A Year to Forget (The Accidental Time Travellers Book 2) (33 page)

He sighed.  “I did that for the good of the country, we needed a morale boost.”

“You really think that makes it okay?  You lied to the President.”

“What am I supposed to do, just sit back and let the Soviets win the space race?”

“Pretending to orbit the Moon is not a victory.”

“Well I can’t get us to the Moon, it can’t be done!”

“What do you mean it can’t be done?  The Soviets can do it?”

Wernher shook his head.  “So we have been told.”

“Are you saying it’s not true?”

“We have no proof.  How can it be possible that they can get through the radiation but we can’t?”

Bobby was baffled now.  “How do you mean?”

“To get to the Moon we need to pass through the Van Allen Radiation Belt, it can’t be done.”

“I don’t understand, why can’t it be done?”

“The radiation would melt the rocket and the astronauts, it just isn’t possible.”

“So you don’t think the Soviets could do it either?”

“I highly doubt it.”

Bobby was silent now, he didn’t know how to proceed.  Why would the Russian lie about the Soviet space program, there would be no reason to.  He stared at Wernher, he didn’t trust the man.

“How did Apollo 8 explode?”

“I have already told you all I know on the subject.”

“Well I don’t believe you!”  Bobby shouted.  “You had access to it, you lied about what it was doing, and then you said the source of the problem couldn’t have been NASA.  You knew about the retrieval of the Soviet submarine, and you had time to contact Jacob Cohen.  You have a motive to try and cause a conflict between the US and the Soviet Union.”

Wernher looked disgusted by Bobby’s words.  “What is my motive?”

“You were a Nazi, you are getting revenge for the war.  Josef Mengele was involved, you probably knew him.”

Wernher’s face turned scarlet.  “I have explained this to you already.  I defected to the US, this is my home now.”

“You defected at the end of the war, you worked for the Nazis throughout it.”

“As a scientist.”

“So you admit it?”  Bobby said with a smile.

“I designed the V2 rockets.  I did nothing worse than any other scientist during the war.”

Bobby shook his head in disbelief.  “You designed weapons for the Nazis, it doesn’t get much worse than that.  Who built the rockets Wernher?”

Wernher looked as though he was on the verge of tears.

“Who built them?”  Bobby shouted.

“Prisoners of war.”  He replied sheepishly.

“The Nazis prisoners built your rockets.  How were they treated?”  Bobby asked sarcastically.

“What could I do?  If I stood up to them then I would have been killed!”

“So you watched as thousands of prisoners worked in labour camps building your rockets.  How many of them died?”

Wernher did not respond.

“Did you know Hitler?”  Bobby shouted.

Wernher nodded, the tears were now streaming down the man’s face.  “I had to demonstrate the capabilities of the V2 rockets.”

“You disgust me Wernher.”

“What could I do, it was my job.  I never killed anyone.”

“You designed weapons, of course you did.  They were produced by slaves!  What did Hitler say to you?”

“He made me a Professor.”  Wernher said, almost in a whisper.

“So why defect?”

“I was arrested by the Gestapo.  They believed that I was trying to sabotage the production of the V2’s, and that I was a defeatist.  I was let go, but when the Russians were closing in my team were forced to surrender, we knew the horrors of the war crimes committed by the Russians, so we defected to the US.”

Bobby shook his head in contempt.  “So you weren’t escaping the Nazis, you were escaping the Soviet’s.  Did the CIA just erase your past?”

Wernher nodded.

“And you expect me to think that you are working in the best interests of this country.  The Nazis made you a professor and gave you a high ranking job.  It’s not as though you suffered under them, did you know Mengele?”

“Yes.”

“How did you meet?”

“We were required to pick the prisoners that we wanted.  I had to pick the people that would make the best workers, he chose who he wanted to experiment on.”

“So you are a Nazi war criminal.”  Bobby stated.  “You do realize that you will never see the light of day ever again.”

Wernher shook his head.  “You are wrong, I am too important to the space program.”

“Kennedy doesn’t trust you, he gave me permission to arrest you.  We will be prosecuting you for war crimes and treason.”

“Treason?”  Wernher replied stunned.

“You are Jacob’s mole, you will not get away with any of this.”

Chapter 81

David reached the telephone after the third ring.

“Hello.”

“David is that you?”

“Faraday thank God, are you okay?”

David could hear men shouting in the background.

“I’m alive.  I’m with Chase and Will.”

“Will?”  David asked in surprise.

“He saved us.  David you need to get in touch with Howard Hughes, we need a flight out of here.”

“Are you in Havana?”

“We are at the airport but its chaos, we can’t get a flight anywhere.  Government officials are being shot in the street and half of the town is on fire.”

“I’ll get someone down there right away.”

As David replaced the receiver he was unsure as to who he should call.  He knew he should probably phone Abaddon or Hughes, but since he had just got Bobby back on side perhaps Kennedy would be the better choice.

He stared at the phone for a minute before he eventually decided to call Kennedy.

“Mr President, it’s David.”

“David how are you?”  Kennedy sounded delighted.

“Good sir and you?”

“We have been given a gift today David.  That bastard is out of Cuba.”

David had not heard Kennedy this cheery all year.  “That’s actually why I’m calling, Faraday called.  He, Chase and Will are at the airport in Havana.  They need to get out.”

“They are all alive?”  Kennedy asked, sounding slightly surprised.

“Yes.”

“Excellent.  I will send a plane for them.”

Chapter 82

The plane had been in the air for little over an hour.  Faraday had managed to change his clothing, but he had not been able to wash, so he still smelled awful.  He had been able to dress in US military uniform, it was all they had had on the plane.

He looked at Chase who was asleep on the chair across the aisle, he too smelled disgusting, but his main problem was that he had lost his mind.  Will was sitting in the chair facing Faraday, they had barely spoken since getting on the plane.  Will had a nasty cut above his eyebrow that was still bleeding. 

“Why did you come for me?”  Faraday eventually asked.

“It was the right thing to do.”  Will replied.

“How did you know where we were?”

“I spoke to Sidney Gottlieb, he told me that you were being held captive in Havana, so I took the flight with the doctor that hypnotised Chase.  He told me something about David.”

Faraday froze, if Will knew then Bobby would know.  “What did he tell you?”  Faraday asked knowing the answer.

“He is going to assassinate Martin Luther King.”

Faraday was scared now.  “Does Bobby know?”

“Bobby fired me.”  Will snapped.

“Are you going to tell him?”

Will was surprised by the reaction.  “Did you know this?”

“No.”  Faraday replied hastily.

“You don’t want Bobby to find out?”

Faraday could feel himself blushing.  “I never said that.”

“But you don’t, it’s obvious.”

“I would rather speak to David first.”  Faraday lied.

Will looked puzzled.  “Why?”

“He’s my friend and Bobby would kill him.”

“So you will let him kill Martin Luther King?”

“No, but I want to speak to him.  Maybe Gottlieb was lying.”

Will shook his head in disbelief.  “Do what you want, I’m not part of this anymore.  I’ll stay quiet if you give me your word that I will never see you again.”

Faraday stared at Will.  “Did you rape her?”

“Why would you even think that?”

“Just answer the question.”  Faraday snapped.

It was Will who blushed this time.  “No.”

“I have your word on that?”

Will nodded.

“Since you saved me and Chase, and as long as you stay quiet about David, then you have my word that I won’t come after you.  It’s over.”

Will almost smiled.  “It’s over.”  He repeated.

Chapter 83

In the months following the Cuban revolution, things in America began to return to normal.  Bobby Kennedy’s approval ratings were now up to 60%.  Whilst they were certainly not as high as they had once been, given the turmoil that had ensconced his Presidency at the beginning of the year, things seemed to be improving.

It was the 18
th
July 1969, as Bobby ordered the round of drinks for the table.   They were attending a party on the small island of Chappaquiddick, Massachusetts.  It was a party hosted by Teddy Kenney, celebrating the staff who served during Bobby Kennedy’s re-election campaign.  They had been having a nice evening, but Teddy was beginning to let the drink take over him again.

Bobby returned to the table with the drinks and put the tray down.  David, Faraday, Abaddon, Bobby Kennedy and Ethel took their drinks, as Bobby retook his seat and sipped his beer.  The distrust that had once threatened to destroy this group of friends was now long gone.  Bobby saw Faraday lighting a cigarette and followed his example.  He took a deep pull and listened as Ethel spoke.

“Look at him, he’s all over her.”  She said, shaking her head.

President Kennedy looked at his brother in disgust.

“I guess the marriage problems aren’t any better.”  Faraday commented, before taking a sip from his beer.  He was now drinking on a regular basis despite the liver damage.

“He’s too much like Jack.”  Kennedy replied.

Bobby turned to see what Teddy was doing and saw that he was practically groping a young woman.  “Who is she?”  He asked.

“Mary Jo Kopechne.  Lovely girl.”  Ethel replied.

“So are you all prepared for the Moon landing?”  Faraday asked.

Abaddon smiled.  “Preparations are coming along well, aren’t they David?”

“Very well.”  He smiled.

The Apollo 11 rocket had been launched two days previously.

They were interrupted as Teddy and Mary Jo staggered over to the table. 

“We are going to leave.”  Teddy announced.

“Together?”  Ethel replied.

“I’m just dropping Mary Jo off at home.”  He shot back.

“You’re not driving are you?”  Bobby Kennedy asked.

Teddy laughed.  “I’ll get my driver.”

“Good.”  Bobby Kennedy replied.

Teddy and Mary Jo staggered from the room, it was 23:15.

“You need to talk to him.”  Ether warned.

“I have, he doesn’t listen.”

“Virginia is pregnant and he is out drinking and sleeping with any woman in sight.  He should be ashamed of himself.”  Ethel declared.

There was an awkward silence around the table.  Bobby Kennedy eventually broke it.

“Speaking of women, we need to find Bobby and Abaddon a date.”

Bobby blushed and Abaddon laughed.  “I’m alright without the hassle.”  Abaddon replied.

“What about you Bobby?  Plenty of pretty girls here tonight?”  David suggested.

“He’s already found a girl.”  Faraday joked.

“Who?”  Ethel replied, intrigued.

“He’s talking nonsense.”  Bobby replied feeling embarrassed.

“He likes that journalist.”  Faraday said.

“Shut up.”  Bobby instructed.