Justification For Killing

by Larry Edward Hunt

  “Well you don’t say! Clem exclaimed surprised. “What would they want to do that fer, Captain?”

  “Clem, you remember I previously jumped from 2012 back to 1963. Remember you knew all about the assassination of President Kennedy when I was here earlier?”

  “Nah, don’t seem to recall that John.”

  “Never mind. Forrest, Olive Marie, Lonnie Joe and Rocky, Bud and Lou, jumped from 2012 with me this time. The first time I came here was to make sure President Kennedy was killed and not just wounded. Clem you helped insure that happened. We went to see your Uncle Jack Ruby; I got thrown into the Dallas City Jail; Penelope gave you the money to bail me out; you repaired Pegasus, my time machine, and I gave you my watch and some 2012 money. Oh yeah, this old, brown, sweat stained, tattered cowboy hat I’m now wearing – you presented this to me right before I left the cow pasture and returned to 2012.”

  Clem said scratching his head, “This is kinda like they say, ‘Day Jay Fool’. I done believe this has truly happened afore, I surely do. I jest can’t recollect all the pieces.”

  Penelope spread the kitchen table with all the “vittals” and everyone settled into a chair around the table. They all enjoyed the meal as though they hadn’t eaten in a week. They all agreed, Captain Scarburg had been correct: Penelope was an exceptionally good cook. During the conversation at the supper table, the Captain asked Clem and Penelope if they could put his entire bunch up for the night – he explained they would be leaving in the morning. Clem and Miss Penelope were more than happy to oblige. The Captain again emphasized how worried he was about Bud and Lou.

  Back in the living room Clem asked a question, “Folks, I noticed when y’all come up y’all were drivin’ a green Ford truck and an ole Army Jeep. Them wouldn’t belong to Larry Brock, would they? They shore look like hizzen. The ones he kept in his ole barn.”

  Captain Scarburg explained how Forrest and Olive Marie had arrived first, during the ferocious blizzard. They got the truck from the barn and drove it to the Ponderosa. Clem nodded in agreement and added how they later slipped out before daybreak. Yes, answered the Captain and he explained how Forrest and Olive Marie made their way to the Clint Murdock estate on the north side of Dallas. Later Captain Scarburg described how he arrived, went to the barn to borrow the truck, but it was already gone. That was when he found the Jeep. The Captain explained that tomorrow they were going to drive back up Saddlehorn Gulch, find the cow pasture and replace the two vehicles in the barn where they found them; however, they had two small problems: both the old Ford truck and the Army Jeep were running on fumes – both vehicle’s fuel tanks were almost empty. They had considered it a minor miracle they had gotten as far as the Ponderosa. As the Captain further explained: at exactly 11:55 tomorrow Saturday, November 23, 1963 they would get into their time machine – the door would stay open for five minutes, and at twelve o’clock sharp they were to leave and return to 2012. He explained they would have to leave whether Bud and Lou arrived or not.

  “Shoot,” said Clem, “I ain’t got no gas and my wrecker runs on diesel. Me and Penelope have already run all the gas out of the Rambler. We don’t never use it no how, but I got me an idee. Y’all drive that nearly empty truck and Jeep up Saddlehorn Gulch. Me and Penelope will lead y’all in my wrecker. If’en y’all run outa gas, I’ll jest hook my wench on to y’all and gall darn I’ll jest pull you the rest of the way. Why, Lordy mercy, Ole Besty, my wrecker could pull the horns off’en a billy goat. What y’all thank?”

  “Sounds like a plan, Clem,” and using Clem vernacular, “a good’ern.”

  GOING HOME

  By the time, daylight arrived Clem, Penelope and the entire Scarburg entourage was awake and itching to get moving. “Y’all ain’t leavin’ ‘til you’ve et breakfast, y’all come in here and sit yerselfs down...I’ve done fried up a couple pounds of fat back meat, ham, bacon, a pound or two of pork sausage, scrambled us about three dozen eggs, made up a syrup bucket full of sawmill gravy and cooked enuf biscuits to choke a hog.”

  It is called ‘sawmill’ because in the early days, it was said a man could work all day at the sawmill with his stomach loaded down with a good breakfast served with ‘sawmill’ gravy. Spooned over home baked biscuits this gravy was ambrosia for the Gods. Along with the gravy, fat back meat, ham, sausage and eggs from the chickens out back, Penelope had black strap, sugar cane molasses, Kayo syrup, real homemade butter, and gallons and gallons of Luzianne coffee with chicory. This wasn’t a meal it was a feast for those dear ole southern boys.

  “Tank up on this here coffee men,” Clem offered, “y’all gonna need her afore we git across that Saddlehorn Gulch this here morning. I’m a telling ya the temperature out thar this mornin’ is colder than a well diggers butt, oh, sorry Miss Olive. I fergot there were wimmen present.”

  Captain Scarburg had spent a fitful night. He could not sleep for worrying about Bud and Lou. During the morning, he had almost worn a trail in the carpet from the living room to the front windows. He was constantly checking to see if they might be pulling up the drive to the Ponderosa.

  Around 9:00 a.m. Clem suggested, with the snowfall of a couple nights ago, it might be wise to leave the Ponderosa in plenty of time to get to the cow pasture in case they run into some big snowdrifts.

  Good idea, thought the Captain. “Everyone load up. We are leaving for the cow pasture and our rendezvous with our ride back to the 21st century. Clem and Penelope will lead in the wrecker since they know the way. Forrest you Olive Marie and Rocky follow behind them. Lonnie Joe and I will bring up the rear. Saddlehorn Gulch is not a road, it is a cow trail, and calling it a cow trail is proclaiming it greater than it really is. It will now be covered with snow so missing the crevices and big rocks will be a challenge. My only advice: hold on tight.”

  The convoy pulled away from the Ponderosa as planned. Grandpa kept straining his eyes looking up the driveway for Bud and Lou, but alas, no one was coming. I bet the police caught them, and they are in jail being held for questioning, he thought, or worst some of the gangsters LJ and Rocky spied on might, somehow, found out about them and may have caused them some harm. Of course, they might have been accused of being assassins, and they could have been killed!! I know something dreadful has happened to them, or they would be here by now.

  Leading the convoy through the Gulch was the old Ford wrecker with Clem and Penelope and Lady the miniature sheepdog staring out the window from Penelope’s lap. The Captain glanced down at the Jeep’s fuel gage the needle had dipped below the ‘E’ mark. The Jeep was about out of gas. How far could they get – it was anyone’s guess.

  Traveling across Saddlehorn Gulch was rough as expected, but so far the fuel was holding out, at least they had not stopped yet. A couple more gulleys and a slight rise and they would be within sight of their destination. “Look, just ahead,” Forrest announced as they topped the last hill, “There’s the cow pasture, I believe we are going to make it.”

  The time was 11:35, Saturday morning, November 23, 1963.

  AMAZING GRACE

  The tracks of the Ford truck and the Army Jeep were still visible, however slight, in the snow from the time they had driven out of the cow pasture earlier. Passing the tree stump Forrest made a comment to Rocky about Grandpa landing Pegasus on that very stump during the Captain’s previous visit. Time was running short they only had about fifteen minutes until it was show time.

  Forrest and Rocky leaped from their vehicle and tugged at the door of the barn. It would not budge; snow had blocked the metal track the door should slide on. “Come on Rocky put you back into it, we have to get this door open. We are running out of time.”

  Captain Scarburg, Lonnie Joe and Clem were witnessing the problem with the door. They all got out and positioned themselves around the wooden door. “Okay,” said Forrest, “on the count of three everyone push. One - two - three, the door moved, barely, but it only moved a few inches and was blocked again. “Olive Marie, get the shovel out of the tru
ck and try to remove some of the snow blocking the door’s path. In a moment of two, the snow had been cleared and once again the men heaved with all their might. The door finally moved. Slowly at first, then it began to slowly slide open.

  “Okay, get these vehicles back into this barn and lets get back down to the stump. Fireworks are about to happen.”

  Everyone piled onto Clem’s wrecker and returned to the area of the expected return of their flying machine. Forrest looked at his watch, 11:53, seven minutes until noon. Only two more minutes to go, and Pegasus should arrive. He emphasized the ‘should’. Hopefully, they could then climb inside, and finally be safe.

  Off in the distance – what... what was that they heard? Captain Scarburg was the first to call attention to the sound, “Listen, what is that noise?” he said pointing back in the direction of the Saddlehorn Gulch trail.

  “It sounds like a siren of sorts,” said Forrest.

  “I believe it is a siren,” replied Lonnie Joe.

  “Listen, I know the sound is getting louder and closer. That is a siren... a siren from a police car!”

  Precisely at the same time, this exclamation was made, they saw the red ‘gumball machine’ flashing brightly from atop the police car that was swiftly approaching the cut in the fence that leads into the pasture.

  “It’s the cops,” said Captain Scarburg! “And Pegasus is still a couple of minutes from appearing, I’m afraid we’re not going to make it. I’m sorry, but it looks as if we have been caught. The jig is up! We can’t do anything but surrender, please don’t anyone resist, they might shoot us!”

  “Wait a minute Captain Scarburg, what about your gun hidden in the tree?”

  “Darn right Rocky! Look over there, see that tree standing there by itself – hurry Lonnie Joe run look in the squirrel hole on the back side and get the 1911 pistol and the three clips of ammo. We are not going down without a fight. I still have my .45 in my pocket, Lonnie Joe maybe we can hold them off until Pegasus materializes and you guys can escape. Hurry, hurry LJ get the gun!!”

  The police car continued racing toward them from across the pasture. The single light mounted on the roof was flashing its red light non-stop, and the siren was going full tilt.

  “Well, we gave it a good try,” said the Captain. “I just wish all our information would be available to our people at SCAR. We answered a lot of the unknowns connected with the Kennedy Assassination, but of crucial importance now – I have to know what happened to Bud and Lou. I’m afraid they have been captured, and it’s not beyond belief that they could have been killed as accomplices to the Kennedy assassination. When the police car gets here you all jump into Pegasus and I will keep the officers at bay with the pistols while, hopefully you all escape.”

  Lonnie Joe spoke up, “Captain, please if you pull a gun on these police officers I am afraid they will surely kill you.”

  “I have to hold them off long enough for you all to get back into Pegasus and return home – do not worry about me – I will be okay. I have lived a long and fruitful live Forrest, Olive Marie, LJ and Rocky you still have the rest of your lives before you - just tell them back home that I love them. Especially Baba, tell her I was wasn’t too old – she will understand.”

  Standing in a group close to the old tree stump, they began to hear the rustling of the wind; the snow began to blow and a circle forming the vortex of something resembling a small tornado was forming. Through the blowing snow, the vague outline of Pegasus’ shiny titanium skin was beginning to appear. “So close, so close, yet so far. Come on Pegasus, hurry up!” Uttered Captain Scarburg. “At least the bagpipes are still playing magnificently.”

  The police car slammed on its brakes, and for the last few feet, it slid across the snow-covered grass. Its high, shrill sounding siren began to subside from a loud wail to a diminishing whine. The red light on top was still brightly illuminating the snow and the surroundings with every turn of its brilliant beam.

  Captain Scarburg racked the slide back on the 1911 .45 caliber pistol loading a round into the chamber getting it ready for action. He had his mind made up, as bad as he hated too he was going to kill these policemen and give Pegasus a chance to return to the 21st century. He had the pistol up and aimed at the first officer, which would appear from the patrol car.

  The passenger door of the police cruiser flew open; a booted foot touched the ground, then the ‘person’ stepped out into full view. Was it the boot of a Texas Ranger, a Dallas policeman, or maybe the boot of a Texas Highway Patrolman? Captain Scarburg knew to whomever the boot belonged was probably raging mad over the Presidential assassination and was ready to retaliate harshly against his group of ‘assassins’. He could not let his group be captured – instinctively he pushed his hand deep within his coat pocket and felt the cold steel of the other Army Colt .45. One more step and...

  “Don’t shoot!! Don’t shoot!!” Instead of the boots of a uniformed policeman, out stepped Bud, and from the other side Lou, both grinning from ear to ear. “What’s all the excitement about, we made it didn’t we? I figure we have a minute or two to spare.”

  Everyone rushed over to the two and began to hug and slap them on their backs. “Whoa, whoa.” Bud said, “enough already, we’re glad to see you all too.” The Captain released his grip on the Colt and let it slip silently back into his pocket.

  “A minute or two, by-ned, you two almost missed the boat. What happened? Where have you both been? Where did you get this police car?”

  “Later Grandpa… later. Plenty of time to explain, but like I’ve always said,” remarked Bud laughing, “an inch is good as a mile, or in this case, I guess it’s a minute is as good as.. as.. oh, I don’t know... good as a ticket on the Pegasus Express I suppose.”

  “Stand back everyone Pegasus is about to materialize. Don’t want any of you to become a statistic at this late date.” At the word ‘date’ Pegasus formed in its entire platinum splendor.

  Penelope, standing with her feet in the five inches of remaining snow, bombarded by the gale force of blowing snow caused by the appearance of Pegasus, mouth gaping wide open remarked, “What the... Lonnie Joe? What is that thang? Er we in danger?” She asked as Lonnie Joe shielded her from the cascading, wind driven snow. “What is that thang Clem? And whar’s that purty music comin’ from?”

  “I don’t know Penelope, but fer some reason, it seems like I’ve seed that machine thang afore, but this can’t be so. How could I have seed somethin’ as crazy as that there thang? Shorely I would’ve recollected somethin’ this peculiar! And that church music - you know’d I’d ‘member something that purty!”

  Pegasus had totally materialized, and the escaping air could be heard hissing from the opening of the hatch. “Clem, if you can get your eyes back in their sockets would you please move your wrecker up next to our flying machine so we can use it as a platform to step into the hatch.”

  The wrecker was in place; all the time-travelers had shaken hands with Clem and Penelope and wished them well. Now they were all beginning to climb into Pegasus, hopeful of their return to the 21st century, all... all that is except… except for Lonnie Joe. The last to leave Clem and Penelope was Captain Scarburg and Lonnie Joe.

  “Captain,” began Lonnie Joe, “I have something to say.”

  “Yes, LJ, hurry say what you must to Clem and Penelope we must get aboard, Pegasus is getting ready to leave.”

  “I’m... I’m... not going back home with you! All my life I have been in and out of one crazy adventure or another, but I never met anyone I thought I could settle down with. I believe I have now. I want to stay here with Penelope. That is if she will have me.” Penelope grasped Lonnie Joe’s hand and squeezed it tightly.

  “Yes, Lonnie Joe, yes!!” Penelope said lovingly looking up at LJ.

  Captain Scarburg did not try to talk Lonnie Joe out of staying, all he said was, “Well old friend, the time has come for me to leave. That hatch will only stay open for a few more seconds, and it will close autom
atically for good, my time is almost up. I hope you have a wonderful life, and I will remember you always. Good luck LJ, you have always been a good and trusted friend. I pray life will be good to you and Penelope. So long Clem take care of Lonnie Joe and Penelope. Only one thing I have to remind you of Lonnie Joe – thirty minutes after we leave you, Penelope and Clem will never remember we were here.”

  “Captain,” said Penelope, “I’m skeered, what if’n y’all don’t make it back to your world of the future?”

  “Penelope, you and Clem are church going, God fearing, people just listen to those bagpipes playing that beautiful old gospel song ‘Amazing Grace’ and just remember these words:

  ♪Thru many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come;

  ‘Tis Grace that bro’t me safe thus far, and Grace will lead me home.♪

  “We’ll be fine Penelope – until and if we meet again, goodbye and good luck.”

  With this last farewell, the Captain started to step from Clem’s wrecker through the open hatch into the interior of Pegasus, but he hesitated, turned, “Lonnie Joe”, he said handing one of the Army .45s to LJ, “Take this it might come in handy some day. It was manufactured during World War II, so no one will ever know I brought in here from 2012.” Captain Scarburg quickly turned and leaped through the Pegasus’s hatch.

  The internal valves were beginning to hiss allowing the automatic hatch to close when without warning Lady, the beautiful little dog, jumped from the wrecker through the hatch, and into the time machine following Captain Scarburg. It was too late for her to return, the hatch closed. A safety feature of this marvelous machine - on takeoff once the hatch closes and seals it cannot be opened until the scheduled flight has taken place. In this case, the hatch will not open again until Pegasus arrived back in Washington D.C. or regrettably, where ever it was going. Captain Scarburg was still not one hundred per cent certain Mr. Ryan Rousseau had not sabotaged the guidance computers before Pegasus left the launch facility at SCAR Headquarters. That scoundrel, thought the Captain, what could he be hiding? What is it he does not want us to find?