Justification For Killing

by Larry Edward Hunt

  Snapping from his reverie, he slammed on the brakes and skidded to a stop in a level place on Saddlehorn. Hands and fingers numb from the cold, he forced himself to release the dashboard latch on the right passengers and the left drivers side allowing the windshield to be lowered to rest on the hood. Now the Captain could see where he was going. It helped he was going south, and the bone-chilling wind and driven snow was out of the north. This minimized the effect both had on his face, and the straw hat - it wasn’t as good as the hat Clem had given him, but in a blizzard who can be choosey? Gripping the little Jeep’s steering wheel with all his might, a thought occurred to him. It was the oft-told joke about north Texas. When speaking of the cold Texas winter wind it seems the saying went ‘there was nothing between Texas and the North Pole but one barbed wire fence, and there was a solid report it had fallen down!’ By-ned, he thought, pulling his coat collar up tight against the back of his neck, that son-of-a-gun knew what he was talking about.

  The snow had gotten deeper, and Saddlehorn Gulch was nothing but a notch above a cattle trail; however, those were the conditions the Army had in mind when it designed this sturdy 4x4 Jeep. In an hour or so the tires of the little Jeep had clawed and dug their way to the main road. Turning south, he knew he would be at the road leading to Clem and Penelope’s in another mile or two.

  The blinding snow made it almost impossible to see, but he somehow spied the road to the Ponderosa. Turning from the main road onto Clem’s snow covered roadway Captain Scarburg kept a sharp eye out for the grove of trees he knew hid their house from the view of the road. A mile passed, then another. The snow was merciless and seemed to be increasing in its intensity and fury. “There it is,” the Captain finally said out loud, as if someone were accompanying him in the snow covered Jeep. His core body temperature had fallen to the point that hypothermia was beginning to set in. He was already becoming delusional, but if he did not reach the Ponderosa soon his condition would become critical and extremely dangerous; a missed turn in the road and the Captain could end up in a ditch or worse. Nearing the bend in the road next to the stand of hardwood trees he said to his imaginary friend, “The Ponderosa is just on the other side! Thank goodness, another mile and we both would have been frozen to death!!”

  The time was 3:47 p.m., Thursday, November 21, 1963.

  Chapter Forty-Six

  “ALL ABOARD”

  As Baba began to walk across the launch room toward Mike Watkins’s office, she noticed the air beginning to take on a peculiar chemical smell, a slight caustic smell hinting of chlorine bleach. Is that from Pegasus as it disappeared just a few seconds ago? She thought to herself. Little did she realize the smell was ozone? The air was beginning to stir as though the wind was blowing through an open window right before a storm. She turned and looked back toward the center of the enclosure where Pegasus had been sitting. What was she seeing? Was that exhaust fumes left after Pegasus disappeared? No, there was no exhaust; she knew Pegasus had no form of ‘motor’ capable of creating any type of fumes. Its mode of operation was more akin to electromagnetism than to the internal combustion engine, regardless the vapor was starting to take shape, and rotate. What was that crackling noise? Are those sparks of lightening? Yes, it was, she thought! Well, not lightening exactly but the swirling, twisting wind did cause an excessive discharge of static electricity. What was happening? Was that a church hymn she hears, yes... yes, she thought. Amazing Grace - was she being deceived by her ears?

  Mike leaned against the circular wall, arms folded with an ear-to-ear smile. Watching Baba in all her amazement was causing quite an amusing show to the watching group of Pegasus workers. From his office window, Ryan Rousseau could be seen watching the developing event also, but there was no joy on his face, only contempt for his failed efforts to sabotage Pegasus’s flight.

  “What’s wrong Baba?” Mike yelled above the wind and music to Baba who was now standing, motionless watching in awe as the phenomenal event took place in front of her eyes. “Have you seen a ghost?” he inquired again.

  “Mike! Mike! What is happening? Did something calamitous happen to Pegasus. Is something wrong? Why didn’t it leave as it was supposed to Mike?” She asked as she hurried over to where Mike was standing.

  “Leave Baba? Leave you say? Baba, Pegasus is not leaving, it is coming back!”

  Not fully grasping Mike’s explanation she asked, “What went wrong Mike? Is Bob inside of Pegasus? Is he okay?”

  “What you are witnessing is Pegasus returning from Texas. The Captain should be fine if he got out of Pegasus when it arrived in the cow pasture. In a second or two Pegasus will be sitting right here where it was just a short while ago – empty! Even though Pegasus has been gone for minutes, hours or even days in the Universe to which it traveled, in our time it will only have been gone a few seconds.”

  As he spoke, the rustling of the wind, the whining high-pitched noise and the soft sound of the piper playing his pipes began to subside as Pegasus commenced to materialize in all its shining glory – sitting right where it had been only a moment or two earlier.

  Baba watched in stunned silence. She finally uttered, “Well I’ve never...”

  “Baba I do not have enough time right now to fully explain the flight peculiarities of Pegasus – just suffice it to say if the ‘Departure’ and ‘Return’ indicators are the same Pegasus will de-materialize and re-materialize within seconds of our current time; however, to the time-travelers it could be hours or days to them.”

  Mike reached for the microphone hanging on the wall. Keying the switch he said, “Okay gentlemen, it’s your turn, ‘All Aboard”. At this announcement, Sam Lin, Si Lei, Bud and Lou emerged from the room where they had been waiting and walked to the loading platform and stopped.

  Mike walked up to the assembled group, “Men, I just want to say a couple of things: Pegasus is a scientific anomaly - we have attempted to time shift her six different times, and she has only worked once. One time out of six is not great odds; however, we must assume Captain Scarburg, Forrest and Olive Marie’s last trips worked. Even if they did, that only brought the odds up to only a fifty-percent chance of success. This is just another way of saying we have a one in two chance this thing will work correctly.”

  One of group added, “Or a one in two chance IT WILL NOT.”

  “Yes your right. You must be one of those ‘glass half empty guys’, Mike said laughing; “however, saying you are not going on a dangerous mission would be an understatement. We think we can get you to the roof of the Texas School Book Depository at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday morning November 21, 1963. Remember I said ‘think’, and exactly thirty-two hours later, at 6:00 p.m. Friday I, along with the rest of the Pegasus flight control group, will attempt to move the machine from the School Book Building to the cow pasture northwest of Celina, Texas. One of the reasons Pegasus will remain on the roof for twenty-fours hours is to provide the communication link so you can use your cellphones while on the ground in Dallas; however, your phones will only work if you are within five miles of the Pegasus roof base station. Remember too, Captain Scarburg arrived on Thursday, so he should be somewhere in the general vicinity. Forrest and Olive Marie supposedly are around the Dallas area too, we think. The reason we are moving it back to the cow pasture is just in case Forrest and Olive Marie, for some reason, get an opportunity to return, they will go to the place where they arrived. They will not know about the landing on the School Book Depository.

  “Okay, enough said, here are your options: there will be a five-minute window Friday evening starting at 6:55 P.M. This will allow you to enter Pegasus and be transported to the cow pasture close to Celina. If for some reason, you miss this narrow window of opportunity you must and I repeat, you MUST physically be at the cow pasture no later than 11:55 on Saturday, November 23. As I said earlier, at best, we have only achieved a success rate of fifty per cent. I might not ever be able to get Pegasus to return to retrieve you if you miss this Saturday deadline. You could
be stuck in the 1963 Alternate Universe forever. You have each been given a map pinpointing the cow pastures’ precise location. I repeat, be there!! This is not a threat this is a WARNING!! Pegasus WILL leave without you!! I cannot stop its return. Enough said, LJ, Rocky, Bud and Lou please say your goodbyes and mount the loading platform and get yourselves strapped in, we will energize Pegasus for your departure in ten minutes.”

  The time was 3:20 Friday afternoon, December 7, 2012.

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  HOW COME YOU KNOW’D US?

  Turning to his delusional Jeep passenger the Captain mumbled, “Thank goodness! We made it! Now you and I can get warm.”

  Walking across the Ponderosa’s front porch, Captain Scarburg could hardly feel his fingers within the leather, work gloves. He was about frozen to death. Approaching the front door he briefly wondered if he had enough strength left to knock.

  Summing up all the energy he could muster, he slowly pounded on the door. It was only around five in the evening, surely with this blizzard howling, Clem and Penelope would be home. Once again he summoned up enough strength to pound again. He heard voices inside, the barking of a dog and was that footsteps coming toward the door? If someone did not come to the door he did not believe he could muster up enough strength to knock again. He was seconds from collapsing onto the frozen, ice and snow covered porch. If Clem and Penelope were not at home, Captain Scarburg final fate was to freeze to death on their front porch!!

  Suddenly the door slowly began to open, there with a surprised look was the Captain’s old friend Clem. Penelope was standing to his rear. Weakly the Captain said, “Please, please… can I come in out of this storm? I have gone about… as… far… as I can… go.”

  “Lands sake, don’t jez stand there Clem, git that poor man inside. He’s frozen plum neer to death.”

  Once inside, Clem began stripping off the Captain’s snow covered outer garments and hanging them by the door to dry. The Captain made his way over to the fireplace, and immediately he felt the warmth on his face from the oak logs crackling and burning in the huge, brick fireplace. Removing his wet gloves, he held his hands close to the heat from the burning logs. At first he could not even feel the warmth in his hands, but within seconds, the blood’s circulation began to flow back into his fingers, and the effect of the soft glow of the flickering fire was beginning to take place. “My-oh-my, this feels good,” Captain Scarburg exclaimed. Looking down, he noticed the beautiful little Shetland sheepdog sitting next to him, rubbing her head against his leg and staring up, seeming to beg for a pet on her head. He remembered this little dog on his first visit, ‘Lady’, what a magnificent animal, he thought. Reaching down he stroked the dog’s soft, white and sable head, “Hey Lady, you’re a beautiful little dog.”

  Without thinking, he turned to Penelope and asked, “Miss Penelope you got any of your hot Luzianne coffee with chicory brewing on the stove in the kitchen?”

  “Sure do,” she said turning toward the kitchen, but within a step or two it hit her, ‘Miss Penelope... coffee brewing.... Luzianne coffee... with chicory... on the stove....’ how’d he know all that? She wondered to herself.

  Clem standing next to the Captain at the fireplace asked, “Mister! What in the world wuz you doin’ out in this here storm? Even polar bears have more cents than that. They burry themselves up to caves and the like afore ventured out in a blizzard sech as this one. Yer mighty lucky to still be alive.”

  “You’re right Clem, but I have an important mission, which could not wait. You see I am searching for two of my lost grandchildren.”

  “Hold on thar Mister, how’d you know my name? And you said Penelope afore too, how come you know’d us? I don’t know you, we ain’t never met.” Frowning he added, “Have we?” Then added, “And how’d you know the dog’s name?”

  “You both must have mentioned your names at the door when I arrived.”

  “Naw, that ain’t right. I’m likin’ in lots of thangs, but memory ain’t one of’em.” Somethins’ wrong Mister, whats yer game?”

  Penelope was returned from the kitchen carrying a steaming, hot cup of coffee. Handing it to the Captain, he quickly took a sip, but something was bothering him – he was thinking he should tell them who he actually was. Sitting the cup down he motioning toward the couch, “Clem, Penelope let’s go over here and sit down. I have a confession to make.”

  “I knew it, I knew it, I told you Penelope. I told you somethin’ was wrong. Yer one of them escaped criminals or the like, right? I got me a shotgun if yer dangerous. Er you dangerous?”

  “No Clem, I’m not dangerous, and I’m not an escaped criminal. To answer your question Clem, yes, you do know me, and yes we have met before today.”

  “Now hold on a minute, we never seed you afore mister. What’s yer game?”

  “Would both of you, please sit down? I will try to explain. This is going to sound strange, but I swear every word I am about to tell you is the truth, and as they say, in court, ‘the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.’ Where should I begin?”

  “I’ve always heered its best to start at the beginning.”

  “All right that’s where I’ll begin Clem and prove to you we have met. My name is Robert Scarburg, Junior. Most just refer to me as ‘Captain’ since I was a Captain in the U.S. Army.”

  “Hold the fort! Hold the fort! That young lad that come here yesterdee’s name wuz Robert Scarburg, called hisself Forrest, is he related to you?”

  “Yes! Yes! They were here? Thank goodness!! You’re right Clem his name is Forrest. Forrest is my grandson. He and his sister Olive Marie are two of my grandchildren. Those two are the reason I am out in this blizzard. They are the ones for whom I am searching.”

  “You know when I heered his name ‘Robert Scarburg’ fer some reason I reckoned I had heered that name afore. And yes siree, her name wuz Olive, Olive and Forrest, well I’ll be – your grandkids!”

  “You have heard my name - Robert Scarburg, Clem. I came here before, and you volunteered to help me on a job I had to accomplish in Dallas. I know your name is Clemson, and you are,” looking at Penelope, “Penelope, Clem’s sister. Clem and Penelope Ruby. You don’t like the name Clemson, so you use the name Clem, and this dog of yours, her name is Lady. I know so very well since I gave Lady her name. You had just been calling her Girl.” At the mention of her name, the dog whimpered, got up, moved from the spot in which she was resting and lay down beside Captain Scarburg’s foot.

  “That ain’t proved nothing, everbody around here knows that my name is Clem, strange about you knowin’ about the dog tho’, and I ain’t never seed her take to anybody like she has took to you neither. Besides, we have always called her ‘Lady’ since she was jez a pup, but I do ‘member afore I come up with that name I wuz gonna call her jest ‘Girl’. I don’t know how you no’d that. You one of them mind readin’ circus or carnival pre-formers?”

  “No Clem but speaking of a carnival reminds me of the merry-go-round or the carousel. I know you have an uncle named Jack Ruby who owns the Carousel Club on the corner of Field and Commerce Street in downtown Dallas. You call him Sparky. Miss Penelope you fed me a great supper served with cornpone. You have a sampler on your wall in the dining room stitched by your Granny Coker. The inscription reads, “Home Sweet Home” and along the bottom was a name and date, “Minnie Coker Three December In the Year of Our Lord Nineteen Hundred and One”. We were eating rutabaga turnips cooked with pork chops when you told me about your Granny Coker and her sampler she stitched as a child.”

  “Clemson! Clemson, whats goin’ on?”

  “Hesh up girl, this feller is right, you know not to call me Clemson! But yer right he knows thangs.”

  “I know Clem, I’m skeered.”

  “Penelope, there is no reason to be frightened. As I explained on my first visit, I am a traveler from the year 2012. I came back previously to your 1963 Universe to fix a problem, which greatly affected the latter part of the 20th a
nd the first part of the 21st century. Clem you assisted, and you and I accomplished the job.”

  “You jest makin’ this up, right? The year two thousand and twelve, come on!!”

  “You have a tan overcoat in your hall closet, and in your little wooden box on the mantle where you and Penelope keep your valuables there is some money you have never been able to explain. There is a ten-dollar bill you think is counterfeit, and two U.S. quarters. One is dated 2004 and the other 2012. You probably have never been able to figure them out either.”

  “Well I’ll be... them thangs are in that box all right!”

  “I had given those items to you right before I left from the cow pasture, the pasture that’s at the end of the Saddleback Gulch trail. You told me Larry Brock owned that ranch. You carried me there in your Ford wrecker, yeah, the one with the spring sticking out of the seat.”

  “Shore nuff, your right ‘bout that sprang – I been aimin’ to git it fixed. You no’d about the sprang?”

  “Right Clem, you don’t have to sit on it!” The Captain said laughing. “We used your tan Nash Rambler you keep around back in the shed next to the chicken coop to get to Dallas. Oh, I almost forgot... Penelope in your ‘valuables’ box you have a note written in your hand stating, Auburn 10 Alabama 8 Iron Bowl November 30, 1963.

  “Clem, you said my grandson stated his name was Robert Scarburg. That is his name all right. He is Robert Scarburg the Fourth. I am Captain Robert Scarburg, Junior. Why don’t you take out the gold wristwatch? You know the one with the broken face crystal. It is in the valuables box also. Turn it over and read the inscription on the back.”

  Clem walked over to the fireplace, picked up his sister’s keepsake box and removed the watch. He slowly turned it over and rubbed the lettering on the back with his thumb. Pretending to fumble in his pockets he handed the watch to Penelope. “Here Penelope you read this, I seems to have misplaced my readin’ glasses.”