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One of the few explicable aspects of the mystery was the reason for Kennedy's presence on the Vineyard. Vacationing with his family on Squaw Island, near Hyannisport, he had come over with R.F.K.'s oldest son Joseph to take part in the Edgartown Yacht Club races. Less easily explained is why Kennedy, no stranger to the area, tried to ram a big car across a tilted bridge that is risky by day and perilous at night. The wide macadam road that leads to the Chappaquiddick ferry slip makes a turn to the left; the narrow dirt track that leads to the bridge swings sharply to the right. The bridge itself is used mainly by surf fishermen and leads only to the water.
More explainable was Miss Kopechne's presence on the island. On a weekend reunion with girls she had met while a member of the R.F.K. staff, she had come to the island to watch the Edgartown Regatta and to see Teddy race. Staying at the Katama Shores Inn in Edgartown, she was apparently accepting a lift home when the accident occurred. Mary Jo joined Robert Kennedy's staff in 1965 and later worked in the "boiler room," a cubicle set aside for staffers keeping track of delegate counts prior to the 1968 Democratic National Convention. R.F.K. Aide Wendell Pigman described her as "a real Kennedy believer." At a party for R.F.K., Mary Jo and fellow staffers presented the Senator with an illuminated globe. "Just what I wanted," said Robert Kennedy. "Yes," chimed in Miss Kopechne. "The world."
According to Teddy's statement, he left the Dike Bridge in shock and on foot, wet and minus his passenger. Why Teddy told no one about the accident and did not seek help for the girl, why no one called a doctor or even asked Kennedy what had happened—and indeed how he got back to his hotel—are questions, that must now puzzle not only the police, but also Ted Kennedy and his nationwide constituency.