Lupe Pack Detectives - Case of the Missing Statue: Part Four

      “Umm, Blizzard, tonight is my friend’s birthday, so I was wondering if you and your siblings would like to attend it? I understand if you don’t want to, and I’m not forcing you to go. It’s just that I want to acknowledge you when I present it to her. The party starts at eight,” she said as I was about to leave. I turned around and told her that I would think about it.

      When I came home, I asked my team if they wanted to go. Surprisingly, all of them agreed. I never thought about it, but Solar_Flare did have a valid point when he mentioned that it was the perfect opportunity for us to go undercover and observe Al and Bert, if they were attending. We assumed that they were.

     *****

      Around seven-o-clock in the evening, we got ourselves ready for the birthday celebration. It had been several years since all of us attended a party, so it took us some time to find the proper attire. Even though Carissa did not tell us, we knew that it was a formal party, so we had to look like we were rich and dignified. Some pieces of clothing that we had bought in Neovia a few months ago did the trick.

      At approximately seven forty-five, we arrived at Carissa’s home. She was probably stunned when she saw us, but she was definitely delighted to see us.

      “I didn’t think that you or your siblings would come tonight, Blizzard,” she said.

      “I did not want to go, but one of my siblings did raise a good point when he told me that we could go undercover and observe our prime suspects. By the way, what do you think of our undercover disguise?”

      “It suits you guys perfectly, if that’s what you meant.” I swear I heard both Opren and Aura chuckling at Carissa’s comment.

      At first, it was a little bit strange mingling with a bunch of Neopets that my siblings and I barely knew, but then we became used to it. Of course, some of them already knew who we were, thanks to their friends, so there was no need for us to introduce ourselves to those that knew. Overall, I found the experience was generally pleasant.

      I would say that it was approximately eight thirty-five when I saw our prime suspects arrive at the ballroom. Both of them were back as Skunk Myncies, Fortunately, Solar_Flare was near them, so he went over and began chatting with them. As I turned my attention away from them, someone must have recognized me because she called out my name. I turned around, searching for the voice, when I saw a Faerie Pteri, dressed in a stunning gown, heading my way. She looked familiar, but I could not remember who she was. After she came up to me, I politely asked her for her name.

      “Oh, right, I never gave you my name before I left your Neohome. I’m Cirrus, a Neomail messenger for this street.” I suddenly remember who she was.

      We chatted for quite some time until someone tapped on the microphone to signal silence. I wondered what as going on, so I turned around to face the stage and saw Carissa up on the stage with the statue. Beside her stood a Green Poogle.

      “Ladies and gentlemen, before I present a gift to our good friend December, I would like to acknowledge the Lupe Pack Detectives for finding the statue that you see right in front of your eyes after it was stolen from my home a few days ago. Without their help, I would not have been up here presenting this.” The crowd applauded us after she was finished before they broke out singing.

     *****

      As soon as the clock hit ten, we decided to call it a day and head back home. However, we were spotted by someone just as we were about to exit the mansion, thus ruining our plan to head out silently.

      “I hope you guys had a lot of fun tonight,” Noel said, startling us slightly.

      “Oh, I think we did, Noel. Anyways, tell Carissa about it as well when you see her,” I told him without turning around. Then we left.

      As soon as we were home, we headed straight to the living room because there were still some issues that we had to discuss. After all of us were seated on a chair or sofa, I focused my attention towards Solar_Flare. He nodded.

      “Right, let’s go into the details. After I approached Al and Bert and introduced myself to them, I began asking them questions. For their alibi, they told me that they were out on the night of the robbery. However, when I pressed them to elaborate on that particular information, Al told me that they had forgotten where they went. I also noted the look on their faces while Carissa was presenting the statue to December.”

      “What do you mean, Solar_Flare?” Opren asked.

      “Well, Opren, during the presentation, they looked like they were either annoyed or ticked off that she got the statue back.” Aura asked him if there as anything else that we needed to know. He thought about it.

      “Well, they’re probably insignificant details, but I guess I can tell you. First of all, they arrived late and as Skunk Myncies. Second, other than me, they never talked to anyone else except for themselves. Finally, they did not sing ‘Happy Birthday’ after the statue was presented to December.”

      “You’re definitely right about the final detail being insignificant, Solar_Flare. However, the other two are not. From what you told us, I think they were late because they needed to transform back into Skunk Myncies. As you know, drinking a morphing potion is permanent, just like when someone is using a paintbrush to change their looks. As for the second tidbit of information that you gave us, it probably means that they are planning another robbery soon, but this time, their target is December, because she has the statue,” I politely told him. Aura and Opren nodded as well.

      After our discussion ended, we went upstairs and prepared ourselves to bed. Our trap had been set, and our thieves did not realize that they were going to fall in one. All that was left now was having Carissa or December come to our Neohome and tell one of us that the statue was stolen.

     *****

      It was probably somewhere around six-o-clock in the morning when the doorbell rang. I wondered who it was, so I got up and put a robe over my pyjamas and headed downstairs, trying not to look asleep. My hair was a tangled mess, but that was not on my mind when I opened the door and saw Carissa and December on the front porch. I asked them if the statue had been stolen. They nodded their heads.

      “All right, come in and let me explain the details of our trap. I know that you are aware of the plan, Carissa, but it doesn’t hurt to hear it again, does it?”

      They followed me into the living room. As soon as they were seated, I gave them the details of the trap that we had set during the party. After I was finished, I went to my office and came back with the second fake statue and gave it to Carissa.

      “Okay, now that the first fake statue has been stolen, they will most likely sell it at the auction house for a lot of neopoints. As soon as the thieves realize that the statue was a fake, it will be likely that they would come back to your home to steal the real one from your safe. Of course, they don’t know that we have the real statue, so they will fall into another trap. With your permission, Carissa, is it all right if we come over and guard your home?” She told me that she did not mind.

      After they had left, my siblings came down. I told them about the plan and what to bring to Carissa’s Neohome. Of course, when it came to patrolling the hallways or staying in a room, we held a vote and decided to stay in a room.

     *****

      We arrived at Carissa’s Neohome around nine-o-clock in the evening. It was going to be a while before our thieves arrived, but we had to be one step ahead of them in case they show up tonight. I already had a room in my mind, so I quickly called dibs on the living room. After all, this was where the thieves entered initially, meaning that there had to be someone watching the room when they entered.

      It definitely felt like a long time, but this was usually typical for our stakeouts. Fortunately, I brought a few things with me for company so that I would not be as bored. The only thing that had occurred so far was Carissa and Jujube bidding us a good night before retiring to their bedrooms. That occurred at approximately ten-thirty in the evening.

      I would say that it was approximately one-thirty when I saw the window open and the thieves coming in. They were Shadow Kougras. After they left the living room, I silently followed them to the safe. As they were opening it, I pulled out my Scarab Stone Slingshot and placed a scarab stone onto it, waiting for the right time to fire it. That opportunity came after the safe door was opened, so I fired the stone. It banged off of the door, startling the thieves. It was also my signal to my siblings.

      “Bert, there’s someone here and I’m certain it’s not my imagination,” one of the Kougras cried out. “It’s definitely not Carissa.”

      “Then we have to hurry and get that statue so that we’re not caught,” the other one replied. Then they went inside the safe.

      Once my siblings joined me, we quickly went to the safe door and blocked it. The thieves were busy finding the statue that they did not notice us enter. However, as soon as they found the statue, they ran and found the only exit blocked by us.

      “Give it up, Al and Bert. We know that you’re not initially Shadow Kougras, you’re Skunk Myncies,” Opren shouted, holding a Lupe Wand in his paw.

      We were caught off guard when they drew out Thief Daggers and attacked us. Fortunately, all of us had a lot of experience in the Battledome, so they were no match for us. Then again, it was somewhat lopsided because there were only two of them while there were four of us. I stunned one of the Kougras with a stone from my slingshot before my sister knocked him out with her Jade Staff. Solar_Flare pelted the other Kougra with baby cabbages from his Earth Faerie Slingshot. Soon after, the Kougra was blasted back and was subsequently knocked out, thanks to Opren and his trusty Lupe Wand. After the other Kougra was down, we knew the battle was over, so we lowered our weapons.

      We must have made a lot of noise because Carissa came down, probably wondering what we were up to. After she saw the two Kougras out cold, she rushed back upstairs. She probably was going to send a message to the Defenders, telling to come as soon as possible.

      While we were waiting for the Defenders to arrive, my sister interrogated the Kougras after they woke up with a nasty headache. They told her that they stole the statue just earn some more money, thus confirming what all of us had suspected was their motive. As soon as the Defenders arrived and took them away, my sister went over to her field pack, took out the real statue, and gave it to Carissa.

      “Thanks for everything, Blizzard. You can expect the reward money in your bank account in a couple of days,” she said.

      “Hey, we were just doing our jobs as detectives, Carissa, so it was nothing,” my sister replied.

      Now that the case was closed, we could now relax until the next case pops up. We definitely deserved it after what we went through for approximately a week and a half.

The End