THE PETER SHADETREE DIARIES
The Long Black “Soul” Train
Casefile: 001
J Alexander

DEDICATION
It’s no mystery that I dedicate The Peter Shadetree Diaries Series to mine, and the world’s greatest mystery writer Mr. Arthur Conan Doyle.
My Heavenly Father instructed the Holy Spirit to put the Peter Shadetree character (based on Mr. Sherlock Holms) in my heart.
He did this so I can take no credit for this project. To God be all the glory.
Note:
Unlike Mr. Holms, Peter Shadetree will be solving all of his cases (with his small team) and will not need any help from his followers, so just sit back and watch the expert not only fight evil (Dr. DeVil), but win time and time again.

Author J Alexander

CONTENTS
Introduction
CHAPTER ONE
The Team:
Peter Shadetree: Christian Detective
Aaron Kerr (AK): Professor/Doctor/Religious Historian/Linguist
Bartholomew A Rathfink: Computer and AI Specialist
Home Base: Botsrah (Greek for Castle)
CHAPTER TWO
Casefile: #001
File Name: The Long Black Soul Train
Arch Enemy: Dr. DeVil
Train Station #1 (Pride)
Train Station #2 (Greed)
Train Station #3 (Lust)
Train Station #4 (Envy)
Train Station #5 (Gluttony)
Train Station #6 (Wrath)
Train Station #7 (Sloth)

Introducing AK
Hello, my name is Professor Aaron Kerr (you can call me (AK). I will be your host (narrator) for all the tales, stories and exploits, of Peter Shadetree.
I’ve known Peter since early grade school and the person or (character) I would compare him to is “Mr. Sherlock Holms.”
Peter has always lived his life as if it were one big mystery, so when there wasn’t any mysterious action happening in his life, he would create some. Like the time he investigated our high school principal.
I will not be playing a role in any of the mysteries in this series. I will only tell the stories that were written in the diaries of author JAlexander, and my own experiences and memories of one of the world’s greatest Christian detectives. Maybe I should clarify what I mean by a Christian Detective? It simply means that Peter Shadetree only solves mysteries and crimes committed by or against God, believers and Christians.
Maybe you could think of me as the “Director”. I will be responsible for making sure that the sequences and the story lines have continuity and take the reader on a journey that will be sometimes funny, sometimes unbelievable, sometimes horrific, but always exciting.
Note:
These stories combine fiction and facts, so, if you come across anything that you believe is not true or mistakes in spelling or grammar, please let us know so we can correct these flaws and enhance the reading experience of future generations of readers.
Note: Whenever I’m speaking in these stories my words will (italicized). Example: Hello! My name is Professor Aaron Kerr and I’m Peter Shadetree’s best (maybe only) friend.
Professor Aaron Kerr

INTRODUCTION
Although the “The Peter Shadetree Diaries” series was written for Christians (Believers) it can and will be very interesting to non-believers (who love a great mystery) as well.
It is the hope of the author JAlexander that anyone from teens to seniors, believers and non-believers will enjoy and benefit from the outcome of the many books in the series called The Peter Shadetree Diaries.
I will not be setting the stage for any of the books in the series by telling you the reader, what any given story (referred to as a case) is about or what to look for as you try to solve each mystery with Peter and his Team.
I will at times list the main Good Guys/the Bad Guys, so you can recognize them as they appear throughout the series.
A bio and description of the Good Guys/the Bad Guys and locations will be given as they appear in any given series (story). The only exception will be the main character Peter Shadetree himself. Because he is a Master Of Disguise, we won’t be giving the reader any help identifying him and how he will be solving the case.
It might help if you identify Peter Shadetree with other hero’s such as; Sherlock Holms, Indiana Jones, or James Bond to mention just a few. By combining some of the main characteristics of these super heroes with the wisdom and faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and a little King Solomon and King David thrown in for good measure, you may come close to picturing this man of God and the defender of mankind.
Author JAlexander will be presenting our hero’s unique system of solving a crime. This should help you the reader to perfect your crime solving skills against the master.
We are going to start with the first case #001 “The Long Black Train” so, put on your detective hat, open your mind and let your imagination run wild.
Professor Aaron Kerr
CHAPTER ONE
Case #001 “THE LONG BLACK TRAIN”

Somewhere in Africa

Peter is on the trail of a group of Africa big game poachers and although he’s in the company of two game wardens, he’s aware that the bad guys out number his team by at least two to one.
After about a week of tracking this group using advanced equipment with no luck, Peter believed that today was the day. He got confirmation from one of the search helicopters that two elephant carcasses were spotted about five and half miles from the basecamp.
Peter knew that he didn’t have too much time to get to the scene. This group was very professional, they knew the country and could disappear with their kill in a matter of hours. It looked like Peter and his team got a break because, it was early in the morning and the bad guys were still sleeping. He also knew that by the time they got there, the group would be up and split into small teams of two or more and out hunting for more animals to slaughter.
When he got within a few yards of the campsite, he only saw two or three men sitting around talking. He didn’t want to go back empty handed so he gave the signal for his two companions to move in and capture these three bad guys and maybe get the chance some other day to apprehend the rest of the group.
To Peters surprise, the men never gave him any trouble. It was like they were expecting the lawmen to show up. This bothered Peter, but before he could react, he was surrounded by the rest of the group. They didn’t attack right away, it was as if they were waiting for someone, and Peter knew who they were waiting for. It was their leader. A killing machine who went by the name of “King Madman”.
The bad guys bowed their heads when their king came into the circle and started to speak. Welcome to our country Mr. Peter Shadetree. I hope you’re enjoying your stay in Africa? It’s a shame that you will never leave here. I’m sure you have loved ones in the USA who will miss you.
I’ve heard that you are a man of God and actually believe that you are doing His work here on earth. So, I guess you’ll be seeing him a lot sooner then you had planned. Do you have anything to say before you leave this world? Only that I’m not planning to go just yet. My God told me, He had much more for me to do in His name. I suggest you make your peace with whomever you believe is your god.
Take them to the edge of the cliff and don’t tie their hands, we want whoever finds them to believe that they must have fallen off by accident.
The three were placed at the edge on a big rock. Peter was in the middle of his two companions looking out over of the most beautiful scenery on earth.
About five minutes went by and nothing happened. Peter looked at the two men beside him and then slowly turned around to see two big male lions with their backs to him. He then saw six more surrounding the now speechless King and his followers.
The biggest lion of the two in front of Peter looked up at him and nodded his head saying, it’s time for you to leave. Peter did look back once and saw the lions moving closer and closer to their breakfast.
The two wardens shook Peter’s hand and each one gave him a small gift to remember them. Peter just smiled and said; if you ever need my help, please don’t hesitate to call. I would love to come back to your beautiful country, if only for a vacation.
Welcome aboard Mr. Shadetree. First class is on your left through the blue curtain. Thank you, and please remember that I don’t want to be disturbed during the flight. The flight attendant shook her head up and down indicating that she understood loud and clear and then just smiled.
Mr. Shadetree, Mr. Shadetree please wakeup, you have an important phone call from a Mr. Fink. Tell him I’ll call him when I arrive at the airport. He said; he needs to talk to you now. Okay! What time is it and when do we land? It’s 4:20 am Sir, and we will be touching down in about 40 minutes.
Hello Mr. Fink! This better be important, because you just woke me up from a much-needed sleep. It is! As soon as you land a car will pick you up and take you to a private jet. There will be a change of clothes and something to eat, but the flight will only be about an hour. You’ll be meeting with the Secretary of Defense a Mr. Douglas Campbell. Oh ya! Please be at your best. This looks like it could be our first major case and we need it for our portfolio.
I’ll be good, if he is good! If he just needs me to give him some advice, I may not be overly polite.
Mr. Campbell will see you now. Please come this way and knock before you enter.
Come and sit down, I have something to ask you and I need a reply today.
First of all, I’ll stand. I can see that your guest chairs are lower than yours, which means you will be talking down to me. Second, I’ll decide if and when I will work with you and your office.
So, do you want to talk or do you want me to leave?
Alright! I guess it’s better to talk with you, then to go to the FBI. They’ll just take over the case and shut everybody out. At least with you, my department will have some control. Oh! There is one other thing that I need. I’ve chosen Special Foresees Commander Dan Smith to work with you and report and update directly back to me. That’s just in case you may forget to share any new information with us.
I usually work alone, but if that’s the way you conduct your investigations, I guess I can live with one distraction.
Now let’s talk about the case.
Here’s the file. It contains everything we know about the serial killer we call “The Executioner”. We believe it’s a male and he’s working with a group of devoted followers. Maybe a cult!
It says here that you have a note from the killer. Yes, it’s in the back of the file.
Is this everything you have on the case?
Yes!

Seven will die in the first go round
From six cities and one small town
Then 7×70 will be put down
None will know, they were hell bound
I’ve left you clues on the side of the road
If you can find them, they will lessen your load
My victims are Christian, that’s all I will tell
Oh, by the way! They’re not going to heaven, they’re going to hell
Seven sins and more have they committed
But if you ask them, they won’t admit it
Judas

The note was pinned to the body. There are some other things you will notice about the about body, when you examine it and read the autopsy report.
The first, is that the body was burnt to a crisp. Second, the burnt skin was pealed back in the shape of an upside-down cross.
I’ll take the case, but, my team and I will need first hand access to all the evidence collected so far, and any other information related to the case in the future.
You will need to make copies of this file, and any other information you have for your records. A full disclosure file will be given to you once the case is closed.
Commander Smith will give you everything you request before you leave.
There is one thing I forgot to tell you. Apparently, someone told someone, who told someone else, that this case may be connected to another case the FBI have been working on for about a year. Commander Smith will be able to get you that information, upon your request. The case is called “The Long Black Train”.

Commander Dan Smith
Please just go in, Commander Smith is expecting you. It’s the first door on your left.
You look a little shocked Mr. Shadetree, perhaps you were expecting a man? Well I can assure you, I’m a woman who is very capable of following the orders of my superiors. I was advised of your demand for complete control of this case, but let me make it clear, I will be watching you every step of the way. I can also stop this investigation anytime I choose. I will advise you to not keep any information from me. Do we understand each other?
Of course, anything you say Commander. Nice to meet you! I’ll see myself out.

BOTSRAH (FORTRESS)
Botsrah is Greek for FORTRESS and the name Peter chose for his home, laboratory, and base of operations for his Christian crime fighting team.
It’s only a rumor, but they say, if you were to look in the Grand Cannon and got really lucky you might find BOTSRAH. Of course, that’s just someone’s best guess.
Do you remember me saying in the introduction that I’ve been Peters friend sense childhood so; you know that I’ve been to BOTSRAH hundreds of times? I can tell you that I’m like a little kid, who’s been given the keys to the future of everything.

Enter Mr. David Bartholomew Rathfinkel
A young man who controls everything in BOTARAH. I mean everything! He does this through an advanced computer system that he created called Technically Operated Electronic System “TOES”
I will take a few minutes to tell you about Mr. Rathfinkel or Fink, a nickname he received from a nosy neighbor who happened to see him in his fenced in backyard talking with his Mother. His Father called him RAT when he was born. He was only conveying the truth. David did look like a rat, and the older he got the more he looked like the rodent people love to hate.
But we serve an awesome God! When He gives us challenges in life, he also gives us gifts that overshadow any disabilities. He was more than generous with this young man. David was born with an IQ of 220 and was home taught for two reasons:
First – The teachers in the public and private school system weren’t able to teach him anything. His Mother, who was a very well-educated woman could only do so much. She did however, guide him in the right direction. She contacted many of the top Universities in the country and through generous donations was able to setup (online) one-on-ones with many highly respected professors.
Second: – David was a social outcast, a misfit. Anyone who saw him in person would quickly turn away in disbelief and horror. He wasn’t just disfigured, he was hideous.
David’s Mother loved him more then life, but his very rich Father tried to hide him from the world. He would often say that his son was an embarrassment and a freak of nature.
Being rich made David’s life almost normal. As long as he stayed in doors and out of sight, he was growing up almost like any other kid his age.
But that was all about to change. His parents were killed in a traffic accident and David was on his own. He had lots of money, but knew nothing about the outside cruel world. The family lawyer Brian Miller and I knew each other very well. He called me to ask if I knew anyone who would take David in and protect him. He had to be very careful in chosen David’s guardian because, they would be in control of a fortune and could manipulate this young man out of his inheritance.
I had only one name to offer Brian, Peter Shadetree. He was the perfect candidate to oversee this young man’s future.
Fast forward to today. Peter did consent to caring for Mr. Fink (David) and the rest is history.
I will now tell you about “BOTARAH” in detail without giving you a clue to its whereabouts.
To call “BOTSRAH” a fortress would be an understatement. Throughout history thousands of castles (fortresses) were built to protect someone’s land and its people from its known enemies. “BOTSRAH” on the other hand was built the world from itself. Let me explain! Peter built his fortress to house and protect animals that have become extinct either directly or indirectly by man. It is also the home base for Peter and his “TEAM” to solve what the world believes to be unsolvable crimes against God and man. The “TEAM” specializes in solving Christian crimes and mysteries.
In their laboratory the “TEAM” is working with Nanotechnology to build a transportation, communication, and a power grid that the world can share for free. These innovations will eradicate poverty and impact all societies and economies around the world.
To prevent the misuse of this technology Peter will be giving the world a warning to not use technology to play God. Only God is in charge. We humans must always promote a Christian viewpoint.
Botsrah also houses the largest collection of rare and (believed to be extinct) animals in the world. It is also the home of thousands of ancient artifacts that would be the envy of every museum in the world, if they knew they existed.

Peter returns to “BOTSRAH”
Mr. Fink pushes a button on his tablet and the roof of the big dome opens and allows his bosses’ helicopter to land. The massive roof closes automatically once the copter is secured. Two other members of the team join Mr. Fink to welcome Peter home. His new assistant Breanna Strickland is first to say welcome home Boss.
Then Mr. Fink says his hellos before the Android “F.A.O.R.R.” which means “From An Old Recycled Robot” a name Mr. Fink gave it to remind the pile of man-made computer junk, that he was in charge and superior to it and all of his other creations.
Do you want to rest for a while or go to the conference room? No, I’ve rested enough. I want you and Breanna to start creating a plan to catch this serial killer before he has time to kill a lot of innocent people.
The team waited patiently for peter to make his rounds. This was an easy task, because of the camera system which covered every inch of the 500 hundred thousand square foot castle.
Before we start, I want to thank all of you for looking after our home while I was gone. I will meet with each of you individually to review your daily reports.
Now let’s get down to business.
Mr. Fink, please bring up Case file #001 and enter the name “The Long Black Train”. Did you not want to use the name “The Executioner”? No, I don’t want to use the same name as the government, we need to keep our own files that they don’t have access to.
They have assigned Commander Dan Smith to keep an eye on us. We can use their file name “The Executioner” to keep them updated.
After you have annualized all the information in the file, Breanna, I want you to examine the body, identify who it is, and why they were chosen to be the first victim. I then want the file “The Long Black Train” updated and fed into our computers. That should shake some trees, and maybe something will fall out.

Peter’s Assistant Breanna Strickland
Just saying that Breanna Strickland is a Doctor, would be an understatement. She has so many letters after her name that they wouldn’t fit on a business card. Not having a great start in life, never held her back from being the person she is today.
Being the baby, the last one born in a family of nine kids, in a black family in one of the too many ghetto communities, didn’t offer many options for a person to rise above their circumstances and fulfil their dreams. Of course, this does not apply to Breanna! She was definitely different, and in every way. From a very young age it was apparent to anyone who had the pleasure of knowing her that you were either with her or against her. She made it clear that there would be no fence sitters in her life. This included not only her family and friends, but the whole world.
Someone once asked her latter in life, why she succeeded and so many others had failed? She just said that most underprivileged people try to fit into the slot (box) that they believe the world said they belonged in. I, on the other hand, demanded that the world look at me through my eyes, not theirs.
She still says that she never felt like she was above anyone, only that she was not below them.
Even as a young girl, she never listened to anyone who spoke in a negative way. Telling her she couldn’t do something, only made her more determined to do it. Her trip to success was a lonely one. She found out early in life, that people were eager to give advice, but not advice that encouraged her, but advice that told her to get in line. Don’t rock the boat. Know your place and stay in it.
It’s obvious that Dr. Strickland never listened to all that negative advice. She went on to not only become a Doctor of Medicine. She added, Doctor of Theology, Biblical Archaeologist, and Physicist. There are too many other honors and degrees to mention here.
It became apparent first to her Mother, and then her teachers, that Breanna was a gifted child. When they were able to test her IQ, it was around two hundred. This was not necessarily a good thing, because, her family were very poor and they knew it would take a lot of money to finance a future for her.
But, being a Christian family, they knew that “God works in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform.” So, with nothing but their faith, they relied on our Lord to provide a way. And the rest so they say, is history!
Breanna sent me the autopsy report to me, so, I will enter the results into the file. No, you won’t! You “Old Recycled Robot.” Do I have to remind you again that I’m in charge here! See my name tag? Mr. Rathfinkel “OVERSEER”. That means that you (a glorified laptop) does what I say you do. You don’t think on your own, if you need a thought, I’ll give it to you.

The Ticket

Mr. Fink entered the words “The Long Black Train” into his super computer as Peter instructed. The results weren’t encouraging.
Faorr was standing behind him and asked, may I make a suggestion? What would you know that would be of any help, you’re just a computer program that I created? I know you created me, but maybe I know more then you give me credit for.
Okay, let me hear your thoughts on the case?
Well it’s obvious that you keep in-putting the same request and expect a different answer. Go on! I think we should be analyzing the notes for clues. Maybe there are victims who don’t know what to do, or where to go for help.
Here’s the note! I’m glad I thought of dissecting it, I’m sure I’ll find just what Peter needs to solve this case.

Seven will die in the first go round
From six cities and one small town
Then 7×70 will be put down
None will know, they were hell bound
I’ve left you clues on the side of the road
If you can find them, they will lessen your load
My victims are Christian, you know them well
But they’re not going to heaven, they’re going to hell
Seven sins and more have they committed
But if you ask them, they won’t admit it

I’ve looked into my files and I found that the Bible talks about the “Seven Deadly Sins” and I believe that this is the first clue we’re given. Do you want me to update Peter or will you be taking all the credit again?
I’ve told you before, Peter needs updates from a real person, me! You’re just a walking…

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