Justification For Killing (72 page)

“
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 truck
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.