To Kill a President (19 page)

Jack chuckled.  “Believe me he’s a man of action, he’s crazy as hell!”

“What do you mean he’s crazy as hell?”

Jack was no longer smiling.  “Well nothing just that you know he’s a little eccentric and well unpredictable.”

“You didn’t think to mention that?”

Jack did not have time to respond, as Jane walked into the bar relief swept through Bobby.  The relief was short lived as Jim Garrison walked in just behind her.  They came over to the table and took a seat.

“Hello Jack, little early for whisky isn’t it?”

“Never Jim, never.”

“You want to get a round in then Jack, I’ll have a lager.”

As Jack headed towards the bar Jim spoke quickly.  “Jane here has told me that she is from the future and that Kennedy will be assassinated on the 22
nd
.  She tells me Meyer Lansky has informed you about this and that Guy Bannister is involved.  I need that confirmed before I act on this.”

Bobby was stunned what the hell was Jane thinking?  “It is all true. We know Bannister and David Ferrie are involved in the plot.”

Jack returned to the table with a fresh round of drinks.

“Thanks Jack, tell me what has been going on at the office?”

“A lot of strange people hanging around, mainly Cubans.  I knew something was going on but I would never have thought he would be crazy enough to get involved in something like this.”

“Okay I have an idea for moving forward with this.  I can bust this wide open.  Jane do you have a number I can reach you on?”

“Here’s my card call my home number if you need to.  When do you think you will have more information?”  Bobby said.

“I’d say I’ll be in touch within twenty four hours, I think I need to have a chat with Guy.”

“But you can’t tell him where you got this information.”  Bobby said forcefully.

“Of course I won’t, once I’ve broken him I’ll be in touch.  Jack I suggest you try to find out anything you can at the office.”   Jim rose to his feet.   “I’ll be in touch.”  He then left the bar.

“Okay Jack we had better be going too.  Just call me if you need anything.”

Chapter 40

Once David, Bobby and Jane had finished sharing the stories of their day Faraday knew it was time to tell Bobby what he had heard at the Carousel Club.

“Listen Bobby, what do you think about Derrick?”

Bobby took a pull on his cigarette.  “To be honest I don’t know what to make of it.  He’s my grandfather so I guess I should trust him but to be honest I’m not sure that I do.”

“Well the reason I ask Bobby is that well his name came up last night at the Carousel Club, oh actually before I tell you, I should warn you that Ruby knows that we live in the same building.  I told him you gave me a lift back and who was shooting at us.”

Bobby looked exasperated.  He glowered at Faraday and Jane.  “Listen to me now!  You both need to be much more careful about what you say to people outside the four of us.  Jane I didn’t mention it earlier because it got Garrison to act.  But you can’t go around spewing out secrets.  Just think a bit more carefully before you speak okay?”

They both nodded and Faraday started speaking again.  “Derrick is a liar Bobby. It wasn’t just a drunken fight with Ruby.  Apparently he tried kill that Gail woman you met.”

“Gail Raven?”  Bobby had not stopped thinking about her since the night they met, she was beautiful.  He kept picturing her black hair in that beehive and her beautiful eyes.

“That’s the one, then Ruby tried to stop him and that’s when they started fighting.  But the other thing that he lied about is that he was never in jail for it.  Ruby just battered him from what I can tell and that was that.”

“Then why was he in prison?”  David asked.

“Well I don’t think he was, Jack said he was involved at the Bay of Pigs, he lied about being in prison and Nancy told me that he just pulled his car up to her on the street one day and offered her a ride home.  She also said he had been asking about working with you for a while.  I think he could be a spy.”

“A spy?”  Jane interjected.  “Come on Faraday it’s his grandfather.”

“Well what else could it be?”  Faraday asked.

The only sound in the room came from Bobby taking a pull on his cigarette.  “I think you could be right.”  Bobby stated.  “Just don’t say anything to him or Nancy.  I’ll handle this when he gets back.”

“He said they were going to spend the night in Houston.”

“Okay well that gives me some time to think about what to say to him.  Are you working at the club again tonight?”

“Yeah.”

“Well tell Ruby I’ll be in tomorrow to see him.  Jane there’s a phonebook in the hall cupboard I want you to track down that woman Jack mentioned.  I think the name was Odio, if you can find her both of you go and pay them a visit tomorrow.  Kennedy will be here at noon so we all need to be out of here by then.”

Chapter 41

David spent the morning pacing around the condo frantically.  He had chosen to wear a black suit, white shirt and a black tie.  He had been a child when Bobby Kennedy was killed.  His mother had always spoken about what a good man he was and here he was about to meet him using blackmail.  He gazed at the clock and saw that it was five to noon.  There was a knock at the door.

David walked to the door as quickly as he could and took a deep breath.  As he opened the door he was let down, Nancy and Derrick stared back at him.  “Bobby wants you both to get to the office as quick as you can.” 

Nancy sighed.  “I’ve had enough of all this David.  What is going on now?!”

“Nothing. Bobby just needs your help.”

“Fine!”  She barked as she stormed off towards the elevator with Derrick following closely behind.

David went back in to the living room.  She wasn’t the only one that had had enough of this. She and Derrick were doing his head in.  Around ten minutes passed before there was another knock on the door.  Again David rushed to the hall and answered the door and again it was not Bobby Kennedy that stood on the other side.

“Hello my name is Clint Hill, I am required to conduct a search of the apartment before Mr Kennedy will come in.  Is there anyone in there with you?”

“No, it’s just me.”

“Do you have any weapons concealed in the apartment?”

David thought for a moment.  No Bobby had taken his gun and Derrick must have his back.  “No.”

“Do you have any concealed recording equipment?”

“No.”

“Could you please unbutton your shirt and remove your shoes.”

“Is that really necessary?”

“Yes it is.”

David did as he was asked and then Clint began searching the condo.  It took him around fifteen minutes.  He was checking for bugs and weapons in every nook and cranny.  Once he was finished he pulled a walkie talkie from his belt and said “We are clear.”  Before turning to David and saying “Mr Kennedy is on his way.”

As Bobby Kennedy exited the elevator David was struck by how young he looked, almost like a teenager.  He wore a navy suit, black shirt and a navy tie. 

“David?”

“Yes Mr Kennedy that’s me please come in.”

Clint Hill took up a position just outside the front door.  Bobby walked ahead of David and went into the living room before choosing to sit in the armchair.  David took a seat on the couch.  Bobby began the conversation.

“So just what the hell do you want?”  As Kennedy spoke David noticed what large buck teeth Bobby had.

“I don’t want anything Mr Kennedy. I wanted to meet you because I want to help you and your family.”

“Ha, you want to help huh well just give me her diary then.”

“I can’t do that Mr Kennedy.”

“Why is that?”

“Because I don’t have it, I never did.”

Bobby’s face dropped he had seemed annoyed before but now he seemed ready to explode.  “So you are here purely to waste my motherfucking time!”

“No I am here to ensure that you don’t let your brother come here on the 22
nd
of the month.”

“Why would I stop him?”

“Because if he comes here he will be assassinated I can guarantee that and I don’t want it to happen.”

“You don’t think I know what this is?  I know you live with Bobby Stinson, the mobster.  You and your buddies want me to be intimidated.  You really think the mob can take on the Presidency. Well I assure you that you are mistaken.  The Kennedy’s fear no one.  So who you working for huh?  Lansky?  Giancana? Marcello?  I’ll take them all down I can guarantee you that.”

“Mr Kennedy I assure you that I am not trying to intimidate you.  I am trying to help you.  Ask Hoover he knows all about it.”

“Ha that prick.  I could almost believe that, so it was Hoover that sent you?”

“No Mr Kennedy I swear to God I want to help you.  They already know the route of the motorcade.  they are planning to kill him whilst it goes through Dealey Plaza.”

Kennedy froze.  “How could they possibly know that?  How do you know so much?”

“That doesn’t matter you just have to stop him coming to Dallas.”

“Prove it. Tell me what happened to Marilyn?”

“I don’t know what happened. I know she didn’t commit suicide.  I think she was given an enema.  I know both you and your brother had affairs with her and that’s why you want the diary.  I don’t think you killed her, I think you are a good man.  But I think you know who did and that you covered it up because you were there that day.  You say the mob couldn’t take down the Presidency, I think that Marilyn Munroe could have brought down the Presidency.  You should give the mob some credit.  So tell me Bobby am I wrong?”

Bobby looked shocked for a moment before replying.  “It was her doctor, Ralph Greenson he’s a psychiatrist, it turns out Marilyn was sleeping with him as well.  We were there looking for her diary, she got hysterical we were just trying to calm her down.  She kept saying we passed her round like a piece of meat, she just wouldn’t stop screaming.  She was so naive it’s my fault I should never have gotten involved with her she was so fragile.”  Bobby was crying now.  “She just wouldn’t stop screaming, so I put a pillow over her head and Peter Lawford, my brother in law he gave her an enema that calmed her down.  We kept looking for the diary but couldn’t find it.  We told Greenson to get round there and make sure she was alright.  He went round later in the evening and the paramedics were there, she was still alive and she would have been fine.  But Greenson knew what we’d been doing and he was scared that if it got out he was going to lose his family, his career so he killed her.  He injected something into her heart and she was gone.”  Bobby coughed and wiped his eyes.

David felt unsure how to react.  He had always thought the Kennedy’s were good men. Maybe there are no good and bad men.  Perhaps everyone is just a bit of both.  “Listen Bobby I’m not going to condone what you did, but I didn’t ask you here to talk about Marilyn.  You did the wrong thing that day but today you can do the right thing.  You have to stop your brother coming here they know the route he is taking and he will be shot five minutes’ walk from here.  You can’t let that happen.”

Bobby looked up and his wet shining eyes met David’s. “How could they possibly know the route he is taking?  I don’t even know what route he is taking?”

“Well who does Bobby?”

“Well Jack knows and a couple of Secret Service agents Roy Kellerman and Winston Lawson and other than that it would be Lyndon.... That bastard it must be Johnson!  It has to be!”

David was stunned.  “Are you serious?”

“He’s facing jail just like the mobsters he wants to hit us before we nail him, the prick!  I always knew we couldn’t trust him!”

“I’m sorry I don’t follow how do you mean he is facing jail, he’s the Vice President?”

“Not for long he isn’t. As soon as I tell Jack I’m going for him.”

“Could you explain?”

“He’s the biggest crook in the country. Forget your Meyer Lansky’s and Carlos Marcello’s.  You ever hear of a guy named Malcolm Wallace?”  David shook his head.  “He’s a hit man loyal only to Lyndon Johnson, he’s killed eight people in Texas alone but he’s never been successfully convicted.  That could be because Lyndon Johnson is the most powerful man in Texas.  How about Bobby Baker, you know him?”  David again shook his head.  “Another one of the Vice Presidents associates he works in the senate and has just recently been found to be accepting bribes on Johnson’s behalf.  One last question you ever hear of Billie Sol Estes?”  Again David shook his head.  “Another one of his pals he’s a business man here in Texas, turns out that Billie has been receiving millions of pounds worth of federal contracts courtesy of his buddy Lyndon.  Ha you know we might have just dropped him from the ticket in the next election, but he’s going to prison now.”