A Conspiracy Uncovered

by Lindsay Downs

  As I had told them, I had been enjoying a pint in the pub at the Bacchus Hotel in Sutton on Sea when the American came over to me. Earlier in the day I had spotted him walking around the village but at the time did not know where he had been from. He was about six feet tall and weighed fourteen stones, I guessed. Well dressed, maybe too well for where he was.

  When he sat with me, besides his drink order the first thing I noticed were his hands, soft like he’d never done a hard day’s work in his life. His fingernails were perfectly trimmed. But the most disconcerting fact about him, the knot on his necktie. A double Windsor. From my many past experiences regarding men wearing a tie that way, I immediately didn’t trust him. I guess the old adage, “once bitten, twice shy” held true. As I soon learned I was wrong.

  As we talked, even for only those few minutes my opinion of him had changed from the negative to the positive. What I had found interesting, he gave me the strong impression he knew more about me than I knew about myself. This became even more apparent when we met a short while later on the street when I had gone to buy a pack of Senior Service fags.

  With the last tool put away I stepped back and examined the Chippendale chair. Perfect. I noticed Nancy studying a piece of furniture.

  “That is eight thousand dollars and took me three months.”

  “You do beautiful work but that wouldn’t fit in our house we tend to have more modern furnishings,” she replied.

  I was not surprised she had not even blinked at the price which came as no surprise to me. In my research into the Dean & Dean Detective Agency I had learned they, the family as a whole, were very rich. How much, I did not know but suspected more than my financial worth, even if I had touched the money I had been paid for the assassination of President Kennedy. Then again, I was sure the others had dipped into the funds which ended up getting them killed.

  “Richard and Nancy, can you answer a question for me?”

  “Sure, Walter?” Richard inquired.

  “I can assure you your reply will not stop me from telling you everything. When I ended President Kennedy’s life, I changed future history. I do not know if for the better or worse. Do you resent me for carrying out the mission?”

  “As an American historian I can’t say because my area of expertise is studying the past, not foreseeing the future. What I can tell you, having talked with Edward, my oldest brother, and Thomas, my twin, the Vietnam War was for us a no-win scenario. I’m saying this because many of the military decisions weren’t made on the battlefield or in country but by the politicians in Washington DC. Would President Kennedy have conducted the war the same way, I’m not sure.”

  “On the other side of the coin, I teach my students to look at the past to predict what crime someone might commit. From my experience, I’d have to speculate Kennedy wouldn’t have followed the recommendations of those in the position of power but let the senior officers in South Vietnam make the decisions. That alone could have led to him being in the crosshair of your rifle scope.”

  “If I understand what you are saying, if I did not pull the trigger another person would have,” I replied.

  “Yes,” Richard told me.

  I was sure he was correct which brought up another question.

  “When you received the package, with the shirt, gloves and my note why did you not take everything to the Federal Bureau of Investigation?”

  “How do you know we didn’t?” Richard said.

  “Your curiosity to find out if what I wrote was true. If I was to guess you, with your wife, took everything to your family’s business.”

  “You’re right and that’s why we’re here talking to you and you’re not being interrogated by some meathead FBI special agent,” Richard told me.

  “Hey, careful or did you forget my brother’s an agent with them.”

  Once they packed up the recorder and tapes, I led them out of the barn, making sure the door was locked which I did from habit especially after the break in three months before. Walking to the house from habit brought on by years of having to constantly look over my shoulder I spotted a car parked on the side of the road about fifty yards from the house. The vehicle matched the one Richard and Nancy had driven. Leaning against the right front door with the window down I saw Richard’s twin.

  “You might want to invite your brother and his wife to join us. I have more than enough food. They also might be interested in the pictures and papers I mentioned a few minutes ago.”

  I waited by the back stoop for them to drive over. When the brother got out, I spotted a pistol in a holster which was fastened to his belt. If he had been anyone else I would have gone inside, bolted the door then dug out my Winchester Model 94 lever action rifle which was hung over the mantel I had built. There was one minor problem, the 30-30 caliber ammo was upstairs in my bedroom.

  When the lady, I am presuming his wife, climbed out of the car there was something very familiar about her, and not the weapon on her hip either. I walked over to Richard.

  “Walter, this is my twin, Thomas, and his wife, June. Besides working for the agency they are both licensed pilots.”

  “June, you were at the restaurant last night but not with Thomas. If you do not mind me asking, who was that?”

  “That was me, Walter. June was a film major in college specializing in make up for the movies.”

  “Shall we eat?”

  We took the back stairs which led us directly into the kitchen which was filled with the fragrance of the beef stew.

  “Can I ask why you both carry pistols but Richard and Nancy do not?”

  CHAPTER SIX

  “Because Nancy and I aren’t private detectives. They are and accompanied us to the restaurant last night and, as you know, today. This was for our protection. As you are well aware I’ve debunked every theory and torn holes in the Warren Report so when I got your package and letter, I wasn’t sure what we were getting into. From what you told us last night and this morning, I am becoming convinced that you did exactly what you said. Assassinated President Kennedy and wounded Governor Connelly.”

  “Thank you. Walter, where is the silverware, bowls and glasses. I’ll set the extra places while you get that delicious smelling stew,” Nancy suggested.

  “In that drawer and the cabinet directly above.”

  With the table reset Walter placed the crock pot in the center with a ladle.

  “Walter, in our own houses but especially when we get together at the main house to dine there is one rule that is paramount. No shop talk,” June explained.

  “Does that mean I can’t talk about the furniture I make? After all, that is what I do in my shop.”

  All of us laughed at his comment.

  “No, that you can.”

  After we finished eating and everything was cleared up, instead of returning to the barn we stayed in the kitchen. Walter brought the papers and several photos out and put them on the table, but I was still bothered by one very important point. I turned the recorder on.

  “Walter, in the letter to me and earlier you specifically mentioned the rifle that killed the president. Just to be clear, the one you practiced with, is that the same one used to assassinate Kennedy?”

  “Yes, with Italian World War II surplus ammo.”

  “How were you able to get the weapon into the building?” Thomas asked.

  “Walter, don’t answer that,” I told him, then turned to my brother. “Sorry, but Nancy and I don’t want to constantly jump around otherwise he might forget an important detail. We’re going in order of the events as they unfold. Do you understand?”

  “I do.”

  Nancy handed me the notes she’d been taking so we wouldn’t have to replay the tapes. Skimming through them I saw the areas where we needed to get more information.

  “Walter, can you give us an example of your daily routine?”

  “We would get up at eight, seven if you wanted to exercise which I did. In school, then the army I got used to following a
routine of working out daily to keep in shape. That consisted of a five-mile jog, followed by jumping jacks, push-ups, and deep knee bends. If we chose to, we could do chin-ups. After that we’d shower and get dressed in jeans and T-shirt along with sneakers or shoes.”

  “Sounds to me like everything was relaxed. Is that true?” Thomas said.

  “Yes. That was when I came to realize this mission that we were training for was not your normal one. If that had not been the case, then we would have had a harder regime of training.”

  “Walter, you haven’t said anything about uniforms or clothing. Were those provided? I’m asking because when the men took you the only things you had were what you were wearing,” Nancy asked.

  “These people, whomever they were, provided everything we needed. Civilian wear. One day in mid-October a tailor was brought to the base and measured us for suits. They were delivered a week later and fit perfectly. As a matter of fact, I have a photo of me and a couple of the others wearing them.”

  I turned the recorder off so we wouldn’t waste the tape as he searched through the box. He took out several color prints. All of them were taken inside the building and away from the windows which meant we wouldn’t be able identify the location. Picking up one of him standing with two other men I could see why he had been selected for the mission.

  “Who are they? You are all the same height but not build. They appear to be a little heavier,” I inquired.

  “Yes, and they ended up getting cut from the program. Thomas, as I told your brother earlier, we started out with ten and ended with five, myself included. We were told they’d returned to their lives, but not once did I believe that. Especially after we learned who our target was. Even to this day, I feel they were taken someplace and executed.”

  “Staying with that line of questioning and answers, do or did you have family?” Thomas asked, which I silently agreed with him.

  “Not that I know of. My parents were dead, and I did not have any siblings or relatives. That was one of the reasons I had said yes. If this was a suicide mission, there would not be anyone to question what had happened. Not only that but the few friends I had were back in Australia.”

  “Thank you.”

  “All right, after breakfast what would you do? Training wise, that is.”

  “The three of us, although we had already learned one of us would be the assassin, were instructed in basic hand-to-hand combat. The others, who had different jobs, which I’ll get to later, received specialized training. From what I was able to find out, besides using their hands they were also taught knife skills, especially throwing.”

  “Do you know if anyone else was killed? I’m asking because from the reports I read only Officer Tibbetts was shot.”

  “Not that I personally know of. You might want to check for missing person reports starting on November 18 when we arrived in Dallas until we departed on the 24th.”

  I glanced over at my brother who nodded. I took that gesture to mean he’d be calling the agency or house and speak with Edward to investigate that timeframe for the people who might have vanished.

  “Go ahead,” Nancy told Walter.

  “We spent a lot of our time watching 16mm sound movies of Oswald even though initially we did not know his name. From the way they were shot I would have to speculate the man did not know he was being watched much less filmed. At the first viewing conducted by a man whose face we never fully saw because of the mask he wore, he pointed out the individual to study. Before you ask, we never learned his name either. Those who did speak with him simply called him Number Ten or Mr. Ten.”

  “Even though you never saw his face, at least all of it, did he have any distinguishing features?” June asked.

  “Not that I can recall. I am sorry.”

  “That’s okay.”

  “What was the purpose of watching the movies and hearing his voice?” Nancy said.

  “So we could walk and talk like him. For me that was hard, having to lose my Australian accent. There were several times when I thought I was going to be cut because I would slip back into how I used to speak. As you can tell except for not using contractions, along with the occasional English term, I sound a hundred percent American.”

  “You do. In your training did you practice firing the rifles?”

  “Yes. In October they set up a firing range near the building and we started that phase. Even though we had practiced assembling and disassembling other rifles now we were only using the Mannlicher-Carcano. Each one of us had our own weapon and all three had the same serial number.”

  “Excuse me for interrupting but how is that possible? Every gun has a unique number assigned to the weapon,” Thomas said.

  To answer my brother’s question, I decided to fill him in on a few points Walter had told us earlier. “A C-130 was used to transport him and a few others from Europe to America. They were taken to a former military base. One of barracks had been completely refurbished.”

  “That’s unbelievable,” Thomas replied.

  “No kidding. Those who orchestrated the assassination of the president are not only well-heeled, money wise, but had the right amount of pull and connections to get and do whatever they wanted, to achieve their ends.” I told him.

  “To give you all an example, almost every night at dinner we had a choice of Maine lobster or filet mignon along with a variety of starches and vegetables. They spared no expense in feeding us.”

  Considering what we’ve learned so far, not to mention the money spent, the chances of finding the people responsible was going to be next to impossible. I’m not sure about my brothers and in-laws but I will try to determine who they are so they can be brought to justice. Even at the expense of me losing my professorship. Nancy suggested a fifteen to twenty-minute break. We all agreed.

  Nancy offered to make coffee. While she and June handled that, Walter took me and Thomas out to the workshop. My brother was awed by the building and the minimal amount of power tools. Walking back to the house got me thinking what was going to happen to everything Walter owned when he died. I asked him.

  “I really have not given that much thought. After sending you the box and Miss Dean the letter I have spent most of my time either working on orders to finish them in time and recalling everything that happened years ago. Why?”

  “Do you know what the value of the two buildings and land is?” .

  “About five hundred thousand, Richard. That is what I am taxed on. Would you be interested in buying the place?”

  “Not me. Sorry,” Thomas and I replied.

  Ahead I saw June stick her head out of the kitchen door.

  “Good news. I just got off the phone with the office. The detective in Great Britain was able to find James York right before someone tried to kill him. Your friend is safe and being relocated. Where, I don’t have any idea because they wouldn’t tell me.”

  I watched Walter go white. For a second or two I thought he might collapse which is the last thing we need right now.

  “Was the other person arrested?” Thomas asked.

  “Yes. The detective said the police will be sharing what they learn from him. He’ll then tell either Alice or Edward.”

  When we walked into the kitchen, I took Nancy aside so we could talk in private. “Honey, I know we agreed to stay with the timeline but with this new twist I think we need to jump ahead to November 24th when they left Dallas. If this, yet, unknown person was sent to murder Mr. York I’m curious if that is a pattern with these people.”

  “I agree with you.”

  Together we went back to the kitchen and retook our seats. I explained what I wanted to investigate even though that wasn’t following the guidelines from earlier.

  “Considering the phone call about my friend being safe I do not mind. You will most likely not believe what you will hear. At times when I think about this whole plot, I cannot imagine those who hired us would stoop so low.”

  “The date is November 24th and th
e five of you do what?”

  “We were playing the parts of businessmen from different companies in Dallas for meetings with potential clients and staying at the same hotel. Even though we supposedly had different flights we all took the bus to the airport. Once there we went into the men’s room and changed into jeans, casual shirts and sneakers. Our suits we stuffed in the trash can then we calmly walked out.”

  “If I was to guess, twenty years ago security at airports wasn’t all that much, unlike today. I’d bet a person could buy or exchange a ticket at the counter without a problem which I’m guessing was what the five of you did,” I inquired.

  “You are right. I was scheduled to fly to Costa Rica. The others had tickets to Mexico, France, Brazil, and Canada. We, as a group, boarded the flight to New York City. From there we were to take connecting airlines to the city and country of our choice. For some unexplainable reason, and I never asked, James York took me aside in one of the bars. He told me he was scared for his life. He ended up changing his flight to England even though he had originally been set to go to Mexico. I had no idea where I wanted to hide out, so I chose California. Within a month I had been found. What I needed to do was get cash fast and at the same time disappear.”

  “What about the one million dollars?” I asked.

  “If I took out any they would have been able to find me in no time. I finally settled on Alaska when I saw an ad in a San Francisco newspaper. They were looking for men to work at the Little Squaw and Mikado gold mines. I was there for two years when they found me, again. How, I will never know. I came back to the United States then started searching for a place no one would think of looking. That is how I ended up here.”

  “With the money you made in Alaska you bought this house and the barn?” Nancy asked.

  “Yes. Occasionally, I’d dress in a disguise and take trips. Mostly to study different furniture styles in museums or antique shops.”

  “Do you think you might still be in danger, after all these years?” Thomas asked.