To Kill a President (43 page)

Chapter 91

Clint and Nancy had headed to the condo to collect clothes for her, Jane and Faraday.  They had been gone around half an hour.  Jane sat faithfully by Faraday’s side.  He had improved slightly overnight his skin didn’t look quite as yellow as it had and the doctor had told them that he seemed to be responding well to antibiotics but there was a long road ahead.  He certainly looked better and as she touched his forehead it didn’t seem to be quite as hot as it had been the previous night.

The doctor had not been happy about their plans to travel to Washington.  He had given his consent with the proviso that they would not be travelling by plane and there would be medical professionals present the entire time.  The transport Kennedy had arranged ended up being a large ambulance.  Jane had not seen it yet but had Nancy said it should be quite comfortable after she and Clint had gone to look at it. 

As Jane looked at Faraday his remaining eye opened, it seemed to scan the room but he wasn’t wearing his contact lens so he probably couldn’t make anything out Jane reasoned.

“I’m here baby how are you feeling?”

“Sore.”  Faraday said, giving his usual wince of pain.

“I know baby we are going to be okay, we are going to Washington to be near Bobby Kennedy.  We will be safe there.”

“President.”  Faraday managed in a raspy voice.

“No not President Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy remember?”

“Bobby.”

“Yes that’s right Bobby Kennedy.”

“No Bobby.”  Faraday writhed in pain.

“Bobby will be okay, he can’t come with us but he’ll be fine.”

“David.”

“We’ll hopefully see David there.” 

“Danger.”  Faraday managed.

“No,no they’re not in danger they’ll be alright.”  Jane lied.

“Dead.”

“No they aren’t dead Faraday don’t worry about anything just try to get some rest.”

“Dead.”  Faraday repeated, Jane could see how anxious he was.

“It’s okay baby no one’s dead they’ll be alright.”  

Faraday closed his eye once again and drifted off.  Jane took her eyes off him for a moment and watched the television at the other end of the room.  They were discussing the assassination as expected.  The picture cut to a man they introduced as Dan Rather, he was wearing what appeared to be a charcoal suit, white shirt and dark tie.  That’s all Jane could make out on the black and white screen.  He had brown hair and a solemn looking expression.  He was discussing the Abraham Zapruder footage of the assassination.

“The films we saw were taken by an amateur photographer who had a particularly good vantage point.  Just passed the building from which the fatal shot was fired.  The film showed President Kennedy’s open black limousine making a left turn from Houston Street onto Elm Street on the fringe of downtown Dallas a left turn made just below the window in which the assassin was waiting about thirty five yards past the very base of the building, just below the window President Kennedy could be seen to put his right hand up to the side of his head either to brush back his hair or perhaps rub his eyebrow.  President Kennedy was sitting on the same side of the car as the building from which the shot came.  Mrs Kennedy was by his side, on the jump seat in front of him Mrs Connally and Governor Connally, Governor Connally on the same side of the car as the President and in the front seat two Secret Service men.  Just as the President put that right hand up to the side of his head, you could see him lurch forward the first shot had hit him.  Mrs Kennedy who was looking in another direction apparently didn’t see or sense that first shot or didn’t hear it.  But Governor Connally in the seat in front appeared to have heard it or at least sensed that something was wrong, the Governor’s coat was open he reached back.”  Rather reached backwards with his right arm half turning away from the camera.  “In this fashion, exposing his white shirt front to the assassin’s window.”  Rather then returned to facing the camera.  “He reached back as if to offer or ask the President something.  At that moment a shot clearly hit the Governor in the front and he fell back in the seat, Mrs Connally immediately threw herself over him in a protective position.  In the next instant at this time Mrs Kennedy apparently looking on a second shot, the third total shot hit the President’s head.  His head could be seen to move violently forward and Mrs Kennedy stood up immediately.  The President leaned over her way it appeared that he might of brushed her legs.  Mrs Kennedy then literally went on the top of the trunk of the Lincoln car, put practically her all body on the trunk it appeared she might have been on all fours there reaching out for the Secret Service man, the lone Secret Service man who was riding on the bumper of the car, the back bumper on Mrs Kennedy’s side.  The Secret Service man leaned forward and put his hand on Mrs Kennedy’s shoulder to push her back into the car she was in some danger it appeared of rolling off or falling off.  When we described this before there was some question about what we meant by Mrs Kennedy being on the trunk of the car, only she knows but it appeared that she was trying desperately to get the Secret Service mans attention or perhaps to help pull him into the car.  The car never stopped it never paused.  In the front seat the Secret Service man was on the telephone.  The car picked up speed and disappeared beneath the underpass.”

The lying bastard Jane thought.  That was nothing like what happened.  Jane had even seen the Zapruder film when she was younger.  The media must be in on the cover up.  The President’s head did not jerk violently forward, it jerked violently backwards and to the left.  There were way more than three shots.  How could he say that?  So many people witnessed the murder.  The car didn’t pause, what on earth was the man saying the car practically stopped.  The Secret Service man riding on the back bumper, that didn’t happen either.  Clint Hill ran towards the car and jumped on to protect Jackie Kennedy.

“Son of a bitch.”  She muttered.  She carried on watching as the footage changed to a man standing in a parking garage.  He was a journalist, the place was packed with them.  The camera then focused on a doorway.  Lee Harvey Oswald appeared in the doorway flanked by one man in a grey suit and a cowboy hat and one man in a black suit and a cowboy hat.  As the three men walked there was a shout from the crowd.  “Oswald!”  Jack Ruby jumped from the crowd and a shot was fired.  Oswald fell to the ground.  The scene was one of commotion as people tried to wrestle Ruby to the ground. 

She turned back to Faraday with tears in her eyes.  Everything they had been through was utterly pointless.  She had murdered a man, David had murdered a man, Bobby was in prison probably for the rest of his life and the love of her life was confined to a hospital bed.

Chapter 92

As Clint and Nancy pulled up in front of the condo in Garrett Underhill’s black Cadillac Coup Deville they were listening to the radio coverage of the build up to John F Kennedy’s funeral.  His body had been placed in a coffin that was draped with the US flag, the coffin was placed in the Capitol Rotunda on Sunday afternoon.  People had been able to pay their respects to the President as he lay there in his closed casket.  The funeral happened to coincide with the third birthday of John F Kennedy Junior.

The people that had gone to pay their respects had been in a queue that had stretched over forty blocks which was roughly ten miles.  It was estimated that around 250,000 people had gone to the Capitol Rotunda to pay their respects.

Nancy stepped from the driver’s side of the car as Clint stepped from the passenger side.  Nancy could see that Clint was hurting.  The President that he had served so faithfully was being buried and he couldn’t be there to pay his respects. 

They walked into the lobby in silence and on into the elevator.  They stepped out on the twelfth floor and Nancy unlocked the door.  She walked into the living room followed by Clint.  She noticed a half empty bottle of Jack Daniels sat beside an ashtray that contained a half smoked cigarette.  There was a gun left beside the bottle too.  Bobby must have left the place like this when he came to the hospital she reasoned.

“Just take a seat Clint, help yourself to a drink if you want.”

“I better not but thanks.  We have a long day ahead of us, I have to stay alert.”  He sat on the couch as Nancy turned to make her way to Bobby’s bedroom.  The living room door was thrown open against her and it knocked her to the floor.  She looked up Billy Beane, the man she had known and loved as Derrick Stinson stood in front of her holding a gun.

“Hello Nancy.”  He smiled at her as if mocking her then turned his attention to Clint.  “Take out your gun and toss it to the other couch.”

“What if it goes off?”  Clint replied, seemingly unflustered by Billy’s appearance.

“Well make sure the safety is on and if it does go off I’ll kill you.”

Clint did as he was told and tossed it to the couch across the room, it didn’t go off.

“Where is the film?”  Billy demanded.

“What film?”  Nancy replied hoping her face wouldn’t give her away.

“You know what fucking film!  I saw you in the background of the Zapruder film.  You got the whole thing!  Where the fuck is it?”

“I don’t have it.”

“Where the fuck is it then?”

“I lost it.”

“You lying whore!”  Billy pointed the gun towards Clint.  “Get over here now!”  Clint rose from the couch and walked past Nancy lying on the floor.  “Nancy get on the fucking couch and you get on your knees!”

Nancy scrambled backwards as Clint got down on his knees just inches from Billy.  “Every time you lie to me I get fucking furious!  So from now on each time you lie, I take it out on this prick!”

“Please don’t Derrick.”  Nancy tried.

“It’s Billy! Now where is the film?”

“I don’t have it.”  Billy smacked Clint in the face with the gun.  Clint groaned in pain.

“Don’t tell him Nancy.  He’ll kill us anyway.”

Billy chuckled.  “You got that right.  Now where is it?  If you tell me I’ll let Jane live.”

Nancy looked towards Clint who shook his head.

“I don’t have it.”  Nancy replied.

Billy swung at Clint again but Clint managed to avoid getting hit and punched Billy in the groin.

Billy let out a whale of pain and fell to the ground still clutching the gun.  Clint got on top of him and they began wrestling for the gun.  Nancy ran to the table where Bobby’s gun lay, she grabbed it and took aim.  She could not get a clear shot as Clint and Billy wrestled on the floor.  Clint seemed to gain the upper hand and was choking Billy whilst sitting on his chest.  Billy managed to push Clint backwards and then jumped on top of him.  They were lying on top of one another and Nancy couldn’t take a shot, it could hit either of them. 

Billy reached out and managed to get hold of the gun he swung it again at Clint’s face it hit him just above the eye and blood began spurting out.  Billy then aimed a punch at Clint and hit him in the same spot.  Clint screamed in pain.  Billy in the next instant managed to point the gun towards Clint’s head and the shot was fired.  Nancy was shaking as the smoke emitted from her weapon.  Billy fell backwards away from Clint and Nancy, there was now a bullet hole where his left eye had been. 

Clint managed to struggle to his feet.  His face was covered in blood as was his white shirt. 

“Are you okay?”  He asked.

Nancy nodded as she stared past Clint towards the spot where Billy lay.

“You had to do it Nancy you saved my life.  He would have killed us both.”

“He’s a monster.”  She spoke softly.

“He’s gone now, he can’t hurt you anymore.”

“I’m carrying his child.” 

Clint didn’t know what to say to make Nancy feel better so he put his arms around her and pulled her into his chest.

“Do you have the film Nancy?”  He asked after a couple of minutes.

“It’s in the car.”  She replied softly.

“We should get going, it’s not safe here.”

Nancy stepped away from Clint and went into the bedroom to collect clothes for Faraday and Jane.  She took anything she could find, her bag was still here from when she had stayed at the condo so she was ready to go. 

Whilst Nancy packed the clothes Clint walked over to the couch and put his gun back in its holster.  He then turned and walked over to the table and took a swig from the bottle of Jack Daniels, it stung the cuts in his mouth. 

When Nancy returned they headed down to the car and headed towards the hospital.  The radio was now reporting on the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald by Jack Ruby.    

They arrived at the hospital at around 11:40.  Clint went to the transport that Kennedy had arranged for them and transferred the bags from the car to the ambulance.  He did the same with the Polaroid camera that Jane had used and the video camera that Nancy had used.