Lupe Pack Detectives-The Kidnapped JubJub: Part Three

      The following morning, around six-o-clock, we took an express boat to Terror Mountain because we felt that the weather there was going to be too unpredictable for us to take an Eyrie cab or a flying ship. Not only that, but if we took either one, there would be no room for us to change from our detective uniform into our winter clothing before we arrived at Happy Valley.

      After we landed at the Happy Valley port, we began trudging through the ankle deep snow. As we were walking up the mountain pass connecting Happy Valley to Terror Mountain, our inner senses told us that a winter storm was brewing, so we quickly got out some rope and four pairs of Tyrannian Racing Goggles. Then we continued on our way.

      Several metres later, the storm pounded us hard. Even though we were wearing the racing goggles, our visibility was severely reduced thanks to the strong winds whipping up the loose snow, but it was a good thing that our eyes were protected. We had to take our time because we were not too sure where the PPL building was even though Aura had been there before.

      It took us approximately two hours before we reached the peak of Terror Mountain. The winds had died down a little bit, but it was still strong enough to blow snow into our faces. Aura took out a pair of toy binoculars from her pack and began scanning the surrounding area for something. Unfortunately, she could not find what she was looking for, which I assumed was either the PPL building or a nearby village. Instead, she ended up locating a forest because she pointed it out to us. I was relieved because at least it was better than being lost in the snowstorm with nothing to protect us.

      We were fortunate enough to stumble upon a Shadow Cybunny in the forest. When we told him who we were and what we were looking for, he smiled and told us that he had been expecting us before leading us deeper into the forest. I was a little bit surprised that the Cybunny was a PPL member. I thought that Aura would not be surprised by the news, but she was just as surprised as I was, judging by her reaction.

      The route in the forest that we took ended up being a shortcut to the PPL building. I was relieved that we finally made it to the building, and I bet my family felt the same way as well. After we took off our winter clothing and hung them on a coat rack to let them dry, we took our detective uniforms out from our field kits and put them on. Then the Cybunny lead us to the PPL head, a Christmas Shoyru by the name of Crimson Lightning. After the Cybunny left the room, he got up from his desk and shook our hands before going up to Aura and giving her a hug.

      “It’s been several years since you were sent here, Aura, but you haven’t changed a bit. You know, you always had a knack for investigating, so I’m not surprised that you left the PPL just to become a private eye even though you were one of the best agents around. Anyways, now that the introductions are over, tell me what you know so far on the kidnapped JubJubs just to give me an idea of what’s going on,” he said. She nodded and began telling him. When she was finished, the placed one of his hands over his mouth and began to think about something.

      “Hmm, I thought that Drake and Noah would learn their lesson after they were forced to work here as part of their punishment, but I guess that’s not the case. It seems strange, but it definitely sounds like them to pull off a stunt like the one you mentioned.”

      “So, during their time working for the PPL, did they have any encounters with any JubJubs?” Opren asked.

      “They did, Detective Opren. Of course, they could have gotten the grudge against them when they were working here because JubJubs are shorter than most Neopians, so they tend to bump into objects or Neopets and sometimes they’re hard to see due to that significant height difference. It’s not the JubJubs’ fault; it’s just the way that they’re designed. Of course, after Drake and Noah were finished, all of our JubJub employees were reported missing a couple of days later. We’ve already told the Defenders of Neopia about it, but they can’t do anything until they have sufficient evidence to make the arrest. And I guess that’s where you guys come in, right?” We nodded.

      “I’m just curious, Crimson Lightning, but do you know where Drake and Noah are living right now?” I asked.

      “Unfortunately, I don’t, but there are a couple of members that may or should know about their whereabouts. Your sister may know as well, but they could have changed their address since that incident. However, with the snowstorm raging outside, there’s nothing that we can do right now. We’re going to have to wait for the storm to die down, which may take a couple of days at the most, judging by the severity of it.”

      As Crimson Lightning accurately predicted, the storm blew itself out to sea after raging for a couple of days. During the time we were cooped up inside the building, we got the know some of the PPL members a whole lot better through various games and activities. Aura did not participate as much because she knew most of members, but she still introduced herself to the newer members.

      A day later, Crimson Lightning informed us that we were to head out and locate the missing JubJubs. After taking our winter clothing off the coat racks, we left with Midnight Shower, the Shadow Cybunny we first met at the forest.

      Because there was a lot more snow on the ground then when we first arrived, Midnight Shower wanted us to put on some snowshoes. They did not make us faster, but at least we did not have to trudge through the knee-deep snow and not get our clothing wet.

      It took us nearly forty-five minutes for us to reach Midnight Shower’s village. He pointed out his home before leading us to another. We presumed that the home that he led us to was Drake and Noah’s home.

      “Okay, before we head into this home, I need to tell you guys something. The village that we’re in is the same village where your sister found the stolen petpets and subsequently got the whole village in trouble. As stated previously, the majority of the village had conspired with Drake and Noah. However, only a few families did not want to participate in it for various reasons and my family was one of the few. If the JubJubs are to be found, they’re most likely going to be found here in this village because of the village’s somewhat shady and notorious past,” he explained to us.

      “And how do you know that Drake and Noah live here?” Solar_Flare asked.

      “I’ve seen them a couple of times before and I always thought that they were up to something when I saw them with groceries. What seemed odd to me was that they were carrying a lot more groceries and supplies than what a typical couple would bring home, so I followed them to their home. I never realized it, but now that you’re here, I’m starting to think that the JubJubs are hidden inside the home. That’s probably the reason why they brought home a lot of food because it would be bordering on cruelty if they did not feed them.”

      After he told us, I went up to the door. As expected, it was locked. Fortunately, I had brought my lock pick with me because I did not know if I was going to need it, so I took it out from my field kit and inserted it into the keyhole. It only took a few seconds of jiggling it before I heard a tiny click from the doorknob. After removing my lock pick from the keyhole, I placed my hand on the door and slowly pushed it open.

      “I know what we’re doing is unorthodox, but what choice do we have? The DoN is not going to arrest Drake and Noah until they have enough supporting evidence for them to warrant it and that means finding those JubJubs. Am I right, Aura?” I said after I opened the door.

      “You’re definitely right about the supporting evidence, Blizzard. When Terra, Glitter and I were investigating the stolen petpets, I had to break a window open with a rock just so that I could let my friends in and that’s a whole lot worse than picking a lock just to enter someone’s home because the damage is more obvious. However, the DoN will understand that the circumstances warranted the outcome,” she replied before taking the initiative and silently went in. We followed suit.

      When we entered, we were assaulted by the stench of rotting food. We quickly dismissed it because it was faint, so we did not think of it as much of a threat. However, as we progressed further in the home, scanning the rooms with a Space Fungus Spore, the stench became stronger and more pungent. We couldn’t tolerate it anymore when we reached the kitchen because it was starting to overwhelm us, so we were forced out of the house by it. As soon as we were out, I closed the door behind me so that the villagers would not complain about it.

      “Well, that was one effective stink bomb that they came up with. I wonder why they left so much food to rot if they weren’t going to use their home for a while,” Opren muttered. I wondered about that as well, but I thought that it was not too significant, so I quickly banished that thought to the back of my mind.

      We were so close in finding the missing JubJubs, yet we were so far from solving the crime and arresting the Hissi brothers for what they did. As we left the village, I made a promise to myself that we would find them as soon as possible and bring those Hissis down.

      To be continued…