Chapter 2: Private Investigations
Back in Howard's office, Nick and Judy had taken the seat's facing the duck's desk while he the bird sat in his own chair opposite them.
"Alright, so what, exactly, did you want to ask me?" Howard questioned with a sigh, having placed his coat and hat on the coat rack by the door.
"Rocky Steadherd was arrested outside a bar last night after attacking a police officer while high on something called Primal," Judy answered as she pulled out her notepad and carrot-shaped pen, "The crime scene photos that were taken show you there. Can you tell me why you were there?"
"I was working a case," Howard replied curtly.
"What was the case?" Judy inquired as she jotted down a quick note.
"These things tend to be pretty sensitive for my clients," Howard stated, "It doesn't look good if I just go around divulging the info to just anyone who asks."
"Well, we're not just anyone, we're the police," Judy replied in a business-like matter, "And it would probably look even worse if we had to come back here with a warrant."
Howard gave Judy a withering glare before sighing and rolling his eyes. Opening a drawer of his desk and reaching into it, Howard retrieved a file before he tossed onto the desk. Taking the file, Nick opened it and began flipping through it.
"Patricia Packider," Howard stated as the officer's looked at the files, which contained a number of photos of a teenaged hippo going about her day, each one clearly taken at a distance, "She's the daughter of a vice president of some company or other."
"You're following her around and taking pictures of her?" Judy questioned, giving Howard a disgusted look.
"Don't look at me like that, cottontail, it's the job," Howard grumbled, "I was just keeping tabs on her for her father."
"Why did he want you tailing his own daughter?" Judy inquired.
"I think I've got the answer to that question, Carrots," Nick spoke up as he held the file so Judy could see it. On the top of the pile was a picture of Patricia lounging on a couch with a rough looking rhino, his arm around her shoulders.
"Steadherd," Judy whispered in surprise before she looked back at Howard, "She was….dating him?"
"Guess she thought he was dangerous," Howard replied with a shrug, "One of those bad boy girls like her are always fawning over because their daddy's don't approve."
"So that's why her father had you following her?" Judy questioned.
"Her and Steadherd," Howard confirmed, "He wanted me to try and find something incriminating about the guy so he could get his daughter away from him."
"Seems like he took care of that for you," Nick observed with a smirk.
"Yeah," Howard chuckled, "Lucky for me, I get paid in advance."
"So, that explains why you were at the bar last night," Judy surmised, "Did you see anything?"
"I saw a lot of things," Howard replied, "You're going to have to be more specific."
"Did you see Steadherd take the Primal he had?" Judy questioned with an annoyed sigh, "Or, better yet, did you see where he got it from?"
"I did see him take it, though I wasn't able to get a picture of it," Howard explained, "He got into an argument with another biker, shoved something into his mouth, and went savage."
"Can you elaborate on that?" Judy requested.
"Sure," Howard replied, and though his voice was calm, Judy noticed a nervous tension enter his body, "It was like the animals you saw during the Night Howler crisis but somehow worse. He got all tensed up and his muscles bulged, like they were trying to break out of his skin. His eyes turned white and I swear it looked like his heart was trying to fight its way out of his chest. That wasn't the worse of it though."
"What was?" Nick questioned, growing more tense as the story went along.
"It was what didn't happen," Howard explained, "When he changed, he went crazy, but he didn't go savage."
"What do you mean?" Judy inquired.
"I mean, he got angry," Howard elaborated, "Like screaming-at-the-top-of-my-lungs, flipping-tables angry, but he didn't lose himself in it. He didn't forget who he was and turn into some sort of wild animals like the savage predators did."
"He was in control?" Judy questioned, her eyes widening in surprise.
"As much as anyone that pissed off can be in control of anything," Howard clarified with a nod, "He went through the guy like a locomotive and took a few of the guys friends down too for good measures. Don't want to know what would have happened if the cops hadn't shown up."
"I'm starting to get the feeling that this is bigger than Chief Bogo thought," Nick muttered to Judy.
"All the more reason for us to get this stuff off the street," Judy replied before she turned her attention back towards Howard, "Did you see where Steadherd got the Primal?"
"Luckily for you, I did," Howard replied, "I noticed this real shifty character enter the bar, looked more out of place then I did. He talked with Steadherd for a few minutes and I saw them make an exchange."
"Can you give us a description of the dealer?" Judy questioned eagerly.
"I can do you one better," Howard replied with a smug grin as he pointed a feathered finger at the file Nick was still holding, "I caught a picture of the deal going down."
His eyes widening in surprise, Nick began flipping through the file again before he stopped on a particular photo, squinted his eyes at it and let out a bark of laughter.
"What is it?" Judy questioned, leaning over to look at what Nick was laughing at before her eyes widened in surprise, "You're joking, right?"
"What is it?" Howard asked curiously.
Pulling out the photo, Nick laid it on Howard's desk so the duck could see. The image depicted Steadherd giving money to a disheveled looking weasel who was handing him a small baggie containing some unrecognizable substance.
"I take it you know this guy?" Howard questioned, quirking a feathered eyebrow at Nick.
"Duke Weasalton," Judy explained, "He's a lowlife crook who was involved in the Night Howler incident. Looks like he's got his dirty paws in this as well."
"Well, I have to say, you've been a lot of help, Howie," Nick said as he pushed himself out his chair.
"You two off to find this Duke character?" Howard questioned as he picked up the photo and idly played with it.
"Yes," Judy answered as she stood up as well, "This is an excellent lead. I'll make sure my report reflects how helpful you were."
"Thanks," Howard replied with a small smile, "How are you going to find him?"
"Put out an APB for him," Nick answered, "Probably comb the streets around his usual hideouts."
"I think there's probably an easier way of finding him," Howard stated as he propped his webbed feet up on his desk.
"How so?" Judy questioned as she narrowed her eyes at Howard.
"I could tell you where to find him, seeing as I know where he lives," Howard suggested with a smug smile.
"You….You know where he lives?" Judy questioned incredulously, "Why didn't you say anything before?"
"Because, I've been in this business long enough to know that you just don't give that sort of information away," Howard continued, his smile growing as he spoke, "At least, not for free."
"You-You expect us to pay you!?" Judy sputtered in disbelief before she gave Howard a furious glare, "This is obstruction of justice! If you think for one second, we're going to pay you-"
"Hundred bucks," Nick interrupted, causing Judy to spin around so fast that the fox was briefly worried she had given herself whiplash.
"Nick!" she exclaimed, "What are you doing!?"
"Two hundred," Howard argued.
"One fifty," Nick countered, a smirk growing across his face.
"Done," Howard agreed as he stood up from his chair and began putting on his jacket, "I'm guessing we're going to take your car?"
"Sure thing," Nick replied as he nodded at Howard, "We'll meet you down there."
"Just make sure you two lock up after you leave," Howard stated as he put his hat on and walked past the police officers to the door of his office.
"Will do, buddy," Nick replied as the duck left, before turning to Judy to find the rabbit glaring at him, "What's the matter, Carrots? Do I have something on my face?"
"What do you think you're doing!?" Judy hissed at him, "Why are you bribing him!?"
"I'm not bribing him," Nick answered with a role of his eyes, "He's an investigator, Carrots. I'm giving him money to do his job."
"He's obstructing the law in order to make a quick buck!" Judy argued, "We should be prosecuting him!"
"Alright, and how long do you think it's going to take to get a warrant or anything else we could use to force him to help us?" Nick countered, "I'll tell you, long enough for the trail to go cold. We have jump on this as quickly as possible and trust me, greasing the wheels makes things run a lot smoother."
"Be that as it may, this is still bribery, Nick," Judy stated, some of her previous heat leaving her voice.
"Come on, Carrots, you went to the academy," Nick admonished with a roll of his eyes, "You know what a consultant is. There is an expense account for this and everything. We catch the bad guy, and Bogo foots the bill. Everyone wins!"
Judy gave him a dubious look but Nick knew that she had no more room to argue with him. After a moment, Judy let out a tired sigh as the tension seemed to leave her body.
"I guess you're right," Judy sighed as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"I usually am," Nick replied with a smug grin that made Judy roll her eyes.
"You know, as helpful as he is, I don't think I really like this friend of yours," Judy commented as she stepped out of Howard's office.
"Give him time," Nick said as he locked the door and closed it behind them, "He'll grow on you."
"I'm sure," Judy snorted as she began walking down the hall, "How long did it take for you?"
"I don't know," Nick answered with a shrug, "He's still growing."
Later,
"This is the place," Howard said from the back of the police cruiser, prompting Judy to pull the vehicle along the curb.
Parking the car, Judy looked up at the building. It was a rundown structure, as were many of the other buildings on the block, with boarded up windows and graffiti sprayed across some the walls.
"Homey," Nick commented as he lowered his sunglasses to get a better look at the building, "Definitely looks like some place Duke would hang out."
"He's up on the top floor," Howard explained as he looked out the window at the building as well, "There's a two story apartments up there."
"Living the high life," Nick commented as he opened the door and stepped out of the cruiser.
"Sounds bigger than my apartment," Judy grumbled as she got out of the car as well.
Howard moved to follow the partners, but was stopped when the door refused to budge. Trying the handle again, he found that the door was locked.
"Hey!" Howard called, causing Judy and Nick to turn back to him, "What's the big idea!?"
"The backdoors of police cruisers don't open from inside," Judy explained.
"Besides, why do you want to come in?" Nick questioned, "You got us here and we'll pay you what we owe you. Now, why don't you sit tight while we go and grab Duke?"
Howard sighed in annoyance and settled back into his seat.
"You could have at least cracked the window!" Howard called as Nick and Judy turned around and began making their way into the building.
Together, the two of them made their way through the building, which was just as run down on the inside as it was on the outside. Wearily, Nick and Judy made their way to a staircase and began making their way cautiously up them. They building was silent as the partners made their way up to the top floor, neither of them spotting any signs there were any other animals in the building.
Reaching the top floor, Nick and Judy found only a landing in front of a pair of doors, one hanging precariously off its hinges. The partners glanced at one another before moving to either side of the door, resting their shoulders against the frame and drawing their tasers.
"You ready, Carrots?" Nick questioned.
"Wait," Judy replied as she glanced between Nick and the door, "Shouldn't we get a warrant first?"
"For an abandoned building?" Nick asked, arching an eyebrow at Judy, "Duke clearly isn't supposed to be here. There's nothing stopping us from going in there and arresting him."
"Right," Judy agreed with a nod, her features solidifying into a mask of grim professionalism, "You ready?"
"I was born ready," Nick replied while flashing a cocky grin at Judy.
Readying themselves, Nick and Judy stepped in front of the doors before giving them a hard kick, the loose door falling to the ground with a loud thud.
"ZPD!" they both shouted as they held up their tasers. However, instead of being greeted by one or more unsavory characters, Nick and Judy found an empty hallway before them, the red targeting lasers of their tasers cutting through the gloom before them.
"Well, that was a bit of a let down," Nick commented as he lowered his taser.
"You're sure your friend gave us good information?" Judy questioned as she glanced over at Nick.
"I'm sure," Nick confirmed with a nod as he stepped into the hall and began looking around, "For all we know, Duke is out on the town right now."
"We should search the premises," Judy stated as she stepped into the hall as well.
"Yeah," Nick agreed with a nod, "It'd be quicker if we split up to search both floors."
"You sure that's a good idea?" Judy questioned while giving Nick a nervous look.
"Come, Carrots, it's just Duke," Nick answered with a chuckle, "You handled him fine on your own the first time you met him. And I was taking care of myself way before I started hanging out with you."
"Alright," Judy relented with a smirk, "You take upstairs and I'll take downstairs?"
"Sounds good to me," Nick agreed with a nod before making his way down the hall until he found a set of stairs leading up and looked back at Judy, "Radio if you find him."
"You too," Judy replied with a nod.
Nick nodded in reply before he began making his way up the stairs, taser at the ready. The second floor of the apartment was much like the first, with bare floors and empty rooms, the walls sporting cracked molding and spots of mildew. The whole floor was completely silent save for the sound of Nick's breathing and his feet quietly padding across the floor.
Suddenly, a scraping noise came from one of the rooms, causing Nick's ears to perk up and his head to snap around to look in the direction of the noise. Raising his taser in front of him, Nick cautiously made his way into the room.
The room was much like the others had been, lacking any sort of furniture and mostly covered in a fine layer of dust. It's one distinguishing feature though was that it possessed a closet, the door closed tight.
Smirking, Nick quietly made his way over to the closet, his taser focused on the closed door. Reaching the door, Nick paused for a moment as he leaned closer to it, his acute sense of hearing searching for any sign of what may be in the closet. For a moment, Nick heard nothing, before he caught the sound of a quick intake of breath and smiled. Stepping forward, Nick grabbed the knob with one hand and yanked the door open.
"Freeze!" Nick shouted as he leveled his taser at the weasel hiding in the closet. He had dirty, reddish-brown fur that stuck out in every direction and a wild look in his wide, brown eyes. He wore a dirty white wife-beater along with a pair of blue cargo shorts and looked to Nick like he was about to shake apart at the seams as he clutched an olive green duffle bag tightly to his chest.
"Wait, please, don't-!" the weasel began to shout as he tried to put as much distance between himself and Nick as possible, only to abruptly pause as he took a moment to actually look at the fox standing in front of him, "Oh, wait, it's you."
"Yep, it's me, Duke" Nick commented with a smirk, keeping his taser trained on the weasel with one hand while reaching towards his radio with the other, "Why don't you come out of there? My partner and I have some questions we'd like to ask you."
"I can't," Duke replied, his voice so full of terror that it immediately caught Nick's attention, causing him to pause as he reached for his radio.
"Why not?" Nick asked as he quirked an eyebrow at Duke.
"He's still here," Duke answered as he began shaking again while nervously glancing past Nick.
"Who is?" Nick questioned, his brow knitting together.
"The bounty hunter," Duke replied, his voice quivering.
"What bounty hunter?" Nick pressed, confusion clear on his features.
"The racoon," Duke answered, his voice barely above a whisper, "He's here. In the apartment."
Nick's entire body immediately went rigid as his eyes widened and the hair on his tail and the back of his neck stood on end.
"Oh no," Nick whispered as a look of horrible realization crossed his face, "Judy."
Then, without another word, Nick spun around and raced out of the room, leaving Duke alone in the closet.
At the same time, Judy was creeping through a large, open room on the lower floor in search of clues, the boarded over windows casting the room in dim light and shadows. Pulling out her flashlight with one hand, she flicked it on and began scanning the room with it, her other hand holding her taser at the ready. As she looked around the room, she saw that one of the doors to the room led to a bathroom, the light of her flashlight bouncing off the dirty mirror within.
As she scanned the floor with her flashlight, Judy paused as something caught her eye. Lowering herself to one knee, Judy placed her taser on the ground and pulled a set of tweezers out from her belt. Reaching out, she plucked a strand of fur off of the floor and held it in the flashlight's glow. It was mostly black, though she noted hints of grey and brown in it as well.
"Weird," Judy said to herself, "This doesn't look like Duke's."
Suddenly, her radio crackled to life.
"Judy!" Nick shouted over the radio as pounding feet sounded from above, "There's someone else here! He's extremely dangerous! He's-"
Judy stopped listening as she heard someone drop down directly behind her. Her eyes widening with fear, Judy dropped her tweezers and reached for her taser, but froze as she felt something cold and hard press against the back of her head accompanied by an ominous clicking noise.
"Don't," a rough voice from behind her ordered, "Unless you think what this place really needs is a blood splatter on the walls to bring it together."
Doing her best not to move, Judy glanced over at the door leading to the bathroom. Looking at the mirror in the bathroom, Judy could just make out the mammal standing behind her in the dim light cast by her flashlight. He was a raccoon, standing roughly as tall as Nick with black and brown fur that turned to grey around his brow and muzzle. He wore an orange t-shirt under a black leather jacket along with a pair of black jeans.
What caught Judy's attention though was the gun he had pressed to the back of her head. Not a taser or a tranq gun but a true, highly-illegal firearm. Not only that, but it was a massive, obviously modified handgun, one that looked like it was designed to be used by a tiger or buffalo, not someone of the raccoon's size. Nevertheless, the raccoon held it easily in one hand, a second, identical weapon strapped to his back.
"Now," the raccoon said as he followed Judy's gaze and locked his eyes with Judy, letting her see, to her shock, that they were pure red with no pupil, "Let's you and I talk."
A/N: Wow, I was not expecting this story to be as popular as it turned out to be. Happy you guys liked it! This chapter ended up being a lot of fun to write. Hope you guys enjoy it as well! As always, feedback and critiques are always welcome, so please review! Later!