“I’ve just got two answers for you Lou – No, and especially No!! Remember what the Captain said, ‘Little changes in the past can create major changes in the future’. It is not up to us to alter the course of J. D. Tippit’s life. I wish it were so, but it is not. This terrible scene has to play itself out just as though we were not here to witness it. Agreed.”
“Reluctantly, yes - you are right Bud. Let’s try calling Lonnie Joe and Rocky and see how they are coming along. I’m depressed and need to hear some friendly voices.”
“Yeah, good idea – we are within five miles of Pegasus. I’ll give their number a try.”
“Hey, LJ and Rocky, Bud and Lou here... yeah you’re right, it is funny...who else could be calling... how are things going on your end... good... good... yeah, us too. We’re all set for tomorrow what are you and Rocky going to do. Say, you get the goods on the Mafia bunch today? Yeah... good... Lou and I have been discussing the events of tomorrow... yeah, that’s right... we have to follow Oswald after the shooting and see what he does... yeah... yeah... we’ve done that... but here’s our problem. We’re afraid with the large crowd, which will be gathered in front of the Texas School Book building we might miss Oswald when he comes out... okay... okay... yeah, LJ that sounds great. In fact, it sounds really great... okay, we’ll see you both tomorrow. Goodbye.”
“Bud, tell me what they said?”
“LJ said he and Rocky planted a ‘bug’ over the table and placed the camera on the picture holder at Jack Ruby’s Carousel Club with no hitches. The Mafia showed up, just on clue, and LJ and Rocky got all of the mobs plotting and scheming to kill President Kennedy on film.”
“What else did LJ say?”
“LJ was telling us since they had completed their mission they wanted to help us. LJ said tonight they were going to sleep in their car in the parking garage. In the morning, they will come over to Dealy Plaza and help us follow Oswald. One of them will wait just inside the Book building’s door, and the other will wait on the sidewalk just outside the front door. When Oswald comes out of the building, you and I will immediately travel over to 10th and Patton, and LJ and Rocky are going to follow him on foot to see if he talks with anyone on his way to Oswald’s rooming house.”
“Sounds terrific, we certainly can use the extra help. Let’s go get something to eat, and then head back over and watch some TV with Mrs. Rodgers. What’s on TV tonight Bud?
“Lou! What do I look like - the 1963 edition of TV Guide? How in the world do you think I would know what programs are on television on a Wednesday night in Dallas, Texas in 1963?”
“Just having some fun with you Bud... just having some fun... looks as though we have a solid plan for tomorrow.
MIDNIGHT AT THE MURDOCKS
Captain Scarburg’s hand holding the .45 automatic began to tremble slightly. He was thinking how close he had come to shooting his old alien friend Anhur.
Earlier, the Captain was extremely tense as he crunched across the snow, and down the sidewalk toward the Murdock mansion. He had been expecting a guard or watchman, and Anhur’s sudden appearance from behind a tree bordering the driveway was almost the catalyst that caused a ‘shoot and ask questions later’ response. The Captain knew if it took violence to find Forrest and Olive Marie, then violence it would be.
He had just heard Anhur say there were at least two highly trained Secret Service men guarding Forrest and Olive Marie. How did he propose he and Anhur proceed? What did Captain Scarburg have in mind?
“Okay, Anhur, let’s slip around beside the house and go into the guesthouse. I’m sure the doors will not be locked; Mr. Murdock just had a party, so they have not had time to secure the property. Once inside lets see if we can find a serving pot and a coffee cup. Anhur then go across to the basement door and announce you have some hot coffee for the Secret Service agent on guard duty. I will be positioned outside beside the door, as the agent opens the door to get the coffee I will overpower him, and we will push into the basement and rescue my two grandchildren. What do you think?”
“Captain, we have always known you Earthlings have the ability to be deceitful and cunning. I like it!”
From their position in front of the house, the Captain and Anhur ventured past the mansion and entered the snow-covered lawn on the far side of the guesthouse. This approach would allow them to slip unnoticed into the old carriage house.
Once inside they found a coffee urn and an empty coffee cup. “Fill the urn with boiling, hot water Anhur,” Captain Scarburg said, “get it as hot as possible. When the agent opens the door dash the scalding water into his face. That will distract him long enough for me to make my move.”
Retrieving a white towel from the linen closet he draped it over Anhur’s arm and handed him the urn and coffee cup. “Give me a second or two to get positioned then knock on the door.” As the Captain tiptoed across the snow-covered lawn between the guesthouse and the basement, he noticed the green Ford truck parked in the lot behind the main residence. He correctly reasoned this was Forrest and Olive Marie’s transportation from the cow pasture.
The maneuver on the guard with the scalding hot water was a total success, and now Anhur and the Captain were standing in the dark basement. The Secret Service agent lay unconscious at the doorway; however, the struggle to overcome him created enough noise to cause the agent at the top of the stairs to call out, “Charlie, what’s going on down there? What was that noise? Is everything all right?” He opened the door at the head of the stairs and began to descend, step by slow step down into the basement. Seeing the Captain in the dark, he fired his nine-millimeter Beretta service weapon, barely missing the Captain’s head by a mere couple of inches. The Captain instinctively fired back causing the agent to crumple and roll down the steps into a bloody heap at the foot of the stairs, a .45 slug buried deep within his chest. Stepping across the pool of coagulating, crimson blood Captain Scarburg felt the man’s neck for a pulse as the warm, sticky, red fluid slowly oozed from the agent’s chest.
Putting his two fingers to the carotid artery on the neck of the wounded man Captain Scarburg could feel a slight pulse... it was thready and weak... but the prospect of his survival did not look good. The Secret Service agent was breathing in gasps... the Captain reached and grasped his hand. It was cold.
“Hold on son, hold on,” said Captain Scarburg, “we’ll get help.” A slight moan emanated from the throat of the agent. Suddenly a hard gasp for air followed by a convulsive jerk, and he was gone! Captain Scarburg had killed a Secret Service agent!
Suddenly Captain Scarburg was startled by what he thought was a flash of blue lightning, but it only lasted a microsecond. Lightning? No, it is snowing outside, he thought. I must be hallucinating. Released the grip on the dead man’s hand he turned toward Anhur, “Anhur did you see that flash of blue light? Was I seeing things?”
Without showing any surprise, he answered, “Yes Captain Scarburg, I saw the flash of light.”
Glancing at the identification badge attached to the breast pocket of the agent’s suit coat, the Captain could read the name: ‘ROUSSEAU, Roger’. “Hmmm...” said Captain Scarburg, “ROUSSEAU that’s interesting.”
Turning his attention to the two bound and gagged captives in the basement, he quickly cut the cords binding their wrists, removed the tape from their mouths and untied the handkerchiefs that had been blinding their vision.
“Forrest!! Is it you?” Olive Marie yelled.
“Olive Marie!!” This was the first time either of the two prisoners realized whom the other had been. Rushing across the room Forrest embraced Olive Marie. In their joy and excitement of their reunion, they failed to notice Captain Scarburg and Anhur standing back in the shadows of the basement; however, Forrest did notice the dead body at the foot of the stairs and the other agent lying unconscious at the basement door.
Before another word was spoken Captain Scarburg asked, “Are you two okay?”
“Grandpa? Grandpa! Is that you? I knew you
would come, I just knew it,” cried Olive Marie. “I was so scared Grandpa, they were going to kill us... I was standing in the hallway outside the Vice President’s meeting room eavesdropping on their conversation when I was apprehended by the Secret Service...”
Forrest interjected, “Sis, did you hear them planning the President’s assassination?”
“Yes, yes Forrest they were all in on it. I heard them talking about killing President Kennedy. Grandpa I was so scared... the spy business is not as exciting as I had imaged. It is pretty dangerous.”
“I know Olive, I know. That’s why Anhur and I came for you and Forrest. You are safe now. We are going to take you both back to Clem and Penelope’s Ponderosa. Saturday we will board Pegasus and go home. Your mother and father are worried to death.”
“Thank you Grandpa, thank you. I knew you wouldn’t forget us,” Olive Marie said between sobs.
“Anhur, see those telephone lines running across the far wall? Take my knife and cut those wires, we don’t want the woman upstairs to alert anyone to our presence. After cutting the telephone lines tie the other agent up, then meet us upstairs. We need to go upstairs and get out of this damp, death-ridden basement. And, give me back my old, brown, sweat stained, tattered cowboy hat Anhur, you little alien pirate.”
Dutifully relinquishing the hat to the Captain, Anhur remarked, “I shall perform my duties per your instructions Captain Scarburg. Forrest and Olive Marie, it is nice to see you are well. I am thankful you are safe.”
“No Anhur, it is Olive Marie, and I that should be saying thanks to you. It seems you are always around when we need you... thank you Anhur.”
“Yes,” added Olive, “I want to say ‘thank you’ too, Anhur. You are a true friend.”
The time was 3:20 a.m., Thursday, November 22, 1963.
“I HAVEN’T HEARD IT ALL!!”
Upstairs they found Margaret White huddled on a couch, whimpering and shaking uncontrollably. “Please,” she said pleading, “please don’t hurt me. I had nothing to do with holding you people. That was Lyndon Johnson and the Secret Service’s idea. I thought I was in love with him, but tonight I found out what a scoundrel he really is. He just left me here, saying he would return. How could I have been so fooled?”
“Now, now Ms. White... don’t be so hard on your self. Love can sometimes be blind, so blind. But do not worry, we are not here to hurt you,” the Captain said reassuringly. “Where did the people who met with the Vice President go after they left the party?”
“They said something about going into Dallas. Some big ‘event’ was going to take place there tomorrow, but they did not tell me what it was. In fact, after the meeting broke up Lyndon hardly spoke to me. He was too busy drinking, shaking hands and slapping people on the back. You would have thought he had just won the presidential election.
Olive Marie interjected, “That’s right Grandpa. As I said earlier, I was standing in the hall right outside the room where the meeting took place. I could not make out everything they were saying, but I heard enough to know it was going to concern killing Kennedy, tomorrow in Dallas, and at Dealy Plaza. At the mention of the word ‘payback’ I could hear them all laughing. Ms. White is correct - they were celebrating.”
“By the way, how did you know my name was ‘White’?” Ms. White asked addressing the Captain.
Captain Scarburg brushed the question aside, “That is not important now, what is important Ms. White you are safe with us. We know what is going on tomorrow, but it is better you remain in the dark. It is for your own sake.”
“I heard a couple of gun shots. What happened?”
“Well, hmmm, there are two Secret Service agents in the basement; however, one was shot dead, but the other is alive, and tightly bound hand and foot. But Ms. White, I still believe the least you know about us the better off you will be. I will not introduce myself or these other two people to you; therefore, when your interrogators ask you questions you will have nothing useful to tell them. I believe this strategy is in your best interest. After tomorrow Ms. White, you will understand why I think this action is necessary.”
“I suppose you must do what you think is right, but I did hear the Secret Service say they would be back and relieve the two they left behind.”
“Did they say when?”
“Yes, they are due back any minute now.”
“That settles it, we need to get out of here Ms. White. We will bind your hands and feet, quite comfortably, and leave you lying on the couch. When the other Secret Service Agents arrive the story you will tell them will be true – almost: ‘You heard gunfire. Two men and a woman came up from the basement and questioned you about any valuables in the house. You gave them no answers, so they tied you up and left.’ I think that will supply them with sufficient enough information to keep you out of trouble. They will think we were just burglars.”
Walking across to the living room for privacy the Captain removed his cell phone and entered Lonnie Joe’s phone number. Lonnie Joe answered on the third ring – “Papa John’s Pizza, may I help you?”
“Funny, LJ, funny, Papa John’s won’t even be invented for another twenty years”, the Captain replied, “What’s wrong LJ, can’t sleep?”
“You ever try to sleep in a cold, brightly lit, parking garage, sitting in a stolen car that looks like it belongs in ‘Mayberry’, with the entire Dallas, Texas police department looking for you. Oh, did I forget – and twenty years before you were even born.” Sarcastically he added, “Yeah, I can sleep just fine! Thanks for asking Captain. What’s up?”
“Glad to see you both are enjoying yourselves.” The Captain explained how he found Forrest and Olive Marie at the Murdock mansion, and how Anhur had shown up to help. He told Lonnie and Rocky to get some rest, he would be returning to the Ponderosa. The Captain ended his conversation saying if they did not meet at the Ponderosa they all would meet Saturday in the cow pasture northwest of Celina. “You both take care, and stay safe... good night.”
Ms. White turned to Forrest and asked, “What is that man doing?”
“I would tell you Ms White, but you would never believe me!”
“Try me, I’ve heard just about all of them.”
Without thinking, Forrest answered, “He’s talking on a portable, cordless telephone. We call it a ‘cell phone’.”
“Tele... telephone...? That small gadget...? Forget what I said, I’m wrong, I haven’t heard it all!”
Walking back across the handsome, oak parqueted floor they turned toward Captain Scarburg as he approached the group. He remarked, “Ms. White, we will be leaving now, it has been a pleasure, oh, by the way, we cut the telephone lines in the basement. But if someone will just splice the wires back together, the phones should work fine again.”
Leaving Ms. White bound and gagged on the couch Captain Scarburg, Forrest and Olive Marie slipped down the stairs into the basement. The dead Secret Service agent remained where he fell in a pool of sticky, blood at the foot of the stairs; the other unconscious agent was still out cold and securely trussed hands and feet. Everything seemed in order except for one minor detail – Anhur was nowhere to be seen - Anhur was gone!!
Outside the three stood in the cold and snow as the Captain outlined their next moves. He began by telling Forrest and Olive Marie he had intended to return to the Ponderosa once he had found the two of them, but now he had second thoughts. Tomorrow was going to be one of the most significant days in the annals of the American historic experience.
“What I am about to say may sound cold, heartless and disrespectful, but I mean no disrespect to the Office of the President. Not many times since the formation of the United States in 1776 have there ever been an opportunity to witness such an event as will happen at Dealy Plaza tomorrow, and we are aware of it before it takes place. I think it would hinge on being criminal if I had the means and ability to allow you two to be present and become part of history and did not take advantage of it. I want you both to be personally at that
terrible occurrence tomorrow. It will be graphic and upsetting. This is not a once in a lifetime experience this never gets to happen in anyone’s lifetime. The murder of our President will never occur again in the foreseeable future, and I will never forgive myself if I do not allow you to be there, regardless of its horrifying nature.”
“Grandpa,” said Olive Marie, “what do you have in mind?”
“First, we will leave in your truck, head to the entrance of the driveway, and get my Jeep that I have hidden in the bushes and trees growing beside the entrance to the Murdock estate. It is out of sight, and I’m hoping the snow covered the tracks, so no one else found it.”
“I must say,” added Forrest, “I never envisioned we would get a chance to see the assassination.”
The Captain explained again about the famous Zapruder film that was taken by Abraham Zapruder, a clothing manufacturer with a sewing factory on the fourth and fifth floor of the Dal-Tel building. His address was 571 Elm Street, just across Houston Street to the east of the Texas State School Depository. He further said Mr. Zapruder had purchased his movie camera - a Bell & Howell eight-millimeter Zoomatic at the Peacock Jewelry Company just a few doors east up Elm Street at 879 Elm. The Captain said he wanted to stop at Peacocks and purchase an exact model of the Zapruder camera to film the entire motorcade precisely as Zapruder did. In fact, he did not tell Forrest or Olive Marie, but he had an idea. He was going to buy not one but two Bell & Howell movie cameras.
There is a historical report, a single report buried deeply within the thousands of FBI and Congressional reports that a young person was seen standing close to Zapruder’s concrete pedestal. The report further states this man also filmed the President; however, no one has ever interviewed this young man, nor has the FBI ever identified him. After the event of November 22, 1963, he vanished to history.
Justification For Killing Page 43
