AN: Chapter three, sorry for the wait.
Precinct 1, ZPD Headquarters, 2:58 PM
Clawhauser beckoned to the Springbok, handing him a box of doughnuts. The two stood behind the receptionist desk, the cheetah leaning on the counter while the Springbok sat in the swivel chair at the computer.
"Mmh mmhh?" Clawhauser spluttered, mouth full of doughnut. The springbok, smiled, putting his hoof up in declination.
"I'm good, thanks." He said. Clawhauser chewed and swallowed the rest of the pastry, wiping his paws on his shirt.
"You sure? These are really good! They're from the new doughnut shop on Flora Avenue." Clawhauser elaborated. Mark Dorcas nodded in acknowledgement but said nothing in return. Clawhauser, sensing this, put the box away, but not before reaching for another doughnut.
"Are the days usually this uneventful? I was expecting more calls, well at least during the afternoon." Mark questioned. It was his first day on the force, and he was temporarily assigned receptionist duty, under the guidance of Clawhauser. The cheetah shook his head.
"Nah, sometimes there are a ton of calls." Clawhauser reassured him. "You'll just have to be patient." Mark was scrolling through the police database, looking through it to familiarise himself to the domain layout. Just then, the speaker on the desk started blinking. Clawhauser immediately pressed the button on it, and a voice came over the speaker.
"Officer Hopps and Wilde. Clawhauser, are you there?" Judy's voice came over the speaker.
"Clawhauser here, I can hear you loud and clearly. What's up?" Clawhauser said, giving a I-told-you-so smile to Mark.
"I need an ID on a suspect. Flynn C. Barkowitz." Judy replied. Mark immediately started typing down the name. He paused and turned to Clawhauser.
"Flynn, 'i' or 'y'?" Mark whispered. Clawhauser nodded.
"Flynn C. Barkowitz...Flynn with an 'i'?" Clawhauser asked through the intercom. There was pause on the other end.
"Uh, no...y-n-n. F-L-Y-N-N. Flynn. Yeah." Judy's voice came through the speaker. Mark nodded to himself and typed away on the keyboard, repeating the letters in his mind. The queries on the screen consolidated into one, and clicked on it, briskly skimming through the database.
"Yup, found him. Grey Wolf." Clawhauser said as he looked at the screen. Mark scrolled down. "And he's got a history too. A drug charge, a few assault charges. He's been to prison twice. That sound like him?"
"We don't actually have any other details on him. Where does he live? Does he have any relatives?" Judy inquired.
"Hmm, let me see. Ah, here we go. Savannah Central, 13th Grove Avenue, Block 23, room 2-4. Grove Apartments." Clawhauser supplemented, scrolling down even further. "No current recorded relatives. Sorry. Let me know if you find anything!"
"Thanks, Clawhauser. Talk to you in a bit." Judy said, thumbing off his radio. The crackle indicated the end of the call. Clawhauser put his hands up.
"See, patience!" Clawhauser said as he stuffed his mouth with another doughnut.
Savannah Square, 3:00 PM
Judy turned to Nick, who was sitting in the cruiser beside her, who was also listening to the call. "13th Grove Avenue. If I recall correctly, it's only a few streets down. Let's go." Nick said. Judy nodded, shifting the gears and pulling onto the main road. They drove down the main road, and sure enough, they spotted a set of similarly looking apartments, overlooking a small park. The blocks were rather unkempt, but not to a point of dereliction. The area was largely unoccupied with only a few mammals walking along the sidewalk. Nick scanned the blocks, counting silently in his head before pointing to a building three blocks away from them.
"There it is. Three blocks down." He told Judy. Judy eased on the gas, pulling up to it and braking. The two got out and surveyed the area. There were other mammals in sight, either on the streets or in the surrounding area, lingering around the park or loitering by the buildings. Even though they couldn't see it, Nick knew they all had their eyes on the two of them. Judy took no notice, however, and made her way up the concrete steps of the 23rd block and into the lobby. There was a chatter in the lobby, and a three other mammals were in there, watching a mounted tv on the wall from a couch opposite. As soon as Judy stepped in, the chatter ceased and all eyes turned on her. Judy quickly assessed the situation. Two wolves and a boar. There was a brief and tense silence before Nick walked in. Nick merely nodded in acknowledgement to the group, taking off his sunglasses. The boar gave a snort and turned back to the TV, prompting the others to follow suite. Nick walked past them, followed by Judy, up the set of stairs that led to the upper floors.
"Clawhauser said 'room 2-4'. Second level, room 4. Here it is." Judy said, pointing to a door to the left of them. They approached it with slight caution. Nick reached up on tiptoes to press the doorbell. There was a click, but no chime could be heard from behind the door. Nick pressed it again, but to no avail.
"Some maintenance." Nick muttered under his breath before knocking on the door. There was no answer. "ZPD, open up!" Nick spoke, but there was no response. He turned to Judy. "I don't think anyone's in. Should we ask around or...?" Nick left the question hanging.
"I'll call it in." Judy said, pulling out her radio. There was a footstep behind them and a cough.
"Excuse me." The pair turned to see the boar who had been sitting downstairs right behind them, arms crossed. "What's your business?" He said gruffly, scowling.
"Officer Hopps," Judy said, pointing to herself, before gesturing to Nick, "this is Officer Wilde, ZPD. We're conducting an investigation, so sir, if you could-"
"Who are you looking for?" The boar cut in. "When cops come in like this they're always looking for someone. So?" Nick stepped forward, putting himself between the boar and Judy.
"We're looking for Mr. Barkowitz. We heard that he lives around here." Nick explained. "So, would you by any chance know where he is?" The boar paused, uncrossing his arms.
"Flynn? No clue. I haven't seen him all day." The boar said. "What's he gotten himself into now?"
Nick paused, mouth partially opened. "That's police business."
"Well, police business or not, tell him he's not welcome back anytime soon." The boar muttered, as he turned to go back downstairs. Judy pushed pass Nick.
"Why, has he been causing trouble?" Judy asked. The boar stopped, giving her a sharp stare.
"He's...a real character. We don't like him using these blocks as...staging ground. Y'know. For certain...business." The boar muttered vaguely, hesitating to say more. Judy pressed on.
"What type of business?" She inquired.
"He's part of a gang. A really high profile one, I heard. Me and my pals don't know what he does with that deer friend he has lurking around here often, and we don't want to know either." The boar revealed.
"Deer friend?" Nick queried. The boar gave a shrug.
"Deer, antelope, some sort of Cervidae or Bovidae. Straight curved horns, grey fur. I don't know. One of them." The boar huffed. "Now if you don't mind, I'll get back to my soccer match."
"Thank you...sir..." Judy thanked looking for a name, to which the boar raised his hoof.
"Edin. Victor Edin. Nothing to it." The boar answered, before returning down the stairs. Judy turned to Nick, eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Captain Alces said that the other occupant in the truck was a kudu, a Bovidae. This could be our guy!" Judy speculated. Nick nodded in agreement.
"So Mr. Barkowitz was part of a gang. But doesn't blowing up someone using a bomb seem too overkill?" Nick contributed. "No pun intended."
"There's no telling right now. Gang or no gang, this isn't going to be a simple open and shut case." Judy concluded. It was nearly 4 in the afternoon. While they hadn't accomplished as much as she had hoped they would've, at least this was a lead.
Savannah Central, Canaan Industries Tower 4:25 PM
Russell Cavendish, an operations manager of Canaan Industries, the leader in the chemical industry in Zootopia. A badger of significant status, and his office interior reflected his extravagant lifestyle. His office had the view over the city, as his company headquarters was situated in one of biggest skyscrapers in the business district. Russell laid back in his chair, feet propped up on his desk, absent-mindedly spinning a liquor glass in his paw. The sun was already beginning to start its descent into the horizon. He had a board meeting at 5. But for now, he had no appointments. All of a sudden, the intercom on the desk buzzed to life.
"Mr. Cavendish?" A feminine voice called from the speaker. Russell put his feet back down, leander forward and pressed the button of the intercom.
"Yes?" Russell grunted in acknowledgment. He quickly cleared his throat, putting the liquor glass back on the table with the intention of pouring himself another cup.
"The board has postponed the meeting to six. Just to let you know. Sir." His personal secretary, a European Roe Deer, stammered in reply. Russell smiled to himself. He wasn't keen on that meeting anyway.
"Thank you, Linda." That was all that Russell said before he leaned back to pour himself a half-glass of gin. He wasn't too fond of Miles Burchell, CEO of Canaan Industries and a hot-headed Zebra, or any of his cohorts. One hour would serve him well to provide him with an extra hour of sanity before the mess they called a "board meeting". More like bored-
His train of thought was interrupted by his ringtone going off. It was the default "beep-beep-beep" common for the brand of his touch phone, but it managed to throw him out of the loop. Curious, as he usually blocked most of his numbers from calling him at certain times. He picked up the phone, and immediately recognized the name that was calling him; Bernard Pinto, an old friend. He quickly picked up the call.
"Bernard? What's going on?" Russell asked, a seed of doubt forming in his chest. Russell could hear that the cougar was out of breath.
"Russell, my boy." Bernard breathlessly babbled. "Did you see your father anywhere? Did he come by your place?"
"What? What's wrong? What's going on?" Russell inquired, now extremely anxious. His arm froze, midway in putting his drink to his mouth.
"Your father. Edward. He's missing. He dialed me and left me a voice message just now." Russell panted. "He-he said that he was going to leave, I don't know where. I drove by his place, and he wasn't there either. I wasn't sure whether he went to see you."
Russell rubbed his chin. "No, he hasn't passed by." He could hear Bernard groan from the other side of the line.
"Dammit. I told him to lay off his meds. We have to call the police. We can't let him get into any trouble." Bernard grimaced. "Not this again..." Russell heard him mumble and draw a deep breath.
"I'll phone the police. I'm sure it's nothing, like last time." Russell said. "Thank you, Bernard." There was an exasperated grunt on the other end of the line.
"No problem, Russell. Call me if anything comes up." He hung up, leaving Russell to listen to the flat tone on the line. He put away his phone and finished the drink in one gulp. A thought came into mind, and he smiled inwardly. He immediately reached over and dialed his secretary.
"Linda? Tell Mr. Burchell that I will not be available for the board meeting tonight. Tell him that I have some...family issues. Yes. That is all." Russell hung up, kicked his feet up again and leaned back into his chair. Finally, for once, he was free for the evening.
Precinct 1, ZPD Headquarters, 6:00 PM
After a lengthy period of paperwork and presentations, Nick and Judy were finally at the end of their shift. They had provided the identification of one of the victims, and were in the process of identifying the other. Along with their evidence, several surveillance tapes had been procured from the site. Much work was being put into the identification of the culprit, but so far, no leads have been found. The pair left that behind as they exited the building.
"So, Nick. About that dinner you owed me." Judy smirked to Nick, who returned the grin.
"Of course, where shall it be?" Nick crooned, in a sing-song voice. Judy, returning the sarcasm, put her paws on her chin, exaggerating deep thought.
"What about...that salad bar that you refused to go to last time?" Nick's smile faded.
"Wait, wait, wait. That place? I thought we were having dinner, not getting tortured!" Nick feigned surprise. He had his reason not liking salad bars, one being the lack of bug meat and the other being how awkward it was, being a predator in a mostly prey establishment. In a way, Nick's surprise was real. Judy did not relinquish her decision.
"Yup, with all the vegetables you can eat. Come on, we should try and miss the evening crowd." Judy tugged Nick along, but the fox didn't move. Judy looked back to him, confused.
"Nick?"
The fox smiled, putting a paw on her head. "Don't ever change, Carrots." He flashed a toothy grin. "But mark my words, I'll get back at you. Just you watch."
Judy grinned, pushing Nick's paw away. "I'll be ready for you, then."
The two made their way, down the street, and into the setting sun.
Savannah Central, Canaan Industries Tower 7:25 PM
Miles Burchnell adjusted his tie, looking at his own reflection in the mirror. The board meeting was, as per usual, useless. He didn't interfere with the bickering between the head of office and an operation manager, as he'd rather not take sides in that argument. Neither did he have the patience to deal it with today. And that damn badger, using the obviously fake "family issue" excuse to escape. What was his name, Ca..Caven...Cavendish, Russell? The name slightly rang a bell, but he waved it off. His personal phone rang, and he picked up.
"Miles, oh, Miles." The voice on the other end hissed, sending a sharp tingle down the spine of the zebra. Miles hesitated, but finally stammered out a greeting.
"Oh, um, good evening, Sazar, it-" The sable antelope on the other line promptly cut him off.
"Uh-uh-uh. No names." The Zebra clenched up at the sudden interruption. "No names. I know you're wondering why I'm calling you at this time."
"Yes. Is it because-"
"Oop. Let me finish. You'd have probably guessed it by now. That little "incident" last night. Hmm?" Miles started to pace his office. He nodded, but realized that the sable antelope wanted a verbal response.
"Y-yes. So I heard. What happened?" Miles ventured, trying to regain a sense of some sort of conversation with the antelope.
"I lost two mammals last night. I don't know who. But guess who they were meeting last night?" There was a slither of venom within his voice, and Miles heard it, loud and clearly, but before he could answer, the antelope answered.
"One of you suits. A deal. I...y'know...was wondering if you know anything about...any activity since." The antelope coaxed. Miles swallowed. He was in for it now.
"No, of course not, absolutely not. If I knew anything, I'd have contacted you by now, I swear." Miles half-pleaded. There was a grunt on the other end. Miles held his breath.
"Hmm. Oh well. I know you will. Just know, I'll find out who did this. And you know what that means, right?" The sable antelope spat.
"Yes, absolutely. I'll have mammals on command, just give me a call and they're yours." Miles spluttered, not knowing how much he could take of this.
"Of course. Until then." There was an audible click as the antelope hung up. Miles dropped his phone on his desk, putting a hoof on his head, heaving a breath. Only one thought came across his mind. He wasn't safe anymore. Not that he was safe as he first shook his hoof with the Sable antelope's. It was just that they had been on better terms then, and Miles concluded that he'd have to lay low for now.
At lost for thought, he dropped onto a chair, making a mental note to get the mammals he promised to provide. The sun was setting, and he hoped that when he went to sleep tonight, he'd be able to wake up.
AN: Thanks for reading, and please favorite and leave a review!