Authors Note: Hey there everyone! Sorry for taking so long with the 2nd chapter! I had some health and life issues, but I hope this will make up for it! 3rd Chapter will be worked right away and as always hope you enjoy this! Also, many thanks for the favs and reviewe's! Anyway, on with the show!
Next day…..
The cold air escaped from Judy's mouth as she and Nick were making their way towards the morgue. Even though both had their warm furs, the pair still felt the icy-chill digging into their skin, Judy never liked the morgue, even when she was in the academy, the place still gave her the creeps. She recalled how one time they had to witness an autopsy and two of the cadets pretty much threw up and one even fainted, Judy herself didn't have any reaction. Though, in her head she would hear whispers of the dead asking why he was here, why nobody saved him and now he was just being used for a class and dissected before several bastards who were either barfing out their lunch or fainting, Judy never told this to anyone and why would she? Last thing she needed was to be considered insane and then kicked out of the academy. Still, that was when she was just a cadet, so maybe this time it wouldn't happen. After all, she has Nick by her side and being a cop means she would encounter corpses eventually. An yet, the close they were approaching the door, more and more Judy felt her heart starting to beat faster, her muscles were getting tighter, her breathing was becoming more ragged
"A penny for your thoughts, Carrots?" A sudden voice called Judy out of her daze. Looking towards the source, she met with eye to eye with Nick.
"Ummm…N-Nothing important, l-let's get to this autopsy!" Judy replied, giving her usual smile. It was then when she noticed that she and Nick were standing before the door, with the fox having a nervous look in his eyes and clearly worried for his partner.
Ignoring the gaze, Judy then opened the door and peeked inside. The room itself wasn't fairly big, medium sized and circle shaped with another door on the other side. The room had rows of cabinets all of various shapes and sizes, which wasn't much of a surprise to Judy, there were also a bookcase in the left corner, filled with various files and documents probably information on every animal that ever arrived here and left in another corner she could see a sink also looking very well cleaned up, in the middle stood a table with what seemed like a body lying on it and covered by a sheet, one didn't need to be a genius to guess who was lying under that sheet. Then a sudden smell of bleach, spirit and some other chemicals hit the bunny's nostrils, which made her nearly jump back and cough several times. Managing to take a deep breath, Judy then stepped back inside with Nick following after her. Even inside the place had a rather odd chill and it wasn't just the temperature, almost like any second all these cabinets would fly open and then all the stiffs would all crawl out and attack both police officers.
"Swear no more zombie movies or zombie games before bed…." Nick commented to himself.
"So, any idea where the stiff master is?" He asked Judy looking at her, while the bunny just shrugged
"Why I'm up here, Officer Wilde~" A sudden voice called from above, making the two cops look up.
Before they knew it, a shadow zoomed down from the darkness and landed besides the sheet covered body. Nick by instinct went for his gun, but stopped at the last second and just stared somewhat shocked as even Judy had to rub her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things. The figure in question had long pointy ears, a scrunched up muzzle, pair of pointy fangs showing from it, a gray fuzzy fur patch peeking from underneath the figures T-shirt and a white doctors' coat resting on his shoulders, but what finished the picture was a pair of red eyes staring at the two. By all simplicity, what they were looking at was an ordinary bat, but what made this bat stand out was his size as he was almost close to July's size. While Judy was shocked by the size, what spooked Nick more were those sharp fangs and those glowing red eyes, now he was really regretting going to this place with Judy. Then again, he was scared to think what would happen to his bunny if she was left with this thing.
"What…did I just say "my bunny"?" Nick asked himself mentally and then gave himself a mental slap for thinking such a stupid thought.
The bat in question meanwhile walked across the table and approached the two animals. The red flames in his eyes slowly studying the two, as if they were a pair of snacks ready for him to enjoy, flashing his sharp fangs he then slowly extended one of his hands.
"Officer Hopps, it's a pleasure to meet you. I heard many stories about you~." The bat hissed softly, making Judy blush from the compliments while Nick scoffed rolling his eyes.
"Ummm..Well thank you, Doctor…ummm…"
"Vilheim, Doctor Vilheim, but everyone here calls me simply "Doc." The coroner said, giving a polite bow, which made Nick nearly his best not to snicker.
"Oh yeah, who does the stiffs or your blood sucking victims?" Nick finally asked, then gasped as he felt Judy's elbow buried in his side.
"I'm sorry for my partner's sharp tongue, -Umm…Doc." Judy quickly corrected herself, as the coroner raised his claw. Chuckling, he then shook his head and made his way towards the sheet.
"Please, no need to apologize, Officer Hopps, I get such jokes from time to time, I understand it's not usual for a fruit bat to be this..mm…big~" He said, pulling the sheet away to reveal the dead snow leopards body.
"Fruit bat? Could have fooled me…" Nick whispered to Judy, which got him a glare from the bunny. Shrugging, he then approached the body with Judy as they stared at her, while Vilheim slipped on a pair of goggles to cover his eyes, while slipping on some special gloves on his claws
"So, shall we begin?" He murmured, and then his gaze carefully studied the body. Showing his sharp fangs again "Female Snow leopard, thirty two year of age, time of death is hard to put due to the weather changes in Tropical zone, but by my guess I would say around midnight. 'Cause of death, strangulation by a tight rope." He murmured carefully using the scalpel showing a rope burn on the female's neck. Studying it carefully, Judy then took a photo with her phone.
"So, she was strangled from behind? Was she also raped by any chance?" Nick asked, as Judy glared at him again "Hey, logical questions Carrots, don't stare at me."
"No, Officer Wilde. I didn't find any evidence of sexual violation, but I did find large doses of alcohol in her blood stream. While strangulation was what killed her, it wasn't the first blow." Vilheilm hissed, and then carefully lifted the snow leopards head, showing a deep dent in the back of her head.
"A blow was done to the back of her head, I'd say with a heavy blunt object. Judging by the dent, it seems she has a metal plate in the back of her head, so explains why the blow didn't kill her. On her right jaw, there are also signs that she was punched hard. This brought her down, thus disorienting her and well…" He moved his claw across his neck, followed by an apathetic chuckle.
"Did you find any traces of DNA of the killer?" Judy finally asked out, her eyes almost glued to the body. The fruitbat shook his head, as he removed his gloves.
"No, I did however find something in her mouth." He hissed, making the two cops look up. Humming, the fruitbat made his way towards the sink and produced a small bowl in which both Judy and Nick saw a small capsule in it.
Looking at the capsule, Nick then fished it out and studied the little capsule. Then, twisting it to the side, he managed to pop it open as a small piece of paper came out. Staring at the little note, the fox carefully opened it. Inside, both he and Judy saw a message that was done with careful hand writing.
"Death has a face and you shall see it." The note said, as both Nick and Judy looked at each other.
"It seems someone is putting on a show for you, Officers." Vilheim commented, as Judy grabbed the piece of paper then turned around and began leaving "I guess that's your que, Officer Wilde~"
Nick didn't waste anytime as he followed after his partner. In the corridor, Judy quickly produced her phone and saw there was a message from Clawhauser. Calling him back, Judy finally got outside and into her car.
"Clawhauser, tell me that you found something good…." The bunny said in a rather cold tone, which made Nick's own fur stand up.
"Well, yes I did Judy gal. Let's see..mm..I have the file…Ah! Here we are! Natasha Romanova, 30 years old…used to be prominent ballet dancer..mmm…sadly her career was ruined do to a head injury and later a drinking scandal..mmm….let's see…ah! Adress! Tundra District, Tunguska Street, apartment 34~" The fat cheetah said on the other end of the line, just as Nick climbed inside.
"Thanks Clawhauser, we'll be there in a few." Judy replied as she hanged up, as Nick buckled up "Familiar with Tunguska Street?"
"Yeah, I used to live there before I joined . The place is just a dump where you get a ton of drunks, hobos and occasional junkies. Not surprised our stiff lived there…" Nick muttered, as he allowed for Judy to drive "So, why so eager Carrots, wanna make the headlines again?"
Not getting any response or even a glare really began to worry the fox. Rubbing the back of his head, the fox turned his gaze towards window and murmured, hoping this would least break down the tension in the car.
"Was this your first time seeing a dead body?" He asked which finally got a response from Judy. Stopping at the red light, Judy rested her head against the wheel.
"Not really, I mean back at the academy we did have classes on autopsy and stuff..." She said, but then Nick quickly interrupted her.
"You know what I mean carrots, first time dealing with a homicide case?" He asked, looking at her from the corner of his eye. Giving another sigh, the bunny nodded and continued to drive.
"What about you, Nick?" She asked, wanting to take her mind off what she saw in the morgue. But, that wasn't gonna happen, she practically memorized every single word and detail the coroner has told her.
"Tch….Not my first time Carrots, working for I've seen plenty of corpses hell I even helped create a few, hell living the slums of the Tundra District you'd occasionally see some dead junkies or the like." He said, giving an idle shrug as if this wasn't anything new to him.
"Ummm….Was it scary, ya know when you had to kill someone or see someone die?" Judy asked, she didn't wanna keep pressing her partner. But, part of her mind kept nagging her about this, after all she wasn't in any shoot outs even with her being trained how to use guns.
"Honestly, I didn't really feel much. Hard to say, maybe it's because I was somewhat young or maybe because I'm a fox and it's something natural for us." He muttered, not wanting to continue this talk. Judy blinked, but nodded as they continued their drive
The tundra district was cold as always, fresh snow was slowly falling down and giving the entire place almost like an adorable Christmas post card appearance, only thing was missing was the flickering lights. Sadly, such a thing couldn't be said about Tunguska Street. The place resembled almost something from a bad post apocalyptic movie, plenty of buildings looked boarded up or close to falling apart, and trash bags covered several of the porches and streets, finally burning barrels here and there. Looking at the scene, Judy was simply too shock to even utter anything, and then Nick spoke up as if reading her mind.
"Originally this was place was supposed to be rebuild, new buildings and apartments. Sadly, the local gangs weren't really hot about the idea, so they started attacking the construction crews even going as far as murdering 'em or setting shit on fire. Not to mention, this was during the time the harsh blizzards began to hit, thus the project was abandoned and this place sank even further." Nick said, as he stared out the window and sighed in a nostalgic way.
It was weird, but seeing this place felt very home like for Nick, after all this was where he and Finnick first met. Hell, the fox could pinpoint the exact location where the little fennec and the fox beat the crap out of each other. Sighing softly, Nick closed his eyes as he felt the car pull over. Grabbing his jacket, the fox quickly got out and followed after his partner, the apartment building they were looking for has defiantly seen better days; six broken windows, a busted open door, graffiti covering the walls outside and inside, not to mention the smell off piss, booze and whatever God knows what else filled the inside of the building. Judy mentally kicked herself for not bringing a gas mask with her, right now her poor nose felt like it was gonna commit suicide or something and her stomach was gonna unleash her breakfast and lunch in one combo. Finally, they found the needed apartment door and knocked several times, behind the door the two hard some cursing and shuffling before the door finally opened. Before them stood a brown bear, wearing an old looking sweater with patches and rips here and there, a plaster on his nose along with a quite a noticeable black left eye, finally what finished the picture was the smell of spirits coming from his body, enough to knock out even the most sober person.
"Y-Yes, can I help you?" The bear asked with a very thick accent.
"Ummm...Yes, I'm officer Hopps and this is Officer Wilde, we wanted to ask some questions about Miss Romanova" Judy said, as the bear instantly sighed and stepped aside.
"Figures, come inside officers, better than standing in the open." he murmurred. Shrugging, Nick went inside with Judy following suit.
The apartment wasn't big, but it defiantly rivaled Judy's one room place. Hell, this place actually had three rooms, sure one was a bathroom and a small kitchen, but it was still here. Stepping in what seemed like the apartments living room and bedroom at the same time, the two saw plenty of old furniture, a couch resting against the left wall as it was covered in dirt, stitches and patches, a beat up old closet with one door clearly missing, there was also a cupboard which had some old photos and statues standing on it, next to it were some posters which looked like they were used to decorate the pealing off wallpaper, an old and practically barely working TV was in another corner, finishing this picture was a dimly lit light bulb above and an old coffee table which had several bottles of spirits on it and plates with snacks, some bottles were half empty while others were fully. Sitting down on the couch, the bear grabbed one of the bottles and poured himself a glass.
"So, what did she do this time?" He asked, staring at the two from underneath his eyebrows. Nick then looked at Judy and nodded towards the bear, giving a sigh Judy closed her eyes and spoke.
"I-I'm very sorry sir, but Miss Romanova has been killed." She said solemnly. The bear stopped with the glass close to his mouth, and then a deep sigh escaped from his lips as he chugged down the contents.
"I see...I knew that it would eventually happen. The dumb girl..." He muttered, and then poured himself another glass "I honestly haven't seen her since yesterday, ever since she started getting these gifts…"
"Gifts?" Nick asked, as the bear nodded pointing towards the closet.
Opening the door, the two saw several boxes of various shapes and sizes inside. Studying them carefully Judy saw the boxes filled with some expensive clothes and trinkets. Digging trough one of the boxes, Judy spotted what looked like a check from yesterday, showing it to Nick; he gave a nod and turned his head back towards the bear.
"She kept talking about how she's gonna start a new life, apparently met some rich schmuck or something. He was the one who bought her all that shit, then she grabbed her stuff and went…." The bear said, finishing the glass. Looking up at Nick, he then saw the fox offering him a packet of smokes.
"Tell me, Smokey the bear did Natasha collect any dolls or figurines by any chance? Ones shaped like a small fishes?" Nick asked, as the bear took a cig.
"Sorry, I was never interested in her personal stuff officers." He muttered, as Nick offered him a light. The two officers stared at each other and sighed, knowing this was a dead end. Just then, Judy spotted an old looking journal on the table, opening it the bunny quickly flipped trough the pages seeing a rather badly made handwriting.
"Was this hers?" She asked, getting a nod from the bear.
"Yeah, she'd occasionally write down various recipes she saw on TV, she wasn't much a cook to be honest…."
The atmosphere inside Bogo's office was quite strained; infact the word "tensed" wasn't even fitting the situation right now. Both Nick and Judy sat in complete silence as they watched the large buffalo slowly pace back and forth, before he finally sat down. Eyeing the two officers, his eyes narrowed as he finally spoke.
"Well, what do you have for me?" He half growled, as Nick gulped usually being ready for a witty line, but even he knew right now wasn't the time or place.
"Well…We're working sir..umm…W-We're trying our best…" Judy stammered as Bogo interrupted her, as he pulled out the fresh file.
"Well, what have you "worked out", hm?" He asked, staring at Judy who felt like she was ready to fall trough the floor, but this time Nick entered the conversation.
"Well, we determined that Miss Romanov didn't write the letter herself, the hand writing isn't the same as the one we located in her personal journal." The fox replied, now getting a glare from Bogo himself. Flashing a faint cocky grin, Nick tried his best to look as self-assured as he always was, but deep inside he wanted to melt trough the floor like Judy.
"I see, you know…I think both of you just want me dead and gone." Bogo said, making the two look at each other "Question is, what you will do when I'm gone…."
"First throw a party and then keep on working, what else…" Nick said, getting a punch in the rib from Judy and a glare from Bogo. Then, the buffalos gaze turned back to Judy but looking somewhat more relaxed.
"Wilde, you are dismissed; I need to speak with Hopps in private." Bogo said, just as Nick was about to interject, Judy grabbed his hand and shook her head. Giving a silent nod, Nick then got up and left the office.
Now staying all alone, Judy felt the tension returning and clawing not just at her mind but also at her very heart and lungs. If she didn't know any better, she felt like someone or something was pretty much trying to strangle her alive and her little bunny heart was gonna be torn out from her chest. Then, she felt Bogo's hand on her should, having completely missed how he got up and walked behind her.
"Just, tell me something Hopps, that'll hopefully save me from any future hospital visits." He rmurmured, as Judy looked up at him. One didn't need to be a psychic to guess what was going trough the little bunny's mind, confusion, despair and defiantly plenty of self blame.
"I….I don't know what to tell you sir, honestly…" She whispered, lowering her head, with her ears pressing against her tiny head. Shaking her head, Bogo then walked around and crouched before Judy, lifting her head to stare into her eyes.
"You know what I think is going trough your head? You're thinking that someone is out to get you, because you and Wilde were famous for the Night Howler case. That someone started a dangerous game, and an innocent life was lost in said game. You believe that you and Wilde are to blame for this, but you wish to take the entire blame on yourself, am I right?" He asked, and then noticed Judy's lip quivering a little bit with her eyes becoming wet. Giving a nod, Bogo sighed and then patted her head "That's why you cannot think, 'cause your heart is overwhelming your brain. I'm asking you, to turn off your emotions for now Hopps and turn on that bright head of yours, understand? I want you to find this Prankster…."
Wiping her eyes, Judy gave a determined nod as she then quickly left the office. Ignoring Nick's voice, the bunny felt like the world was going in slow motion. Until she was finally grabbed by the fox and spun around to meet him face to face.
"Carrots, I asked if you were alright and if you wanted a drink." He said, staring into her eyes. Being this close, Judy felt her heart oddly skip a beat while her cheeks began to heat up. But then, she quickly snapped out of her funk and smiled a tad.
"Y-Y-yeah, I'm fine N-Nick….S-Sorry, I guess I'm still a little shooken up..and..mm..sure! Drink sounds nice, but let's not go to crazy..I..mm..We still have a case to solve." She said, giving him a soft smile, which in return made Nick relax as well.
"Fear of death happens only to adults. Only those who have time to think about this topic, especially if you have plenty of time. In the end, you arrive to an interesting conclusion, very interesting indeed."
I had to wonder if my first performance got their attention, it was hard to tell. But maybe, they needed another showing; after all sometimes you need to repeat the message. For that, I found another perfect candidate, a weasel from the slums of the city. From what I learned, among the homeless they called him "Stinky", quite an appropriate nickname. Getting his trust wasn't hard, just had to offer him two hundred bucks and some whiskey; soon enough he agreed to follow me wherever I asked. An here we were, an old construction site with Stinky tied to a chair while I was pouring gasoline around him. I have to wonder if anyone would remember or miss him, after all he must've had a family or loved ones before he became a hobo or maybe everyone hated and despised him and that's why he became a person without a past or future, just getting drunk constantly and not even caring for when he lives or dies. Maybe, when this is over nobody will even remember his name or bother to write it on a grave stone, they'll just burry him in a hole and call it a day. I heard him muffling screams as I carefully poured a line of gasoline from where he sat, don't worry poor "Stinky" soon everyone will remember your name and soon you'll achieve peace. You won't be hurt by this world any longer, nor will you be insulted for your smell or made fun because you have no place to live. I flicked my lighter and then tossed it on the ground, watching the line of fire travel towards the weasel was kind of fascinating, almost like an arrow guiding itself towards a target or a serpent crawling towards a juicy meal, soon I saw his entire body engulfed in fire as he trashed and screamed for a while, before going limp. Maybe it was just the strange mix of gasoline and burned flesh, maybe it was the poetic beauty but in this moment I swore I saw the little weasels soul being carried away to the sweet embraces of salvation and peace.
