Alright, guys, this will be the second chapter for this story, but first, I would like to thank you, guys, for supporting me in this. Also, I would like to acknowledge Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps and Jason Fuze's help in the production of this chapter.
Anyway, enjoy!
Precinct 1 – 6:00 am
It was early morning and a day after the homicide.
Judy and Nick, after a tiresome night at the crime scene, were forced, after a short, two hour nap, to be present at the Precinct that morning.
"Bogo must be pretty damn serious about this case, huh?" Nick commented as they entered the Precinct.
"Yup, probably the Mayor has gone up Bogo's tail again." Judy replied, rubbing her eyes in an attempt to stay focused.
Although the bull chief had proven to be quite proficient and understanding during these past few months of the two officers working there, Judy still couldn't forget the first impression that stubborn giant piece of beef had given him.
There are some new recruits among us that I should introduce, but I don't care.
Do you think the mayor asked what I wanted when he assigned you to me?
Life is not some cartoon musical where you sing a little song and your insipid dreams magically come true!
"Hey, guys, you finally came! The chief's been waiting for you!" Clawhauser announced.
"Yes, Ben. Thanks, Ben." Judy thanked the obese cheetah, before grabbing Nick and literally pulling him up the stairs.
"You, guys, are kinda a mess!" Clawhauser yelled from the reception.
"Thanks for this accurate observation, Benji, but we know." Nick replied as he softly slapped Judy's paw to release himself from her grasp.
"I think I can make it on my own." He hummed with Judy just nodding.
After around a dozen of stair steps, the two officers reached the second floor and stood right outside the Chief's office.
"Should we knock?" Judy asked.
"Nuh, I think he doesn't mind…."
You are one hot dancer, Chief Bogo.
Judy stared at the door, not sure how to react.
"I don't know either." Nick replied, seemingly reading his partner's mind.
I'm Gazelle and you are one ho-
Nick abruptly knocked the door, expecting their chief to cut the crap and let them in.
"Come in." Bogo's voice echoed from the room.
Nick opened the door, letting Judy go first before following suit.
While Judy was obviously concentrated on their task, despite how sleepy she was, Nick on the other hand was fighting the urge to laugh. Although the whole station knew about their chief's one and only weakness, which was none other than Gazelle, it was the first time he had witnessed it for himself.
"Wilde, are you intending to sit?"
Nick snapped out and nodded. He had to play cool through this conversation.
"So, chief, anything new?" Judy asked as she scratched her left ear, something that Nick recognized as an act of nervousness.
"Hold on." The bull said before reaching for his radio transmitter. "Clawhauser, tell Dr. Blunt that he may come to my office now."
"Yes, chief." Clawhauser's light voice was heard from the radio.
"Now…" the chief once again began "…as you both well know, a family of red foxes was found dead and skinned in Tundratown, at around 9:00 pm. The corpses were relatively fresh, but their decay rate was probably altered by the temperature. I called one of our top forensics to help in the clarification of this case."
A knock on the door cut short the chief's explanations. After a few moments, the door opened and a lion made its way towards them.
"Officers, I'm happy to introduce you Dr. Ror, first lion valedictorian of both the nursing and medicine universities. Dr. Blunt, these are officers Hopps and Wilde-"
"There is no reason for you introduce them." The lion said in its heavy voice, interrupting the chief. "There's been a long debate regarding you in the university."
Both officers curiously eyed the lion, not sure how to answer that.
"What do you mean?" Judy asked, as she once again started scratching her ear, not sure if she wanted to hear what the doc had to say.
"Oh, I thought you knew. Everyone in the medicine school are wondering if any offspring could be produced by an interspecies couple such as yourselves."
A blush immediately formed on Judy's face, not sure how to react to such claims. Sure, she and Nick were really close, but not that close.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think I follow you." Nick calmly replied to the lion.
"Most of us assumed that since you live in the same apartment, you might have some sort of affair and-"
"Well, maybe you and your colleagues should mind your own business."
Nick turned to Judy.
"Don't lose your cool, Carrots." He whispered.
"But, Nick-"Judy wanted to protest, but the chief decided to intervene.
"That's enough." The bulky chief hit his desk with his fist "I called you here to share your findings with us, not humiliate my officers."
"Y-Yes, chief Bogo, apologies." The lion approached the desk and handed an envelope to the chief.
Bogo got hold of the envelope. He had a few quick glances at it, before leaving it on top of one the lockers behind him.
"I'll check it later. As for now, please explain us in a couple of words what's the situation."
The lion nodded before making his way to one end of the desk in order to be able to catch a sight of everyone in the room.
Both Nick and Judy, shaken by their little argument with the doctor but still steadfast, returned to their seats.
Dr. Ror, seeing that everyone expected him to begin, started accounting the facts.
"Since last night, my team has been working non-stop to find any possible leads and clues. After a long and, if I may, boring procedure, we examined all vitals, we have concluded that it wasn't a blade that ended the foxes' life. It is evident by abnormal spots on the heart and kidneys of all the victims that it was a peculiar substance that did the job. As for the skinning, judging by the accurate and even cuts, the instrument must have been a gutting knife primarily used on fish."
"Do you have an idea of what kind of poison it might be?" Judy asked.
"Well, the parents' blood stream contained a small amount of alcohol, while the children's blood stream contained a reasonable quantity of vitamin C, its source remains unclear, but it is elaborated that it might have been orange juice."
"Maybe they went to a restaurant for dinner, before going maybe to a pub to have something to drink." Nick commented, both Judy and Bogo nodding. "And if it affected only the kidneys and the heart, it means the killer didn't want them to die on the spot."
The lion nodded to Nick's remark.
"It means that the killer may be a waiter or a bartender of sorts."
All four nodded on that last speculation.
"But there are hundreds of restaurants and pubs all around Tundratown, there's no way we can visit them all without the killer feeling threatened." Nick commented, obviously expecting a solution to that part of the plan.
"My team is already conducting multiple studies on the remnants of the poison. The results should be out tomorrow morning." The lion announced, comforting Nick a bit.
"What are we supposed to do with all this mess, then?" Judy asked, shifting her gaze from the lion to the chief.
"Patrol." Replied the bulky bull chief. "You'll go out tonight and patrol the streets of Tundratown."
Both officers nodded before getting back to their feet.
"Oh, and one last thing."
Nick and Judy turned back to their chief.
"Go to the armory and grab yourselves a couple of pistols. Just in case."
Both fox and bunny nodded and left the room.
Apartment – 7:30 am
Both Judy and Nick rushed inside their apartment and locked the door.
The chief was kind enough to let them return home in order to rest. After all they had a long night in front of them.
"So, Carrots, we have another twelve hours before we have to return to the Precinct. What are you planning to do?" Nick asked as he collapsed on the couch, exhausted and sleepy after their sleepless night.
"Nothing more than you are planning to do." Judy replied as she collapsed on the couch, alongside Nick.
A few moments passed before Nick found the courage to speak.
"You like being here with me, don't you."
Judy's ears jumped straight up before she got off the couch.
"You pervert!" she yelled at him before picking up a pillow and striking him with it.
Despite the constant hits by Judy, Nick's grin didn't leave his face.
Although only a few hours had passed since he last teased her, he had to admit it; he had missed it already.
Judy was ready to hit him once again before he tackled her down and grabbed the pillow.
"My turn." He whispered, still grinning.
Judy got back to her feet and run towards her bedroom to grab another pillow.
Nick just shook his head and pursued her.
Flashback – Wilde Household – 20 years ago.
An eight year old Nick rushed through the streets, trying to outrun his pursuers.
He found the courage to turn his head for a moment, in case they had lost him. Nope, they were still there, actually catching up on him. However, he wouldn't need to run for much longer; his home was only a hundred meters from that point.
Nick decided to give it a shot and run as fast as he could.
Despite the danger, Nick couldn't help but grin. He loved the action, the thrill of the hunt, if we exclude he was the prey.
That hot burning in the lungs when you're running as hard as you can, the footsteps of your pursuer echoing so much that you can't tell if they are near or just behind you, the fleeting blurred glimpse as you snatch a look behind…
Although he usually was a quiet kid, always embracing loneliness and silence as if they were his friends, Nick appreciated excitement.
Nick shot a glance behind him. His pursuers were gone.
Nick sighed and stopped sprinting. He scanned the nearby area, expecting to find them.
Nothing.
Nick raised an eyebrow. It wasn't usual for the bullies of his school to quit so easily.
Maybe it was his lucky day.
Nick laughed. He had won.
He closed his eyes and exhaled.
The sudden sound of steps behind him reminded him of his latest statement; they never give up. Before they could grab him, Nick shot off towards his home.
In only a matter of seconds, he took his keys, unlocked the door and hastily scurried inside his house.
He could hear the protests and insults of his bully pursuers as they violently knocked the door.
"Come outside, Wilde!"
"No way, Blake!" Nick replied to his hyena nemesis, Blake Hund.
"Alright, then! Have it your way." Blake shouted from the other side of the door.
Nick's eyes widened. He wouldn't dare!
"On the count of three! One… Two… Three…"
"Charge!"
Nick's thoughts were cut short by Judy's cry for battle. Before he could even react, a medium-sized fur ball tackled him to the ground.
Judy, with one hand holding a pure white pillow and another adding pressure on Nick's chest to prevent him from getting up, started mercilessly hitting him with the pillow.
She couldn't help but laugh. She hadn't pillow-battled anyone for quite a while.
After a few short moments, she decided to stop.
"Fight back, dumb fox!" Judy demanded with a smirk as wide as possible.
Nick didn't reply. He probably was lost in his thoughts once again.
Judy decided to hit him once again with the pillow. Before she could bring it down on his face, Nick reacted in blinding speed, grabbing it and tossing it away.
"Enough." He said, and with that he got back to his feet, throwing Judy off him and letting her softly hit the ground.
Nick headed towards his bedroom.
"Nick, what happened-"
"Not now." He spat back as he closed the door. "I need some time to think."
And with that, Nick went silent.
Although this chapter is far shorter, it is as important as the rest.
Anyway, hope you liked.
Constructive reviews are appreciated!
Till next time!