To Kill a President (20 page)

“Just so you know Bobby as far as I’m aware it was Carlos Marcello that ordered the hit.  Maybe you should hang back on Johnson until you have some proof.”

“Hang back are you kidding?  He’s done and by the end of the month Marcello will be back in Guatemala!  I can’t thank you enough David if you ever need my help with anything just call me, here take my card.”  David accepted the card gratefully.  “I mean anything you ever need a job give me a call.  I’ve got to get back and speak to Jack.”

Bobby seemed ecstatic as he ran from the room, David reasoned it must be mainly down to saving his brother’s life but it seemed to also be a fair bit about getting Johnson.  David walked to the kitchen and opened the cupboard to the left of the sink and pulled out a Cuban cigar, he then grabbed a full bottle of Jack Daniels and a glass.  It was time to celebrate he had just saved the life of John F Kennedy and stopped the biggest conspiracy in history from happening.

Chapter 42

As Bobby sat in his office listening to the receiver ringing and ringing he couldn’t help but worry.  Where the hell was Jack Martin?  He had been attempting to call Jack all morning but neither he nor Bannister were answering their calls.  What the hell was going on down there?

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard someone unlocking the front door of the office.  He ran from his private office to see Nancy and Derrick entering.

“Nancy, Derrick how are you both?”

“I’m getting sick of all this secrecy Bobby, David wouldn’t let us into the flat what is going on?”

“It’s a long story Nancy and I promise I will sit down with you soon but right now I need both of you to help me.”

“Sure. Anything.”  Derrick replied.

“Nancy I need you to try and get hold of Jack Martin he works in Guy Bannister’s office in New Orleans, failing that try the New Orleans District Attorney’s office Jim Garrison.  As soon as you manage to reach either of them transfer them through to me okay.”

“No problem.”  Nancy replied.

“Derrick I need your help in my office, come with me.”  As they entered Bobby’s office he gestured for Derrick to take a seat.  “So how was the trip?”

“It was fine, I met that Chuck guy told him Ferrie is hoping to open a rink in New Orleans and he might have some work for Chuck and I told him he can expect to see Ferrie on the 22
nd
.”

“Great work Derrick you are proving to be a valuable asset.”  Bobby was fighting the urge to swing his cane at the man.

“Tell me Derrick I never got a chance to ask you how you managed to find out so much about Oswald, I mean you only really had about a day and a half, provided that you didn’t sleep.  So how did you do it?”

“Like you said Bobby I just used my initiative you know.”  Bobby could have sworn he saw Derrick’s nerves giving him away.

“That’s great Derrick and tell me how did you find out that Michael Paine worked at Bell Helicopter?”

“I overheard him talking about it with Oswald.”  Derrick replied coolly.

“Where were they talking about it?”  Bobby asked.

“How do you mean?”

“Where were they whilst they were discussing Bell Helicopter?”

“The house.”

“You heard them from inside the house, where were you hiding?”

“I was in the car.” 

The lying bastard Bobby thought.  “You heard them from the car?”

“They had the window open, it was a hot day.”

“Lucky for us Derrick!  Tell me how did you recognize Oswald?”

“I don’t understand what you mean?”  Derrick replied looking confused.

“It’s just I didn’t even have a picture I could show you, so how did you recognize him?”

“Oh I eh just asked someone who worked in the depository which guy he was.”

“Did you explain why you had asked?”

“Um no.”

“So the guy just told you who he was and you walked out of there?”

“That’s right.”

“You’re a bloody good sleuth I’ll give you that.  One last question who do you think the guy following Oswald worked for?”

“The Mafia I guess?”

“But why would the Mafia tail him when they have Jack Ruby keeping tabs on him?”

“The FBI then.”  Derrick replied. He could feel heat rising to his face and his pulse racing.

“The same principle would apply there Derrick, they have that Agent Hosty paying him visits why would they have another guy following him?”

“Well I don’t know then Bobby, maybe the Russians.” 

“You do know Derrick.  You’re lying to me. You’ve been lying to everyone.  I know you were never in prison.  I know that the reason you fought Ruby is because you tried to kill his girlfriend.  The only thing I don’t know is who sent you and why. You care to fill in the blanks?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about Bobby?”

“Really you don’t?  Jack recognised you, Ruby told Faraday you were never even in prison and Nancy told Faraday that you had been looking for a job here for weeks.  We know someone sent you, I’m guessing to keep tabs on what we’ve been doing.  Based on what you’ve just said about the guy tailing Oswald I’m guessing you’re not FBI or a Russian spy.  You certainly aren’t in the mob I’ve never met a ginger member of the mob.  So my guess is your CIA, ever hear about Operation Mongoose Billy?”

“You can’t trust what that old drunken bum says Bobby!”  Derrick yelled.

“How could you even know he was the one that mentioned Operation Mongoose you weren’t there Billy.  What’s to stop me killing you right here?”  Bobby pulled out his Smith and Wesson revolver and took aim.

“You would really gun down a CIA spy Bobby?”

“So you are CIA?”

“Yes”.

“Why are you here?”

“We received intelligence that the mob are planning a hit on the President.  You work with Lansky.  I was here to uncover the plot.  We thought you were in on it.  Turns out you’re being forced into it, but you and you’re friends seemed to be getting somewhere so I was instructed to stay with you and report back what I know.”

Bobby had never considered that this man’s reason for infiltrating them could be to stop the assassination.  “Is that the truth?”

The man nodded.

“Right here’s what you can do, one last job get the fuck out of my office and tell your friends at the CIA to go fuck themselves.”

The man rose from his seat and walked slowly from Bobby’s office. As he walked past Nancy she was talking to someone on the phone, she looked worried.  She didn’t even notice him leave.

Chapter 43

It wasn’t hard to track down Odio, she happened to be the only Odio in the phonebook.  Faraday and Jane went on foot as they didn’t have access to a car.  As Jane knocked on the door they heard someone rattling around inside the house.  A tall man with a bushy red beard answered the door.

“Hi sorry to bother you we were looking for Miss Odio?”  Jane said.

“Ah she moved last month but she did leave a forwarding address hang on.”  The man disappeared into the house and was back within a minute.  “Here you go.”

“Thanks so much for your help.”

“No worries, bye.”

“You’ll never guess where she’s moved to.”  Jane said.

“Where?”

“She’s in a flat above Bobby’s office.”

They began the walk back to Bobby’s office, the sun was beating down on them and Faraday was disgruntled.

“Don’t you miss Scotland, this Texas heat is unbearable.”

“Maybe you should shave the beard and get a haircut?”  Jane replied.  “You might get mistaken for Bigfoot.”

Faraday laughed.  “I’m serious though, don’t you wish we could be home?”

“I miss my mum, I hope she’s getting on okay.”  Jane replied.

“I miss my family too, but they don’t even exist yet.  Isn’t that insane?  I mean what if we’re like David and not like Bobby.  What if we just grow old?”

Jane could see that Faraday was upset.  “Why haven’t you mentioned any of this before?”

“When could I Jane, this is the first time we’ve been alone since we got here.  I just don’t want to grow old before I’ve even been born.”

“I know I feel the same, but who knows what if we end up like Bobby, we could live forever.  Can you imagine what that would be like, we could do everything.”

“Yeah I suppose your right we have to be optimistic.  I never told you Scotland voted yes.”

It was Jane’s turn to laugh now.  “No way!  I wonder how we’ll get on!”

“Yeah. Do you think we can do this Jane?”

“Do what?” 

“Stop the assassination.”

“To be honest no I don’t, I did when we first started but it just keeps getting bigger.  I thought we could just warn people, but it doesn’t work like that.  They say that America is the land of the free, but the whole country is just built upon lies and liars.  I mean even the Kennedy’s they killed Marilyn Munroe isn’t that insane?”

“It is, that’s exactly what I’m talking about, even J Edgar Hoover, he’s regarded as a patriot and he is going to stand by and let Kennedy die.  That’s why I want to get back home, we don’t belong here we belong in Scotland.  We are strangers in a strange land at a strange time.”

“It’s the same with David he shouldn’t be here either, he belongs with his wife.  Do you think we can save her?”

“Well to be honest with thirty years to work on a plan I’d say it’s a safe bet, but we surely won’t be able to stop him going back in time or else he wouldn’t be here.”

“Well then our David can get her back and future David will get her back after he’s lived through this.”

“Hmm, that could work but what’s he going to do just walk up to her and explain he has aged thirty years in a minute?”

They continued the walk in silence, but it was short lived.  When they approached Bobby’s office they saw a crowd of reporters surrounding the door.

“What the hell is going on?”  Jane gasped.  As they walked closer they could hear the reporters questioning someone.

“Do you think they’ve killed Bobby?”  Faraday asked.

“Jim Leher, Dallas Times Herald do you have any response to Jim Garrison’s claims that a girl from the future and Mr Stinson met with him yesterday and told him that the CIA are planning to assassinate the President?”

“Robert MacNeil NBC, are you the woman that met with Garrison?”

Faraday couldn’t believe his ears.  “He went to the press.”

“Oh my God what have I done?”  Jane whispered.

There was a gap in the crowd of reporters and they saw Nancy standing in the doorway holding back tears.  They rushed through the crowd and Faraday ushered Nancy inside the office with Jane at his heels.  “Lock that door Nancy.”  She did as Faraday asked.  “Where is Bobby?”

“He went back to the condo. He wanted me to wait here for calls, but then the press descended on the place.  I don’t know what to do?” 

“Let’s get into Bobby’s office.”  Faraday decided.  As they walked into Bobby’s office Nancy and Jane took the available chairs.  “What happened Nancy?”  Faraday asked.  Jane had not said a word since they had entered the office.

“I don’t know, nobody tells me anything.  Bobby and Derrick came through to Bobby’s office and I was asked to stay out front and try calling Jack Martin and Jim Garrison.  He didn’t say why, he just said to connect him when I got through.  I was trying for half an hour maybe more, all I got was Garrison’s secretary and no one was answering in Bannister’s office.  I finally got through and asked to speak to Jack.  It was the secretary Delphine Roberts that answered, she started screaming down the phone that Jack was dead and it was Bobby’s fault and then she hung up.  I told Bobby and he left, I have no idea where Derrick is.  The next thing I know is there’s a call from Meyer Lansky looking for Bobby, it’s the first time he has ever phoned the office himself.  I don’t know what to do.”

“We need to get back to the condo.”  Faraday declared.  “It’s not far and Kevin won’t let anybody from the media up there.  If you two head towards the condo I’ll make up a story and keep the press entertained, then I’ll head back in a bit.”

They walked back to the front of the office and exited onto the street.  They were immediately blinded by the flashing of cameras.  “Okay I’d like to make a statement on behalf of Mr Stinson.  I will not be accepting any questions.”  As Faraday began to speak Nancy and Jane ran up the street.  “My name is James Faraday I am an investigator currently in the employ of Mr Stinson.”  Faraday knew whatever he said would have to be good, Lansky would be watching and all their lives were on the line.  That’s when it dawned on him Derrick.  “It is our belief that Mr Garrison met with my former colleague Derrick Stinson who is of no relation to Bobby.  He had only been employed with us for a short time and his position was terminated this morning.  We are absolutely dumfounded by his actions and we pass our condolences to Jack Martin’s family and friends.  That is all.”  Faraday headed back into the office and locked the door, he was delighted with himself.