Cactus Island, A Stan Turner Mystery Vol 8

by William Manchee

CHAPTER 15

  CORROBORATING WITNESSES

  The following week I decided to see if I could track down the two fishermen who'd been out with Doc Verner on Possum Kingdom Lake years back when he saw the spaceship land on Cactus Island. I called the two telephone numbers, but as I suspected, neither was good anymore. My next move was to check the telephone books to see if either man was listed. They weren't.

  I had to go to a bankruptcy hearing one afternoon so, when I was done, I stopped by the Records Building to research the deed records. I had two addresses, so I checked the chain of title on both of the properties. The first fisherman was Earl Bullard. The records indicated he'd sold his house eight years earlier. The second fisherman was Jerry Kinder. When I pulled the records on his property, I was shocked to see that he still owned the place in Richardson, Texas. On the way home I went over there hoping to catch him at home. Unfortunately, he wasn't living there anymore, but the tenant was kind enough to give me his new address in Allen, Texas. Allen was out of my way, but I decided to go there anyway since I'd already wasted most of the afternoon.

  Jerry Kinder was in his sixties and walked with a limp. He looked at my business card suspiciously and then invited me inside. He brightened when I explained that I was representing Steven Caldwell. "Oh, you're defending that boy who seen the flying saucer."

  "Well, he saw something and that's why I'm here. I understand you saw something out a Possum Kingdom Lake yourself."

  Kinder gave me another suspicious look. "How'd you hear about that?"

  "Well, Doc Verner mentioned it."

  "Ah, Doc Verner. Haven't thought of that old geezer in a coon's age. I reckon he was the worst fishing guide I've ever hired. It figures he'd spill his guts. That man won't keep his flap shut for minute."

  "So, what did you see?"

  "Well, I don't rightly know what we seen. A terrible storm come up and nearly capsized us. Old Doc's not a very good seaman anyway, so when the storm come up he panicked."

  "Really? So, what did you do?"

  "You know. I don't exactly remember. I must have passed out. When I woke up, we were adrift in the lake."

  "Hmm. What about the blue lights?"

  "I don't know what that was," Jerry said, "some kind of crazy lightning, I reckon. You know, when there's dust in the air it can create all kinds of different colors. I imagine that's what that blue light was."

  "Did you see something else in the sky?"

  "Well, I know Doc thought we saw a spaceship but I'm not sure what it was. Coulda just been a cloud or a weather balloon. I never believed in spaceships and all that stuff so I can't say that's exactly what we saw. It could have been something entirely different."

  "You did see something, though?"

  He nodded, "I did. But like I say, I don't know what it was. I will say it was big, very big and moved across the sky very quickly."

  "Did you hear a noise while the craft, or whatever it was, went by?"

  "There was some kind of godawful, piercing noise. I remember that. I don't know what caused it, but it started during the storm."

  "Could it have been the spacecraft?"

  He shrugged. "I don't know. It was dark and we were very scared. There were times I didn't think we were going to make it off the lake alive."

  "Did you take any pictures?"

  "No, but Earl did," Jerry replied.

  "Earl Bullard?"

  "Yes, he's a good friend. We go way back."

  "Do you know where I can find him?"

  "Sure, he lives in Red Oak just south of Dallas. I've got his address if you need it."

  "Yes, I would like to talk to him."

  "He'll tell you just about the same thing I did."

  "Doc Verner said you guys took off immediately after you returned to the marina and wouldn't talk to him about what had happened."

  Jerry sighed. "Well, he damn near got us killed, so we weren't real pleased with the guy. Plus he was going on and on about seeing that there spaceship. We just didn't want to be around when he started spouting off about it."

  "I can understand that. I know it's a lot to ask, but would you consider testifying about what you saw out on the lake that night?"

  Jerry's eyes narrowed. "Well, I'd rather not. I don't want folks thinking I'm crazy."

  "No, just tell it like you told it to me. Nobody's going to think any less of you because you had a strange experience on Possum Kingdom Lake. Weird things happen to just about everyone at one time or another."

  "Well, I suppose, but I can't guarantee what I say will be of any help to your client."

  "That's okay. All I want is the truth."

  After Jerry reluctantly agreed to testify, he volunteered to go with me to see if his friend Earl would do the same. He called to make sure Earl was at home and then told me to follow him there. I got directions in case we got separated, which was good because he drove fast and I lost him at the first light signal. Forty-five minutes later I drove up in front of Earl Bullard's home. Earl and Jerry were talking on the front porch when I walked up. Earl was a big man with a red face and full beard. He smiled exuberantly when he saw me. Jerry introduced us.

  "So, how's your case coming, Mr. Turner? I've been following it in the newspaper and on TV."

  "I don't know. It's a pretty tricky case. Not too many people are buying Steven's story about the spacecraft. I've got to either completely embrace that defense or come up with something entirely different. I'm not sure what to do yet."

  "You should believe your client," Earl said.

  Earl's statement surprised me. Was he humoring me or just playing along for fun? He seemed sincere, so I proceeded with guarded optimism.

  "So, you do believe that you and Jerry saw a spaceship?" I asked.

  He nodded. "You know, when it happened I was skeptical, but in thinking about it over the years I'm convinced now it was a spaceship."

  "What made you change your mind?"

  "Well, right after it happened I couldn't really remember much. I was just happy to be alive. So I tried to shake off the whole thing just like it had been a nightmare. But the next day I got curious and checked with the weather bureau. They claimed there hadn't been a storm on the lake that night and that there had only been a light breeze from the south all day. That got me to thinking."

  "But you have no memory of the spacecraft?"

  "Well, I remember seeing something glide quickly across the sky, but I can't seem to visualize it now."

  "Jerry said you have photographs from that day?"

  "Well, I should have had a full roll of pictures, but the film was destroyed during the storm."

  "You're kidding? Every photo?"

  "Yes, not only the film but the camera as well."

  "What do you mean?"

  "The film didn't just get exposed, it melted right in the camera and the gooey mess it left ruined it."

  "Wow. That's weird, do you still have the camera?"

  "No. I tossed it years ago."

  "Too bad. I would have liked to have it examined."

  This was all very interesting and Earl and Jerry seemed to have some credibility, but I wasn't sure a jury would believe them. There had to be more. "Is there anything else that makes you think you saw an alien spacecraft that day?" Jerry looked at Earl and raised his eyebrows. Earl shrugged.

  Earl said, "Well, another odd thing was we both had burns on our left wrists."

  "Burns?"

  "Yes, apparently from the steel casing of our watches. Aside from the pain in our wrists, we noticed our watches had stopped at the same time. We took them to the jewelers for repair and the technician told us the batteries had exploded and the mechanism had been fried."

  "I don't suppose you have the watches?"

  "No, sorry."

  "Is there a chance you were hit by lightning?" I asked.

  "Maybe, that idea has occurred to us, but remember there wasn't a cloud in the sky according to the weather bureau."

  "Right. Over
the years have you told anyone about all this?"

  "Just family. My grandchildren love for me to tell them about it, but I'm sure they just think it's a fisherman's tall tale."

  "So, you haven't told any newspapermen or sold the story to the tabloids?"

  "No, we don't know for sure what happened out there, so we agreed it would be best kept a secret."

  "Well, how do you feel about going public with it now? It would really give Steven Caldwell a boost if you two would just tell a jury the same thing you told me."

  "Before you got here, Jerry told me you had asked him to testify, so we were talking about that possibility when you drove up. In the past I would have declined, but now that Steven Caldwell and others have seen what we saw, the situation is different. Now might be the right time to tell our story."

  I smiled gleefully. "That's great. Steven's a good kid. I know he's innocent and your testimony could help ensure he won't go to prison."

  We talked a few more minutes, I got all the pertinent information from them so that I could contact them when it came time for trial, and then I left. Although I was excited that they were going to cooperate, I felt a little dazed. Now I was almost compelled to go ahead with Steven's seemingly ridiculous excuse that he lost control of the Jeep because he was distracted by an alien spacecraft. I visualized myself before the jury explaining what had happened that fateful night, twelve men and women listening intently to my every word. Then one of the members of the jury cracked a smile and started to laugh. A lady in the gallery giggled. I glared out at her. Then another juror's laughter couldn't be contained. Soon everyone, including the judge, was laughing hysterically. I shook my head trying to dispel the image. How could I possibly pull this off?