June 8, 1968

"Darkness fell, and as we crept through another rail yard, there was a sudden flash from a newsman's camera right outside the window where the children sat, & we heard something thud against the train's carriage. John grabbed ahold of me, his eyes frantic with fear.

'Kat, is someone shooting at us?' he cried. 'Are they coming to get us next?'

My heart broke that this innocent child, his father & now his uncle both gunned down, had drawn such a logical conclusion. I squeezed his soft hand in mine.

'No, John, we're safe. That was just a camera's flash & flowers hitting the window,' I told him. 'They're very sad that your Uncle Bobby was killed, & they're throwing bouquets of flowers to show how much they loved him.'"

-Kathy McKeon, "Jackie's Girl"