Justification For Killing

by Larry Hunt

  Chapter Seventeen

  “I HAVE TO WITNESS THIS MURDER”

  “Wait...! Wait...!” The Captain said loudly. His outburst was not going to affect or alter the outcome of the shootings. That was not why he yelled. He reasoned, I have not come this far, endured so much, and traveled thru time and space from the 21st century back to 1963 without seeing this. I know it is morbid, but I have to witness this murder! History was happening just over the edge of his roof on the street below. He actually wanted to be an eyewitness to the assassination! He jumped to his feet, and cautiously raised his head slightly over the brick wall and could see the whole of Dealy Plaza panoramically displayed below. On Elm Street was the black limousine with the President. He could see Agent Hill climbing on the rear trunk. The assassin’s bullet he had just heard from the other end of the building had struck its intended mark – the President’s back and missed Agent Hill entirely.

  Captain Scarburg hurriedly pulled his camera from his pocket and took a snapshot of the gruesome scene below.

  His mind kept telling him, get to the fire escape... get to the fire escape NOW! But he seemed to be paralyzed. The confusion and panic on the street below had him mesmerized. Suddenly, the explosive noise of another shot echoed off the surrounding buildings, but wait a doggone second, this one came from those trees and bushes right over there to his right. That’s the Grassy Knoll area, he said to himself. And that did not sound like a rifle shot! That was a pistol!! So there undoubtedly was another shooter on the Grassy Knoll!

  Suddenly the sound of another rifle blast jarred his ears, again coming from the vicinity of the far end of his building. Wait a minute, that sound seemed to have come from the Dal-Tex building across the street. That could not have been Oswald, he thought. I wonder which shot actually kills President Kennedy – one from Oswald, a sniper in the Dal-Tex building or that shooter on the Grassy Knoll?

  Looking straight down he recognized someone - well actually it wasn’t recognized, more like de´ja´vu, as he saw what had been previously described to him in his office back at SCAR Headquarters - a small man in a brown raincoat, opening and closing a large black umbrella - ANHUR, you son-of-a-gun, I see you... I see you! He could see the people in Dealy Plaza running in all directions - some running away from the scene of carnage, some running up the slight hill toward the area called the Grassy Knoll. He could see the motorcycle cop jump from his Harley with gun drawn hurrying up the hill. Hmmm... I wonder if I can see the Grassy Knoll shooter fleeing? He began to turn to see the trees, bushes and parking lot behind... I must get a picture of this too, he thought snapping another picture.

  As he took the final picture of the Grassy Knoll, he noticed something unusual. Everyone, on or near the Grassy Knoll, was racing toward Elm Street and the scene of the assassination, but wait, he saw a person hurriedly fleeing through the foliage to a waiting black automobile parked in the city’s Impoundment Lot. The direction of travel was totally opposite to the direction of the panic stricken crowd on the north side of Dealy Plaza. This person was wearing a dark colored jacket, possibly green with light colored pants that could, maybe, be tan. In his right hand was a black bag - a bag possibly carrying the sniper weapon. Captain Scarburg had cursed his lack of ability to discern colors on his arrival in the cow-pasture, but now he was thankful - had it not been for the Captain’s monotone vision this person would have blended into the surrounding foliage of the trees, shrubs and evergreens, totally camouflaged. But wait – there was something else he noticed! As the sniper exited the trees and moved out into the open he could see him quite clearly; however, this person was NOT a man!! It was a WOMAN!! Without thinking, he snapped another photo. “I believe I have seen that face before… but where?” He said out loud as he watched her run across the parking lot and jump into a four-door, black Cadillac Deville.

  He had no time to contemplate this fantastic realization because suddenly it hit him... GET OUT...! GET OUT NOW...! THE FIRE ESCAPE!

  TIME TO FLEE

  The last minute or so Captain Scarburg had been so absorbed and enthralled he thought it almost unreal - it was as if he were watching himself in a movie. But time to affect an escape was beginning to run out... he would think about the woman shooter later, now he had to flee. Flee down the fire escape, hurry around the west end of the Book building and hopefully meet Clem at Elm Street. Elm Street, just mere feet from where the motorcade was whisking the President away, now fatally shot.

  He had been right - the people were so stricken with panic they hardly paid any attention to the cars following the Presidential parade. He grabbed the door handle and like an acrobat had swung into the passenger’s seat before Clem came to a complete stop, “Let’s go Clem - pull back into the traffic and let’s get the heck out of Dallas.” As Clem navigated the traffic, the Captain spotted the brown raincoat again and began feverously rolling down his car window.

  Sticking his head out he frantically waved his arm and yelled, “Hey Anhur, hey Anhur!” The diminutive man Captain Scarburg saw in the brown raincoat with the large black umbrella must have recognized him for he immediately pointed his finger at their Nash Rambler and opened and closed his umbrella, swiftly, a couple of times. It was just long enough for the Captain to get one final snapshot before leaving the scene of one of America’s greatest tragedies.

  Just a few hundred yards west down Elm was the triple overpass. Immediately past the railroad overpass the highway makes a right turn onto the on-ramp leading to the Stemmons Freeway. Two miles north they will take the Dallas Freeway and finally head back to Celina - and safety.

  Approaching the overpass Captain Scarburg stole one last backward look at the clock on top the Texas School Book Depository, and one final photo.

  The time was 12:34.

  Four minutes ago the Captain had been fighting with the assassin on top of that very building - four minutes! He could not fathom it in his mind - it seemed more like four days. Surely, he thought, it must have been much, much longer! Four minutes! This cannot be right??

  For the next thirty minutes or so Clem drove northward back toward Celina. Neither man spoke. The Captain was the first, “Clem, now that my heart has resumed beating again I have a couple of questions.”

  “Yeah, John I know’d you do and I’m sure sorrie.”

  “Sorry? Sorry? Clem what on earth do you have to be sorry about. Everything worked out just as we planned.”

  “No, it were my fault that you had to spent the hole gall-durn night in the jailhouse. You see John you gimme your watch to go sell. I know’d it were gold and even with that broke face it sure was worth a lot of money, anyways, I ain’t got no permit, so I couldn’t sell it here in Dallas.”

  “Wait... hold on Clem. What permit do you need to sell a watch in a pawnshop?”

  “You know John. One of them picture cards that you use to drive with.”

  “Drivers license? A drivers license, is that the ‘permit’ you’re talking about Clem?”

  “Yeah, drivers license, that’s the permit I don’t got. Never had one John, I sure am sorrie.”

  “Okay Clem now backup, what did you do since you did not have a drivers license?”

  “I drove back to Celina and seen Penelope and told her what had happened. She give me the bail money from some money we had saved up.” Reaching into his pocket, he handed Captain Scarburg back his broken Rolex. “That’s what done took me so long John. Course once I got home I had to feed the livestock and such and by then it was gettin’ dark. John, I barely could find my way home in the daylight. There shore warnt no way I could of got back to your jailhouse in the dark. I sure am sorrie John.”

  “By-ned Clem - I believe I have heard it all now.”

  “So your ill at me, huh John?”

  “Ill? Ill? Oh... mad... heck no Clem I believe that’s about as much as any person has even done for me. With your effort, Clem you changed the future - if I had the power I would give you a medal.”

  “Shucks Jo
hn, yer gonna make my eyes water up. Well I’m glad we had our talk John, cause my turning off road is comin’ up and I wanted to clear the air afore you left.”

  “Clem, it is clear - I don’t believe I have ever had a more loyal friend than you.”