To Kill a President (34 page)

“I don’t believe you.”  Ray said studying David closely.

“Well eh that’s what happened.”

“It’s strange that the Attorney General wants you to assist in the investigation even though you just witnessed a triple homicide.”

“So what happens now?”  David asked.

“Well normally I would take you into the station for further questioning but since you are required to help the Attorney General I shall wait until you are free.  But if I was you I would rethink my story because I know its bullshit.  Who is this lawyer that needs my help?”

“Bobby Stinson, he walks with a limp.  He is defending an innocent man.  He will need any help you can provide him.”

Ray rose from his seat and exited the office.  David knew he was fucked now, he began to feel sick.  He pulled the bin towards him and threw up.  In his mind’s eye all he could see was the man he had killed staring up at him, with his vacant expression.  He could not believe how badly the day had gone this far.  Why had he used his gun?

Chapter 73

Whilst Bobby and Lee Harvey Oswald sat in the theatre he could see anxiety creeping into Oswald’s face.  It was 13:30.  “Lee if we stay here they will come for you.  We need to leave.”

“I have to meet Billy.  That was always the plan if anything went wrong.”

“They are going to come for you.  Did you not hear Tippit?  They want you dead!”

“Well they’re in for a shock.”  Oswald pulled a revolver from under his shirt.

“No.  If we leave now no one needs to die.”

“I’m not leaving my family.”

“If they kill you your family will be without you.  They’ll think you killed Kennedy!  Is that what you want?”

Oswald was silent.  “Fine I’m going outside to see what’s going on.  We might not have time if you don’t come with me now.”

Oswald remained silent.

Bobby struggled to his feet and lit a cigarette.  He needed it.  He hobbled down the steps to the front of the theatre and looked back at Oswald.  Why wouldn’t he listen?  He walked back into the atrium and out of the cinema.  He saw two men pointing at the cinema talking.

“He just ran right in there!  That must be who shot the President and the police officer.”

Bobby hobbled over to them.  “Have you heard how the President is?”

“He’s dead.”  One of them replied.  “We think he went in there, we’ve called the police.”

Right on cue a police car arrived at the cinema.  To Bobby’s surprise they drove down the alley next to the theatre.  The two police officers entered through a side door.  This wasn’t how Bobby remembered the Oswald arrest.  There was hardly anyone around.  In the pictures he had seen Oswald was surrounded by people and he was brought out of the front door.  What was going on?

The police officers came back through the door a minute later and put a man that Bobby presumed was Oswald in the car.  When the car came back out of the alleyway Bobby got a good look at the man’s face it certainly looked like Oswald.

Bobby hobbled back into the theatre.  He looked up towards their seats and saw Oswald was still sitting just where he had left him.  It must have been Billy Seymour the imposter.  Unless they had switched places?  Had Oswald been taken away and replaced by Billy Seymour?  How could he know?  They had the same CIA handler after all.  Billy knew everything about Bobby and Oswald could have explained everything to Seymour about the last hour.  But surely no one would willingly switch places with Oswald.

Bobby’s thoughts were interrupted as a man and a group of police officers entered the room.  The man pointed at Oswald and the police began to move towards him.  They first stopped and searched two men that were closer to the screen.  They then moved in on Oswald.  Bobby had no idea what to do.  He was stunned as Oswald yelled.

“This is it!”  He stood up and pulled a revolver on the police officer.  Bobby heard a loud click.  The gun hadn’t worked.  The police officer began wrestling with Oswald.  He was joined by a few other officers, Bobby saw Oswald get a hard blow to the forehead.  They forced Oswald down into a chair and handcuffed him.  They pulled him to his feet as they began to drag him down the stairs.

“I don’t know why you are treating me like this the only thing I’ve done is carry a pistol into a movie.  I don’t see why you handcuffed me.”

“Shut up you cop killing piece of shit.”  One of the police officers barked.  Oswald was dragged past Bobby. 

“Excuse me.  I’m a lawyer, Bobby Stinson I’d like to represent that man.”  Bobby said to one of the officers.

He stopped and stared at Bobby.  “Why would you want to represent that piece of scum?”

“Everyone has the right to legal representation.”

The police officer gave Bobby a dirty look.  “You can ride with me.”

“I am not resisting arrest!”  Oswald shouted.

“Shut up!”

As Oswald was dragged outside a large crowd had gathered.  Bobby was amazed at how many police cars had come for one man there must have been fifteen.

“I protest this police brutality!”  Oswald yelled.

He was thrown into the back of the police car.  Bobby followed the officer he had spoken to and got in to the back seat.

They headed towards Dallas Police Head Quarters.    

Chapter 74

Jane had been following both the Umbrella man and the Babushka lady for almost an hour.  She had absolutely no idea how to get back to the condo from here.  She had been worrying for the past ten minutes that the Babushka lady was in on the plot too.  Why else would they be walking in exactly the same direction for an hour?

They had been walking on the left hand side of the street the entire time.  Jane was around 50 metres from the Umbrella man and about 30 metres from the Babushka lady.  The Umbrella man stopped and looked across the street.  Jane slowed down slightly as he looked in her direction.  She was relieved when it appeared he had been looking for oncoming traffic.  As he crossed the street the Babushka lady crossed as well.  She was hardly being discreet about following him.  Jane began to think that she should turn back.  She didn’t need the Babushka lady’s footage she had proof a shot came from the drain.  But if they were in this together and Jane got a picture of them, that could prove to be very useful. 

She decided to keep following.  The Umbrella man disappeared from view.  The Babushka lady was almost running as she followed him.  They had both gone down an alleyway.  Jane decided to pick up her pace slightly.  When she reached the end of the alley she stopped at the sound of voices.

“Why are you following me?”

“I know you were involved, I saw what you were doing you had the Umbrella up when the President was shot.  It’s a sunny day, you must have been signalling to someone.  I saw that guy beside you with a radio.”

“I was simply exercising my right to protest.”

“Protest against what?”

“His father’s appeasement of Hitler.”

“What does that have to do with an umbrella?”

“Chamberlain the British Prime Minister that appeased Hitler always carried one.  Kennedy’s father supported him.  Fucking scum.”

“Well I have it on tape.  If it was just a protest you won’t mind me handing in to the police.”

“You stupid bitch, you’ve followed me down an alleyway to tell me this?  I could snap your neck right now!”

The Babushka lady was silent for a moment.

“Didn’t think of that did you?”

She remained silent.

“Give me the camera.”

“No.”

“Now or I swear to God I’ll kill you.”

The Babushka lady did not respond.  Jane heard him grab the woman as she started to scream.

“Get off me!”

“Give me the camera you bitch!”

Jane had heard enough she pulled her revolver from her pocket and walked into the alleyway.  The Umbrella man had the Babushka lady pressed against the wall, he had his hands around her throat.”

“Back up!”  Jane yelled.

The Umbrella man looked at her and he had fear in his eyes.  “You think you’ve got it in you to kill a man you little bitch.  I’ll kill you both.”

“Back up or I shoot.”

“Fuck y...”

The Umbrella man got no chance to finish his words as Jane squeezed the trigger three times in quick succession.  Two of the shots hit the man in the chest and the other struck him in the forehead.  He fell to the ground violently.  The Babushka lady slid down the wall clutching her throat.

“Are you okay?”  Jane asked.

The Babushka lady did not look towards her.  “You killed him.”  She stated.

“I did that for Jackie Kennedy.”

The Babushka lady still could not look at her.  Jane approached her and knelt down in front of her.  As she caught sight of her face for the first time she could not believe her eyes.

“Nancy?”

Chapter 75

The Police and Courts building in Dallas is a grey stone structure that houses the Dallas Police Department and the city jail.  The third floor is home to the Dallas Police Department, both Bobby and Oswald were led along a corridor to the office of Captain Will Fritz, by the time they had arrived in the office it was 14:25.  Will Fritz was an older man perhaps in his sixties or seventies.  He wore a pair of glasses a black suit with a white shirt and a black tie and had a large beige cowboy hat on his head.

Bobby had dealt with him before and knew him to be a hard interrogator.  With Oswald as a suspect of killing a cop and the President he knew that it would be a long night ahead.  As Fritz sat down he stared almost aggressively at Bobby.  He then turned his attention to Oswald. 

“Can you state your name?”

“Lee Harvey Oswald.”  Oswald spoke so calmly he didn’t appear at all worried that the electric chair was a real possibility, if he even lived that long.  He now had a large cut on his forehead from where the police officer had struck him.

Fritz was about to begin speaking once again when the door opened.  Bobby recognised the man as FBI Agent James Hosty, he had been the one that invited Bobby to lunch with Hoover.

“This is our cop killer.”  Fritz remarked as Hosty grabbed a chair and sat down beside Fritz.

“He has not been found guilty or even charged with any crime.”  Bobby stated.

“Not yet anyway.”

“I don’t even know why I’m here.”  Oswald remarked.

“Yes you do.”  Fritz stated.

“What happened?”  Oswald asked.

“You killed a cop.”

“A cop has been killed?” 

Bobby could not believe how calm Oswald seemed.  “You haven’t even asked him any questions except for his name.”  Bobby stated.

Fritz looked at Bobby with disdain.  “Is this the legal representation you have chosen?”

“Well I’d like that New York lawyer Mr Abt.  I don’t know him personally but I know about a case he handled some years ago, where he represented people that had violated the Smith Act.  I don’t know him personally but that is the attorney I want.  If I can’t have him this one will do.”

Bobby was stunned by Oswald’s response.

“Well this one will do then.”  Fritz replied, he looked almost pleased at Bobby’s embarrassment.  “Where do you work?”

“I work at the Texas School Book Depository.”

“So you were in that building when the President was shot.”

“Well naturally if I work in the building, yes sir.”  Oswald was acting so casual.  Bobby was more worried than he was.

“When did you start working there?”

“October 15
th
1963.”

“Where in the building do you work?”

“I work on the first floor.  However I frequently use the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh floor to get books.”

“So today you used the sixth floor to shoot the President?”

“No, sir.  Has someone shot the President?”

Fritz looked annoyed now.  “We found your rifle at the scene!”

“I’ve never owned a rifle.”

“We have proof that you ordered the rifle.  Or Alek Hiddel ordered the rifle, is that your real name?”

“No sir.”

“We found a wallet with the Hiddel ID and your ID at the scene where the police officer was shot.”