A Conspiracy Uncovered

by Lindsay Downs

  If the lower the number meant the higher up, then Timon was next in line to take over if something happened to the top person. Why would he risk everything to get involved in a Ponzi Scheme much less commit suicide? Something had to have drastically changed in his life to warrant that kind of behavior. Sally returned carrying a manila envelope and handed the packet over to Thomas.

  “Give me a few minutes to look through everything.”

  While he did I asked if anyone had viewed the videos.

  “Yes, and we have found several men who were acting nervous and trying to look away when the camera was pointed at them. As with you, Junior, we took pictures and will have them developed and printed,” Edward said.

  “Okay. Let me get the rest of the prints so we can try to put names to the men,” I suggested.

  When no one objected, which I would have been shocked if they had, I went back to my car and got them. Returning I divided them up amongst the others, even Walter. Methodically, we examined each picture getting lucky with two of the men. Right now, none of us could put a name to them but that didn’t matter. Walter knew them as Mr. Four and Mr. One. Just that number alone made him the top man in this still mysterious group.

  “Okay, who or how do we get names to them?” I added, “Can we trust the FBI, or do we find them ourselves?”

  “You will have to do the grunt work, and this can’t be done by anyone working for the agency, except family. This must be one of the most secret operations we have ever undertaken. When and only when you have the names and irrefutable evidence that they directly participated in the assassination of President Kennedy can you go to the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” Father told us.

  “Dad, we understand and agree with you. Do you have a suggestion how we progress?” Edward inquired.

  “Junior, from the silly grin on your face you have the answer. Right, son?”

  “Yes, Dad, I do. Exactly like you did years ago, and we still do but not in the office. We go to the library but instead of using the actual newspapers because they won’t be around but dig up the microfiche of them. This will be slow, tedious work which I think Nancy and I might be best suited for considering the minutia research we had to do for our doctorates.”

  “Trust me, brother, you and Nancy are more than welcome to the task. Do you think the library will let you take them out so you can work from here?” Edward asked.

  “I have no idea but if I tell them I’m doing research for a project the university will consider the new library wing is named after Mom and Dad.”

  “Junior, if I’m not mistaken all the archived copies of The New York Times is on 35mm microfilm. That would be the paper to use,” Alice suggested.

  “That makes sense. How far back should we go?”

  “To be safe start with 1960. That’s when Kennedy was elected. Also, check to see if there are news stories with pictures of the inauguration and the balls. These people have egos which need feeding, so they’ll want to attend those events as we saw in the photographs Junior showed us,” our mother recommended.

  Considering the hour, I know the library is closed and won’t open until Monday since they are on holiday schedule. To keep the investigation moving forward Nancy and my time will be best spent with Walter going over the video tapes.

  At least now though, we are making a little bit of progress with three of the men identified but only one having a name attached to him. When we find the others hopefully then we will be able to find out who was behind the assassination.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Back at our house before returning to the videos there were a few points which needed clearing up. Anyways we have all day tomorrow to watch them. I turned the tape recorder on.

  “Alright, you agreed the depository would be where you would take the shots. Your rifle had been delivered and no one was the wiser. Now you must get in and the others need to get Oswald out. How was that accomplished without any of the people who worked there learning what you and the others were doing?”

  “I don’t know since my involvement in getting him out of the building wasn’t my responsibility. Therefore we only learned the parts of the plan which directly involved us. We had found out the day before he’d been driven over to see his wife who was staying with Mrs. Paine in Irving, Texas. Oswald didn’t return to Dallas until the next morning and went straight to work.”

  “That’s when he brought the rifle back with him. Where were you?”

  “In my hotel room waiting for a phone call from Steve Grant. He was going to let me know what shirt and pants Oswald was wearing. This way we would match perfectly, especially once I put the mask on.”

  “Okay, so how did you get in the building?”

  “New flooring was being installed on the sixth floor so I walked in with those workers. I had the shirt, mask and gloves with his fingerprints in my work bag. Getting away from them was easier than I had thought, making me think they might have been in on the plan from the start. Anyways, I went into the bathroom as Walter Johnson and came out as Lee Harvey Oswald.”

  “What happened to the work bag?”

  “That stayed in the bathroom for Joe Easton to bring out. I went over to the window I’d be shooting out of, found the crate with my rifle, took that one out, and put Oswald’s in. I resealed the box and put the new shipping label on.”

  “Where was the carton going? Do you recall?” Nancy asked.

  “Yes, but only the city. New York. Sorry, I don’t remember to who.”

  “That’s alright,” I told Walter.

  “While waiting for the presidential limousine I made sure people on the street and railroad bridge saw me. They would later tell the police they saw Oswald. After I fired the three shots, the first one hitting the tree, I set the rifle down, took the gloves off because they had served their purpose and stuffed them in my pocket. On my way out of the depository I made sure people saw me. I took a bus partway, even getting a transfer ticket then a taxi before walking to his rooming house where he waited for me.”

  “He what?” I blurted out.

  “Yes, he knew he was going to be a pawn, which was unknown to anyone until now. He told me all he wanted out of life was to be famous. Which now he was.”

  “Why not let him take the shots?” I inquired.

  “That was a question I did not dare ask otherwise I might have been killed. Several years later, when I returned from Alaska, I went to the library to read the Warren Report so I could find out what the commission learned in the course of their investigation. That is when I read Oswald had barely qualified at the rifle range when he was in the Marine Corps. I can only surmise that was the reason I had been contracted to shoot the president. As I said he got his wish to become legendary.”

  “I recall that portion of the report, which makes sense. Please continue.”

  “Anyways, he went out the front door wearing the white jacket while I, now with the face in my tool bag, snuck out the back and went to the hotel. What happened to him I didn’t learn until I went, this time as a reporter, to the police station for the news conference.”

  “Okay, let’s take a break so I can start dinner.” From the fridge she took out hamburger patties.

  I turned the recorder off just as the phone rang. Nancy answered the call, listened for a few seconds, then gave me the handset.

  “Bill Hall and he doesn’t sound happy.”

  “What’s wrong?” I squeezed the phone, waiting for the news.

  “Granger lawyered up so we can’t question him. We gave him his phone call and he contacted someone. Technically we can’t trace the number.”

  “So, you’re hoping Edward or Thomas can?”

  “Yes.”

  Suddenly, I realized why he couldn’t ask them himself. That would be crossing the line which the police can’t do but the agency can.

  “What phone did he use?” he ”

  “The one in booking about ten minutes ago.”

  “Alright I’ll take
care of that for you. Don’t know how long or who will call you back.”

  “Okay. Bye.”

  I hung up then dialed Thomas’ phone.

  “Need a favor. Granger isn’t talking without a lawyer. He called someone. Any chance you can find out who?”

  “Sure can. Give me twenty minutes. What phone and when?”

  “Booking and ten minutes ago.”

  “Not a problem. One of these days, and soon, I’ll have to fill you and Nancy in on who to contact at the telephone company.”

  The line went dead.

  “Thomas is hinting, again, about us joining the agency. Pretty soon we should let them know we are. At least part time.”

  “You’re right. I heard what you said to Thomas. He’s going to find out who and where Granger called?”

  ”Yes.”

  “Is that legal?” Walter said.

  “For us, yes. That’s part of not working within the constraints that the FBI and police have.”

  While my wife was cooking dinner and I was waiting for Thomas to call me back I set the kitchen table finishing when the phone rang.

  “Junior, you’re not going to believe this, but the call Granger made was relayed to London, England. Alice knows and is having one of her people look into the person he called.”

  And another roadblock was added to this mystery. What my brother told me has me curious if Mr. One was maybe from across the pond.

  “Hang on a second.”

  “Okay.”

  “Walter, the person the trainers called Mr. One, did he have an English accent?”

  “No, he sounded like a Yank. Why?”

  I relayed to him what Edward had said as to where the call Granger made ended up.

  “What if the Mr. One I met had since died and was replaced by another?”

  “That is a very distinct possibility. After Timon committed suicide another person would have taken his place. So yes, you are most likely correct.”

  “I’m tending to agree with you, Junior. The problem we now have, there’s no way of knowing who the Mr. One was that Walter met until Monday when the library reopens. Also, I talked to John Wentworth and he’s going to let me borrow the FBI files on Timon.”

  “At least that’s some good news. Let’s hope you can find out the name of the organization he belonged to,” I said.

  “Yes, and I’ve got to go. Sally’s glaring at me. I guess dinner is ready.”

  After we finished eating, I wondered what we should do. View the videos or continue to question Walter. Nancy was the one who made the decision for us.

  “We’re going to relax and watch TV. The movie on tonight is good. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. I’m going to make popcorn so we can munch on that.”

  “Isn’t that sequel to the TV series episode Space Seed?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then I agree with you,”

  “Are you both Trekkies?”

  “We were and still are. When the first movie and this one came to the theater Nancy and I were first in line for tickets.”

  “Then I guess I’m in good company. When I heard the movies were coming to Billings, I went there to watch them.”

  With the table cleaned off and the dishes in the washing machine I headed to the office so I could think about what we’d learned today. One point, Lee Harvey Oswald had known about the attempt from the beginning or at least at some time. That we needed to confirm because then everything should make sense. The question being, from who or where would we get the answer?

  I looked at the bookcase with all the literature on Kennedy including the Warren Report. What I couldn’t understand, nowhere in the pages was there a hint of Oswald’s dislike for the man.

  Even while in the Marine Corps he had expressed unhappiness with this country. Soon after he was discharged, he basically snuck over to Russia where he tried to obtain citizenship.

  While living there, he did meet and marry a Russian woman but became disillusioned and they came back to the United States.

  While I had worked on my dissertation, I had studied many other assassinations. In almost every case the individual had, at least to them, a valid reason for their action. Granted a few of the shooters were found to be crazy. That was until this incident. There was absolutely no indication of mental illness with Oswald.

  “What are you thinking about? This case?” Nancy asked, as she walked in.

  “Yes. Everything that Walter has told us is accurate. He is the shooter, but the reason Oswald wanted to be the pawn eludes me, other than to be famous. When you commit a crime there must be a motive. Right? Could becoming infamous be a valid motive ?”

  “Yes. That’s what I tell the students but let’s be sure. Give either Thomas or Edward a call and ask them.”

  “Good idea. Stay here.”

  I figured I’d talk to the one with the most experience, my older brother.

  “Edward, I’m having a major dilemma. Is Sally with you?”

  “Yes. I’ll put you on speaker.”

  “I’ll do the same so Nancy can hear too.”

  “Alright, what’s bothering you?”

  I told him about the questioning before dinner and what Walter said about Oswald wanting to be noticed and famous. Now we know the truth. As for Officer Tibbet, Oswald and the policeman happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

  “Let me ask you this, everything Walter has told you so far is accurate? Right?”

  “Yes. He is the first person who has given us details that no one has. Even information which wasn’t in the Warren Report. Not only that, don’t forget the two attempts to kill us. No one would be coming after us unless we had him and have learned so much. Then there’s the being followed by Granger who calls a number in New York City but is answered in London.”

  “Right. John Wentworth called a few minutes ago and that place in Texas we found is where they trained. They’re looking for possible graves. Even the tower where Walter practiced is still there. Looks like you have the real assassin.”

  “I know. That’s what is scaring me a little. These people are going to be coming after us again. The only question is when and where.”

  Walter joined us.

  “Junior, I have a possible solution to keep you and everyone safe. Even me,”

  “What’s that?”

  “I formally surrender to Agent Wentworth. He holds a press conference outside on the Federal Building stairs with me making a statement. I am then shot and as far as everyone knows, I die. After all, the best way to hide is to make everyone think you are dead.”

  “That might work but the planning will have to be perfect, right down to the last detail,” Sally said.

  “Do you think the people who hired you and the others will be easier to find if they believe you’re no longer a threat to them.”

  “That I don’t know but they might make a mistake especially if Agent Wentworth announces that I had been hired by an organization to assassinate the president.”

  “Even though I’m the senior investigator but Mom and Dad’s names are still on the door so they should make the decision. The three of you are to come over tomorrow at one for a family lunch. At that time, we will discuss this with our parents. They’ll have the final say and that’s not up for debate.”

  “Want us to bring anything?” Nancy asked.

  “Just the notes you have on the case. They might want to look them over.”

  “See you tomorrow.”

  I hung up then looked to my wife and Walter. Neither appeared worried even though I was a little. What we needed to do is go over the notes, then review the tapes and write down the important points. At least we would have time in the morning to do that and during the movie when the station ran commercials.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  November 27, 1983

  Nancy, Walter and I started briefing my parents on what we had learned so far, making a point of reminding them about the two attempts to kill us and the call Gran
ger made, supposedly to his lawyer but answered in London.

  We had barely finished when the alarm at the front gate sounded.

  “No, we aren’t expecting anyone,” I replied.

  “Same here,” Thomas answered.

  Edward went to the closet and looked at the monitor then waved me over.

  I studied the screen that showed the gate and two cars on the roadside. “Don’t know them? Walter, do you?”

  “Never seen them before, that’s the truth,” he replied.

  I knew they weren’t the FBI or LAPD for several reasons. The most important, those were the wrong kinds of vehicles and John or Bill would have called telling us someone was coming out. Could these people be after Walter and this time being brazen enough to simply show up.

  Edward pushed a button activating the intercom.

  “Can I help you?”

  “We were told Walter Johnson lives here.”

  “You’re mistaken. No one is here by that name. Move on before I call the police,” Edward demanded.

  I watched as two men, big and with guns, got out of the second car then started for the gate.

  “Sally call the police and tell them to get here extra fast. Men with guns at the gate.” Edward instructed his wife

  “Already have and they are on their way.”

  “Thanks.”

  I was amazed at how calm Edward sounded as I went back over to my wife and Walter.

  “How did those people find out I’m here with you?”

  “Got me. The only ones who know that you’re here are John and Bill. They wouldn’t say anything.”

  “Junior, get over here,” Edward requested.

  I watched as the two men leveled their weapons at the control panel for the gate and started firing. What I was watching seemed so surreal. People literally shooting their way in to get at Walter.

  “Mom, Dad, ladies, and Walter go down to the bomb shelter,” Edward ordered.

  “No, I’m not going to hide from them. Sir, do you have an extra gun. I’m tired of living in fear for my life,” Walter insisted.

  Dad walked over to the desk he had used when he, officially, headed up the agency. From the middle drawer he took out his prized M1911 Colt .45 pistol and handed the weapon over to Walter.