Cliff Zane: Guilty as Charged

By Roy D D Perkins

This is a story approximately seventy thousand words of a retired state worker who is arrested and convicted of first-degree murder. He receives a sixty-five-year sentence in prison. The main characters are Cliff Zane and a talking cat named Marvin that is addicted to Land O'Lakes cheese, has an IQ of 162, and is also a male chauvinist feline. The story reveals how Marvin, who has omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, and clairvoyant powers, guides and directs Cliff through his two trials, his conviction, and his imprisonment. Marvin finally does get Cliff released after three years in the state penitentiary by forcing witnesses to recant their false testimonies and by revealing the real murderer. Now, Cliff can cater to Marvin's physical needs like food, water, shelter, and vet care. Now, Cliff and Marvin can get back on track and enjoy the time that they have left with each other. The writing deals with the heartache and depression of a man who has been institutionalized in the state penitentiary because of free-will choices made by him and others. It demonstrates the injustice of the judicial system. The reader will see how circumstantial evidence convicts innocent people. It reveals the incompetence, ineptness, and mismanagement of the legal system. After Cliff's conviction, Marvin points out relevant truths that should have set Cliff free in the first place. However, Marvin is not allowed to interfere with free will. One by one, Marvin points out the wrongs and hypocrisy of the system. The real murderer must be convicted before Cliff can be set free. The story has a shocking ending, which leaves the reader to form his or her own conclusions about free-will choices made by all of us every day. This is a sequel to Sixty-Two Days to Eternity.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jun 20, 2019
• ISBN: 9781684562510

Book preview

Chapter 1

A Glimpse Into the Future

One evening, as a Western is just finishing, Cliff inquires of Marvin what exactly his ill fate of the future is. Cliff gets up to refill the Land O’Lakes cheese bowl. Cliff keeps thinking about it and is not sleeping. He constantly tries to connive how to avoid the future. But Marvin won’t tell him his future. Finally, he consults with Marvin face to face. He wants to know what’s going on.

Cliff: Marvin, I know the Creator won’t let you reveal all the details, but can’t you tell me some of the basics? At least, send me into the future with some preparation.

Marvin: Cliff, the Creator will not allow me to reveal your demise to you because you would make changes so that it would not happen. If you knew the details, you could prevent it. The Creator has sent me to get you through this future mess. I will be your lifeboat. The Creator has endowed me with powers to make you strong in the tempest ahead of you. Most people don’t have this advantage. Most people cannot prepare for the terrible times ahead. Most people don’t have someone like me to help them.

Cliff: Marvin, maybe you shouldn’t have revealed anything to me. I wouldn’t be worrying now. I am really scared. I know what you say will happen. You are never wrong. I am sure glad that you are in my corner. Why did the Creator assign you to watch over me? What’s so special about me? Maybe I should just shoot myself and get it over with. I think I am going to fail miserably. Marvin, ask the Creator what I can do to avoid my terrible future.

Marvin: There is nothing you can do to avoid it. You must go through it. I am here to help you through it. This ordeal will make you a better and stronger person. I will be with you all the way. If the Creator didn’t send me to help you, your future demise would certainly kill you.

Cliff: Marvin, why is the Creator doing this to me? What did I do to offend Him?

Marvin: Cliff, you’re not going to understand this. The Creator is not doing this to you. Someone else is doing this to you, plus you are doing it to yourself. It’s the free will of you and this other person. The Creator will not interfere with free will. Thus, you must go through the terrible times ahead of you.

Cliff: Marvin, tell me what to do, and I will do it. I don’t want to go through this crap.

Marvin: Cliff, you are not allowed to willfully change the future. However, as I said, your fate is in the hands of yourself and this other person. In order for your future to occur, both you and this other person must act in accordance with your free will. Either one of you can prevent this tragedy by not exercising your free will. Both free wills must be enacted for the future trouble to occur.

Cliff: Marvin, tell me what to do. That can be my free will.

Marvin: Cliff, I am not allowed to interfere with free will. We all have free will. Some of us do good while others do evil. Each one of our free-will acts impacts us and others differently. The Creator won’t interfere with free will, and He won’t allow me to do it either. I will get you through it. Just remember, the free will of you and that other person is going to impact your future in a very terrible way. The Creator won’t interfere with free will whether it is good or bad. If He did it for you, He would have to do it for everyone. He did not create a race of robots. Everyone gets to choose for themselves.

Cliff: Marvin, how bad is my future going to be? You paint a very black picture. If I promise not to change it, will you tell me what I am going to go through?

Marvin: Cliff, knowing what’s going to happen to you will make you change the future. It’s too horrible not to make changes. You will be depressed and emotionally distraught. Your health will take a big turn for the worse. Your life will be in danger. We will be separated from each other for quite some time. In the end, though, we will be a team again, and you will become healthy again.

Cliff: Marvin, is there any way out of this for me? I will do anything to escape this terrible future. I will give away my money and possessions to escape it.

Marvin: Cliff, I have more bad news for you. Financially, you are going to lose everything. You are going to lose the few friends you do have. However, I will always remain at your side as your confidant, friend, and ally. I will always be in your corner. Also, you will have an ally at your side who you least expect. This person will prove invaluable in maintaining your finances. The Creator sent me to help you persevere to the end of this crisis.

Cliff: Marvin, I am over seventy years old. If it is as bad as you make it, I’ll never survive the ordeal. Marvin, please talk to the Creator on my behalf.

Marvin: Cliff, I already have. You must go through these trials and tribulations ahead of you. I can’t get you out of it.

Cliff: Marvin, what’s going to happen to us?

Marvin: Cliff, we will be forced to part company. We won’t be able to take care of each other. You won’t be able to attend to my needs. I’ll be on my own for a short while until your surprise benefactor enters the scene. You won’t be able to take any of my advice. I will only be able to try to lift your spirit with encouragement.

Cliff: Marvin, can’t you tell me any more than that?

Marvin: Cliff, you have two possible future outcomes. If you and that other person stay on course, it will be a nightmare for you. If either one of you alters his or her course, it will be good for you. However, as it stands now, your future will be a personal disaster for you. All of our futures are determined by the free-will choices we make. Unfortunately, you and this other person have made the wrong choice. I can tell you that the other person’s choice is both immoral and illegal. Your choice is moral and legal. In the future, you will be the victim of free-will decision-making.

Cliff: Marvin, it’s just not fair.

Marvin: Cliff, not much in life is fair. We all live by decisions not only made by ourselves, but also by other parties who may not have our best interests at heart. This happens all the time in our daily lives. It just so happens that it deeply involves you personally. The tragedy is about to hit home.

Cliff: Marvin, I guess I should consider myself fortunate that you have given me a heads-up.

Marvin: Cliff, you are blessed that the Creator had me prepare you for these terrible times ahead. Most people are totally unprepared and are shocked to learn of their dire situation.

Cliff: Marvin, we won’t see each other for quite a while, I guess.

Marvin: Cliff, that’s true. However, we will be in constant communication via mental telepathy. Whenever I find out about something, I will relay the info to you. You won’t be alone. It will just seem that way.

Cliff: Marvin, how far away are we from this disaster?

Marvin: Cliff, you only have a few more weeks left.

Cliff: Marvin, do you know what’s going to happen to me?

Marvin: Cliff, yes, I do. I just wish I could go through it with you, but the Creator will not allow it.

Cliff: Marvin, I am scared.

Marvin: Cliff, I know you are. Remember, keep your faith in the Creator. He will get you through this. That’s why I am here. I was sent to you. It’s not a coincidence that you found me in the town dump. I was near death. You nursed me back to good health. You being at the dump was no accident. It was divine intervention. The Creator has assigned me to work you through this ordeal.

Cliff: Marvin, I am sure glad I have you for a friend.

Marvin: Cliff, we are the best of friends and will remain friends forever. We will be with each other in the afterlife.

Cliff: Marvin, how long will we be separated here on earth?

Marvin: Cliff, because of the terrible times ahead for you, the first time will be about three years. Then, we will be joyously reunited. I will pass into eternity before you, so we will be separated again for several months. Then, you will pass into eternity. We will then be together with my ancestral father, Harvey, and his friend, Aaron. We will never be separated from each other again.

Cliff: Marvin, I am near the dismal part of my future, I suppose.

Marvin: Cliff, you are. So whatever financial affairs you can put in order, please do so. A little while after you enter into your future disaster, that unknown ally will come and handle your financial affairs until you can handle them by yourself again.

Cliff: Marvin, don’t stop communicating with me through mental telepathy.

Marvin: Cliff, I certainly won’t. As a matter of fact, in addition to you, it will be necessary to reveal my ability to communicate telepathically to at least two other people. They will be sworn to secrecy and will keep their oath. So you won’t be alone. You will have a few people in your corner.

Cliff: Marvin, you are telling me that I will survive this tragedy?

Marvin: Cliff, yes, you will survive. You will be stronger than ever. I again tell you to take care of any affairs that you can right now. Later on, after this tragedy hits home, you won’t be able to take care of them. If I were you, I would talk directly with the Creator through prayer. Although it won’t appear to be so, the Creator will always be in your corner throughout your hour of need.

Cliff: Marvin, I shall certainly do so.

Marvin: Cliff, after this ordeal is over, the Creator will bless you abundantly. You will get back what you lost and much more. With my help and encouragement, you will have to persevere till it’s over. Just remember, neither the Creator nor I will ever abandon you.

Cliff: Marvin, maybe I should talk to the pastor in my church. I could let him know that really hard times are coming my way.

Marvin: Cliff, after this tragedy comes to fruition, your church is going to drop you as if you were a heavy piece of lead. They will take sides with all the wrong people. You will be disenfranchised as a member and banned from the church forever. They won’t care what you have to say about it. You will be the talk of the church, all bad, of course. However, when the tribulation is over, they will welcome you with open arms. They will tell you that they were behind you all the time. They will even ask you to join the church again. They will even bring baskets of food to the house. The support you get from them will be much too late.

Cliff: Marvin, can you tell me more?

Marvin: Cliff, not much more. It will be a time of adversity for you. The few friends you thought you had will abandon you. However, when it’s over and the truth is revealed, you will have a multitude of friends who want to share your blessing.

Cliff: Marvin, I guess there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

Marvin: Cliff, there is light at the end. However, it’s a very long, dark tunnel. You’re going to wish your life was over a number of times. Try to remember that we’ll be in constant telepathic communication. The Creator will take care of you.

Cliff: Marvin, I am aware that you know everything and that the Creator is watching over me. I know that this bad part of my future will turn to good, but I am still scared.

Marvin: Cliff, this reminds me of the time when my ancestral father, Harvey, was walking his friend, Aaron Zachary, through his ordeal, both spiritually and physically. Aaron was afraid he was going to spend eternity in hell. In addition, the doctors only gave him two months to live. You have the advantage here. You only have to be concerned with the physical aspect. Spiritually, you’re all set. Aaron was actually worse off than you are. But he had to only sweat it out for two months though. One might still argue that he had it worse than you do.

Cliff: Marvin, I think that we’ve discussed it enough. Why don’t we settle down with a Western and some Land O’Lakes cheese? What do you want to watch?

Marvin: Cliff, let’s watch El Dorado with John Wayne and Robert Mitchum. There’s a lot of shooting in that movie. I feel like I am right beside them when I watch that movie.

Cliff: Marvin, didn’t your ancestral father, Harvey, have nightmares from watching movies?

Marvin: Cliff, he certainly did. I inherited that problem from him.

Cliff: Marvin, now I remember. The last time we watched this movie, you had a nightmare about you, Wayne, and Mitchum shooting it out with the bad guys. Wayne and Mitchum got shot in their legs, and you were killed with a bullet in the heart. I didn’t get any sleep that night. Are you sure you want to watch it again?

Marvin: Cliff, yes, let’s watch it. I’ve matured a lot since then.

Cliff: Marvin, we watched it just last week.

Marvin: Let’s watch it anyway. When the bad times hit, neither one of us will be watching any movies. By the way, we’re running low on Land O’Lakes cheese. I can see why Harvey liked it so much. It is delicious.

After the movie is over and the cheese is gone, the two of them retire for the evening. Cliff keeps thinking about his terrible times ahead, so he can’t get to sleep. On the other hand, Marvin conks out in seconds. About four or five hours later, Marvin wakes up. He is screaming. He’s having a nightmare about El Dorado. One guy shot him full of holes and killed him. Wayne and Mitchum were wounded in the legs again. Cliff is up the rest of the night. He has to hold and cuddle Marvin back to sleep. Oh well, Cliff wasn’t getting any sleep anyway.

Chapter 2

The Plumber Is Coming

The next morning, Cliff wakes up and discovers that Marvin vomited during the night. Naturally, he threw up on the rug portion of the floor. He ate too much cheese. Otherwise, Marvin slept very well after his nightmare about the movie. Marvin is up and ready for breakfast. Cliff would like to go back to bed.

Cliff: Marvin, tomorrow morning, I have Benson Plumbing coming over to do some work in the house. The business is owned by Daniel Benson. It is a very reputable company, and he guarantees the work. The plumber has to replace some diverter valves, showerheads, and toilet seats. I just wanted you to know. I don’t want you to attack the guy. The last time I had someone in here, you hissed and growled at him just because he was a Jehovah’s Witness. Did you inherit that from your ancestral father, Harvey, too?

Marvin: Cliff, don’t worry. I’ll be on my best behavior. I will restrain myself.

Cliff: Marvin, that’s what you said about the carpenter who came here.

Marvin: Cliff, seeing as this is a good do-nothing day, why don’t we watch a movie with some Land O’Lakes cheese? A quarter of a pound cut up in a bowl ought to do it.

Cliff: Marvin, that sounds like a plan. What do you want to watch?

Marvin: Cliff, let’s watch Purgatory. Maybe you can fast-forward it to where all the shooting starts. We can watch all the bad guys get shot and killed. It’s kind of neat how that Indian throws them into hell.

Cliff: Marvin, you might have another nightmare. The last time you watched that movie, the Indian threw you into hell after you were shot and killed. All of a sudden, you woke up on your way to hell.

Marvin: Cliff, I was much younger then.

Cliff: Marvin, yeah, three weeks younger.

Marvin: Cliff, I assure you. I’ll be just fine.

Cliff: Marvin, okay, we’ll watch the movie.

Marvin: Cliff, this is a neat part. That bad guy kills that good guy who is already dead. Now, he’s waking up from being dead. He is shooting bad guys again. We’re almost out of cheese. Here’s another good guy being shot, and it doesn’t affect him. He is now immortal. It’s really cool how the dead bad guys wake up as they are tossed into hell.

Cliff: Marvin, the movie is over, and the cheese bowl is empty. Let’s go to bed. I see you’re conked out. I’d better carry you to bed. Where are you going to throw up tonight? Make sure it’s a rug area.

The next day, Cliff gets up. He didn’t sleep much. Besides his tribulations ahead, he’s worried about Marvin. Who will take care of him? Now, Marvin slept like a rock except for a brief intermission taken to vomit on the rug. He then went back to sleep.

The plumber arrives early. He’s been here before, so Cliff and the plumber, Daniel, greet each other. Daniel does good work and has very fair prices.

Cliff: Good morning, Daniel.

Daniel: Great day, isn’t it, Cliff? Well, Cliff Zane, I am here to install your two showerheads, two diverter valves, and three toilet seats. I hope I am not too early.

Cliff: Daniel, let’s take a look at what I need. See here, this thing has been leaking for a couple of years now, and it’s getting worse. The other bathtub is in the same situation. I am losing a lot of water because these fixtures leak so much. Also, these showerheads are so corroded that not a lot of water comes through. I’ve tried cleaning them with various chemicals to no avail. While you’re here, you might as well replace the three toilet seats. I guess they are due. That ought to be enough for now.

Daniel: Cliff, I don’t see any problems in performing this work. I don’t have to break down any walls or anything. I must warn you though. These diverter valves are not perfect. Even the brand-new ones do leak a little bit. That’s the way they make them. However, with new diverters and new showerheads, you’re gonna see a world of difference.

Cliff: Daniel, I can put up with a little leakage. While you start the job, I have to run an errand. I’ll be back in about twenty minutes.

Daniel: Cliff, that’s fine. Go ahead and run the errand.

Cliff runs his errand and returns in about twenty minutes.

Cliff: Daniel, I am back.

Daniel: Okay, Cliff. I won’t be too much longer. Try out this new diverter and showerhead. Make sure you turn the water off first before going from shower water back to water for the tub. You want to make sure the pressure is released.

Cliff: Daniel, I never knew that. So let’s try it out. Hey, this works just great.

Daniel: Cliff, both showerheads and diverters are done. Let me change the toilet seats now. I should be out of here shortly.

Cliff: Okay, Daniel, let me get you a check. I’ll be right back.

Daniel: Cliff, you’re all set now.

Cliff: Okay, Daniel, here’s your check.

The plumber leaves. He was only at the house for forty-two minutes.

Cliff: Marvin, why were you hissing and growling at the plumber? He was only trying to be your friend.

Marvin: Cliff, I don’t like that guy.

Cliff: Marvin, you said you would be on your best behavior.

Marvin: Cliff, for that guy, that was my best behavior. He’s not getting any better behavior from me.

Cliff: Look at this, Marvin. The shower runs like new.

Marvin: Cliff, I don’t care if it works at all. I don’t use it. I use my tongue to get clean. Sometimes, I use the bathroom sink if you leave the water running just like my ancestral father, Harvey, used to do.

Cliff: Yeah, Marvin. And just like your ancestral father, Harvey, you leave the water running when you’re done.

Marvin: