Chapter 2: That Night

Author's Notes: If you haven't read "My Turn to Drive" Judy gave Nick the nickname "Red" and uses it on occasion. There's a fish market in Tundratown so I'm counting fish as food.

That evening, after leaving the cart at the station and talking to Bogo, Nick and Judy decided to walk on foot back to the convenience store and check up on Harold. Judy was nervous about the operation. Nick however, was confident.

"I'm glad Bogo allowed us this overtime," Nick thought out loud. "I understand your frustration now Carrots. Handing out tickets just because a meter ran out for two seconds doesn't really feel like making a difference. I want to help people, but I feel helpless instead."

Judy patted his elbow. "Thanks Red! I'm really glad you feel that way. But ummm... why the outfit?"

Nick was in full costume from one of his favorite movies "GhostBiters" while holding a small cage. "Hey now, Fluff, if I'm gonna play the part, I'm gonna look the part."

As they got closer to the store, Judy started to hesitate and stopped. Nick looked back. "What's with you today Jude? I've never seen you scared like this before. Not even when we're about to be iced!"

Judy looked ashamed. "I know, I'm sorry."

Nick bent over and looked her in the eye. "Don't be sorry for being scared. It's a normal emotion to have. It's just...you're one of the bravest people I've ever met. So why are ghosts spooking you?"

Judy sighed. "When I was a young kit, me and my sisters would sometimes stay up late and watch old horror movies on T.V. I would try to put up a brave face and laugh at the cheesy bits, but sometimes, they'd keep me up at night or give me nightmares. Then, one night, two of my brothers hid under my bed and after I was laying there for awhile, they started shaking the bed and another one of my brothers popped out of the closet wearing a sheet! That dirty trick made me afraid of ghosts ever since. I know there's no such thing, but still.."

"I understand." Nick replied. "Do you know what I was afraid of as a child?" Judy shook her head "No".

"Bunnies."

"Seriously? Why?"

They kept walking as Nick told his story. "Well, when I was a very young child, I used to LOVE cartoons about bunnies. I used to watch cartoons like 'Mugs Bunny', 'Teeny Toons' and 'Young Jack Savage: The Animated Series'. Then I saw a poster for a movie. It had a big picture of a bunny on it near a farm, so I begged my mother to take me to see it and...it was one of the most horrifying experiences I've had in a theater."

"What was the name of the movie?" Judy asked.

"'Watercrest Down.'"

"Yikes! I know that one! Isn't it rated R?"

"Yes, but my Mom didn't notice. I saw bunnies being murdered and tearing each others throat out! My Mom took me out of the theater screaming and crying and I had nightmares for months after that."

Judy wrapped her arm around his. "Well,it looks like you got over it!"

"Oh I still have it a little bit. In fact there's this one bunny who scares me to death! Every time I make a silly joke or tease this bunny, she attacks me with punches and kicks on my arms and legs."

Judy's ears drooped and turned red. "Yeah, well...maybe this bunny should stop doing that so much."

Nick and Judy got to the back of the store. The store owner let them in and into the monitoring room. Nick whispered some info to him and the store owner told them to call him when it's all over.

Harold closed the door to the monitoring room and talked out loud so the thieves would hear. "Well, no sense in leaving those monitors on since I can't find the crooks!" He then turned off all the lights, locked the store and left.

Judy and Nick were whispering to each other in the monitoring room.

"Okay, what's the plan?" Judy asked.

"You don't have to do anything. Just stay here and wait for my signal. I need to use my keen night vision to catch these guys so I need no light leaking from this room. Don't even turn on the monitors unless I say so. Okay?"

Judy was scared. "You want me to wait in the dark?!"

Nick explained. "I can't let them see me at all if I'm gonna get the jump on them. Just keep your ear to the wall and wait for my signal. Trust me, okay?"

"O-Okay!" Judy said nervously.

Nick left the room with the cage and very slowly closed the door behind him. He then sat in the corner of the store where he could keep an eye on the air vent. His vision was actually better at night than during the day. The sun was always glaring to him. It's one of the reasons he tended to wear shades as a cop. That and it made him look cool.

Meanwhile Judy was never more scared. Here she was alone in a room with her ear to the door just waiting to hear Nick from the other side. It wasn't just the pitch black darkness that had her afraid. It was the uncertainty of what was on the other side of the room. Could it really be spirits? She shook her head "no". After all, why would ghosts want soda, chips or cookies?

Ten minutes passed, then she heard it. A loud "Gotcha!" From Nick along with some rustling, banging and things being knocked off shelves. Whatever it was, it was putting up a fight. Then there was silence for a good minute.

Nick screamed. "ACCK! The ghosts! They're...p-possessing...me!...Judy! Turn on the m-monitors!"

Judy quickly turned on the monitors only to see Nick staring at one of the monitors with a scary, blank expression. She jumped back, scared out of her wits as she witnessed her partner just standing there. "NICK! THIS IS NOT FUNNY!" She yelled. Then, Nick spoke.

"Juuuu-deeeee! Open the door Judy. We want to come inside."

"STAY AWAY!" Judy screamed and she backed away from the door to the other side of the room. The glare of the monitors shone onto the door. The handle slowly turned back and forth. "Let us in Juu-deee! We want to play!"

Just then, Nick burst through the door with a flashlight under his chin. "BOOGA! BOOGA!" He yelled. Has was about to laugh, but a tranquilizer dart shot into his arm.

"YOU. STUPID. JERK!" Judy screamed.

Nick was about to pass out. "I gOt ThE bAd guYs moMMy! I prOMise, I Won't hANg Out wif' 'dat Bad FiNNick guy NO moRE! NightY Night MoMMy!" and Nick passed out onto the floor.

Two hours later, Nick started to wake up. His face was hurting and he felt a sudden sting across his muzzle.

SLAP!

"Wake up you idiot!" It was Judy sitting on his chest and slapping him across the face. SLAP! "I'll give you a darn good reason to fear bunnies!" SLAP!

The store owner Harold was watching over her shoulder. "Excuse me miss. "But is that really necessary?"

Judy talked to him while slapping Nick. "Some perps have information we need right away after they've been darted." SLAP! "So slapping them is the quickest way to wake them up." SLAP!

"I'M AWAKE! I'M AWAKE!" Nick shouted only to be slapped one more time. "Okay, Hopps! That's enough! I'm sorry!"

"Not sorry enough!" She said. She was really angry with him. They could hear the crooks yelling from the cage. "Hey! Let us outta here! We know our rights, coppers!"

"So what are they?" Harold asked.

"Chameleons." Nick replied. "Judy was right the first time. I figured it out this morning"

"So why didn't you tell me?!" Judy yelled.

"What and spoil the fun?" Judy started heading towards Nick to slap him again. "A-And I needed backup just in case things went wrong!"

"So how did they do it?" Harold asked.

"Well..." Nick replied. "They were probably stealing without any trouble for awhile, but they probably overheard you mention using the monitors at night. That's when they decided to camouflage themselves even at night. It was dark enough they didn't cast a shadow It gave them the appearance of being invisible on the monitors making the cookies and cups appear to steal themselves."

"But what about them floating up into the air vent?" Judy asked. "And the writing suddenly appearing on the side?"

"Come with me." Nick said and they walked to the front of the store. "Remember those spider webs you got snagged on as you jumped out of the air vent?"

"Yes?"

"Here. Feel it." Nick lifted Judy up to the spot where the supposed web was. "It's fishing line!"Judy said. "Thin. About three pound test probably. I know because our dad used to take us fishing sometimes."

"Yup" Nick replied. "Thin enough to be invisible, but strong enough for them to carry a cup of soda into the air vent. As far as the writing goes, check this out."

He then brought them over ot the air vent which was sticking out of the wall a little. Nick got on a step ladder and scratched "Hi Judy!" into the bottom of the vent. "The aluminum walls are thin enough that you can scratch into them and leave an indentation."

"Wow! Yer quite the sleuth!" Harold said to Nick.

"Thank you!...That's a compliment, right?" Nick asked.

Judy facepalmed. "'Sleuth' is another word for 'detective' you moron!" and she stormed out of the back of the store.

"What's gotten into her?" Harold asked.

"I think I know." Nick responded.

Nick saw Judy kicking and punching at the wall. "Stupid dumb fox! Dumb...dumb bunny!"

"Y'know Carrots, I could get some street chalk and draw a picture of myself you can punch and kick at." Nick said.

"Leave me alone." She replied. Her ears drooping down. Nick tried to look in her eyes, but she kept turning her back on him.

"I went too far didn't I?" Nick said with his ears drooping down. "You told me that story about your brothers and I went and repeated the whole traumatic experience like a jerk. I'm really sorry Hopps."

"It's not that." She replied. "You solved this case WAY before me. You saw the logic and figured things out while I was still stumped! I'm so stupid!"

Nick put his paws on the back of her shoulders. "Hey, hey. You're NOT stupid! You guessed that they were chameleons and you were right! In fact, I wouldn't have figured out what was going on if you hadn't given me that list of suggestions."

"Really?"

"Sure! Detective work is a science and like science, it's not always exact. You have to theorize and try to get the best results. I got lucky."

"Thanks Red." Judy said and she hugged Nick.

"Y'know, sometimes people who care for each other, will tease one another. Brothers, sisters or partners. It's just an odd way of showing affection. Now let's get this scaly scum back to the police station and find out why they're here all the way from Scaleburg. I feel a commendation coming on!"

Harold thanked Nick and Judy again and they took the small cage and left.

Next Chapter: Epilogue