Strange light, stranger disappearance

I'm unsure of the date, but it was when the Hale/Bopp comet (I think that's the one) was appearing in the night sky.  My husband brought me out to see the comet since by then I needed assistance walking.  We were standing out in the cold, looking up at the comet when we noticed a light moving quietly in the clear sky.  We knew it was definitely not a plane when we saw how it was moving.  It seemed to be tumbling.  Sort of like rolling dice but slowly and absolutely silent. We watched for about 4 minutes when suddenly a light shone near the object.  The light came on like a flashlight and then in an instant, both lights were gone.  My husband and I looked at each other in astonishment and asked at the same time, "Did you see that???"
We wonder whether the witnesses might have observed a tumbling rocket shell in orbit.  One of several reports from the same source.  We have spoken with her via telephone, and she sounds quite credible to us.  PD