Justification For Killing (79 page)

“
Okay,
okay, enough, enough… I know Grandpa said he would make me a
Kennedy Assassination icon, and obviously he did, but I didn’t know
for the past forty-nine years I would be known as the “Babushka
Lady”. Until two days ago, I had never even heard of the “Babushka
Lady”, now she and I are one. Last night I was up most of the night
reading every bit of information I could find on the Internet about
her. The word ‘her’ sounds strange and foreign to me – strange
for
I
am the
Babushka Lady, I was researching myself. I cannot seem to put
myself into her body… it is as if she were someone else, a
stranger. A specter that appeared, filmed a few seconds of a
president being killed, walked across the street and disappeared. I
was in history for only 28.4 seconds but will be remembered
forever. Grandpa said icon, I say curse. It is like having a
terrible secret that you are dying to tell, but you know you
cannot. It has been said some are born to greatness, and other have
it thrust upon them; I believe there is yet another reason –
sometimes history demands it. I will accept this responsibility as
the “Babushka Lady” under one condition that I will explain at the
end of my presentation.”

For the next hour, Olive
Marie detailed her 28.4 seconds of her O.M. Film in minute detail,
showing the instant President Kennedy was slain. The film also
proved the motorcade stopped dead still for a couple of seconds
after the first shot. A pan of the camera caught a glimpse of the
‘shooter’ on the Grassy Knoll. Enhancement of the film verified it
was a woman. A view of the Texas School Book Depository indicated
another shooter in a corner window nearest the spot where President
Kennedy was killed. As the camera panned across the TSBD building,
the top ‘sniper’s liar’ window on the sixth floor was vacant. No
one was seen peering out. No one could be seen back in the shadows
either. Finishing her presentation Olive Marie placed her pointer
back on the board stand, turned to the assembled group, and with as
a stern face a young lady could muster said, “Here is my condition:
after this very moment no one and I mean no one in this room will
EVER mention Babushka in connection with me again. Never ever again
– understood? She disappeared from history on November 22, 1963 at
12:30 p.m. in Dealy Plaza, please let’s leave me and my red
headscarf in Dallas!”

The room fell dead silent.
All heads were bowed; the message had been received loud and
clear.

Captain Scarburg regained
the podium, “Okay, enough said on that subject. Now, as you all can
see, we are left with a huge dilemma and a large responsibility –
what should we do with our information since we have the facts, and
we have the proof, especially the tape that Lonnie Joe and Rocky
made of the meeting in Ruby’s Carousel Club with the CIA agents and
the Mafia. No judge or jury in the world could question the
validity of our findings.”

“
Okay, remember we all
voted whether to go to Dallas or not, well we’re going to vote
again.” Taking out a box of marbles, the Captain picked out
twenty-eight - two for each person present. One white the other
black. He instructed everyone, “You have one white marble and one
black marble. As the black velvet bag passes around the table,
indicate your vote as to whether we should make our data public.
Remember it has been forty-nine years since President John F.
Kennedy was assassinated. Would it serve any purpose to expose the
deep, dark secrets that have remained hidden for almost a
half-century?

“
I do not know the right
answer, so we are going to vote. And the vote must be unanimous - a
white ball will indicate you want SCAR to store our data and say
nothing... a single black marble will mean SCAR releases the
information and we will let the chips fall where they may. There is
one caveat if we release: Olive Marie as the “Babushka Lady” and
her O.M. Film will never, repeat never, be released by SCAR!! We
can never admit we were in Dallas that fateful day.”

“
Krista, you vote first
and pass the bag to the next person.” Around the table, the bag
moved from one person to the next. The last to vote was Captain
Scarburg. Holding the bag in one hand he announced, “Well, I guess
all that is left is to count the votes... remember one BLACK
marble, and we release our findings to the world.”

Reaching into the bag, he
withdrew a marble and held it between his thumb and forefinger for
all to see. It was a white marble, into the bag again - another
white marble. He pulled marble after marble out of the bag, all
white until only one was left. The mood in the room was so thick
with tension it could be cut with a knife - the suspense was
nerve-racking. Captain Scarburg slipped his hand into the bag for
the last time, out came his brawny fist clenching tightly the last
marble. Slowly he released his grip and held up the marble for all
to see – it was… it was not BLACK.

“
LETS GO HOME”

Applause broke out around
the room, which was broken only by the speaker on the Interoffice
Communication System. It was Bobby the guard at the front desk.
“Sorry to bother you Captain Scarburg... I know you are in an
important meeting, but there are some visitors here at the main
entrance who are demanding to see you.”

“
Give them my regrets
Bobby and ask them to make an appointment. I am too busy to see
anyone at this time...”

Interrupting the Captain,
the guard responded, “I’m sorry sir, but the older gentlemen asked
me to tell you:

♪
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.
♪

Does this mean something
to you sir? The old gentleman believed you might recognize
it.”

What!
Thought Captain Scarburg,
that’s... that’s... ‘Amazing Grace’
,
“Yes Bobby, very much, would you please provide them with a
personal escort up to the conference room immediately? Do not delay
them any longer, bring them up right away!!”

The room grew quiet;
everyone looked at each other. Olive Marie, Rocky, Forrest, Bud and
Lou cast a knowing look toward the Captain as he walked to the door
of the conference room. They too had instantly recognized
the
‘Amazing Grace’
lyrics Captain Scarburg spoke before boarding
Pegasus
for the return
home.

Spook turned to the SCAR
personnel at the table, “What’s going on?” he quizzically asked. A
couple of negative headshakes and a shoulder shrug indicated they
had no idea either. Forrest spoke up quietly, “You all will find
out in a minute.”

“
This cannot be
happening,” said the Captain as he heard the footsteps echoing off
the hard tiles in the hallway just outside. The steps were getting
louder... they were approaching the door.

Lady aroused by the sound
of the footsteps on the floor picked her head up and began
whimpering; suddenly she sprang to her feet. Her ears were up and
alert as she began wagging her tail. Still whimpering, she was
apprehensive of the approaching footsteps, her nails clicked on the
floor as she trotted across the room and joined the Captain at the
door.

Slowly the handle to the
room began to turn - all eyes were on it. The door began to open,
slowly at first, then suddenly the door swung open and there in the
hallway were an... an... old man, an elderly woman and Lonnie Joe
Wheeler, but Lonnie Joe was so young looking. Next to Lonnie Joe
stood an attractive woman and a young man about ten or twelve years
of age. The old man clutched a walking stick, and the old woman was
sitting in a wheelchair being pushed by a younger looking Lonnie
Joe. “By-ned,” the Captain said, “By-ned, it is you Clem, isn’t it?
It truly is you.” As he spoke, Lady ran past the Captain and with
one mighty leap jumped from the floor into the lap of the old
woman.

“
Lady, is this you, my
little girl,” said the woman patting Lady’s head. “Oh, how I have
missed you so. You look just as pretty as you did the day you left
me, oh, so many years ago.”

Turning to the amazed
group sitting at the table, the Captain announced, “Folks I would
like to introduce you to Clem and Penelope Ruby,” he said turning
and gesturing, “our good friends from Celina, Texas. I do not know
these other folks,” Captain Scarburg said motioning to the others
at the door, “Clem will have to introduce them. Clem, you and
Penelope, know most everyone here except Krista. She is Bud, Lou,
Olive Marie and Forrest’s mother. Next to her is my son, Krista’s
husband Trey and next to him is our chief engineer Mike Watkins.
The next chair is my dear friend Dr. Spurgeon Loo Kim, better known
to all of us as Spook, and then there is Tinker, Spook’s wife. Her
given name is really Ling Lu. She got that nickname... no... no
some other time,” he said laughing. “There’s Sam Lin and Si Lei,
Spooks brothers, and Rocky Jollett you already know. Next to him is
my wife Barbara or Baba as everyone calls her.”

Waving to the group Clem
said laughing, “Howdy, good to see y’all again - I just wish we had
some of them “young” pills that y’all have been taking.”

“
Before you say another
word Clem, tell us about Lonnie Joe. This young man is the spitting
image of him. Where is LJ anyway?”

“
I’m sorry Captain...
Lonnie passed away in 2002. A while after y’all left Lonnie Joe
married Penelope, and they have one son... let me introduce you to
my nephew and Godson, Lonnie Joe Wheeler Jr. and, of course, you
know his mother and my sister, Mrs. Penelope Ruby Wheeler, and this
beautiful woman is June, Lonnie Junior’s wife, and this handsome
fellow is none other than Lonnie Joe Wheeler the III, we call him
Trey too. Guess some of your habits rubbed off on us
too.”

“
Well, by-ned,” said
Captain Scarburg. “Nice to meet you all. Lonnie Joe or is it LJ?
Your Dad was a fine man,” and grinning as he shook the young man’s
hand said, “and not a half bad doctor either.” Looking down at the
wheelchair, “Penelope Ruby Wheeler! Well, by-ned... by ned...” was
all he could say as he leaned over and placed a loving kiss on her
old, wrinkled cheek.

“
Thank you Captain
Scarburg,” answered Lonnie Joe Jr., “but most folks just call me
Dr. Lonnie J. I took over Dad’s medical practice in Celina, but he
will always be the only ‘LJ’. I’m following after my Father’s
footsteps as a doctor, I suppose, but he will keep the ‘LJ’ name.
It’s nice finally to meet you all too, my folks have talked about
y’all all of my life. I do not believe a day has gone by that your
name Captain Scarburg or one of the others there at the table has
not been mentioned in our home. I’ve always wondered what you would
look like.”

“
Captain, you would have
been proud of Lonnie Joe he was Celina’s town doctor for many a
year. Everyone thought the world of ole Doc Wheeler. A tornado came
tearing through the town back in ’86, and if not for LJ’s
doctoring, no tellin’ how many town folks we would have lost, he
kept saying during that trying time how he wished y’all could be
there to give him a hand,” Clem interjected.

“
Clem I was always proud
of LJ, he was a good friend. Wait a minute,” interrupted the
Captain, “your talking like you actually remembered us when we came
to Celina back in ’63?”

“
At first we didn’t
Captain, but as the days and months wore on it seemed like, with
LJ’s help, our memory of y’all slowly returned. In a year, or so we
remembered you all.”

“
Well,
we were under the impression your memories would be totally erased
thirty minutes after
Pegasus
left. Guess it wasn’t true,
huh?”

“
No, Captain, I believe it
was. You see, a few years later I met up with Linda Lou Dearmann,
remember her from the Carousel Club? I hinted around about the day
me and you went in and talked to Uncle Jack, you recall? You recall
she told us about them mobsters sitting with Uncle
Jack.”

“
By-ned Clem, do I
ever.”

“
Anyway, it was the day
you got arrested for stealing them overhalls and the red shirt, but
you know, Linda Lou had no recollection of that day at all. Didn’t
even remember you givin’ her that counterfeit ten-dollar
bill.”

“
Now Clem, you know that
wasn’t counterfeit!”

“
Yes, Captain we know,”
said Penelope grinning. “Captain, for all these past, many, many
years I think of you every time I prepare chicken and dumplings,
and I cannot eat turnips and pork chops unless my thoughts are with
you and those two sweet grandchildren of yours.” Looking at Olive
Marie and Forrest, her old, weathered face lit up like a light.
Managing a wistful smile she waved and with her raspy voice said,
“Hello kids, good to see you again. You look like you haven’t aged
a day.”

Olive Marie leaned over
and whispered into Forrest’s ear, “Heck, we haven’t!”

“
Come on into the
conference room Clem, Penelope, Lonnie J, Joe, June and Trey. We
were just rehashing our visit to the Ponderosa. Do you still have
the Ponderosa?”

“
Well, yes and no
Captain,” Clem answered, “you see after y’all left us in the
cow-pasture, you know, at the time of the blizzard back in ‘63; I
got to talking to Penelope and Lonnie J on the way back to the
Ponderosa. You know through...”