To Kill a President (22 page)

“Jesus, is he okay?”

“Yes he should be from what the doctor told me, I believe he will be without his left eye in future it was removed during surgery.  But he is not alone the time travelling Jane Stuart and the pathologist are with him.”

Bobby had no idea what to say.  He saw the waiter passing and ordered a whisky, when it arrived he swallowed it whole.  “Was it Derrick?”

“Yes but he was not alone, your friend from the Carousel Club Gerry Hemming was with him.  He didn’t have a chance.”

“Are you going after them?”

“I’m afraid not Bobby, not yet anyway.”

Bobby hadn’t expected any more from the corrupt fuck.  He remembered he had Faraday’s picture in his suit jacket. He pulled it out and placed it in front of Hoover.  “Who’s he with?”

Hoover examined the picture and the smallest of smiles appeared on his bulldog head.  “That would be William Harvey, he used to be an FBI agent but his incompetence cost him his job.  He is now a CIA agent, his incompetence there has not gone unnoticed either.  Bobby Kennedy sent him to a station in Rome to get him out of the way but it would appear that he is back on US soil.  I wonder why that would be.”

“Okay Edgar you obviously know what is going on why did you want to meet me?”  Bobby asked already tired of Hoover’s games.

“That is a good question.  But first I would like to ask you a question, how many Presidents have I served?”

Bobby sighed as he began his count.  “Four Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower and John F Kennedy.”

“Very good, but incorrect I was appointed Director of the FBI by Roosevelt but I was also Director of the Bureau of Investigation under both Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover.  What does that tell you?”

“I guess you’re long overdue for retirement?”

Hoover scowled once again.  “No it tells you that I’m good at my job, I’m a patriot an American hero.  An American hero who is undervalued by the current regime, undermined at every turn by those bastard Kennedys’.  I don’t deny it I think Lyndon Johnson will make a great President when Kennedy is gone because he will not try and force me into retirement like they are.  That’s the mistake those bastards have made, their father Joe would never have let them hunt the mob like they have, he would never have undermined the CIA and he would never have treated me the way they have.”

“So what is it that you want to tell me?”  Bobby asked.

Hoover smiled this time.  “What I want to tell you Bobby is that you and I are very similar people, although I doubt you would agree?”

“No I can’t say that I do agree Edgar.”

Hoover smiled and pulled a small black book from his suits inside pocket.  “Well allow me to elaborate.  Like I say I have outlasted six Presidents and there is a good chance I will be on to number seven in a few weeks time.  I have done this by being smarter than everyone else.  I know what true power is Bobby, would you like to know what true power is?”

Oh my God he will not shut up.  “Sure.”

“True power is not guns or money, true power is knowledge Bobby.  I know everything about anyone worth knowing about.  Like that snake Jack Kennedy have you any idea how many woman he has slept with the man is an animal.  He’s slept with eleven women that are not his wife whilst he’s been President and he and Jackie Kennedy are seen as the perfect couple.  If that came out his Presidency would be over.  Or that poor woman Marilyn Munroe, they killed her if that had got out his Presidency would be over.  Do you understand what I’m getting at?”

“To be honest Edgar no I don’t.”

“What I’m saying Bobby is that with a couple of calls to the media Jack Kennedy would be out of the Whitehouse.  That is power, I can bring down a government with a few words.  Any person in this country that feels they could cross J Edgar Hoover would be sadly mistaken.”  He took a slurp from his champagne and gestured to the waiter to bring some more.

“Okay Edgar I know you are powerful, I’ve never doubted that.  But what has any of this got to do with me?  You do realise I’m meeting Meyer in a few hours and he may well kill me?”

Hoover chuckled.  “He’s not going to kill you Bobby I’ve spoken to Lansky I have informed him that Jim Garrison was tricked by the CIA and more specifically Derrick Stinson.  He’s certainly not happy with you but he has no reason to kill you especially when he needs your help for his plan.”

“Why would you help me?”  Bobby asked in genuine surprise.

“Because Bobby like I said we are similar, we are both patriots, we have both stayed loyal to the people we needed to in order to survive and I believe that no matter what happens on the 22
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we will both survive this.  There is one way in which we are different, I use my head at all times, I’m intelligent that’s how I got Dillinger and that’s why I am here today.  You on the other hand are less intelligent.   You get carried away and let your heart rule your head.  Take for example Salvatore Maranzano you had no qualms about murdering him.”

Bobby was at a loss for words.  “How could you know that?”

“Like I have just finished saying information is the currency of power.  Or take you shooting at a CIA agent.  You should be in prison for the rest of your life for those two events.  Tell me Bobby did you get the man who gave you the limp?”  Hoover smiled slightly as he asked the question.

Bobby scowled at the thought of that bastard.  “No I didn’t, someone else did.”

“I see. Do you happen to know the story of Mary Surratt?”

“I know she was hung for conspiring to kill President Lincoln.”

“I see well that is only part of poor Mary Surratt’s story.  Her son was a young man named John Surratt, he like John Wilkes Booth was deeply involved in the plot to kidnap the President.  Of course the plans quickly changed when Lincoln conquered Richmond, Virginia effectively ending the Civil War.  Instead they chose to murder the President.  Mary Surratt ran a boarding house in Washington, this was where Booth chose to hide his weapons and discuss the plot with John Surratt.  On the day of the assassination Mary Surratt was blissfully unaware of the plot and she was planning a visit to Surrattsville with one of her lodgers Louis Wiechmann.  Booth asked her to deliver a brown paper package to a man named John Lloyd at the Surrattsville Tavern.  She did so without thinking anything of it, unbeknownst to her the package contained weapons.  As a result of this she was implicated as a co-conspirator in the plot to murder Lincoln.  By the time a trial was held Booth had already been killed so the conspirators in the plot to kidnap Lincoln were the ones left shouldering the blame they were given a military trial with the exception of John Surratt, he had fled to Canada and was never convicted for his part in the plot.  His poor mother on the other hand was given the death penalty.  Five members of the commission did make a plea to President Johnson that this sentence should be changed to life imprisonment but he would not be swayed.  Legend has it that the hang man had not even tied the noose for Mrs Surratt as he expected a reprieve to be given.  Lewis Paine who was also hung for trying to murder the Secretary of State used his last words to say “Mrs Surratt is innocent.  She doesn’t deserve to die like the rest of us.”  But die she did, she went down in history as the first woman to be executed by the government of the United States.   It’s a touching story, what would you take from it Bobby?”

“I would say that her son should have been killed in her place.” 

“Well that is certainly true.  There is also a theory that Booth was working for Vice President Johnson rather than the Confederates.  You must admit that the similarities between what happened to Lincoln and the plot to kill Kennedy are quite similar.”

“Well in that the Vice Presidents are both called Johnson.”  Bobby stated.

“I also once read that a man who nobody knew tried to warn the President that he was walking to his doom.  The man was later stabbed in the hip by John Wilkes Booth.  Have you heard that story Bobby?”

Bobby was desperately trying not to let his face give him away.  “No I can’t say I have.”

“The story goes that Lincoln asked him to sit in the Presidential box, the man tried to stop Booth’s escape but after he was stabbed he was never heard from again.  He never came forward to give evidence.  The man must surely be dead now but perhaps not.”

“It was a long time ago Edgar.”  Bobby stated.

“Yes it was Bobby, how long ago did Maranzano die?”

“1931.” Bobby replied knowing exactly where this was going.

“Long time Bobby, thirty two years.  You don’t even look twenty but I know you killed him.  So provided that you were at least twenty when you killed him you must be fifty two years old.  I know the truth Bobby, but who can I tell?  People would think I was senile, so just answer my question are you the man that spoke to Lincoln?”

Bobby desperately didn’t want to say it but Hoover was right who would believe him?  “Yes.”

Hoover broke out in a broad smile.  “I knew it.  But I have one more question. If you are a time traveller and you have been here for many years then why haven’t you aged?  I mean you’ve worked in Dallas for years.”

“I can’t answer that Edgar, I don’t know.”

“So how did you go back in time?”

“I don’t really know the answer to that either Edgar it just kind of happened.”

“So what year are you from?”

“2016.”

Hoover’s bulldog face was unrecognizable with shock.  “So tell me Bobby do they get Kennedy?”

“No Edgar I’ve told you enough.  Is this why you brought me here?”

“Well partly that was one of the reasons, but I knew it was the truth.  I’m more curious as to how you plan to stop the assassination.  As of today you have a friend in the hospital, his girlfriend, the pathologist and your secretary Nancy.  Not to mention the CIA are against you and the mob don’t trust you.”

As Bobby considered Edgar’s words he realised that he was right.  If they continued what they were doing they would probably killed.  “To be honest Edgar I think our last chance died when Garrison killed Jack Martin.”

“I did think that would be the case which is a shame.”

“What do you mean it’s a shame you could stop the assassination with one phone call?  What is it you want?  Why won’t you do the right thing? ”

“But what is the right thing Bobby?  There are a lot of people that believe the death of Jack Kennedy would be best for the country. I myself believe that Lyndon Johnson is a better man.  However you are the most interesting man I have ever investigated.  I just wonder whether you can succeed where you failed with Lincoln.  Like I’ve said I’ll be here regardless of what happens. Even you couldn’t bring me down, I’ve got enough to send you to prison for the rest of your days.  That would be quite a long time Bobby.  But like I say, I want to know what you can do.  There are so many similarities between this plot and the plot to kill Lincoln it would make for an interesting watch.”

“You have to be kidding me!  This isn’t a game Edgar peoples’ lives are at stake, the country is at stake and you just want entertainment!”

“Well not just that the way Lansky spoke to me cannot be ignored.  It would be fun to watch him fail.”

“Do you know who ordered the hit Edgar?”  Bobby asked getting angrier with each word Hoover uttered.

Hoover chuckled again.  “Power is knowledge, knowledge is power.  Do you really think Meyer Lansky was the one that let me know someone was going to kill the President?  I could see it coming last year.  The Kennedy’s have done this to themselves they have too many enemies, I wouldn’t be surprised if Bobby goes the same way.”

“So who is it Edgar?”

Hoover chuckled again. “I’m not going to tell you that, where would be the fun.  The only thing that would sadden me is if we have another incident like Mary Surratt.”

“Do you mean Oswald?”

Hoover considered this a moment then finished his drink, he gestured to the waiter for more.  Bobby lit a cigarette he was getting far too worked up.  He had heard Hoover could ramble but this was ridiculous.

“No Bobby I was not referring to Oswald.  He is not an innocent man.  I am going to provide you with some information that will give you a fighting chance.  Would you like me to do that?”

“Yes.”  Bobby took a deep puff on his cigarette.

“Okay firstly I will begin with our friend Lee Harvey Oswald.  I must admit even I am slightly confused by this young man’s history.  He joined the Civil Air Patrol in 1955 where he served under David Ferrie.  He later joined the Marines where he served in Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines.  From his records I saw that he had been taught Russian whilst he was in the Marines which I must say is extremely rare.  In my experience this only happens to Naval Intelligence Officers, they are sent to Russia appearing as defectors when in fact they are spying for us.  Anyway he arrived in the Soviet Union in October 1959. He is told that he cannot stay in the country so he tries to commit suicide five days after his arrival.  Ten days after the suicide attempt he attempted to renounce his US citizenship, he also stated that he planned to reveal everything he had learned whilst he was working as a radar technician.  Then he is quiet for almost two years until he writes to the US Embassy stating he wishes to return to America.  He then married Marina in April 1961.  He returned to America a year later with his wife and child and has since been employed at various establishments. None of his roles have required much skill.  To me he seems like a CIA agent or a member of Naval Intelligence.”