A Year to Forget (The Accidental Time Travellers Book 2)
Page 19
The telephone rang breaking the silence in the almost empty mansion. David walked back through the house to the breakfast bar, where the phone was sitting. When he lifted the receiver it was the President’s voice that he heard.
“David I’m afraid I have some bad news but I also have some good news, which would you like to hear first?”
“Always the bad.” David replied.
“I’m afraid we have chosen to close down the National Security and Major Crime Prevention Department.”
“Oh, that’s a little disappointing.” David said truthfully. “Are we just amalgamating with the FBI?”
“I’m afraid not. You will be aware that Bobby is now the FBI Director?”
“Yes I heard.”
“Good, well if the truth be told I would like the department closed down by the time Edgar is buried.”
“The news said that was tomorrow?”
“That’s right.”
“So I don’t have a notice period, that’s it?” David asked angrily.
“No I’m afraid not. I only really set up the department because I wanted people I could trust in law enforcement, and with Edgar I knew I couldn’t trust the FBI. Bobby however has proven himself to be trustworthy time and again.”
“And I haven’t? In case you have forgotten Mr President, it was me that warned you about Dallas, not Bobby. It was me that got the evidence of the plot from Oswald and gave you everything you needed to oust Johnson. I ignored it when you appointed Bobby as the head of the department. I haven’t mentioned the fact that you haven’t even asked me how I’m feeling, following my trying to kill myself. I don’t know if you realise this Mr President but for almost six years I have done nothing but help you and you have done nothing for me. You blame me for the trouble with the Soviets, when again I was trying to help. So after six years I give up Bobby, I’ve had enough.” David slammed the phone down in frustration. He had no idea where that anger had been hidden, but everything he had said was true.
Maybe he had defected over to Abaddon in recent months, but for six years he had worked hard for the Kennedy’s, and Bobby had received all of the praise. No wonder people were turning against him. They had treated Faraday the same way, he hadn’t even asked Faraday how he was feeling about Jane, according to what Faraday had told him.
Even Bobby Stinson showed them no respect, he sends Faraday on a dangerous mission to Cuba, keeps on the man who slept with his wife and then has him follow David. David suddenly felt no guilt for joining Abaddon, at least he was doing something to help Faraday and David. If Kennedy had listened to David six years ago, Jack Kennedy would still be alive. And what made the Kennedy’s so special, they caused Marilyn Munroe’s death, and even if the news had broken in an awful way, they had both cheated on their wives and left their sister to rot in a mental institution. He had a good mind to assassinate Kennedy himself.
His thoughts were again interrupted by the piercing ring of the telephone, he tried to calm himself before lifting the receiver.
“David its Bobby Kennedy.”
“Hello again.”
“Listen you made a valid point, you have done a lot for me and you were right, I should have listened to you about Dallas. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t regret that. I want you to know that I am grateful for everything you have done for me, closing the department is not a reflection on you but rather a reflection on what the country needs. It does not mean that I want to wash my hands of you, far from it. I am offering you a new position.”
David suddenly felt ashamed. “Oh I’m sorry, I just got a little upset.”
“It’s okay David, we have all had a tough year so far. I want to hire you as a consultant.”
“A consultant for what?”
“I want you to help me with the Moon landing.”
“You’re going ahead with that?” David asked surprised.
“I’m not particularly enamoured by the idea, but the country needs this. People are losing faith in the Presidency, it would be nice to give them a victory.”
“Okay, so what would you like me to do?”
“Well I am too busy to be present at every important meeting about the preparation for the Moon landing. Abaddon, Howard Hughes and you will be dealing with the day to day preparation. Abaddon also has other duties, so at times we will need you to take control. I want you to report back to me regularly.”
David was excited about this new role, he would be part of history, albeit a historical hoax. “That sounds excellent.”
“Good I’m glad David. I am also assigning Clint Hill to accompany you to all meetings.”
Kennedy still didn’t trust him he thought. “Why?”
“Well it is imperative that this doesn’t get out. Especially not to the Soviets, we have just put out one fire and we don’t need another. But also if the American people were to find out, I would be ridiculed. Clint will help to ensure that it does not get out.”
“That’s really not necessary.” David argued.
“I’ve made my decision.”
“Okay no problem. I was just wondering, is Bobby taking any of the department to the FBI?”
“At the moment the only certainty is Chase.” David could hardly believe Faraday was not being offered a position.
“Okay, if I happen to see Will should I let him know?”
There was an awkward pause on the line. “Why would you see Will?”
“No reason, I was curious.”
“Oh okay. If you see him tell him to go and see Bobby at the FBI offices.”
“I’d be happy to.”
“Okay thanks again David, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?”
“The funeral.”
“Yes sorry. I’ll see you then.”
David replaced the receiver and smiled. He walked through the house and looked down the driveway, Will was still sitting in the car. David walked out of the front door and down the driveway, Will didn’t seem to be watching, he was oblivious to David storming towards him.
When David got closer to the car Will noticed his presence and looked like a rabbit in headlights, he looked confused as to whether he should leave or pretend he was here to see David. David walked to the passenger side of the black Lincoln and got inside.
“Hello Will.”
“I was eh, just coming to see you.”
David smiled. “Why?”
“Just to tell you about Hoover.”
“I already knew.” David replied with a smile.
“Oh, not a problem.”
“Did you hear Bobby has been made the Director of the FBI?”
“Yes I heard it on the radio.”
“The department has been shutdown. So as of this moment you are an unemployed man stalking me.”
Will didn’t know how to reply.
“I would kill you right now if Faraday didn’t want to do it himself.”
Will grunted. “It’s not my fault that she didn’t love him and I am only here because Bobby asked me to be. It seems that I’m not the only one in the dog house.”
“She did love him you son of a bitch, and maybe Bobby is a little suspicious of me at the moment but I have been offered a new job by the President, you on the other hand have to go to the FBI offices and hand in your badge. I’m afraid Bobby doesn’t want you as part of the team.”
Will looked furious. “Do you think I’m afraid of you David?”
“No I don’t suppose that you are.”
“That’s the first sensible thing you’ve said since you came out here. Faraday is a loudmouth, that’s why Jane cheated on him, he is under the impression that he is a dangerous man but the only dangerous thing about him are his words. He gets himself into fights with people like me who could easily take him, but because he has Bobby in his corner he gets away with it.”
“It’s not just Bobby in his corner Will, he has me too. Who do you have?”
Will chuckled. “I can fight my own battle
s.”
“Just go and hand in your badge, your done!” David shouted, before getting out of the car.
Chapter 64
Once Bobby had taken his oath he began to examine the files on his desk. The first box he examined was labelled “COINTELPRO”. The entire box was filled with slanderous materials regarding black people.
The files on Martin Luther King were particularly damning, there were transcripts of King having sex with prostitutes and various documents linking King to communism. Bobby had known that Edgar had hated King, but it was a little shocking to see what he had used FBI surveillance to do. There was even a copy of a letter sent from the FBI, threatening to release the information they had to the media.
It wasn’t just King, the file on Jack Kennedy was appalling. It had detailed transcripts of twelve affairs that Kennedy had had whilst in the White House. There were transcripts of conversations Bobby Kennedy had had in the Oval Office. There was even a file on Charlie Chaplin detailing links that he had to communism.
Bobby moved the box and decided to examine the one beneath it. He was stunned when he saw the label on the box, it read “COINTELPRO National Security and Major Crime Prevention”. He removed the lid from the box and looked inside. He had individual files on everyone. Instinctively Bobby chose the one labelled “Robert Stinson”, he opened the file and saw his whole life detailed before him.
There were even sections on Bobby’s life before he had travelled through the wormhole. It read that “Bobby became severely depressed and helpless following the death of his grandmother, Nancy Stinson.” How could Hoover have amassed this information? There was an entire section based on Bobby’s relationship with Derrick Stinson, or Billy Beane, his grandfather. “Billy Beane has agreed to go undercover using the alias Derrick Stinson in order to infiltrate the offices of Bobby Stinson.” Next came a section entirely based on Bobby’s relationship with Meyer Lansky, he didn’t read it, he decided to put his file back before he became too angry.
He pulled out the file labelled Will Carter next. The first page was a photograph of Will, when he had returned to America in the aftermath of World War Two, Bobby felt ill looking at the photograph. Will looked beyond dead, his body was covered in scarring and his bones looked as though they were beginning to pierce through the skin. He looked absolutely nothing like he did now. The next photograph was of Will receiving his World War Two Victory Medal, Bobby presumed it had been taken shortly after the first photograph, as Will still looked dreadfully ill. Bobby turned the page and found a transcript of a conversation between Will and Jane. Hoover must have known about the affair, the bastard. Bobby could not resist reading the transcript.
Will: “Are you going to tell him?”
Jane: “No of course I’m not, they would kill you.”
Will: “Thank you Jane.”
Jane: “I’m not doing it for you, I just don’t want my husband or my friends to end up in jail.”
Will: “You can’t pin all of the blame at my door Jane, you were asking for it.”
Jane: “You make me sick.”
Will: “You weren’t saying that at the time.”
Jane: “No I was saying get off me, let me go.”
Will: “You wanted it.”
Jane: “No woman wants to be raped Will.”
Will: “Well why don’t you tell them?”
Jane: “I’ve already told you, they would kill you.”
Will: “And you love me.”
Jane: “I pity you Will. I think after what you went through in Auschwitz you are mentally screwed up.”
Will: “Don’t you dare fucking call me crazy.”
Jane: “That’s why I’m not going to tell them, because the work you are doing is important and if they find out, you will be killed and the Nazis will get away. But don’t you ever delude yourself and think it is because I like you. You repulse me, but I don’t want to ruin my marriage, or the work we are doing. So we will never discuss it again.”
Will: “Tell yourself whatever you like, it wasn’t rape.”
Bobby was incensed by the time he had finished reading, he needed to kill the bastard. He put the file back into the box and was then interrupted by the ringing of the telephone. He lifted the receiver.
“Mr Director, how is your first day in office?”
“Very funny Meyer, what do you want?”
“I’ve been looking into this Jacob Cohen, he is in Cuba.”
“Yes I know. Do you know why?”
“He’s with some Cubans that worked on Operation Mongoose. He is trying to incite an uprising against Castro.”
“How is he doing it?”
“From what I hear, it is some project called “Elimination by Illumination.”
“Never heard of it.” Bobby conceded.
“I wasn’t able to gather all of the details, but from what I am told it has something to do with the second coming of Christ.”
Bobby managed a laugh. “Even Jacob couldn’t pull that off.”
“No I wouldn’t have thought so. For what it’s worth, you may be better allowing him to carry out his plot in Cuba. A world without Fidel Castro is a better one.”
“No selfish motives there Meyer?” Lansky hated Castro for forcing the mob out of Havana, Lansky had previously owned a casino there.
“It would benefit your friend Kennedy.”
“Which is why there must be more to it.”
“I’ll keep looking into it. Any news on Howard Hughes?”
“No, none.”
“I may have to deal with that myself.”
“Well you probably shouldn’t inform the Director of the FBI in that case.”
“Perhaps not.”
The line went dead and Bobby replaced the receiver. He didn’t know what he should do first, he wanted to go after Will but he wouldn’t be at home, he would be wherever David was. Instead he lifted the receiver and dialled Clyde Tolson.
“Clyde I need you to bring Sarah Salmond up to my office.”
“I’m not your lackey!” Clyde barked, clearly offended.
“No but you are my employee, so either go and get her, or get whoever is my lackey to go and get her.”
He replaced the receiver and decided he was long overdue a cigarette. He pulled it from the packet and lit it. The first puff was a relief, he was so angry for so many reasons that he had no idea what he should be focusing on. He wanted Will dead, he wanted whoever broke into Hoover’s dead and he wanted whoever planted the bomb dead. Not to mention the situation that would be developing in Cuba.
It was a few minutes later that Sarah Salmond was led into his room by Clyde Tolson, she was wearing handcuffs and looked as though she hadn’t slept in days.
“Clyde why is she in handcuffs?” Bobby asked.
“We believe she has been involved in an act of treason.”
“Remove them!” Bobby barked.
Clyde looked at him as though he wanted to kill him, he reluctantly removed Sarah’s handcuffs, and they both took a seat on the other side of Bobby’s desk.
“Is there a reason you sat down Clyde?”
Clyde certainly wasn’t use to being ordered around, he rose to his feet and almost stomped from the room.
Sarah seemed to be buoyed by Clyde’s departure, she looked at Bobby almost as a friend.
“So I see you’ve had a promotion?”
As Bobby watched her speak he was struck by how beautiful she was despite how awful the past few days had been for her.
“And I see your friendship with Jacob has landed you in the shit.”
“He’s not my friend.” She answered defensively.
“He’s no one’s friend Sarah. It’s time for you to do the right thing.”
“I have done nothing wrong, in fact I have been held in custody without being charged. I have not been allowed a lawyer, phone call, or even a change of clothing. When I am released there will be an article in the Washington Post detailing my traumatic experience.”
“What lies?”
“I’m asking the questions. Who told you of the ship sinking?”
“You mean the Russian submarine attack?” She smiled smugly, but she was still incredible. Bobby had noticed that she wasn’t wearing a wedding ring, but he questioned whether this was the best way to start a romantic relationship, he also thought that dating a woman he considered to be evil was unwise.
“No the ship was doing marine biology research and caught fire.”
“That’s not what Jacob said.”
“So it was Jacob that told you?”
She blushed slightly.
“How did he know?”
“I don’t know.”
“He could only have been told by someone on the ship, unless Howard Hughes is involved in this and they planned it together.”
“He doesn’t tell me where he gets the information.”
“What is he doing in Cuba?” Bobby snapped.
“Cuba?”
“Yes I know you are only interested in your news stories but you need to talk to me. He and whoever he is in league with, are trying to get rid of Kennedy by inciting some sort of war between America and the Soviet Union.”
“Why would he want a war?”
“I don’t know he is crazy! But you need to help me, because if you don’t we are headed for nuclear war. Do you really want to be responsible for millions of deaths? Do you think you will survive the nukes, because no one will! Even if you escape the explosion, then you will still end up dying from the radiation!”
“Is that really what he’s doing?” Sarah asked, horrified.
“Yes! He is insane, he escaped from Alcatraz, but do you know why he was there?”
“He told me he was falsely imprisoned.”
“He murdered thirteen Vietnamese civilians and then he bit out a prison guard’s throat.”
“You already told me that, it must be a CIA cover story.”