To Kill a President (13 page)

“I’ll do it.”  Faraday didn’t miss a beat.

“No, Faraday you can’t!” Jane yelled.

“Jane this is what we have to do!  You agreed earlier!”

“But he’s a gangster what if he kills you?”

“He could kill any one of us and we’ve all agreed that this is why we are here, we are supposed to change things!”

“He’s right Jane.”  David stated.

Jane was silent in defeat. 

“Well alright then Faraday, I guess we have a night out at the Carousel Club!”

Chapter 24

As Faraday and Bobby approached the Carousel Club it was 22:15.  Whilst they were walking they were both smoking.  Faraday seemed to be walking slightly squint.

“How much have you had to drink tonight?” Bobby asked.

“I don’t know maybe a bottle of wine and a couple of Jack Daniels why?”

“You can hardly walk straight are you up to this?”

“We are going to a bar Bobby I’ll blend right in.”  Faraday replied.

Sound reasoning Bobby thought.  As they approached the entrance Bobby glanced across the street and saw a red haired man sitting smoking in a parked Ford.  “The fucking idiot!”  Bobby said.

“What, what are you talking about?” Faraday asked.

“Right over there, its Derrick, clear as day, Ruby has probably seen him, what is he doing here!”

“You go over and see him and I’ll head in.”  Faraday said.

“What?”

“Well we can’t go in together can we?”

“Um okay but just don’t draw any attention to yourself, try to blend in.”

Faraday walked into the club and Bobby instantly felt a pang of regret.  He has no idea what he is getting involved in, none of them do.  Bobby crossed the street towards the Ford and got in the passenger door.

“What are you doing here Derrick?  Remember what I said let’s not have any more run ins with Ruby, do you remember that?!”

“Yes I remember that Bobby.”

“Then why the hell are you sitting outside the front door of his bar.”

“Oswald is inside.”  Derrick stated.

“What?”

“Yeah I was sitting outside his house well not his house, the house where his wife stays.  I think he must spend weekends with her and another woman.”  Derrick flicked through his notepad. “Ruth Paine is the one that owns the house.  Anyway I was just sitting there when Ruby pulled up outside and honked the horn, Oswald gets right in his car and comes here.”

“Did they seem friendly with one another?”

“As far as I could tell, I mean I didn’t get too close.  Do you want to know what else I found out?”

“I do, but I don’t have time right now, come by the office on Monday okay?”

“Sure no problem, just one thing, there’s another guy following him.”

“What? Who?”

“I don’t know, some guy he’s quite big, looks quite young I’d say mid twenties.  I didn’t notice him until I was tailing Oswald over to Ruth Paine’s place, the guy set off at the same time as I did then parked just up the street from the front door.”

“Did he see you?”

“Yeah when Ruby drove by, he followed. I was parked facing the oncoming traffic. He stared straight at me.”

“Shit, where is he?”

“He went inside.”

“Has he come back out?”

“Nope, he’s sticking real close.”

Bobby had no idea what to do he didn’t want to place his grandfather in danger.  “Okay listen, just get home and stay with Nancy.  Make sure you’re not followed.  Stay in tomorrow and come in at the same time as Nancy on Monday.  Other than that, don’t leave the house and make sure she doesn’t either.”

Derrick looked suddenly scared. “What have you gotten me involved in?”

“Oh God I don’t know.”  Bobby was starting to crack.

“Seriously what is going on?”  Derrick asked.

“Okay if I tell you, you have to promise you won’t tell Nancy.”

“I promise.”

“Okay they are trying to kill the President.  I am trying to prevent that but I think we are getting in too deep.”

“You’re fucking kidding me!  So what they’re after us now!”  Derrick was furious.

“Jesus I don’t know, I didn’t think anyone would be following him.  Okay I think safety in numbers might be best, get Nancy and go to my place. She’ll show you where it is.  There’s a guy called David there and a woman Jane.”  Bobby was panicking now, what if they killed his grandparents.  He would be responsible for the only person he had ever loved dying.  Jesus what if they kill either of them, what would happen to me?  “Do you have a gun?”

“Yeah I’ve got one in the glove box.”

“Okay take that in with you and tell David that my gun is in the top drawer in my room.  I don’t expect that you’ll need them but its best to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them.”

“If you get Nancy hurt Bobby I swear to God I’ll kill you!”

“If I get Nancy hurt Derrick I’ll hand you the gun myself.”

With that Bobby got out of the car and hobbled towards the club as Derrick sped off into the night.

Chapter 25

As Faraday entered the club he was stunned.  He had never seen men as well dressed at a bar as they were here.  Everyone was in suits and trilby hats.   Half the women he could see on the other hand were naked and the other half were in their underwear or particularly revealing dresses.  He struggled to see through the smoke but on his right he could make out a stage with a pole dancer and straight ahead he could see the bar.

He walked towards the bar and took a stool, he was at the far left hand side and the only other people at the bar were in the middle.  He looked towards the barman, he was a tall bald black man, perhaps in his early thirties and he had a Polaroid camera hanging round his neck.

“What can I get you?” He asked.

“Can I just have a pint of lager?”

“No problem, what’s that accent Irish?”

“No Scottish.”  Faraday corrected him.

“Wow you’re a long way from home aren’t you?”

“Yeah I just moved here, have you worked here long?”

“Yeah a few years, you need a job?”

“What is this your place?” Faraday asked, knowing the answer.

“No, this is Mr Ruby’s place, I’m the assistant manager the names Andrew Armstrong.”  Andrew put his hand out and the two men shook.

“James Faraday.”  Faraday stated.

“So do you need a job?”  Andrew repeated.

“What just like that?”  Faraday asked.

“Yeah man it’s bar work not rocket science, you ever worked in a bar before?”

“Yeah when I was a student.”  Faraday answered.

“A student huh, you might not be interested.”

“No Andrew, I’m very interested is there a good time for an interview?”

“An interview man you just passed the interview you want to work here and you can pour a pint, I’ll just go run it by Mr Ruby, why don’t you come and meet him?”

“Sure”

Andrew handed Faraday his pint. “On the house now you work here.”  That was lucky Faraday thought, Bobby and David hadn’t thought to give him any money.  He took a sip and followed Andrew towards the men in the middle of the bar.

“Hey Jack.” Andrew said.

“What’s up Andy?” Ruby asked turning away from the men he was stood with.

“I found our new barman, James Faraday all the way from bonnie Scotland.”  Andrew laughed.

Ruby studied Faraday for a moment, he was a heavyset man with slicked back brown hair he looked around fifty and was wearing a white shirt and grey suit trousers.

“You worked in a bar before James?” Ruby asked.

“Yeah, back in Scotland.”

“You ever see The Loch Ness Monster?” Ruby laughed at his own joke.

“No I’m afraid not sir.”

“Okay well if you do get a picture with Andy’s camera!”  Ruby again laughed gesturing to the Polaroid camera hanging around Andy’s neck.

“I’ll do that, what’s the deal with the camera?” Faraday asked.

“It was Andy’s idea we take pictures of the customers having a good time and stick them on the wall.  Anyway I need to get back to my friends when is he starting?” Ruby asked, addressing Andrew this time.

“I was thinking Monday night?”  Andrew responded.

“Sounds good.” Ruby replied and he went back to the two men that were sat by the bar.  As Faraday went to move away he noticed one of the men was Lee Harvey Oswald.  As Faraday and Andy walked towards the left hand side of the bar, he saw Bobby enter.

Chapter 26

As Bobby hobbled towards the Carousel Club he could feel his heart thumping in his chest.  What the fuck have I gotten myself involved in?  Meyer isn’t there to smooth things over this time, I am on my own.  If only that were true he realised, my band of merry men is made up of a forensic pathologist still mourning the death of his wife, two Scottish students who have lived in America for almost two days, my grandfather who Hoover seems to have a file on and who has been imprisoned for assaulting Jack Ruby and my grandmother who has no place in something like this. 

Bobby leant against the wall and struggled to light a cigarette, his hand was shaking so much that he could barely use the lighter.  Once he had his cigarette lit he took a deep pull.  What the fuck am I doing?  He exhaled and took another long pull.  This is way too big for us to change, if I couldn’t save Lincoln what chance have I got with Kennedy.  The FBI and the Dallas Police Department are in on the plot, not to mention the mob.  He took another draw on his cigarette and he could feel his heart slowing and his hand stopped shaking quite so violently.  What the hell is the deal with Alek James Hidell?  So there is one guy already using the name Hidell and now there will be a second.  Who the hell is Carlos, what was he doing in Bannister’s office?  This is way too much.  Bobby flicked his cigarette to the kerb and began hobbling up the stairs to the Carousel Club.

As he reached the top of the stairs he could feel his hip gnawing away at him, he had done too much today.  Just one last job and then tomorrow is a day off, that’s for damn sure.  He began hobbling towards the bar and noticed Faraday talking to the barman at the left hand side of the bar, in the middle of the bar he noticed a group of three men, two were facing the far wall and the third was on the other side of the bar, Bobby recognized him immediately as Jack Ruby.

He hobbled over to the three men. It was Ruby that noticed him heading towards them first.  “Andy will serve you down the other side of the bar.”  Ruby said.

“I believe it’s you I’m looking for, you Jack Ruby?”  Bobby asked.

The two men that had previously had their backs to him turned in unison, he recognised one of them immediately as Lee Harvey Oswald, the other man also looked familiar but Bobby could not place him, he was a big man with brown hair and a receding hairline.

“Oh yeah?  And who would you be?”  Ruby responded.

“I’m a friend of Chauncey’s did he tell you I was coming?” Bobby asked.

“He did, its Bobby right, Bobby Stinson?”  Ruby asked.

“That’s me.” Bobby stated.

“You’re the lawyer right?” Ruby asked.

“Yeah.”

“Great come on back into the office where we can talk, Lee you want to come back too?”

“Okay.”  Oswald said hesitating slightly.

“Okay we’ll be back in a minute Tippit.”  That was when Bobby realised the man was Officer Tippit the man who was gunned down whilst trying to apprehend Lee Harvey Oswald after Kennedy was assassinated. What the hell were these three men who each killed one another doing sitting together in Ruby’s bar.

Ruby led the way behind the bar and along to the right, he opened one door and the three men entered a small hall way.  He pulled a key from his trouser pocket and unlocked the next door.  The three men went into the office.  In the middle of the room was a large black desk. On the other side of the desk was a red leather swivel chair.  The side closest to the door also had two red leather chairs, these were on wooden legs.  “Okay guys take a seat.”  Ruby said as he walked over and sat on the swivel chair.  Bobby and Oswald both sat down.