The Sapiens Missile Mystery -

By Ronald E. Hudkins

Detective Lamarr Sage of the Santa Barbara Police acquired the nickname of TAMER when he joined the urgent hunt and subsequently captured, tamed and returned an escaped leopard to the local zoo he had ordered into the back seat of his police cruiser. His plan to be on time for his date Friday night was interrupted by the report of gruesome murders of two men in a quiet Santa Barbara suburb.

Immediately upon seeing a most unusual and extremely gruesome crime scene TAMER begins to ask questions: “Why strapping a man to a missile and launch him into space, so to speak?” The first human missile pierced the windshield of the second victim’s car. When the second human missile impales an oak tree near a playground, the Santa Barbara population goes into panic mode. How many more human missiles will it take before TAMER and his partner Don Franklin are finally able to figure it all out?

There’s a psychopath on the loose and this one will take more than a whip and commanding voice to be tamed.
It took four people to die in the same horrid circumstances before TAMER and his partner, Don Franklin are finally able to figure it all out. Selling Navy missiles to overseas parties is a complicated and dangerous business, to say the least. Even worse when you throw in a twisted mindset.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ronald E. Hudkins
• Release date: Nov 21, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310229992

Ronald E. Hudkins

Ronald E. Hudkins (1951-Present) was born in Canton, Ohio and grew up in Massillon, Ohio. He was drafted into military service in 1970 where he remained up until 1993 when he retired honorably from the U.S. Army, Military Police Corps. During his service and after, he attended many universities that include Kent State University, Maryland University, Central Texas College (European Branch), Blair Junior College, Hagerstown Junior College and Phoenix University. He mostly completed general studies but declared two majors in the areas of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology. Although he was an intelligent student he was never on the Dean's List, or voted a most likely to succeed candidate. He did not graduate with any specific degree however if you were to consider all his credits and self-study he could reasonably be considered a Rogue Scholar.

Book preview

Section

One

Rising Tension

Chapter 1/Scene 1

Streets of the usually quiet Santa Barbara – were shaking with fear – intense FEAR. A dangerous leopard with dark black patches had escaped the local zoo. The zoo authorities were severely targeted by the media, although it wasn’t the right time for placing blame. It was time for someone to put a leash on the giant cat, before it could sink its strong and remorseless jaws into someone’s soft and tender flesh. Street cameras, press cameras, drones and even satellites were on its tail, as it was running wildly in the city in a panic-mode – it didn’t seem to be much accustomed to the city, because clearly – it was a creature of the jungle. The leopard was jumping from car to car, running from one block to the other, and trying to find its way back to true nature – its home, the jungle. People were shrieking and crying as the leopard was making its way through the crowd – not attacking anyone luckily. The zoo authorities weren’t prepared for such an unprecedented incident, so they took a lot of time to gear up a few trucks that could bring the leopard in. However, the media spotted a police vehicle that was accelerating at maximum speed. It was chasing the leopard.

After half an hour:

Sit! cried a tall man in an incredibly loud and shrilled voice. Don’t you dare move a muscle or I’ll eat you oversized pussycat! The scared-to-death leopard knelt down silently and bowed to the officer; then it coiled silently like a wounded snake and shook its long dotted tail as though it was a tamed domestic kitty-cat. Tamer took his soft red-colored handkerchief out and wrapped it around the leopard’s sorry mouth. Let’s bust you, you fucking pussy! said Tamer, looking at his fellow-detective, Paul, who was staring at Tamer with a look of disbelief on his long wrinkled face, it’s all yours Paul!

No fucking way, said Paul, walking toward the car, I got a wife and two kids, who’re back at home, waiting for my ass to return. Not Half Ass like you are trying to be!

Tamer smiled, and clutched the leopard from its tail and dragged him to the car. The leopard didn’t resist at all. You’re lucky that I didn’t fire at you, kitty, he took his seat beside the leopard and closed the car-door, let’s go Paul!

Are you out of your mind? said Paul, wait for the Zoo authorities to come and drag this cat away, we can’t do this stuff man.

We’re here to protect people, aren’t we? Tamer rubbed his massive hands on the leopard that was sitting like a wet cat, trying not to make any eye-contact with its dangerous captor, who performed a titanic struggle to do what was never done in history.

Paul started the car, and they were on their way to the zoo. The Santa Barbara Zoo’s authority fired the man, who was responsible for the leopard’s escape. Everybody was happy to know that things were alright. It was a leopard, not a bird, so a lot of damage was expected, but fortunately Tamer spotted the leopard, and chased him like an idiot, across almost every alley, every street and ever avenue of the city, and finally he was able to wrestle the big cat down with his extraordinary skills. Paul was on his tail in his police vehicle, with a fear creeping down his spine, since he knew that it wasn’t an ordinary case that he was about to handle, it was about a fierce animal, loose on the streets, who could kill anybody. It was the zoo’s responsibility, he knew that, and even Tamer did, but he couldn’t really stop Tamer, from doing what he did best.

In half an hour, they reached the zoo. Tamer grabbed the leopard from its tail and dragged it back into the cage. Where’s the whip? he cried, where’s the fucking whip?

Someone handed him a whip. He took it in his strong left hand and whipped the ground, just to scare the leopard. The leopard was tamed like a little pup, without any resistance. The zoo authorities tried their best to convince him not to lock himself up with the animal, but to their shock, the animal began to obey its new master. The crowd began to clap at the wonderful performance they had witnessed. Nobody thought that a police detective could pull off such a task. Things might have been different, if nobody had dared to take such a risk.

A couple of children came running toward him. Their shiny eyes were staring at the man, who just pulled off a miracle with such a wondrous ease. He seemed nothing less than a super hero. He was a bit surprised to see children, bringing little diaries and pens towards him. First, he drew back with great amazement, but when Paul winked at him, suggesting to him that it was his moment – then he seized it fully.

Can I have your autograph, Mr. Detective? said a boy, who was not more than seven years old. You’re my superhero, he continued.

Sir, could you give me your autograph too, because what you did is something that is… really cool. It was a ten year old boy, who seemed to be the elder brother of that seven year old boy.

Sure, kids, he replied, I’m not a superhero, I’m just a plain old detective, who’s doing his job.

No, you are… you’re the only one who saved so many people… not everybody can chase a leopard like that… I saw it on a TV Breaking New Shoe and you are a superhero… you are Tamer, said the seven year old boy.

A what? he inquired out of great curiosity.

It means one who subdues, said the older boy, in Ancient Greek language.

He grabbed their diaries, one by one, and signed his new name in capital letters with a great sense of pride: TAMER.

He handed their diaries over to them, and rubbed their heads simultaneously with his massive hands.

It was the first time he used Tamer as a heroic title. With the passage of time, Tamer became his new identity and he was constantly referred as Detective Tamer by his colleagues, admirers, and even old friends. The brass, well, they played along as well. After all, good publicity needs to be played like a fine tuned instrument.

Chapter 1/Scene 2

Tamer was sitting at his desk specifically to work on some old files. Most of the cases were closed, but there were some new cases he needed to deal with. It wasn’t really much of a deal with him. He liked to look into his files all the time, because it gave him a concrete picture of his future plans. For a man like him, it was important to be in touch with what was going on all the time.

He was shuffling through pages of each file, not making it quick. He took his time, because for him, a case wasn’t just a case. It involved a lot of lives, so he had to be sure what to do and what not to do. Paul had left him early, because he had to be with his wife and kids. Tamer was used to spending some time alone with himself. Whenever Paul inquired the reason of staying late at the police department, Tamer gave only one answer, and it was sharp enough for Paul: Soul-searching.

Why do you work your ass off the whole night… I don’t think you need to do something extra because what you’re doing is good enough for the department already, it shows your commitment.

It’s not about the department, Paul… it’s about something else, he looked into his eyes and a ghost of a smile came over his face, it’s about soul-searching.

All you do is, sit around all night, and look into these damn case files… how’s that supposed to be soul-searching?

You don’t really understand what I’m doing here, Paul… Do you? We’re not independent beings… we’re connected with this universe… so if I say that I’m searching my soul… then I’m doing it by looking through the old case files, because even criminals have a soul… and there is this strange harmony between the universe… all the binaries run together, hand in hand…. Good and bad, evil and virtue, day and night… it’s so mysterious.

"I don’t know about that, Tamer, but I sure think that you need to take a break… just talk to