Part 4

Nigel figured that he lost him, or whoever it was that had been chasing him. He had spent the better part of an hour ducking and jumping down alleys and side-streets; now he was just exhausted. As he leaned against the building wall, catching his breath, a paw snuck up on him and brought darkness down on the small mammal.
The weasel woke up to nothing but the mixed smell of bleach and blood. Strapped down on a cold and wet surface, he tried wriggling himself free to no avail. He paid no attention to the scrape of metal as he tried to slip out of his bonds. Eventually, the small mammal slowed down from exhaustion; his gag preventing him from recovering quickly. His captor took the chance to make his presence known:

Up and down the alleys and streets…
The wolf, he chased the weasel…
The wolf just wanted to have some fun…
But off goes the weasel…

Through the cold and star-less night…
The wolf still chased the weasel…
He took him home to have some good fun…
Now…
Pop…
Goes…
The Weasel…

A 'thunk' echoed in the darkness. Nigel never moved again.

…

"Oh sweet cheese and crackers," Judy gasped as she entered the morgue with her partner.
On the slab, next to the heads of Mary and Walter, stood two more; a horse and a weasel.
"This is just perfect," Nick annoyingly commented into his paw. "If the chief gets wind of this, OUR heads will be on that slab."
"I don't think it'll come to that," Connie replied.
"We've got four heads! In three days!" The fox exclaimed. "And if my math is correct, then I wouldn't be surprised to see three more tomorrow!"
"Nick, calm down," Judy tried. "The more time we spend complaining, the more time our murderer has a chance to call that guess."
He sighed, slowing his breathing to gather his thoughts.
"Sorry, Carrots," he replied. "This is just getting a bit hectic."
"Well, if you two are all over your initial shock, I've got some more messages from our guests," the meerkat said as she brought them a pair of notes in baggies. "I'll be sure to inform you on their identities as soon as I can."
"Thanks Connie, we'll leave you to it," the bunny answered as she made her way with Nick.

She broke his heart.
He drank too much.
He gave quite the chase.
He was a slippery one.

Judy stared down at the four notes on her desk. There was no denying it, they were all written by the same animal, but the last two were in a completely different tone. While the first two seemed to refer to something bad the victim had done, the remaining ones seemed to be notes of pleasure, almost like the killer enjoyed it. Judy shook the thought out of her head; how could anyone enjoy murder?
The bunny poured her attention over the first note. It was obviously referring to Mary's fight with Robert, but how did that tie in to anything? She would definitely be asking Catmull some questions when he came back.
Stumped, she shifted her attention to the tiger's note while pulling out the file that Nick had left her:
Walter Stripes.
Age: 42.
Species: Tiger.
Employment: Tax consultant.
The rest of the file consisted of sparse photos of the mammal in question, including when his head was found by Officer McHorn. As Judy flipped through the snapshots, she stopped at a very alarming piece of evidence. Walter's last known sighting showed the tiger exiting a bar.

The two detectives stood across the street from the building, Nick being overly critical about the signage.
"… I mean, who in their right minds think that THAT is a good idea?"
He was gesturing at a tuxedo-clad neon cat with accompanying top hat and cane, the de facto mascot for The Pink Panther Cabaret Club.
"I don't think anyone cares, Nick," Judy replied as she made for the club.
There weren't that many customers for the time of the day, but that didn't stop the entertainment from playing in background; on stage was a quiet jazz band playing for the few tables that were occupied. A lone bartender was cleaning some glasses, their back turned to the customers.
"Excuse us, but we'd like to speak with the manager," Nick asked as the duo arrived at the bar.
"Sure, I'll go and get her for-Oh!"
The bartender on shift was none other than Robert Catmull.
"Detective Wilde, what can I do for you?" He greeted Judy, ignoring the fox entirely.
"You can start by getting the manager," she replied. "Like my partner asked."
"Oh. Right. Sorry," he quickly apologized as he slipped off to the back.
"I almost forgot that he worked here," the fox admitted.
"Same. Do you think he was working that night?"
"Chances are he did," Nick answered. "Why? Do you think he has something to do with this?"
"Maybe… But it doesn't add up with the other two," the bunny voiced with a furrow in her brow.
As if out of nowhere, a neatly dressed timber wolf made her way to the bar where they were.
"I'm so sorry for making you wait," she apologized. "Was there anything I could help you with, Officers?"

Tiffany Wolfen was a self-proclaimed gracious host, and she always tried to live up to the title. So when she heard that a couple of ZPD's finest were just outside, she couldn't resist the thrill of wanting to please them. She led the two to a secluded booth in the corner of the club and asked the waiter to bring them some drinks.
"So, you wanted some answers?" The wolfess asked coyly.
"Yes, we were wondering if you knew anything about a particular costumer of yours," Judy prodded.
"Straight to the difficult ones, I see," she commented. "Well, that depends on who you might be referring to."
"Walter Stripes," the bunny announced as she pulled out his photos. "He was last seen exiting this club a couple of days ago."
"And?"
"He was found murdered, later that night," Nick added.
"Ah. How unfortunate," Wolfen replied with no change in her expression.
"He had a note in his mouth," Judy pressed. "Saying that he drank too much."
"Really now," the wolfess voiced with surprise as she studied the photos more intently. "Ah. I remember him now. Such a gentlemammal; always offered me a drink whenever he saw me. I always declined though, had to set an example for the rest of the staff."
She sighed.
"It's sad that he's gone. Kind of makes me regret not taking one of his offers."
"Miss Wolfen-"
"Please, Tiffany's fine."
"Miss Wolfen," Judy continued. "Was Mr. Stripes acting strangely at all that night?"
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Officers, but I wasn't working that night," the wolfess admitted. "I had a prior engagement that needed tending to."
"Such as?" Nick prodded.
"I was hosting a dinner-party," she proudly stated. "And my guests were all happily amused by the food and entertainment."
Nick looked over at his partner with a sly look, which Judy matched.
"Would it be too much to ask for the guest list of that particular dinner-party, Miss Wolfen?" The bunny asked.

…

This little piggy went to market…
While this little wolfy followed close…

AN: What a nice hostess.