Bits and pieces of Heller's story sounded familiar to Jason, especially the bit about that guy, von Braun, but places like Peenemünde were a total mystery to him. Jason found himself stunned that anything of this scale could happen without the entire American public figuring it out and literally burning the Whitehouse to the ground. The entire story sounded like a Hollywood B-movie and the absolute truth all at the same time. He found himself shaking his head without really realizing he was doing it, but Heller had noticed.
Peenemünde was the research site where Werner von Braun and other Nazis used slave labor to develop the weapons of the "V" program. Hitler was relying on these rockets to not only attack and destroy the United Kingdom, but to destroy the United States, too. Germany had come very, very close to developing nuclear weapons, so combined with a V2 capable of hitting the United States, this would have changed the balance of the war. Fortunately, the invasion of Europe meant that Nazi Germany lacked the resources to develop these weapons any further than they did.
"It all sounds just a bit too 'out there' to be believable, doesn't it?"
Jason stared at Heller and nodded.
"I just can't get my head around the idea that the American people never noticed. Why did no one ever blab? Secrets like these are too hard to keep, Heller. Someone always talks."
"Dead men don't talk, Jason. Or dead women or children. There are no limits to what these people will do to stay in control. I'm effectively a dead man now, so they don't care what I do or say - it all goes to the grave with me. But they did kill thousands of Americans to keep their secrets safe, and to keep their hands on the reins. They'll kill as many others as they need to. Without hesitation.”
"It got so bad in the end that even a reformed Nazi like von Braun saw the danger of the military industrial complex and what it wanted. He saw that it could become far worse than the Nazi party ever was, and tried to quietly warn people about it. They managed to shut him up by threatening his family though, and then, by 1977, von Braun was dead, so they stopped caring about him, too. His daughter has tried to stir up some controversy since then, using different online video sites, but nothing really stuck. It all seemed just a bit too crazy, even for the conspiracy theorists.”
Heller stubbed out his cigarette, lit another, smiled at Jason, and said, "One for the road, eh?"
Chapter 20
Jason sat there, surrounded by the noise of the dinner, trying to work the whole thing over in his head. They always say the best place to hide a lie is in plain sight, so that's exactly what Heller’s buddies had done. And the quickest way for them to distract everyone from what they were doing was to kill the president of the United States, showing the world they could do whatever they wanted, to whoever they wanted and whenever they wanted. It was the ultimate show of force. It was saying to the whole world, "Do what you're told, or we'll erase you, too". It worked, too, by the look of things.
Jason looked over at Heller, who was obviously deep in thought, judging by how long the finger of ash had grown along his cigarette, and wondered how many other guys there were like him out there right now. Guys who looked like a harmless old man, but before he 'retired', was a trained killer who once helped assassinate a president. And God knows who else, for that matter! He was pretty sure that Heller had been elbow deep in blood and horror for most of his adult life. Little did he realize that he was closer to the truth than he could have possibly known.
Heller glanced over at Jason as the word "assassin" passed through his mind. It was like the old guy could hear what he was thinking, because he instantly looked up. Was that some kind of sixth sense Heller had? The old man was still quick when he needed to be.
"You're still not certain that I'm telling the truth, are you?"
"It's an awful lot to take in. No one would believe me either way, but like you said, that's the point in telling me - you get your 'last confession' and total deniability at the same time." Heller just smiled and nodded, and went back to thinking his thoughts.
It was unnerving for Jason to think that Kennedy wasn't assassinated by just one crazy dude with a gun. To accept that meant accepting that most of what he held to be real and true was lies. In fact, it also meant he was living in a dictatorship controlled by the military and funded by big corporations. That would mean that the United States itself has ceased to exist, and liberty, real freedom, and true democracy with her. Liberty had died to the sound of a covert firing squad, and the screams of frightened people in Dealey Plaza.
These thoughts kept him preoccupied as his food went cold. He also realized he definitely wasn't hungry now. That was a shame because he really did like steak and eggs.
Heller winced from the pain as the cigarette he'd been holding finally burnt his fingers. He dropped it, and then stared down at the embers until they turned black. He'd obviously been far more lost in his thoughts than either he or Jason had realized.
"It's time to go, Jason. Now is a good time to go. I’m done here.” Heller laid a $50 down on the table, and got up to leave.
Jason held the diner door open as Heller shuffled out of the exit and down the steps toward the car. The pie and coffee had definitely given the guy a bit more spring in his step, in fact, he almost seemed happy. Or maybe he was finally finding peace inside himself again. Who knew?
Once Heller was settled in the back seat, Jason started the cab, glanced back over his shoulder at Heller, and asked, "Where to now, Bill?"
"Brinkley Clinic, but don't be in a hurry to get there. I still have some time left, and we might talk some more on the way perhaps?"
Jason felt a twinge of sadness when he heard those words, because they sounded like the words of some random old guy who just wanted to talk to someone, anyone, before he died. He had to force himself to remember that this old man had probably killed dozens of people during his “career”. It was a sobering thought. He pulled away slowly from the curb and pointed his car back toward the route to get them where they needed to be tonight.
Earlier on, Jason had wanted to get rid of this guy as quickly as he could. But now, he felt the need to keep him around for as long as he could. He wasn't sure why either.
Chapter 21
No one said anything for the first few minutes of their journey, but the silence was going to have to break. Jason knew he was going to be the one doing the breaking, too. "Heller? You awake back there?"
"I am, Jason. Just sitting here thinking. Why?"
"Why do I get the impression our meeting tonight wasn't entirely random? Or am I just being paranoid?"
There was just a hint of a pause before Heller replied. "What makes you think it was anything more than me dialing for a cab and you turning up, Jason? Why does it have to be anything more than random chance?"
"I dunno...it's just like a gut feeling I have. I can't shake it, and I don't like it. I don't have many rules in my life, but listening to my gut is one of them."