To Kill a President (33 page)

“Lee what are you doing?”  Bobby asked beginning to feel scared.

“It’s okay he’s a friend.”  Lee assured him.

Oswald got into the front of the car and Bobby struggled into the back.  Once he had taken his seat he recognised the man as Officer Tippit.  It was so surreal seeing these men that were both doomed.  What were they doing together?  Oswald was supposed to have shot Tippit for trying to arrest him.

“Who’s this?”  Tippit asked.

“He’s my lawyer.”  Oswald replied.  “What are you doing here?”

“They wanted me to kill you.  You have to get out of here!”  Tippit replied.

“Who sent you?”

“It was Jack.  I don’t know what’s going on.  I think he was involved in the shooting.  We have to get you out of here.  Where do you want to go?”

“I have to meet someone at the Dallas Theatre.”

“No we can’t go there!  They’ll find you!”  Bobby interjected.

“I agree you have to get out of town.”  Tippit said.

“I’m not leaving.  Just take me to the theatre.”

“Seriously you have to listen to me, we can’t go there!”  Bobby tried once more.

“I need to go there.”

“Why who do you want to meet?”

“Billy Beane.”

“No Lee believe me, he’s in on it.”

“I’ve known him for years let’s go.”

Tippit turned on the ignition and they headed towards the Dallas theatre.  Bobby could not believe nobody knew if JFK had been killed yet.  Had anything happened differently he wondered?  Were the others safe?  David and Jane surely couldn’t have gotten involved he would have heard something.

When they arrived at the Dallas theatre Bobby checked his watch it was 12:54.  Tippit’s radio sounded.  “Officer Tippit could you proceed to the intersection of East 10
th
Street and Patton Avenue, we have reports of two suspicious men loitering in the area.”

“Sure I’m on my way.”

“You can’t go there. “  Bobby said.

“Why is that?”

“They’re going to kill you.”

“I’m a cop.”

“They shot the President about twenty minutes ago.”

“I’ve got a gun, he didn’t.”

“Come on Bobby.”  Oswald got out of the car.

“Seriously don’t go there.”

“It’s my job.”

Bobby got out of the car reluctantly.  As he shut the door Tippit sped off, heading towards his death.  Oswald walked into the theatre with Bobby close behind.  They approached the counter and Bobby purchased two tickets for War Is Hell.

Chapter 71

As Faraday stood waiting at the intersection he wasn’t sure what to do.  In all probability he could save a life.  He had a much better chance of saving Tippit than they had had with Kennedy or even Oswald for that matter.  He stood waiting and saw a man he recognized walking up the street.  It was Derrick or Billy Beane the son of a bitch.  This would be payback he had a gun this time.

He stared across at Billy his hand tightened on the gun.  He was about to pull it out when a police car arrived on the scene.  It was Officer Tippit he began to slow down as the car approached Derrick.  He lowered his window and Derrick walked over to the car.  They began talking, from what he could hear they were arguing.

Tippit opened his car door and walked around to the sidewalk.  Faraday crossed the street to try and hear what was being said.

“What are you doing here you scumbag, did you shoot the President?”  Tippit asked.

Billy did not respond, he pulled a gun on Tippit.  Faraday followed suit and shouted “You shoot him and I shoot you!”  Tippit was facing him whilst Billy was staring in the opposite direction.

“Faraday?”  Tippit said astounded.

“Faraday didn’t you learn your lesson last time?”  Billy yelled.

“Billy if you move I shoot.  Lower your gun.”

Faraday watched Billy closely he wasn’t sure how to proceed.  He took a few steps closer to Billy. He was within touching distance now.  “Lower your gun or I’ll shoot.”

“You don’t have the guts.”  Billy replied.

Faraday almost agreed with that, he had no desire to murder a man but he hated this man.  “Just shoot him.”  Tippit said.  “I’m a cop your protecting me, they’ll give you a medal.”

Billy laughed.  “You really think killing me will save you?  You’ve been doomed all along just like Oswald and Kennedy.”

“What are you talking about?”  Tippit replied.

“We need you dead.  You’re no use alive.”

“What so you can frame Oswald?”  Faraday asked.

Billy laughed again.  “Oswald has already been framed Faraday.  You know you and that little whore of yours would have survived this if you had just let it be.”

“You don’t talk about her!”  Faraday replied.  His finger was hovering over the trigger he could feel his hand shaking.

“Just do it kid.”  Tippit said.

“Why do you need him dead?”

“We need his...”  Billy was cut off as two men ran into the street in front of them.  A shot went off that hit Tippit in the head.  One of the men was Lee Harvey Oswald and the other was Roscoe White.  Faraday pulled the trigger as a reflex but he missed everyone.  Billy shot Tippit twice in the chest and before Faraday could react Billy had turned and had the gun against Faraday’s stomach.  As Billy pulled the trigger Faraday felt a pain like nothing he had ever felt before and let out a scream of agony.  He looked down and saw that his white shirt was already scarlet.  He fell forwards but Billy pushed him backwards.  He landed on his back with Billy standing over him pointing the gun at his head.

“I’m not putting you out of your misery.”

Faraday began to lose focus and then the darkness came.

Chapter 72

When David arrived at Parkland Hospital it was 13:00.  He and the police officer Ray Hawkins parked at the main entrance.

“What the hell are they doing?”  Ray shouted.

“What?  Who?”

“Look.”  Ray pointed to a black limousine David assumed had been part of the motorcade.  There was a Secret Service agent with a bucket and a cloth in his hand.  He appeared to be cleaning the car. 

“That’s the President’s limousine!  It’s a crime scene why are they cleaning it?”  Ray shouted again.  He got out of the car and rushed towards the agents.  David walked over behind him.  His hand was shaking.  He had not been able to get the man he had gunned down out of his head.  He felt worse than he had when Sharon had died.  Worse still he had blamed it on the man that helped him.

“What are you doing?  You can’t clean this it’s a crime scene are you out of your mind?”  Ray said.

“We are following orders.”  The Secret Service agent replied.

“Who’s orders?  This is illegal you can’t do this.”

The Secret Service men ignored him and carried on cleaning.

“Who told you to do this?”

“The Vice President.”

Ray was silent.  David could not believe the audacity of Lyndon Johnson.  “Ray I have to get inside do you want to come with me?”

Ray did not take his eyes off the car.  “Yes I better had.”

David walked into the hospital and asked the first nurse he saw where the President was.  He was informed that Kennedy had been taken to trauma room one.  David and Ray headed that way.  When they arrived in the corridor the place was packed with reporters, Secret Service agents and medical staff racing around.  David caught sight of Dr Malcolm Perry and headed in his direction.

“Malcolm what’s going on?”

“He’s just died.”

“Jesus!”  Ray mumbled.

“There was nothing we could do he had a hole the size of a fist in his head.”

“Where was the wound?”  David asked.

“It was on the right side of the back of his head.”

“Was that an entry wound?”  Ray asked.

“No I assume it was an exit wound.”

Ray nodded.  David looked across towards Trauma Room one and saw the Secret Service agent that had come to the condo with Bobby Kennedy.  He was standing to the left of a visibly traumatised Jackie Kennedy.  Her iconic pink suit was covered in blood.  David thought back to Sharon and how he’d felt when he lost her.  Jackie Kennedy went in to trauma room one.  The Secret Service agent stood by the door, he looked up and their eyes met.  He signalled with his hand for David to go over.  As David approached the man he was terrified that this might be about the Dal-Tex building.  He was relieved when the man explained what he wanted to talk about.

“Mr Kennedy asked me to find you if anything went wrong today.”  Clint Hill said.

“Why?”

“He told me that we couldn’t trust anyone else.  He thinks people will try and cover up the truth about what happened.”

“So what does he want me to do?”

“I’m not sure.  I’ve tried calling but all phone lines in Washington are currently down.  He said he wanted you to assist in the autopsy, but from what I’ve been told that will take place in Washington.”

“That’s illegal this is a murder that took place in Texas the autopsy must be performed here.”

“The new President has given the order.  He told us that it is a matter of National Security.  He thinks this could be the Russians.”

David had no idea how to respond to this.  It was a complete
coup d'état.  “Have the press been informed of the President’s death?”

“Not yet.  President Johnson wanted to get to Air Force One before the announcement was made, if this is a plot by the Russians we can’t lose two Presidents’ in one day.”

David could feel his blood boiling.  He couldn’t believe how quickly people were moving on, Kennedy had only been dead a matter of minutes.

“Listen
Clint my friend Bobby is a lawyer.  He will be representing the man that will be wrongfully arrested for this.  Someone needs to help him down at the station.”

“How do you know this?”

“Because Kennedy is right they are trying to cover this up.”

As Clint considered the situation the Police Officer Ray Hawkins arrived at David’s side.  “Are you needed here?  Or can we get to the station?”

“Why are you taking him to the station?”  Clint asked.

“He witnessed a shooting in the Dal-Tex building.”  Ray replied.

“He cannot accompany you to the station.  The Attorney General has requested that David help in the investigation.  You can take his statement here.”

“I have an office upstairs?”  David suggested.

Ray looked annoyed at the way the investigation was being dictated to him.  “Okay that will have to do.”

“Once you have finished with that you need to go to the Police Headquarters and assist a lawyer.  David will fill you in on the details.”

David and Ray sat in his office, it was Ray that spoke first.  “Okay so for a start if you could just tell me what happened?”  Ray had a pen in his hand ready to write out what David said.

“Okay well like I told you I was standing outside the Dal-Tex building waiting for the President.  The motorcade entered Dealey Plaza and then I heard gunshots.”  David could feel sweat pouring out of him.  “Then this guy came out saying someone had been shot so I followed him and this guy in a leather jacket shot him.  Before I knew it some guy with a high powered rifle jumped out of a cupboard and shot the guy in the leather jacket.  I didn’t have time to do anything he just kind of ran at me and knocked me over then he headed out the fire escape.  I followed and that’s when I met you.”

“Okay so why did no one else go inside with you?  Surely there were other people around.”

“I think you’d need to ask them.”

“It’s strange that only you would try to help.”

“Well he just said someone had been shot he didn’t say there was a gunman still there.  I’m a doctor so I guess that’s why.”

“So you got there and this guy in the leather jacket just shoots the other guy?  Why would he leave you alive?”

“I eh don’t know.”

“So he just shot the other guy and decided not to shoot you?”

“Well eh no he was then shot by the guy in the cupboard.”

“So was the guy in the cupboard responsible for shooting the President?”

“I think so.”

“So you’re telling me he shot the President and then shot another guy, before leaving you alive as the only witness?  That is very strange wouldn’t you agree?”

David had not thought this through.  “Yes well I suppose it is.  I guess he just didn’t have time.”