Neiko's Five Land Adventure (Neiko Adventure Saga Book #1)

Chapter 29

Neiko's parents came home later that night and notified the police once they discovered their daughter was missing. Several of Neiko's friends were also there in their disguises to offer support and get any information on the occurrence. The police had just finished searching the house for evidence when the detective approached her parents.

"Well, we found no fingerprints other than your daughter's, and I have no idea why this pepper concoction was made. The holes in your wall had to be made by someone or something metal that weighed at least 500 to 600 pounds. We'll notify you if we find the trail. Good day, Mrs. Hawk," replied the detective before he got into his car and left.

"Oh, I can't believe someone kidnapped Neiko, and there was hardly any evidence!" Pike said shaking his head.

"You're telling me! From what I could tell, this had to be one tough cookie to be able to take her when she was ready and leave no trace. That's even too good for a Crackedskull," Nighthawk shrugged.

"Yeah, if it was a Crackedskull or an Outsider, then there would've been blood or something. Well, let's go tell Xartna and see what else we can find out," Pike suggested.

"Well, we should ask every Indian and see when they saw her last," Xartna offered. The three of them called every Indian.

"The person who saw her latest was Bear Claw when she picked up weapons? That's a little odd, and they didn't find either in the house. I mean, this doesn't make sense," Pike mused.

"If she was in trouble, why didn't she tell somebody? She knew this guy was coming for her, and she tried to handle it herself. But why?" Nighthawk thought.

"Hmm, there is more to this mystery than meets the eye. Maybe this person was a danger to anyone that got in his way," Xartna shrugged.

"Maybe she was protecting us."

"Yeah right! We coulda helped her! We can handle a Crackedskull or an Outsider! We ain't kindergarten warriors!" Pike snapped.

"This guy is not either a Crackedskull or an Outsider judging from evidence," Xartna said.

"Well, who is he then, huh? I can't just stand here and let this jerk get away with this. He could be doing God knows what to her, and she could be dead!" Pike stammered.

"Pike, don't say things like that! We need to keep a positive mind. Well, I'll schedule a meeting tonight and tell everyone about the bad news and all the info, and please, Pike, keep your hopes up," Xartna said shaking his finger at him.

* * *

"Everyone, please be seated," Xartna said to every Indian who attended the emergency meeting that had been called earlier that day. "I scheduled this meeting on such short notice because I have dreadful news. Neiko is missing."

Great hubbub broke out, and people looked at each other horrified. "That is why the three of us called to see when she had been seen last."

"Who is responsible?" White Fang asked his brother Pike.

"We don't know, but we do know it was not a Crackedskull or a Georgian," Pike replied.

"It has to be Iraqi or Iranian terrorists! Then we're all dead meat!" cried Hawk, a Mohican.

"Everyone, stop jumping to conclusions!" Monganata scolded. "Besides, terrorists do not wear armor. This person's armor was so hard it broke Neiko's famed fighting stick," he said holding it up and the end that broke off.

"How can this be? Who on earth has armor that hard?" asked Hawk.

"There's more. She evidently used her aluminum baseball bat as a weapon, and she made some type of extremely strong pepper solution as a blinding agent, so this guy had to be totally covered in this armor. There were no fingerprints, hairs, or blood even though she did hit him several times because the bat was dented. The police also noted holes in the wall, and the detective said that a metal object weighing up to 600 pounds could crush marbles and put those kind of holes in the wall," Nighthawk replied.

"Marbles?" Hawk asked.

"Yeah, they were lying in the hall, and it looks as if she put them there to trip him after she blinded him, and it looks as she had a foolproof escape plan, so he must of got her on the way out," Pike shrugged.

"No way! That stuff she made would make that guy cry mommy for hours! There ain't no way he could go after her if she blinded him, so she had to miss. Or, that guy chased her out, and the Crackedskulls nabbed her. That guy's armor weighed that much? I can't even bench press that!" Hawk said.

"No that is the gross weight of the man and armor. The armor itself may weigh up to 250 pounds. So the man could weigh up to 350 pounds," Monganata mused.

"Whoa! That guy had to be huge! He had to be in his upper sixes to weigh that much and that's a lot of muscle. Boy, I couldn't imagine that much weight on my body, so that had to slow him down, and I don't think he could easily catch someone as nimble as Neiko," Eagle, Hawk's brother, said.

"This is what makes it really strange. The man chased her as if he was wearing clothes, so the armor didn't even faze him. It had to be carefully made in the joints to prevent any hindrances to his movement, and nobody is that strong or makes armor like that," Nighthawk replied.

"Gosh, when people wore that much armor on themselves, they couldn't even get on a horse, and if they fell then they couldn't get up. How can you tell she barely escaped to make it outside?" Eagle asked.

"Well, I don't think she would have holes in her wall, and I don't think she would have to go to the armory and get a tomahawk, bow, and arrows, and have a plan that elaborate—just call it a hunch. Oh, yeah, the tomahawk and the bow and arrows were nowhere in the house. It does look as she escaped, but knowing Neiko, she would've came back at least by morning so we know he got her or the Crackedskulls did. It seems we are going in circles. Let's all go home, and pray that Neiko will safely come home," Monchiska said sadly.

During the prayer Francesco slipped out to go report to Raven.