Hey There! After many weeks of plotting, screaming, making playlists and crying over things I myself created, here it is. My thanks go to three important people in this fandom: Vellichor29 that is simply the best beta that is and somehow puts up with all my anthics, pyrophoricitee that seems to be a fan even through all he has read about this fiction are snippets and short comics (you go, baguette boy), and last but not least, witty, the genius creator of the zistopia AU that opened my eyes about how WildeHopps should really be interpretated in the world Zootopia is located.
Without further ado, buckle your seatbelt Dorothy, because Kansas is going bye-bye.
Chapter 1: Promotion, not Punishment
Day 1, Savanna Central, Zootopia's Police Department, 7:06 PM
That night, precinct one made sounds of shift change, clock engines, and Nick's steady heartbeat.
At her desk - now, ex-desk - Judy glanced up to her partner - now, ex-partner - as he stamped, initiated and signed a few documents here and there. Shamelessly, she observed as her partner's skilled hands finished each one of his reports with impressive patience.
Green eyes raised to hers, as well as an eyebrow. "Like what you see, Detective?" Nick asked in an impressively calm tone. Judy kept her stare even after his eyes left hers, watching for the last time in that position as Nick bit the end of his pencil.
"I'm going to miss you." she said, at last. The fox looked up at her again. In any other situation, she would have been crazy for saying such a thing. They had spent the whole day, week, and previous night together, as usual.
But that routine would not be repeated.
"It's not like if we are not going to see each other ever again, Carrots." he said, looking away as he assembled his papers and smirked, trying to show her that there was no reason to worry.
Nick could pretend as much as he wanted that the new situation did not bothered him, but Judy could hear his now unsteady and nervous heartbeat. She sighed, tired - if Nick did not wanted to deal with these feelings right now, she was not going to pressure him. It was their last day as partners and she was not going to ruin it for him with sentimentalism.
Everything was going to change - new rank, new desk, new job routine, but without the old partner. Tomorrow, Judy would have to move her things from this old desk she was sitting at to her new one, in the Detective's Wing. She would also be assigned to higher rank cases and have to work on her own - which was not such a big deal, she had done very well in the months Nick was in the Academy. What really bothered her was not the work itself, but the fun parts of it that existed just because Nick was by her side.
No more ridiculously sweetened food at 3 in the morning, no more sleepovers because they stayed until 5 in the morning in the precinct filing paperwork, and there was no way Nick or her would drive all the way to Happytown just to leave him home. There would be no more duets in the cruiser with their thoughtfully chosen playlist and no more stupid puns at inappropriate times. They would, of course, keep hanging with each other at lunch and dinner and over the weekends... but still, there would be no more of their constant camaraderie during work.
No more… well, Nick. It saddened her deeply.
"Deteeective~" sang Ben Clawhauser through the radio "Are you there Hopps? Gosh, I'm so glad for you!"
"Hey there, Ben" Judy replied to her radio, smiling at the receptionist's goofiness "why thank you. Are you leaving already?"
"Oh, no! Chief Bogo said that he wanted you at his office before 7:15, if possible. Something extremely urgent."
"Sure. I'm on my way. Thank you."
"You're welcome!"
Hopping out of her chair, Judy made her way towards the door, stopping for a few seconds to turn around and look at her best friend again. "Nick?" she asked, her voice unsure and low. Perceiving her unusual tone, Nick locked his eyes with hers instantly.
"Yes?"
She opened her mouth, but no words came out. How could she express so much gratitude and affection with verbal communication? It was their last day together, and everything had gone as perfectly as possible. If she were to compare her 2 years with Nick to any other, she couldn't think of any period in her life where she was happier.
The detective closed her mouth - no words existed that could do justice to her feelings.
"I had a very good time." she said in the end. It was ridiculously simple in comparison to her complex emotions, but better than nothing.
For once, Nick smiled widely and sincerely, something so rare that Judy knew by the now accelerated beating of his heart that she was not the only one with these complex feelings in her chest.
"Me too. The best time."
She nodded and left the office with her heart a little lighter.
"Detective" said the chief, gesturing his hooves to the chair opposed to his desk "sit down." Judy did as she was told.
"I asked you to come so suddenly so I could make myself clear about my intentions of when I promoted you." said Bogo, crossing his arms and narrowing his dark eyes at her "Are you at all suspicious of why I agreed to promote an officer that had less than three years of experience when applying to the Detective Exam?"
The new detective considered the chief's question - she was indeed very surprised when Bogo accepted her application to the Detective Exam. If she wanted to be promoted, Judy would have to suffer very meticulous physical and theoretical exams, but they would only be applied to her if her direct superior accepted her submission. When she sent her application when the time of the Exam approached, it was mostly for experience, she had not really expected that Bogo would think so highly of her and accept her submission, mostly because she remembered how many times she was sent to his office for insubordination and questionable behavior.
But he did. It still confused her.
"I can only think that somehow, I managed to exceed your expectations not only about my personal potential, but in relation to the whole team."
"Yes, indeed. But it wouldn't be enough for me to break the protocol and accept your application before your minimum time as an officer expired, bringing me much more paperwork and headaches as consequences."
When the rabbit did not answer, but kept her confused stare instead, the water buffalo sighed and sat down on his chair, leaning his elbows against his desk.
"The main reason of why I accepted your application is because you would do Detective work anyway. If you and Wilde are throwing yourselves left and right at danger, the least I can do is giving one of you the qualifications and resources to do it more safely."
Judy blinked, bewildered. "Wait- what?!"
"Did I not make myself clear, Detective?"
"Yes, about your reasons." she said. The fact that she managed to somehow force a promotion on her boss made her feel both guilty and amused with herself "But I do not understand, sir, at least one of us? I'm keeping Nick as my partner?!"
The chief looked at her as if she had grown two extra heads.
"Yes. Of course." he said, suspicious "Is there any reason for splitting you two that I should know about?"
"No! Of course not." Judy exclaimed, unable to contain her own happiness. It was beyond any of her wildest fantasies - not only she got the promotion, the rank, the status, the possibility of more resources to make the world a better place, but she was able to keep her partner as well.
Bogo narrowed his eyes even more, if possible.
"If we are finally clear here, Hopps" Bogo said, putting his glasses on and looking down at the sheet of paper in his desk "I need you to sign those documents."
The rabbit nodded energetically as Bogo slid the paper in towards her with a pen. She took both in her hands, reading the text so quickly she barely gasped it's concept, forcing her to read it all again.
I, Detective Judith Laverne Hopps, compromise myself with guarding and caring for the security, formation and development of Officer Nicholas Piberius Wilde, being aware that…
"I'll be responsible for him?" she said. The concept was not entirely foreign to her - being assigned to him as soon as he graduated from the academy, Judy had to make sure he went through the routines and standard trainings before both of them could patrol streets, take cases, and do their jobs. The precinct had made it very clear that if anything were to happen to their first fox officer, the consequences would be drastic.
Judy was entirely partial about that - not only she valued Nick's security above her own, but she was aware of how important his participation was as an officer to so many foxes in the streets of Zootopia. Previous to his graduation at the academy, reports of assaults and other general attacks against foxes went barely unnoticed by the media and the ZPD, considering that the species did not felt entirely comfortable with how unjustly the law treated them.
But that was before Nick came along. After his design to District 1 with her, the statistics of crime in Zootopia peaked to incredulous levels - but that was only the reported statistics, those crimes had been happening for a long time without being reported. There was an entire group of citizens that the ZPD had neglected until now.
Of course, the amount of reports from small sized animals had also increased after Judy's own assignment, but it had been nothing compared to crimes against foxes. When she mentioned that to Nick, she could remember how his expression darkened after thinking about the subject.
Most of them were hate crimes.
"Yes." said the chief, his expression unreadable "Until he is experienced enough to be promoted to detective as well, you'll be."
The detective assigned her name in the pointed line.
"I hope you understand the weight I'm putting on your shoulders, Detective." said Bogo, taking the paper and pen back "I'm trusting you to not make bad decisions. Do you understand?"
Judy aligned her posture "Yes, sir."
As Judy left Bogo's office, Clawhauser sprinted towards the opposite direction, nearly crushing the rabbit to death in the process.
"SORRY!" shouted the cheetah without looking back. He held a radio in his hands and stopped a few steps before Bogo's door so he could catch his breath. After a few gasps, the cheetah returned to his run and slammed the chief's door open.
"CLAWHAUSER!" reprimanded the chief.
"I'M SORRY SIR!" yelled back the cheetah, his chubby paws leaned against his chest as if his heart would call it a day and leave "We… just… got… a call…"
"What is it?!" Bogo said, turning his attention to the receptionist with more urgency. Curious, Judy got closer to the commotion and watched as the cheetah caught his breath.
Clawhauser looked on the edge of a stroke "We just got a call. It seems a whole apartment just exploded! Well. Not quite. It burned impressively quickly and made it very hard for the firemammals to extinguish it. There is already a whole unity of officers taking in the perimeter and looking for victims around the building, it seems that it was purposful."
If the water buffalo was any surprised, his face did not let it show. He simply clenched his fists and sighed, not even letting his heart run out of it's usual pace for Judy's ears to catch. "It was just one apartment that blew up? Leaving the rest of the building unscathed?"
The cheetah nodded "We need an assignment, chief."
Bogo took of his glasses off, looking particularly pissed when his gaze fixated in Judy, that believed to be invisible for the bigger mammals until that point. "It seems you have your first assignment, Detective."
Judy's heart skipped a beat. "I- Chief, I-I just finished my shift." was the only thing she could think about, regardless of how little she cared about that. Bogo raised a tired eyebrow at her.
"I don't give a shit. Go get your partner and inspect the crime scene before the whole things goes down. I expect detailed reports, Detective."
Judy's entire frame broke in a cheerful smile - never once had a mammal been so happy with a domestic explosion.
"Yes! Right now, sir!" Judy turned around and sprinted towards the Officer's Wing.
Day 1, Savanna Central, Horn Street with Melton Avenue 47, 8:20 PM
"You need to explain it to me again." said Nick behind his shades, pressing the elevator button to the 12th floor as they had been orientated "With details. Not only you get your promotion, a new case that looks like some terrorist attempt, but you also get sassy, smart and incredibly sexy me? What is this, Christmas?"
"Looks to be so!" said the rabbit back, so cheerful and energetic that despite her own tiredness, her knees and hands shivered in anticipation. She felt like jumping. Hopping. Dancing.
But no. She was a serious detective in her first case. So, she would content herself with awkward trembling.
Nick chuckled in response. "It's great to see that you are so excited with positively carbonized bodies." said Nick, what stopped her wave of energy.
"Oh my God," she said, punching him lightly on the arm "you are so gross. You know what I meant."
"Absolutely. You are excited with keeping sassy, smart and incredibly sexy me, admit it. Well, I couldn't blame you" he turned around and looked at the elevator mirror, winking behind his shades and posing with his pointing fingers towards his reflection "I would be excited about spending time with sassy, smart, incredibly sexy me."
Judy groaned, evoking another wave of chuckles from her partner.
"I mean, how can you even concentrate on your job with those beautiful emerald eyes around you so frequently?" he turned back to her, a smug grin spreading over his muzzle as he crossed his hands on his heart in false sympathy, "I'd feel very self-conscious."
She snorted right when their elevator door opened, filling the air with a distinct smell of… Judy couldn't quite pinpoint what. It was heavy, borderline nauseous and had traces of smoke. She looked at Nick, who had the best nose between them. His hands held his muzzle with cautiousness, his expression was the same as someone who was about to puke.
"You alright?" she asked as they left the insides of the elevator. Nick blinked a few times until his eyes got rid of the concentrating lachrymation.
"Just peachy." he said, but his heartbeat betrayed his words. Worried, Judy reached for his arm and held it protectively, locking her eyes with his.
"It's gonna be okay." she assured him "You talk to the officers, I will look around and make notes. That seem fine to you?" Nick nodded. Judy had always been the one who had the stomach for bloody corpses and Nick had always been the one who had the tongue for communication in general. Not many opportunities to deal with corpses had been available while they did general Officer job - what they would be constantly hustling to do for detective-like jobs - but they had their moments of limitations, and Nick had never been one to deal greatly with destroyed mammalian forms.
"Okay." Nick said, and let his paws drop to the sides of his torso "We are doing this".
"We are makin' this happen." Judy sang back. Nick chuckled with the reference as they turned around towards the left wing of the great complexion of apartments.
When they arrived the corridor where the apartment 1217 was located, the smell was so heavy in Judy's nostrils it was unbearable. The corridor had the feeling of being dirty, the other apartments' doors were open, as curious neighborhoods peered at the commotion of officers at the crime scene. Rush of whispers and conversations could be heard, and those voices were heightened as Judy and Nick crossed the corridor.
"Is that the bunny cop?"
"Jesus Christ, look at his claws!"
"I can't believe they allowed a rabbit to become detective."
"Here we go," murmured Nick. Judy's sensitive ears buzzed with the overflow of voices.
At the doorsill of the apartment 1217, Officer Johnson - a grumpy gray antelope in his thirties whom had strong opinions about onions and coffee - looked at them and raised a eyebrow.
"Detective" he said, in his usual bad mood, "Officer."
"Johnson" greeted Judy. Her lips broke in a small smile at the title she was still not used to.
"Sunshine," replied Nick. Used to Nick's antics, the antelope rolled his eyes impatiently.
"Domestic fire of level 2." started the officer, flipping pages in his notebook "Started approximately at a quarter to six post noon. The neighbors called the the fireman after the increase of smoke, 'leaving the entire building smelling like burned rice', as a particular testimony mentioned."
"Further investigation of the crime scene revealed that, as expected, the entire apartment was left in ruins. As the fireman advanced towards the fire, it became clear the gas cylinder in the kitchen exploded, as well as further devastation of the crime scene. You may recognize the form of a couch or table here and there, but just like the decoration, the furniture of the place was ruined. We also found a body in what seemed to be the kitchen, if the fire was not enough to make evidence a rare thing, the explosion seems to have destroyed the body to what seems to be war-like levels."
So that's what caused the stink, no doubt Nick was so uneasy. Judy widened her eyes, feeling her heartbeat increase. The intensified smell felt even more nauseous right next to the apartment's door. She searched for Nick's heartbeat in the buzz of sounds, but couldn't quite set it apart.
"We have an identification?" she said after a few seconds.
"Quite. We believe the body belongs to Damara Djedet, businesswoman in her thirties, goat. We could discern, though we are still uncertain, by the horns' format, despite the further damage inflicted through the body in the explosion and fire," as the antelope spoke, Judy peeked through the doorframe to the apartment, gasping at the damaged state of the place.
The furniture lied in pieces at the counters and walls, the floor was scattered with black, red, broken glass, and gray ashes. The walls seemed to be permanently stained with those colors, as well as with the unsettling yellow of burned white paint and water stains of the fire.
"The victim lived with someone?" Nick's hoarse voice cut through Judy's observations.
"Yes. The imobiliare registration belongs to Damara and her roommate, Doctor Nessa Dutter."
"Doctor?" asked Nick.
"Yes. Apparently, Dutter had a PhD in Biochemistry and Genetics, specialized in agricultural transgenics."
"Were her whereabouts sorted out?"
"No. We tried to contact both her phone, but it was out of service. Or data center is looking for her place of work."
Judy and Nick exchanged glances. "Okay. Let's give the crime scene a look." Judy said, stepping in the apartment as Officer Johnson stepped away to let the smaller mammals enter.
The insides were instilled in Judy like ancient photographs of warzones. Around the apartment, a variety of diversificated species rushed from one side to the other - Judy could pinpoint most of them: a polar bear took pictures of what once was called a living room, a duo of guinea pigs, and a black jackal tagged evidence with distinct and numbered yellow flags.
At some spots, the marks of fire and ashes in the ground seemed to follow circular patterns around a single spot, marking a bizarre, black stained shape like the sun.
Judy took her carrot pen and pressed the record button. "The insides seem to be stricken with the fire's damage," she said, walking through the apartment and looking around "it seems the explosion originated in the kitchen, although it does not necessarily mean that's where the fire started."
"The air smells like a fucking crematorium," said Nick, covering his muzzle again with his sleeves.
"Thank you for the addendum, Officer," she said sarcastically, although not entirely aggressive, "It seems as if the whole place was bathed in some flammable fluid. Perhaps alcohol or gasoline?" she looked at her partner, in doubt.
The fox simply shrugged, "It seems harsher than a gasoline inducted fire."
"Has the body been taken already?" Judy asked at a nearby Officer, a sheep with round horns around his head and neck. Because of the current season, his gray wool was trimmed near to his skin, giving the usually perceived-as-chubby Officer Sheppard a bizarre appearance of malnutrition.
"Sorry Hopps, but why are you meddling with this? I swear, if Fangmeyer ever catches you and Wilde messing with another of her cases it might get dirty."
Nick chuckled as Judy took her new badge from her pocket and displayed it to the officer. After a distinct wow, the officer put down his camera and pointed towards a door frame stained with black and water.
"Sorry Detective. The body is still over there."
Judy herself snickered when Sheppard left their side towards the other room. She looked at her partner. "I'll take a look at the body, you talk to the neighbors. What do you say?"
"Fine for me."
In the kitchen, the smell stained Judy's nostrils so strongly that she felt like if it was physically crushing her. It all stinked of both ashes and rottenness. Previous to the explosion, the room could have been called elegant or even luxurious, but now the delicate furniture was scattered all around in pieces of ash, burned wood, and other materials. One window stood bravely at the corner of the room, but it's glass had been shattered with the heat of the fire. The ceiling - now that Judy stopped to look at it - was stained with black and yellow from the flames. The shape of a fridge could be recognized in the corner, stained and twisted with the higher temperature it suffered.
Judy stepped cautiously through the shattered and wet glass in the ground towards the covered body, leaning in her knees to watch as the legist took out her plastic cloves and doodled in her notebook.
"Any information, Doctor?" the detective asked, patiently.
"Well, as usual in explosion cases followed by contained fire," the pig said, her features twisted in discomfort and disgust, "her body was exposed to such pressure and heat that it nearly seared together. Facial and hoof prints will be impossible, but I'm mostly sure that a DNA map will still be viable, if necessary." Judy nodded.
"May I take a look at the body?" the doctor shrugged, standing up.
"You may, but I can't think of how that could prove useful. It looks like a war victim, for fuck's sake. 15 years in the field and I still can't understand what makes a mammal want to do that to another."
Judy nodded, then uncovered the upper part of the corpse. As her eyes run through it's features, Judy could only remember the horrifying pictures of bombs and acid victims she studied in the Academy, but those were ancient examples specific to soon-to-be cops, and this was the real deal.
The smell hit her like a truck, concentrated and stored underneath the cover. The goat's body had suffered a high level of degradation that Judy could not even set apart the head, the neck, or the collar. The slightly curved horns, although, had been somehow preserved. It had the horrifying appearance of a limp goat-like balloon - the cavities of the eyes had been lost in the many fractures and exposed burned flesh, as well as the completely whipped and burned fur, that was not visible in any part. Bone tips, flesh bubbles of heat, cartilage and burned skin were lost in the mess of the body's surface, as well as random spots of black that resembled to the marks of a pancake toasted only in one side, making Judy's stomach twist with the metaphor. Judy couldn't say if it was bloody or if it simply looked too red, too maroon, too wrong. It did not looked like a goat at all. She could not even set apart a muzzle.
Judy covered the body again, in an instinctive hurry, stepping back from the terrifying sight that was now burned in her mind as the smell burned through her nostrils as she breathed in.
As her paws failed to reach the fox, Judy looked around for her partner, only to remember that he did not followed her into the kitchen. Sighing, half relieved, half anxious with his absence, she stepped closer to the body and uncovered it again, this time trying to keep herself calm.
"As expected, the corpse present signals of fire and explosion damage. The way the surface seems spotted in random black marks of the fire may indicate that the body suffered severe burning before the explosion, suggesting that the fire was indeed intentional and that the victim may not have been alive at the time of the explosion," she cocked her head to one side, looking at the horns "The horns seem to not be affected by the heat, pressure or impact. Doctor, is there a possibility of identification through the mold of the horns?"
"We could try," said the Doctor, "But I believe it would be easier to identify the body through the dental arch. Not all goats take molds of their horns." Judy nodded.
"Thank you. Do you think we could get a further report of the autopsy by tomorrow afternoon?" the pig narrowed her small eyes at Judy.
"I could try," the doctor said annoyed, "But I won't make any promises. You are not the only one in Downtown with a murder case, Hopps."
"I understand. But it would be really nice of you if you could, I dunno, rearrange your priorities."
The bunny waggled her eyebrows a few times, to add effect. The doctor rolled her eyes - Hopps was known for trying to hurry the autopsy of a body assigned to each of her cases, leaving the legist extremely upset with her lack of patience for the proper time of a report wait.
"I will see what I can do, but if you or your damn partner peek into my lab to bother me in less than 24 hours, I'll make sure to not verify this body until next week. Do I made myself clear, Detective?"
"Crystal," Judy replied, "Is this smell-"
"Burned flesh? Yes, indeed." Judy shivered, of course Nick would feel repudiated in extreme levels to the apartment and body, with his sensitive nose. She was very glad that he was somewhere else and not in this room.
Nick was almost regretting not being in the room with a corpse. With nearly two years in the field, he should have been used to how crazy mammals can get when someone dies in their building. He wasn't.
"Was it Damara or Nessa? God, I hope it was Nessa," Said one of the neighbors, a pig that held their piglet protectively in her arms when Nick greeted them and flashed his badge,"That girl definitely had a deal with the Devil, bless her heart."
"What would make you think that?" said Nick, sounding as uninterested as he really was. It was the third door he had knocked on tonight and this interview was ending up just as the previous.
"The woman would arrive at 3 in the morning, school night, all stinking of beer and cigarettes and with some... unsavory companions. She is in her thirties and yet behaves like a teenage ewe, wearing those satanic clothes and listening to songs that praise the devil."
Nick pictured a sheep wearing nothing but a blood colored cloak and singing in Aramaic through the corridors, cursing other mammals' manhoods. Doctor Nessa Dutter sounded nice. "What kind of unsavory companies?"
"Well, I'm not speciest," the pig said, and Nick braced himself, "but she would walk around the corridors melting with wolves, horses, and the lady from 1214 even swears that saw her with a rhino last Monday. That's ridiculous, sheep are for sheep and rhinos are for rhinos."
Nick wasn't sure what the pig expected him to say, or what he would have said if he wasn't on duty. Regardless, he bowed his head and doodled in his notes - it was not difficult for be a cop of two years to identify when you shouldn't start a political discussion with someone.
"Have you seen any suspicious events today, around half past five?"
"Oh, not really. Today had been really peaceful if one could forget about the fire."
When Nick had interviewed 7 neighbors, he was feeling like it was all useless - they would all say the same thing about how Nessa was the antichrist, Damara was such a nice person that her roommate did not deserve, and no, they haven't seen anything suspicious around half past five.
His weariness was starting to become unbearable - neither him or Judy had slept at all last night, as their entire day was spent finishing their remaining paperwork before Judy's new rank messed up those registrations in the system.
The fox sighed to himself and knocked on what he wished was the last door for the night.
"Good evening" he said, pushing the badge so I would be visible through the small crack the ram opened in the door to stare at Nick "I'm officer Wilde and I have a few questions regarding the earlier fire. Could you give me a few moments of your time to answer some questions?"
"I don't know anything relevant, officer," said the ram, his eyes looked around the corridor behind Nick, widening with terror.
"Even the smallest detail might help," Nick tried. He purposely leaned his ears and tail down and looked away from the ram, trying to make the sheep more comfortable.
"I was in my apartment the whole day. I listened to nothing. Good night." The door was slammed in Nick's muzzle.
"Detective Hoops," said Officer Johnson, entering the crime scene as Judy left the kitchen, "Our data group called, they just identified Doctor Dutter's job. She is a genetic researcher at ZUni's Agricultural Center."
"Thank you for telling me," she replied. Johnson turned on his heels and went back without giving any other response.
Rolling her eyes, Judy took her phone from her pockets and unlocked the screen, choosing the browser application. She was able to quickly search for the closing-time of the Agricultural Center, glad they still had time to get there and ask a few questions before calling it a day. She hoped Nick wouldn't mind.
Her partner chose to enter through the door at that very moment. "I swear to God Fluff, if I have to handle another interview ever again all my fur will spontaneously combust."
Judy gave him a condescending look. Nick rolled his eyes and threw his head back. "Of course," he said, as if he was scolding himself for not have seen it coming, "You driving?"
Day 1, Savanna Central, Zootopia's Public University Agricultural Center, 9:45 PM
"We have 15 minutes, Carrots," said Nick, as they sprinted towards the Research Laboratory, "I bet they all have already left."
"I bet there is still at least one of them over there. Probably the manager," she said in between gasps, throwing herself at the front doors of the building.
"What floor?" said Nick, running for the elevator.
"Second Floor! It's faster if we go through the stairs!" she ran towards the white door with a stairs plate, passing Nick through his left when the door suddenly burst open, the one who opened it crashing against Judy and sending her a few steps back.
"Wow, sorry there, girl," said the bigger mammal, a ram. Just like sheppard, his brown wool was trimmed just to his skin, contrasting to his bone-white curved horns, "I did not see you coming."
"I apologize," Judy got up, extending her paw to the bigger mammal, "I'm Detective Judy Hopps, the fox over there laughing like a hyena is my partner, Officer Wilde."
"Hello," said Nick, bending over his own form and catching his breath in between laughs. The ram shook Judy's paw.
"I'm Doctor Cássio Gaidos, I was just leaving. I'm not sure what you guys came for, but I'm the only one left in here." Judy looked back at Nick and grinned.
"If we are not being intrusive," said Judy, looking back at the ram, "but could you answer a few questions about Doctor Nessa Dutter?"
The ram's expression did not change, but Judy caught the beat that his heart skipped. "Yes, of course. Anything. If you don't mind, I have to get these to my car," he lightly shook the paper box in his hands.
"Alright." Judy took her carrot pen, setting it to record another tape, "Did Nessa show up for work today?"
They crossed the building doors and Cássio put the box in the floor to lock the entrance. "Yes. But only the morning shift. She simply went missing after the lunch break."
"Is that a customary thing for her?"
"No, absolutely not. Nessa is completely devoted to her job, never seen a soul better than her in the field. Did you know she was one of the scientists that worked on the Nighthowler cure?" Judy raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Of course you know, you are Judy Hopps! Well, anyway, she is very devoted and wouldn't call the afternoon and night off without warning before. It was really weird from the start."
They had reached the ram's car, an old gray Wolfswagen that looked impressively well maintained. Judy exchanged a look with Nick, that was doing a good job at not looking as devastatingly tired as he felt, but returned her suspicious look.
"Has Doctor Dutter shown any unusual behavior lately?"
"Oh, nothing really unusual. Well, yesterday she said something about her roommate Damara getting under her skin or something, which was really weird, Damara is such a sweet girl you know?" the ram closed his trunk aggressively.
"Do you know Damara Djedet then?"
"Yes. She came sometimes over here to meet Nessa and have lunch with her. She is one of the friendliest persons I have ever met. Well, that's all I know about it. Anything else, Detective?"
"Well, I'd usually request the security tapes of the building and to inspect Doctor Dutter's work lab," said Judy, trying to not sound too condescending, "But I see that you are nearly leaving."
"Oh, that's true, but I don't think I could have helped you with that anyway. You'd have to go for the Security Department of the University to get the tapes, but I fear they have already closed for assistance, and only Nessa has the keys to her lab. She might be here tomorrow, so you could ask her personally," the ram smiled at them.
"Well, thank you anyway Mr. Gaidos. We are sorry for the inconvenience."
"Oh, no problem Detective. If you don't mind me asking, what has Nessa got herself into this time? I mean, she is very dedicated, but is very eccentric as well."
"Unfortunately I can't really give you this sort of information. Here-" Judy took her notepad and scribbled the ZPD's number "if you remember anything else, call this number and ask for me."
"Absolutely. Good night for you both."
"Good night."
Day 1, Savanna Central, Zootopia's Public University Agricultural Center Parking Lot, 10:18 PM
Judy sat at the cruiser's driving seat, leaning back and inhaling. It had been a long day, and the weariness had started to sore her muscles into exhaustion, forcing them to comply with gravity.
"I'm sorry for dragging you here, Nick." she said, looking at the shotgun seat where her partner leaned his head against the glove compartment. Different than Judy, he was not energized 24/7 and depended on coffee to stay awake during long shifts, even when they both were completely dedicated to a case.
"It's fine, fluff. Just promise me one of those fancy Snarlbucks coffees tomorrow and we're even."
Judy smiled. "Sure. Keep talking otherwise you'll fall asleep and I'll have to drag you all the way to my place."
"I'm sleeping there?"
"Absolutely. You are in no condition to take the subway all the way to Happytown," she started the car.
"If you insist," the fox stretched himself, yawning, and put the seatbelt on, "who am I to deny a place to stay for the night?"
In the other side of the parking lot, Cássio Gaidos watched in silence as the ZPD's Cruiser left the lot through it's rusted gates. As expected, his phone rang loudly with the ominous voice of Celine Leon, and he answered the call before it could ring twice.
"Gaidos"
"Hello, Cássio," answered a husky female voice that sent unpleasant shivers down Cássio's spine.
"Hello. What can I do for you?"
"The cops appeared, like I predicted?"
"Yes. Did you know they were Hopps and Wilde?" the other mammal paused.
"Yes, I did. Did you set them on Nessa's trail as I instructed?"
"Of course, is Damara alright? Why did you told me to say Nessa was mad at her?"
After a pause, came the answer "I don't like your doubts, Gaidos, but I'll limit myself to say Damara Djedet is absolutely fine."
"Great."
"I expect no more inquiries like that, are we clear?"
"Absolutely."
"Excellent. Now, are you in your way to the Security Department?"
"Uh… no. I was planning on doing it tomorrow."
"Do it now."
"Of course, Matriarch." As the other mammal hang up on the call, Cássio tossed his phone aside and started the car.