The Case of the Doggie DNA Duplicating Device

By EF Clark

Flying machines made from recycled tuna fish cans and Winnebago parts, dog-man monster soldiers, satellite tracking signals, it's all in a day's work for Trudi Rudibaker, Pre-Teen Private Eye.

After her pup Crayon is the latest in a string of Border Collies to be dog-napped, Trudi Rudibaker uncovers a sinister plot by an evil genius with a chip on his shoulder. Join Trudi, her best friends Becky and Herman, and her Uncle Stubby as they race against the clock to solve "The Case of the Doggie DNA Duplicating Device."
Book #1 "Trudi Rudibaker, Pre-Teen Private Eye", the New Series from EF Clark.

• Language: English
• Publisher: EF Clark
• Release date: Jan 28, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310415746

EF Clark

While not exactly an eccentric childhood recluse, I do recall being elated to receive a portable Smith-Corona typewriter for my 10th birthday! Ah, the good old days of ink ribbons and whiteout.Whether scriptwriting television commercials for my family music business, or implementing multimedia promotions for various bookstores, I have thoroughly appreciated the art of writing and marketing.I am an Internet Content Writer, editorialist, songwriter, and musician. My true passion, however, is historical fiction like the latest novel "TO SENSE WORTH," and children's books, such as the "NELLIE GREEN the JELLY BEAN" series.Visit my blog "writercamp," which encourages aspiring writers to share in the legacy of literature.

Book preview

The Case of the Doggie DNA Duplicating Device

Trudi Rudibaker, Pre-teen Private Eye - Book #1

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Copyright 2014 by EF Clark

Smashwords Edition

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This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only and may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. All characters are fictitious. Historical persons are represented in a fictitious setting.

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Trudi Rudibaker came from a long line of detective scientists. Her great great great grandfather Thaddeus Rudibaker began his detective career as a jail guard in Tombstone, Arizona when he was just a teenager. His boss was Wyatt Earp. Working his way up through the ranks of the Pinkerton Detective Agency, Thaddeus later became a personal bodyguard to President Theodore Roosevelt.

Legend has it that when President Roosevelt's image was being carved on Mount Rushmore, Thaddeus Rudibaker came out of retirement to stop a gang of renegade outlaws from stealing the dynamite used to blast the rocks away. Now that was a monumental feat. Especially considering Thaddeus caught the culprits singlehandedly at the age of one hundred and five with only a golf club and a fishing knife to defend himself.

Another great detective in Trudi Rudibaker's family was her grandmother. The United States government hired Gertrude Rudibaker to spy on the Nazis in World War Two. When Gertrude, or Gerdy, as she was nicknamed, was fifteen she traveled to London to begin working with a cloak-and-dagger spy agency so top-secret that nobody knows what they were called, not even today.

What we do know, from declassified information released fifty years later, is that Gerdy was one of the smartest people in the world. Her IQ was extremely high. So high that it surpassed most of the college professors that tried tutoring her at the age of four. Rumor has it that following a conversation with Gerdy, Albert Einstein once said, Boy do I feel stupid.

Not only was Trudi's grandmother brilliant, she was also very brave. Trudi's mother always used to say that Trudi took after her Grandma Gerdy. In fact, it was Grandma Gerdy who first noticed Trudi's gift of observation.

Trudi would visit her grandma the first Sunday of every month, except for January. That's when Grandma Gerdy took her vacation to Antarctica. She went every year on New Years Day and stayed for three weeks in an isolated outpost at the South Pole. No one knows why. Some say that she met with high-level military and scientific officials on a secret mission to test spacecraft. Outer space is pretty cold you know, and the subarctic conditions were perfect for experiments of that nature. But those were all rumors. No one knew for sure. Not even Trudi.

On one of the visits to her grandmother's ranch in Idaho, Trudi and Grandma Gerdy went for a walk near the canyon in the back yard. Trudi, who was seven at the time, spotted a large bird carrying what appeared to be a silver feather in its beak.

Why is that falcon carrying what appears to be a silver feather in its beak? asked Trudi.

That's not a feather, replied Grandma Gerdy. And that's not a falcon, either.

If it's not a falcon, and that’s not a feather, then what is it? asked Trudi. It sure appears to be a falcon carrying a silver feather in its beak.

As the two slowly approached the rim of the canyon, Gerdy let her granddaughter discover for herself what it really was that appeared to be a falcon carrying a feather in its beak.

Oh, now I see, said Trudi after a few minutes observing the incident. It's a winged robot designed to imitate a falcon. And what looks like a feather in its beak is actually a thin strand of electrical conduit that has lodged itself loose from a component in the machine's upper torso.

That is correct, said Grandma Gerdy. I have taught you well. And now for some hot chocolate with marshmallows.

Trudi loved visiting with her Grandma. On another occasion, Grandma Gerdy taught Trudi how she broke the Japanese secret military code during World War II. And another time she demonstrated her collection of ancient Scandinavian musical instruments, which inspired Trudi to break into interpretive dance.

Trudi’s favorite visit by far was the time her Grandma let her drive one of the exotic three wheeled antique motorcycles in Grandma Gerdy’s collection. Gerdy had at least thirty-five exotic three wheeled antique motorcycles. She also had a figure eight racetrack installed in her front yard. Her next-door neighbors moved out soon after it was constructed.

But most of the time spent with Grandma Gerdy consisted of learning how to be a private eye. Trudi knew she always wanted to have a detective-scientist type of career. Ever since she was a baby in diapers, Trudi could solve a good mystery.

When she was little, Trudi’s parents began noticing that she possessed a superior knowledge of perception. Any time there was a mystery, Trudi found a way to unravel it. Like the time Trudi was twelve, and her big brother was out walking the family's prized Border Collie, Crayon. The dog snapped the leash right out of his hand and bolted for Shadow Ridge Forest on the edge of Carterville, the town where Trudi lived.

Everyone, including the sheriff and half of the sheriff's department searched for the pup a week and a half. All hope seemed to be lost. Shadow Ridge Forest was very thick with twisting oak trees that stretched high into the sky. The top of the trees formed a meshed canopy