He did not make an attractive woman.

Hoover tried to change the subject.  “So what is it that I can do for you both?”

“Were you aware that our mutual friend is paying a visit to Dallas this month?”

“Yes I believe it’s the 22
nd
.”

“Correct.  A lot of hostile people in Texas wouldn’t you say Edgar?”

“Yes I would.”  Hoover seemed nervous as to where this was headed.

“I suspect he will be meeting some trouble during the journey.”  Lansky stated.

“I don’t know the route he is taking if that’s what you want?” Hoover was scarlet.  Clyde was silent and his scowl had disappeared it had given way for a look of dismay.

“We already have the route Edgar. We are just hoping that justice will be served.”

Hoover was flustered. “How do you know the route?”

“That’s not important Edgar.”

Hoover hesitated. “So what do you need me to do?”

“Well I believe you know the man, Lee Harvey Oswald?”

Hoover nodded.  “Yes I am familiar with him, he’s a communist.  Defected to the Soviet Union, he’s married to a Russian woman.  I believe he was arrested in New Orleans recently. He got into a fight with a man whilst handing out leaflets supporting Castro.  We have an officer monitoring the situation”

“Yes Edgar I don’t need his life story, I just want to ensure that he receives a fare trial.  I believe Bobby here will be his best chance.  So if there is any trouble in Bobby being appointed as his lawyer I need you to ensure that he has access to Oswald straight away.”

“But what if he requests someone else?”  Clyde interjected.

“The grownups are talking Clyde.”  Meyer glared at him.

“Yes that won’t be a problem. I’ll get Bobby access to Oswald as soon as he is arrested.”

“That’s all I needed to hear Edgar, now we will leave you to have a nice romantic lunch.”  Meyer stood and Bobby followed his lead.  Despite not liking Hoover, Bobby couldn’t help but feel sorry for the man he had just been completely humiliated.

“Are you staying the night Bobby?”  Meyer asked.

“No I have to be getting back, I just need to pop over and see Chauncey and then I’m flying back.”

“Okay Bobby, listen I’m sorry about earlier you are a friend not just my lawyer.  I won’t forget this.”

Bobby nodded and shook Meyer’s hand before heading to Chauncey’s.

Chapter 21

When Faraday awoke he glanced at the clock on Bobby’s bedroom wall it was already 14:00.  He and David had drank far too much last night.  Faraday could smell himself, he needed some clean clothes and a wash.  David was no longer in his chair he must have gone to bed at some stage Faraday reasoned.

He looked towards Jane and saw that she was beginning to stir.  She opened her eyes. They were no longer the tired eyes he had seen yesterday.  She looked beautiful.

“How are you feeling?  I was so worried.”

“I’m okay.” She lifted her hand to the gash on her head.  “What happened?”

Where do I start? Faraday thought.  “What do you remember?”

“We were in the canoe and then it flipped.  You were going to propose?”

“I eh did propose you said yes, yesterday.”

“Did I?”

Faraday looked deflated.  “I’m only joking I remember saying yes Faraday!”  She looked at the ring on her wedding finger “It’s beautiful.  So I’ve been asleep since yesterday?  What day is it now?”

“That’s quite a difficult question to answer Jane.”

She looked confused as she took in her surroundings. “Where are we?”

“Okay listen Jane, I’m going to tell you what happened, just try not to ask any questions until I have finished and then you can ask whatever you like okay?”

Jane nodded.

“Okay so as you know we were at Loch Ness when the canoe flipped.  I don’t know what happened.  When I found you, you were unconscious I guess you must have bumped your head on something, maybe the canoe.  I tried to get you back to the shore but the wind and rain made it so difficult, I lost my glasses in the water so I couldn’t really see anything.  I don’t know how, but I lost you in the water.  When I woke up I was in the hospital, we um well we all thought you had drowned.  Your mum even bought a bench for you and had it placed by the Loch.  That was months ago.”

“What do you mean months ago?  Where have I been?  Where are we?”  Jane was crying now.  Faraday grabbed her hand and kissed it before continuing.

“Please don’t be upset, your okay.  Anyway so after that happened I eh sort of tried to kill myself and ended up in hospital again.”

“You tried to kill yourself?”

“Jane remember try not to ask questions this is hard to explain.  Okay so I tried to kill myself and I was in the hospital.  One day these two guys I didn’t know came to see me and said that I had to follow the light I had seen at Loch Ness to get back to you.  So when I got out I did that and I ended up being well kind of transported through time.  That was yesterday.  When I got here one of the men I saw at the hospital found me he looked exactly the same as he did at the hospital he hadn’t aged.  I guess the day the canoe flipped you must have been sucked through the um wormhole, I arrived here just ten minutes after you did.  The guy brought me back here and then the other guy that had come to the hospital was watching over you, he’s a doctor, well a pathologist but he saved your life and well here we are.”

Jane only had one thought in her mind. “So when are we?”

“Today is 2
nd
November 1963.” Jane’s jaw dropped.

“So how do we get back?”

“I don’t know if we do get back Jane, I think we might be stuck here.” 

“We can’t be stuck here what about my mum?”

“Your mum probably hasn’t even been born yet.”

“So I might never see her again is that what your telling me and if I do I’ll be what in my sixties?”

“Well maybe I don’t know I only got here yesterday but well like I said we aren’t alone we are with these two guys one of them is called David Lewis, that’s the one that saved your life. Since he got sucked through the wormhole he hasn’t needed to sleep and the other guy is called Bobby Stinson he hasn’t aged and he was transported to the day that Lincoln died.  Apparently the wormhole can have sort of unpredictable side effects and we have both slept maybe we are like Bobby.”

“You mean we are immortal?”

“Well I don’t know, I don’t think he’s immortal well in fact I know he’s not but I guess unless he dies in an accident or is killed by someone he will just kind of carry on living.”

Jane had so many questions she didn’t know which was the most pressing.  “So we are in one of these men’s homes?”

“Yeah I think it’s Bobby that owns the place but they both stay here.”

“So where does he live Inverness?”

Faraday hadn’t even thought about where they were, he was too busy trying to explain the when.  “Um no we well we are actually in Dallas, Texas.”

Jane’s jaw would have dropped had her mouth not already been gaping.  “Texas!  How the hell did we get to Texas?”

“I have no idea I mean how did we get to 1963?”

“So what do these men do?”

“Well like I said David is a forensic pathologist, he works at Parkland Hospital.  Bobby well he’s a lawyer but he works for Meyer Lansky.”

Jane’s expression was blank.  “Who’s Meyer Lansky?”

“Meyer Lansky! Are you serious you’ve never heard of him?”

Jane shook her head.

“He’s the old mafia guy, essentially he’s one of the most powerful men in America we think he is involved with the JFK assassination.”

“The JFK assassination, wait when did that happen again?”

“It happens in twenty days time.”

“Twenty days time and we are living with a mobster probably involved in the murder!  Are you kidding me Faraday?”

“No I’m not kidding but Bobby isn’t a mobster he’s a lawyer, he tried to save Lincoln the day he was assassinated and ended up getting stabbed.  He’s a good guy!  He has agreed to help us save JFK.”

“You’re kidding right?  How the hell are we going to save JFK?”

Faraday was silent he had no idea.

“Well?” Jane demanded.

“Well I don’t really know we um just think we need to try.  Bobby is away in Vegas today meeting Meyer Lansky we were kind of thinking he would be able to get some information and we could use that to stop them.  His grandfather is following Oswald.”