Judy woke with a groan and looked about. She was in her apartment and was lying in bed. Nick was sitting at the end of the bed watching her.
"Morning, Carrots," the fox said, coming closer.
"What happened?" Judy asked as she rubbed her head with a paw.
"Your stitches kind of reopened while you were chasing that kid. You passed out and I had to save you again." The fox grinned and added, "That's the second time I've had to save you on this case. Maybe I should start charging blueberries. One boxful for each time I save you?"
"Greedy fox," the bunny said, then asked if he had managed to catch the cheetah teen.
"Billy? Yes, yes I did, but not before he hit me in the face! That was lucky, in a way, because it meant I could get him for assault. Had to keep Bradley away from him. The guy was kind of mad that the youngster was spying on us. ZPD's got him in custody but he's not talking. The cheetah, that is, not the raccoon." Nick winked.
"Well, it's pretty obvious that he's working with Lucas," Judy said, crossing her arms.
"Maybe. Maybe not. Perhaps he was just being nosey."
"Nick," the rabbit said, giving him a 'do you really believe that?' look.
"Either way Carrots, we need him to talk to us. If he's working with Lucas, he's bound to know something that can help us."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Judy asked and tried to get out of bed only for Nick to push her back down.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Not so fast, Fluff. You need to rest up a bit."
"Nick, I'm fine. Really."
"Yeah, well you blacking out during a case says differently."
Judy narrowed her eyes at the fox and said, "I'm getting up Nick, and you're not stopping me."
Huffing, Nick threw his paws up in the air. "Oh, you bunnies. So stubborn!"
Ignoring him, Judy got up and made for the door, slapping Nick's paw away as he offered to help her. She didn't want to rely on his help all the time. It wouldn't be good for either of them.
"Hopps? You're alive?" Clawhauser said with a mixture of both shock and delight.
"Alive?" Judy repeated, a bit taken aback. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"Nick told me that you collapsed during a chase. Then I didn't hear about you from anyone! I thought you had died! I was really upset. Even listening to cut bands didn't help..."
"Clawhauser! It's only been three hours," Nick said, fixing the chubby cheetah with a hard stare.
Clawhauser just shifted uneasily in his seat and muttered, "Well she could have died for all I knew."
Nick just sighed and shook his head at how silly his fellow cop was being. Judy, on the other paw, was touched and told him so.
The cheetah smiled and said that it was nothing.
Nick rolled his eyes. "Much as I'd love to mess about with you two all day, I've got to question Billy Swiftpaw. Heh, 'Swiftpaw'," he mused. "Good name for a cheetah."
"Hang on a moment. You're going to question him?" Judy asked with a raised eyebrow.
Nick just shrugged. "He won't talk to Wolford or Higgins, so I'm going to give it a shot. It's only right that I do my bit."
"That's unusually mature of you," Judy grinned.
"You know how it is, Fluff. Sometimes it's just not the time to goof off. Catch you later."
Wiggling his eyebrows, the fox turned and strolled off. As soon as he got to the interrogation room, he put on his biggest smile and opened the door.
The room was small with nothing in besides a table and a drinking facility. Billy sat at one end of the table, staring at its surface
"Hi Billy," the fox said cheerfully. "How you doing? So, about this morning..."
"I'm not going to talk to you either," Billy said, cutting the fox off.
"Now, you know that's not what I want to hear," Nick replied as he sat in a chair across from Billy.
"I'm not saying anything. Please stop asking," Billy said, voice loud but without anger.
"That wolf and hippo asked me before you," the teen grunted. "When can I go home?"
"When you answer my questions. You know I can keep you here since I've got you on assault. So go ahead and tell me why you were eavesdropping on me. Then you can go."
Shaking his head, the fox got up and said, "Not talking? Well it looks like you'll be here for a while then. I'll be back later when you decide you'd like to have a chat. Bye-bye."
Opening the door, the fox strolled out, walking straight into Jack Lewis and a cup of boiling coffee, guaranteeing a yell from the tiger as the hot liquid spilt all over him.
"Whoopsie. I didn't see you there," Nick apologized. "You've gotta be more careful."
"Me?" Jack said is exasperation. "It was you! You great nincompoop."
"Now, now. Respect your elders and betters," the fox told him in a stern tone. He even wagged a finger at him for emphasis.
Jack rolled his eyes. "You're not my 'elder and better' at all."
"Am too. Nine years older, little Baby Boo."
"Baby Boo?!" Jack repeated, looking offended. "How does that rabbit put up with you?"
Nick considered. "I don't know. Must be my amazing personality. Anyhow, I got to go. Got to tell the chief that the prisoner still isn't talking."
Jack's ears perked up in interest and he asked who the prisoner was.
"Oh, just some kid called Billy Swiftpaw," the reynard replied as he walked away.
He didn't get far before he was grabbed by the arm and spun round to face a wide-eyed and very shocked Jack.
"Billy Swiftpaw?" the tiger exclaimed in alarm. "Why? What has he done? Is he alright? When did you arrest him?"
Frowning, the fox said, "Do I take it that you know him?"
"Yeah, he lives on the same street as me. We hang out together nearly every Friday. Nick, he's a nice guy. I'm sure whatever he's done wasn't his fault."
"I'm pretty much certain it was," Nick replied, then told the tiger to wait there.
Opening the door again, Nick called inside. "Billy, somebody's here to see you. It's Jack Lewis."
"Hi Billy. What have you gotten yourself into now?" Jack asked as he slipped into the room.
The cheetah's mouth dropped open. "Jack? Since when did you become a cop?"
"Since about ...this week. You've got to admit I look pretty cool in blue." Taking on a more serious look, the tiger then asked why the cheetah was detained.
Billy instantly want quiet.
"Billy? Come on. It's me," Jack said gently.
"Look, Jack, it's nothing. Cops just feel the need to arrest people at random. No offence."
"You were taking note of my conversation with Bradley Devall, and then when I tried to confront you about it, you assaulted me," Nick said, crossing his arms over his chest.
"So I hit you. That was rude. Can I go now? Please?" Billy replied without looking at either cop.
Sighing, Jack sat down and put a paw on the other's shoulder, before saying in a soft voice, "Billy just talk to me, will you? Come on. We're friends. I promise you won't go to jail or anything, but please tell me what's going on. Officer Wilde won't press charges."
He then glanced over at Nick, who nodded, letting both felids know that he agreed.
Swallowing, Billy said, "Okay, well I guess...err... I guess I should say sorry for hitting Officer Wilde, but I had to get out of there, you see."
"Why?" Nick asked, tilting his head a little.
Billy was silent for another moment. When he did speak, it was to Jack, and not the fox.
"Yeah, the polar bear. He lives on our street," Jack replied. "My mom knows him. Well, only for about three weeks now."
Billy nodded. "I was helping him out the other day and making a bit of idle chatter. He didn't seem that interested at first. Not until I mentioned those kidnappings. He became interested then. He grabbed me by the arm and demanded that I tell him what I knew about it."
Jack and Nick shared a look.
"I told him that I only knew about it from T.V," Billy went on, "that the cops were looking for a wolverine called Lucas. He told me that if I heard anyone talking about this Lucas, I was to report back what they said."
The cheetah paused. He then added that Clawvick had threatened to hurt his family if he didn't do as he was told.
Jack growled darkly. "Why, that no-good little creep. Well, don't you worry about him, Billy. The ZPD will take care of things. Nobody's going to hurt your family."
"Yeah kid, leave it to us," Nick said, before explaining that he'd get to it right away.
Leaving his two fellow predators to talk alone, the fox went looking for Judy, finally finding her heading for reception.
"Hey Fluff, where you off to?" Nick enquired.
"Nick, I was just looking for you," Judy replied as she glanced over her shoulder at him. "Chief wants us both in his office. I'm not sure why."
Nick just shrugged and followed Judy up to Bogo's office. The rabbit still struggled with the stairs, due to her injuries.
"Take a seat," Bogo said to them both, scowling at them from his desk.
The two officers did as they were told, already knowing the buffalo was unhappy about something.
"It seems you blacked out this morning while pursuing a possible suspect," the chief said, fixing his gaze on Judy.
"Yes sir," Judy replied, feeling about the size of a mouse.
"Now I wonder how that might have happene?" the buffalo grunted.
"Well sir, it was due to the fact that I haven't yet made a full recovery. The exertion reopened some of my wounds, since they hadn't yet had time to fully heal."
"I see," Bogo replied, then asked why he hadn't been informed about the extent of the rabbit's injuries.
Judy swallowed, knowing that whatever she said would mean trouble. She had deliberately neglected to tell the chief that she was still in bad shape. She had done so to show that she was tough and was still capable of doing her job. If the chief thought differently, then he might take her off the case. It was now time for her to own up to that fact, and chances were that the result wouldn't be pleasant.
"I didn't want you to think I couldn't hack it, sir," the rabbit muttered and looked down at her paws. "I didn't want you to think I couldn't do my job."
"It seems that you couldn't, after all. Delusions of grandeur, Officer Hopps," her boss huffed.
Judy's eyes shot back up to look at him, hurt evident in her expression.
That had been an unnecessary comment and they all knew it.
"Sir, don't you think that's uncalled for?" Nick said, fur brisling slightly.
"Can it, Wilde," the buffalo said coldly without looking away from Judy.
Oh no, Judy thought, here it comes. Disciplinary action. What's he going to say now?
"Officer Hopps, I'm taking you off the kidnapping case," Bogo announced bluntly.
"What?" both cops exclaimed in shock.
"Hopps, you're in no shape for this case. Your wounds haven't healed enough for you to carry out your duties. You need time to recover."
"No buts, officer. Your injuries have already caused you to black out once, and I won't have it happening again. On duty, it's too much of a risk."
"It was a one-time thing, sir," Nick said coming to Judy's aid. "It won't happen again. It was just a one off."
"And how can you be one hundred percent sure of that, Officer Wilde?" the chief asked, staring at the fox intensely.
"Well I...err..." Nick faltered.
"I'm sorry Wilde, but as commendable as is your loyalty to your partner, I'm afraid your argument is invalid."
Turning back to look at Judy, the chief told her that his decision was final.
The rabbit opened her mouth to object again but closed it knowing that he was right. She hadn't given herself time to recover. She had told herself that it was simply because there was too much for her to do. In truth, it was more to do with pride and not wanting to look weak to her colleagues. She had been lucky today. Nick had been close and there hadn't been any danger to either of them. Next time, luck might be less inclined to smile on them. If it was just her life at risk, then the rabbit might have pushed harder to change the chief's mind, but she had Nick to think about as well. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if her current handicap put her partner at risk.
Sighing, the rabbit said, "Yes, you're right sir. I understand this is necessary."
"Splendid," Bogo answered. "As it so happens, Hopps, you were due a holiday in a few days anyway. All we'll be doing is bringing that forward."
Judy had forgotten about her holiday. Suddenly, being forced to take a break was a bit less crushing. At least this way it would seem more like having her holiday early rather than having to take sick leave. She would get the chance to finally enjoy herself. Bunnyburrow would be holding its annual summer ball soon, and Judy had to admit that she did enjoy attending that event.
Looking at Nick, the buffalo said, "I'll be assigning you a new partner ASAP. It's only a temporary replacement, you understand."
Nick nodded, then enquired as to who it might be.
"I'm not sure yet. I'll have to see who isn't currently on an assignment. Any preference?"
Nick thought for a moment, listing all of his colleagues in his mind. He needed someone who would get the job done but would also be fun and easy to get along with.
Nick knew the tiger was hard working and good for a laugh, and he seemed to have a kindness about him that was rare. Also, he didn't yet seem to grasp the full extent of the reynard's shenanigans, thus making him the perfect victim. On top of all that, Nick just liked the guy.
"Officer Lewis," Nick said, just as the chief was getting impatient. "He's a great guy. I'm sure we'll get along. Plus, he did get that cheetah to spill the beans."
"He did?" Bogo and Judy both queried.
"Yeah. You see, it turns out that Jack knows him. They live on the same street and hang out sometimes. Jack convinced Billy to talk, and he said that some bear threated to bust up his family if he didn't spy on anyone who was looking for Lucas. The bear's name is Clawvick. He also lives on Jack's street. I was just about to go investigate, when Judy told me you wanted us in the office."
"Alright, Officer Lewis it is," Bogo agreed. "Speaking of which, he found something this morning on that weasel."
He then handed a scrunched up piece of paper to Nick, who straightened it out and looked it over.
New target tomorrow. A zebra in Sahara Square. Be ready and waiting. Boss wants it done quick. See you tomorrow at 6:20pm.
Looking up from the paper, Nick eyed the chief. "Well, that's thrown a spanner into the works, hasn't it?"
"What has?" Judy asked, looking puzzled.
"It seems our boy Lucas isn't the one behind all this. He's working for somebody else," the fox explained as he gave the paper back to his own boss. "He's also pretty dumb. If I was evading the ZPD, I would never put my name on a hard copy message like that."
Nick froze. "Not that I would ever be evading the ZPD…"
"Brilliant," Judy huffed. "That makes our job harder."
Nick scowled at her. "You mean my job. You're off on vacation. Lucky bunny."
Judy patted his paw sympathetically, before a loud cough brought both her and Nick's attention back to Chief Bogo.
"Wilde, go and inform Officer Lewis that he'll be working with you on the kidnapping case until further notice. And Officer - I want this case wrapped up yesterday. There's already been reports of tension between prey and predators. I don't want it getting out of hoof. We don't need a repeat of the night howler incident. As for you, Officer Hopps, enjoy yourself and return to us once you have made a full recovery. That does mean a full recovery. Dismissed."
Standing, the fox and rabbit made for the door, Judy wishing Nick luck and he wishing her a good time at Bunnyburrow.
"Offier Hopps, one last thing," Bogo called, stopping the rabbit who was halfway through the door.
"I expect a full box of Bunnyburrow blueberries to be sitting on my desk upon your return. I've heard impressive rumours about them. If not, then I'm afraid I might have to take further disciplinary action against you."
A smile tugged at the end of Judy's mouth as she told the chief that she would see what she could do.
Finnick stared blankly at the window as the car he was seated in drove along the road. In reality, he wasn't watching the view at all. He couldn't, thanks to the blindfold that had been placed over his eyes.
Just under half an hour ago, a bobcat had approached him in a café and told him to get into a car outside. Finnick's first response had been to threaten serious injury, but once the cat had hissed that he was taking him to meet with Howlton, the fox had simply nodded and followed him outside. There, out of sight of the public, he had been blindfolded and shoved into the back of the car. Finnick wasn't frightened, but he was feeling uneasy. He still had no idea what Howlton wanted with him. It was a no brainer that it was something illegal. The question was, what?
The fox was brought out of his thoughts by the sudden jolt of the car stopping. He was then pulled out of the car and marched into what sounded like the shell of a building, through two corridors and up a flight of steps and into a room. The blindfold was then removed and the fox saw that he was in a small and dimly lit room with little more in it than a desk and a chair.
Howlton sat in the chair, paws coming together in a pyramid. Next to him stood Lucas, who nodded at the diminutive fox.
"It's been a long time," the wolverine sniffed.
"Yeah. Shame it hasn't been longer," Finnick replied venomously, then glared at Howlton. "Now spill. Why am I here?"
"Like I said on the phone, I have a job for you," the wolf replied.
"Yeah brainbox, I got that," Finnick snapped. He suddenly let out a pained grunt as the bobcat punched him in the gut.
"I'd watch your mouth, if I were you. It always did get you into trouble," Howlton said in a flat tone.
Finnick was about to bite back with a comment but thought better of it and simply blew heavily through his nostrils.
"Since you seem so desperate to get down to business, I'll tell you what this is all about," the wolf went on. "Mr. Lucas Blackclaw needs a new driver for his car. Well, my car. The last driver didn't work out. Pity really. He was a good guy."
"So all I need to do is drive your pal around for a bit? Why me? What's he up to?"
"Come again?" Finnick said, frowning. He really must have misheard the wolf. Howlton had come up with some crazy stuff back in the day, but this was just plain weird.
"You heard him," Lucas growled. "Boss wants some kids taken and you have to..."
"Kids?!" Finnick exploded. "I'm not going through with a stinking stunt like that. I'm done."
With that, the fox turned and headed for the door, daring the bobcat to even try and stop him.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Howlton said dryly.
"Yeah? And what's that?" Finnick spat.
"Mary," the wolf replied.
It was only one word, but it was enough to make the fox stop as if he had been frozen in place.
"You remember Mary, don't you? You wouldn't want the ZPD to find out about her, now would you? I'm sure they would consider the whole thing most interesting. What do you think? Shall I pass the word on?"
"No," Finnick replied. His shoulders sagged.
"Then don't you dare presume you can run away from this one," the wolf snarled and slammed his fist down on the table, making both Finnick and the bobcat jump.
Lucas didn't even flinch. Instead, he looked at something on his phone, cleary unfazed by his boss's outburst.
"You're in this all the way, fox," Howlton continued to snarl. "If you try to back out, you're finished. You can't tell anyone about me. You'd burn right along with me. Got it?"
"Yeah, got it," Finnick muttered.
"Good. Then go downstairs and take the black Volvo. You and Lucas have a target in two days' time, and I want it done without incident."
"Who's the target?" Finnick asked.
The wolf didn't answer and just threw over a file that had been on his desk.
The small predator opened it and looked at the photo and name of the soon-to-be victim.
"You've got to be joking..." Finnick said, as his eyes rested on the surname.
This was bad. Really, really bad.
.............................................................................................................................
Thanks for reading. I hope you liked that chapter. let me know what you think and what you want to see next.
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