by Marc James
“Jane!” Faraday screamed again.
“She’s gone Faraday.” David tried.
Faraday seemed to hear his words and the screaming stopped. The tears continued and Faraday bent down, before sitting on the ground. He watched as the blaze was fought. What the fuck had happened to the car? The last time we spoke, we argued. I should have been with her. I should have taken her home.
David was unsure as to who he should comfort, Bobby looked paralyzed and Faraday looked completely blown apart. He walked towards where Faraday sat and joined him on the ground. He did not speak, he just sat beside him.
He heard as Bobby spoke out loud for the first time. “Who would do this?”
David prayed silently that it hadn’t been Abaddon. He wouldn’t be able to live with that guilt, not if he knew he could have saved them. Two women and a child. One of them a great friend, the others a good friends family.
“Who would do this?” Bobby screamed.
“Well we know why they did it.” Faraday muttered.
Bobby stared at Faraday accusingly. “What?”
Faraday rose to his feet. “Because they wanted you!”
Bobby’s expression was unflinching. “Are you saying this is my fault?”
“Well it’s your fucking car! You’ve obviously pissed someone off!”
David was silent, he could not say what he knew, they would kill him.
“You really want to do this?” Bobby shouted.
Faraday’s eye gave away a second of doubt. “Because of you my wife is dead!”
“I didn’t do this! They did this!” Bobby shouted, pointing to the road.
“Who?” Faraday screamed.
“I don’t know but your fight is not with me!”
Faraday charged towards Bobby and punched him in the mouth. “You selfish son of a bitch! You killed them!”
Bobby stumbled backwards from the force of the punch but he managed to stay on his feet, thanks to the cane. “You don’t want to fight me James.”
“Yes I do!” Faraday threw another punch, again Bobby managed to stay on his feet.
“If you hit me again, I will start hitting back.”
David was the one who felt paralyzed now, he was more concerned about Abaddon, than about the deaths. He watched as his only two friends in the world screamed at each other in front of him.
Faraday stared hard at Bobby, he wanted nothing more than to hit him again. They stood face to face, neither man allowing themselves to flinch.
“I am not the enemy.” Bobby spoke calmly.
Faraday stared at Bobby for a moment.
“Because of you the only person I love on this earth is dead. We are done!”
“I didn’t do this Faraday.”
“No but you caused this.” Faraday finally turned away from Bobby and sat down beside David.
The fire fighters were still struggling to put out the blaze.
As Faraday surveyed the scene he realised that the ground surrounding the car, had bits of bone and flesh scattered around. He had lost her this time, there was no changing this.
Chapter 23
David had to get away from the house in the aftermath of the bombing. There were no bodies left to bury and no funerals to arrange, all three victims were scattered around the grounds of the estate, in thousands of locations. Bobby had decided to drink the day away and despite their differences, and Faraday’s abstinence from drinking, he had decided to join him.
David had driven to Abaddon’s house and he was sat outside trying to psyche himself up to go to the door. The trouble he was experiencing was that he didn’t want to know if his suspicion was right. If it was right, he had allowed the deaths to happen. He stared at the door wishing he had never tried to kill himself. That after all was the reason he was in this position.
It took all his might to step from the car. His legs barely managed to support him as he walked towards the door. When he reached it he pounded it hard. He could hear Abaddon moving inside, when the door opened David was almost overcome with emotion. He stormed into the house as Abaddon closed the door behind him.
“What can I do for you David?” He asked casually.
“You know why I’m here!” David yelled.
Abaddon looked baffled by David’s claim. “Are you having second thoughts?”
“Did you do it?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Did you plant the car bomb?”
“David I don’t have a clue what you are talking about.” The way Abaddon spoke made David doubt himself.
“Tell me the truth.”
“What are you talking about David?”
“Someone planted a bomb in Bobby’s car this morning.”
“Stinson?”
“Yes.”
“That was nothing to do with me David.” Abaddon stated.
“I have your word?”
“If I wanted him dead I would have done that a long time ago. Is he dead?”
David watched Abaddon closely as he spoke, he seemed genuine, but who else could it be?
“You know nothing about this?”
“I swear to you David. Is he okay?”
David nodded. “It wasn’t him that got in the car.”
“Who was it?”
“Jane, Nancy and Clint.”
“Jesus Christ.”
“You really didn’t know?”
Abaddon looked at David almost annoyed. “Sit down David, I think I need to explain some things to you. Would you like a drink?”
David nodded.
“What would you like?”
“Do you have any beer?”
Abaddon nodded and disappeared into the kitchen, David sat down on the red couch behind him. Abaddon returned moments later with two bottles of Budweiser and took his seat on the other red couch.
“To the deceased.” Abaddon said, as he held his beer in the air, David clinked bottles.
“Now David I think we need to clear the air here. Why would you assume I was behind this?”
“You want me to kill Martin Luther King.” David stated bluntly.
“For the greater good David. Whilst he is alive he remains a mere mortal, we both know that the only reason he is still alive is because of you and your friends. The Negroes will only be truly equal once he is dead David. What I have asked you to do is for this country. Tell me, what is your view on Communism?”
“The same as any American’s.”
“So the aim I have of wiping it out should be something that you approve of?”
“Well I don’t think going to war with the Soviets will solve anything.”
“That is only because America never chose that route the first time around. When I am successful, there will be no communism. Then we can achieve this so called peace that Bobby Kennedy claims to have given us. In your opinion do America and the Soviets currently live in peace? Whilst we are stockpiling nuclear warheads.”
“I suppose not.”
“So what is it that I am doing that you object to? I am not killing anyone that doesn’t need to die. This country needs a leader that can make these decisions. Tell me what is it that I am doing that is so wrong?”
“Bobby Kennedy is a good man and if you go to war with the Soviet Union then millions of people will die. Don’t you see that?”
“I disagree David, Bobby Kennedy is a weak leader. It took one statement from Lee Harvey Oswald to destabilize his position. We can destroy the communists here and now if we make a stand.”
“I think you are out of your mind.”
“But you do want me to help you don’t you?” Abaddon smiled smugly.
“Yes.” David replied begrudgingly.
“Well then you will carry out the task that you have been given.”
“I intend to.”
“Good. It is quite fortuitous that you dropped by actually, we have a situation that I need you to take care of.”
Chapter 24
Bobby and Faraday were
sat by the breakfast bar in the kitchen, the close proximity to the alcohol had been a crucial factor in their decision of where to sit. The alcohol had brought them closer together during their time of mourning.
“So are you really going home?” Bobby asked, sipping from the bottle of beer.
“I think so. Being here has brought nothing but trouble.”
Bobby considered the validity of this statement for a moment as he took another drink.
“But what about whoever did this?”
“How will we find them Bobby?” Faraday replied, whilst lighting a cigarette.
“I don’t know.” Bobby conceded.
“I fucked up.” Faraday declared.
“How do you mean?”
“She told me she was pregnant about five minutes before she...”
Bobby nodded solemnly, before taking another drink.
“I just, I wasn’t ready.” He managed, taking a long pull on the cigarette.
“We need to get the person responsible.”
“It’s my fault, I should have been with her.”
“It’s neither of our faults, whoever planted the bomb is responsible. I think we need to go and see Mengele, the only person I can think of is Jacob Cohen.”
Faraday frowned. “What motive would he have? You don’t even know him?”
“Well he obviously wants me gone or Oswald wouldn’t have said that I was behind the plot.”
“We can’t possibly catch him. It’s like he walks between the raindrops, we can’t even figure out if he was connected to Apollo 8.”
“He was.” Bobby declared with an air of finality.
“We have no proof of that.” Faraday declared, taking a slurp from his whisky.
“What bothers me is that Oswald had taken LSD before he died. Why would he have taken that?”
“When I was first told that it made me think of David in the hospital, he had to be on something like that.”
“Do you think the two could be connected?” Bobby asked.
“I wouldn’t have thought so, I imagine Mengele gave Oswald the LSD. David’s doctor probably gave it to him.”
“It’s a bit strange though.” Bobby surmised.
“What?” Faraday asked, before taking a sip from the whisky in front of him.
“Just David in general, he hadn’t been himself for so long, and he spends one day in the hospital and he is back to his usual self.”
“Maybe he just realised that he was lucky to be alive.”
Bobby lit a cigarette of his own and inhaled deeply. “He had that transformation in one day? You said that when you visited him he was out of his mind.”
Faraday slurped from his whisky and then took a draw of his cigarette. “He was. When I was in the hospital I never saw anyone acting like he was.”
“But then about twelve hours later he is back to normal.”
“It is kind of weird.” Faraday conceded. “God I wish I had listened to Jane.”
Bobby took a large gulp of beer before replying. “I wish you had too. I don’t know if it’s the alcohol, but I just don’t feel like they’re gone.”
“I wish I felt like that, I loved her so much. I don’t know why I wouldn’t just do as she asked. It all seems so pointless now.” Faraday slurred, his words no longer contained the compassion they had a couple of hours ago, they were almost cold.
“We need to catch whoever did this, I need your help.”
Faraday stared into his whisky glass. “What if this has something to do with JFK?”
“Well I imagine if it is Jacob Cohen that is what he is bitter about?”
“I really don’t think it’s him.”
Bobby rose to his feet stumbling slightly. “Let’s go and find out.”
“How?”
“Well we have Mengele, let’s start there.”
Faraday almost laughed and probably would have had it not been for the events of the day. “We’re hammered! They won’t let us near him.”
Bobby paused for a moment. “They’ll let Will take him into custody for questioning in our offices. He can bring him here.”
“To our house?”
“What’s he going to do? There are three of us.”
Faraday finished the whisky in his glass. “Go for it!”
Chapter 25
As Will drove up the long driveway and saw the blackened area of ground where they had died, he felt ill. How could someone do this? Two women and a child murdered in the most brutal fashion. He had no idea how he could face Faraday. He stopped the car and sat silently for a moment. He glanced in the mirror and saw that Mengele was smiling.
“Something funny?” Will asked, hoping Mengele would give him any excuse.
“No.”
Will threw the driver’s door open and did the same with the rear door, he pulled Mengele from the car forcefully and walked him towards the house. The front door was unlocked so they both entered.
“Bobby!”
“We’re in the kitchen.” Bobby shouted in response.
Will led Mengele through the house, it smelt like a brothel. When he reached the kitchen the empty bottles of beer and whisky, along with the two overflowing ashtrays revealed the source of the repugnant stench.
Bobby smiled when he saw Mengele being led into the room.
“Sit him by the table.” Will did as he was told and pushed Mengele onto a chair by the small kitchen table. He then approached both men, the scent of alcohol increasing the closer he got.
“I’m really sorry for you both.”
Bobby replied with a nod and Faraday spoke softly. “Thank you.” All three men then turned their attention towards Mengele.
“Do you know why you are here?” Bobby began.
“I assume you will tell me.” He replied, showing no hint of fear.
“You are here because this morning someone killed two women and a child that we loved. Who did it?”
“I was in jail this morning, even though I have yet to be charged with anything.”
“People don’t tend to care too much about the rights of Nazis.” Will interrupted.
“What do you know Josef?” Faraday asked.
“I know nothing.”
Bobby stared at the man, he had been disgusting when they had first met, but now he saw the devil sitting in his kitchen. “When we first met you told me that you would be released within a day and yet here you are. They don’t care about you, tell me what you know about Jacob Cohen.”
Mengele was silent for a moment, he glanced first at Faraday and then to Bobby. “I know that he is not to be trusted. I know that he is dangerous and I know that you will not catch him.”
Bobby gave a polite smile. “Do you see where you are Josef? This is not an interrogation room, this is no jail. You are in my kitchen and I have guns, knives, hammers and many other things I can use to make your last minutes as painful as possible. But it doesn’t need to be that way, tell me something useful.”
Mengele was unmoved. “I am an expert in torture, your threats do not scare me.”
Faraday grabbed an empty bottle of beer and walked to the right hand side of Mengele. Mengele looked up at him and smiled, expecting a question. Faraday smiled back and broke the bottle over the man’s skull. He let out a scream and tried to raise his hand to his head, the handcuffs he was wearing made this difficult and caused him to fall off the chair. Faraday picked Mengele up and threw him headfirst into the wall.
“We will kill you unless you help us!” Faraday screamed.
Mengele looked scared now, it was clear that he thought they had been bluffing.
“What do you want to know?” He said hurriedly.
“You’re not such an expert in being tortured.” Will stated.
“Where is he?” Bobby yelled.
“I don’t know.”
Bobby picked up a bottle and threw it at Mengele, it missed him at hit the wall.
“I swear I don’t!” He screamed.
“Tell us what
you do know. Tell us everything.” Faraday demanded.
Mengele looked up at him with fear in his eyes. “He approached me because he needed the knowledge I have on human experimentation.”
“What kind?” Will yelled.
“Psychological, he wanted me to help him control people.”
“How do you mean control people?”
“Well there are various methods you can use, hypnosis, electric shocks, mind altering drugs.”
“To what end?” Bobby asked.
“So that they will do whatever you tell them and they will have no knowledge, or even the ability to prevent it.”
“So who have you been doing this to?” Will asked.
“Well I injected Oswald with LSD, which is why he jumped from the window. This man named Sirhan Sirhan, as far as I know he is still with Jacob.”
“Did you say Sirhan Sirhan?” Bobby asked.
“Yes.”
He and Faraday exchanged a nervous glance, Bobby Kennedy’s assassin was working with Cohen. “What are you using him for?”
“He will commit a terrorist attack.”
“Where and when?” Faraday asked.
“I do not know.”
“But how could you program him without knowing what you wanted him to do?” Faraday asked.
“All they need to do is say a phrase and he will do whatever they tell him. He will have no memory of anything he does in this state.”
“What is the phrase?”
“A friend is someone who has the same enemies that you have.”
“So if we can get to Sirhan and say that, he will do what we want?” Faraday asked.
“No he only responds to Jacob.”
“Even though you programmed him?”
“Yes.”
“So you don’t know where they are or what they are doing?” Bobby asked.
“I know that they want Kennedy gone and I know they have people working on the inside.”