WAVES OF SCAMS PART 4
ON THE ROAD
On the road, judging from the seats they'd taken before hitching to the road from ZPD parking lot, Judy dealt the driving their police SUV while Nick dealt the reading the reports of the scams from the folder, much to his dismay, as the reading the reports wasn't his favorite thing in the police force, and Nick viewed such of part at the work as boring as doing the paper works.
Besides, Nick had wanted to drive the SUV this time, but Judy had unfortunately seized the full control over the driver's seat and put him to read the reports of the scams to look for any single detail Bogo had failed to see. Nick viewed such of act as unfairness and had complained about it loud.
However, Nick eventually submitted to Judy's wishes, though reluctantly, and after taking the comfortable position on his seat, the fox officer opened the folder and started to read the reports about the lately happened scams without complaint... however, while reading the reports, Nick silently murmured to himself that how delicious his revenge against Judy would be.
After some time while driving, Judy recalled that nearly out of control reached tensed moment between of Nick and Mr. Sullivan back at Bogo's office, before she turned to look at Nick and asked out of curiosity that what he had done to Mr. Sullivan to get him so angry at him that nearly led that business wolf nearly kill him in Bogo's office.
After the question, Nick put aside his vengeful feelings towards Judy - for now - and began to search the answer for Judy's question from his memories of those days when he was the con artist and working with Finnick on the streets. Before long, the the wide grin suddenly appeared on his lips and Nick began even giggle heartily as he remembered his and Finnick's latest gig with Mr. Sullivan.
"Well... It happened about two years before we met each other for the first time." Nick started...
"Was that before your tiny mess with Mr. Big?" Judy interrupted, eager to hear Nick's story about him and Mr. Sullivan and eager to compare them with each other.
"Actually, somewhat after, but that was much more successful job... and even lucrative for me." Nick stated, before gesturing Judy to let him continue his story, which Judy agreed with the nod.
"You see, Carrots, I had once disguised myself as a seller, who sells the ownership rights of the companies." Nick, started, until Judy interrupted him.
"Nick, there's no such of thing like company seller." Judy said with the cheeky tone. "Besides, how it can be even a possible that Mr. Sullivan did fall a victim of your scheme if he both saw and knew that you're the fox?"
Nick shrugged and "innocently" rolled his eyes.
"Well, peace of cake if you wear on you a green checkered trousers, red seller jacket, blueberry-colored bow tie and the wig with orange and tufty hair. And what becomes to species, Mr. Sullivan is usually that kind of person who usually is blinded from everything else if being proposed with a highly productive offer of which to gain more wealth. Otherwise I would have considered of covering my species identity by disguising my face with a facial paint so that I could look like a badger." Nick explained.
"Why badger? Why not skunk or raccoon?" Judy questioned teasingly.
Nick raised his eyebrow. "Skunk? Raccoon? Oh, sure sure. Definitely either one of them, except that Mr. Sullivan has a sensitive sense of smell and he's xenophobe towards skunks because of that. And raccoons raises suspicion due to their burglar-looking appearance in the eyes of many." Nick explained.
A wide and teasing grin appeared on Judy's lips as she looked at Nick.
"Really? And yet I thought that it was foxes, who raises even more suspicion in the eyes of entire public." Judy teased, earning an offended scowl from Nick when Judy mentioned the foxes usual daily problems with the public.
"SHUT UP AND LET ME CONTINUE IF YOU PLEASE." Nick exclaimed with offended tone, which immediately made Judy to realize that she was at the edge of going a bit too far.
"Okay, okay, okay! I was just kidding, Nick. There's no need to erupt like that!" Judy hurriedly apologized and allowed Nick to continue his story.
"Thank you, wabbit." Nick thanked with the sarcastic tone before he continued his story.
"Well, as I was saying, I had disguised myself as a company seller and I was planning to sell to Mr. Sullivan the ownership rights of non-exists company 'The Fountain of Youth', through of the bottles filled with the rain water, which I claimed to be the water from the legendary Fountain of Youth's physically rejuvenating water, which is capable to turn the old mammal to look like younger again." I... kinda... tricked Sullivan with the mirror to believe that he had became an old wolf with the face full of wrinkles and I advertised him my water and its phony abilities. I needed just to wash his face with the water and then secretly wipe the "fake" wrinkles off the mirror and then I gave him to look his a new "younger" faces from the mirror. That alone was enough to make him both interested and fully convinced and interested that with of such of "magical water", the beauty salons owned by him can earn more revenue than ever. He totally wanted to get his fingers on that "miraculous" water and have the company under of his ownership. And so, I sold him all my bottles and the ownership rights of the company with twenty million dollars. That of course came as a horror to him but I convinced him to believe that it would be worth of massive revenue for the water. Though we managed to make a sale, he paid me ten million dollars from that water. However, it was better than nothing and with which I left from the scene quickly before that wolf would realize my hustle." Nick explained, before starting to chuckle lightly at his successful hustle Judy started to giggle at Nick's story, though out of two of them, only she attempted to hold back her giggling."How long it did from Mr. Sullivan to realize his mistake?" Judy asked, while still trying to put her giggling under control.
"About two days later, cottontail." Nick answered.
"You see, on that day, Mr. Sullivan tried to advertise the non-existing The Fountain of Youth company's fake product in live broadcast. It happened in one of his most favored and productive beauty salon, where he had called the press conference to witness the "miracle" of the water he'd bought from me. I watched the progressing of my masterpiece from my TV, and soon enough I witnessed its results when Mr. Sullivan got as his first and unfortunately last customer; someone Jasper-named old goat with long white beard his face full of wrinkles." Nick explained with the smirk.
"I just can't get out of my mind the look in his face when he watched from aside as the water was put into a test by washing that old goat's wrinkled faces with the first batch of that water, only to notice that the water didn't work on his face's wrinkles, much to Sullivan's surprise and confusion. Mr. Sullivan believed that maybe there was too little water and which would cause the effect to be slow progressing. And when nothing didn't happen, Mr. Sullivan tried again to wash the wrinkles off that goat's faces with the second batch, then third, then fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth, another twelve and he kept doing that until he had wasted all of them, and still the goat's faces remained the same." Nick explained while trying hard to hold back upcoming laugh as he recalled the memories in his mind."
"And soon, the press conference somehow found out the truth behind of the water from the legendary Fountain of Youth I sold to Mr. Sullivan along with the false ownership rights of the non-existing Fountain of Youth company for ten million dollars - probably because either one of those reporters or that old goat himself tasted the water in their mouth and recognized it as a regular rain water. And with that, in addition of that when Mr. Sullivan explained in front of the cameras how he got the water and the false ownership rights of the non-exist company in the first place after he realized truth, the press did not give mercy and published these on the headline of the newspaper." Nick said, as his paw dove into his pocket and picked something from there, which he showed to Judy.
It was a two years old piece of the news paper, in which was reading...
ZOOTOPIA TIMES
"MILLIONAIRE, BANKER AND BUSINESSWOLF MR. SULLIVAN GETS TRICKED AND BADLY HUMILIATED!"
"Lately, a billionaire, banker and businesswolf Mr. Sullivan has fallen into a scam and has bought a non-existent company's ownership rights for 10,000,000$ after attempting to test on the old mammals " a physically rejuvenating" water, which Mr. Sullivan has claimed to be from the mythical Fountain of Youth."
While showing the piece of the newspaper to Judy, Nick finally lost the fight of trying to hold back his laugh and burst into sweet laughter at the memory.
"Poor Mr. Sullivan. He most certainly became a laughing-stock for several months, and all thanks to my successful scam that earned 10,000,000$!" Nick laughed, while placing the piece of newspaper back into his pocket.
Nick's hearty laugh got even Judy to lose the fight against holding back her own laughter, as the rabbit started to giggle uncontrollably yet sweetly... though she quickly considered herself as 'one to talk... or laugh,' because she had herself fallen into Nick's hustle back in the Ice Cream shop.
"You naughty but sneaky fox. Then no wonder if Mr. Sullivan has swore a personal vendetta against you." Judy said while giggling uncontrollably.
It took a some time for her to hold it back before she was capable to ask the next question.
"And what did you do with that 10,000,000$ you earned through of dirty and illegal way, Slick?" Judy said.
Though Nick wasn't capable to hold back his own laugh as quickly as Judy, he at least managed to hold it back that much that he could catch some breath before he could answer to Judy's recent question.
"Well, I had many ideas with such of amount: to buy fancy luxury apartment, a bitchin' convertible or take a trip on the expensive pleasure cruise in the tropics. However, I eventually decided to give 90% of my earnings to my mother because of the personal reasons relating to our species. You see, Carrots. My mother owns an abandoned hotel which she has turned into combined orphanage and homeless shelter for the orphaned fox kittens and homeless foxes to settle in in the downtown, and she needs enough money to keep the place afloat, keep the foxes inside both safe and fed and pay to the employees their reward for their service, whom are usually the foxes but sometimes some other mammals whom do not view the foxes by the way like the rest of the world does." Nick said.
Judy was deeply touched by that. "Awww, Nick! That was so noble and selfless act coming from you."
"At least towards my own desperate and help-needing species, Fluff. Other mammals doesn't matter." Nick remarked, before he continued.
"And, I also consider my scam to Mr. Sullivan as a personal payback to that sourpuss from my mom, because my mother had once came to Mr. Sullivan to ask his funding for her orphanage and shelter for orphaned and homeless foxes, pleading him to think the best for the foxes and help to rebuild their future. However, my mother's pleads and request for funding were rudely rejected by that unsympathetic wolf, who called my kin as a filthy plague in entire Animal Kingdom before he even personally kicked my mother out from his bank to the streets like the rag doll."
Judy was disgusted by this knowledge how Mr. Sullivan had treated Nick's mother when she was in the quest to help her and Nick's kin.
"This might be a rough from an police officer... but I'll say that that wolf definitely deserved to be hustled so badly and lose that 10,000,000€ for treating your mother like that." Judy proudly declared.
"Hell yeah! In your face, Mr. Sullivan!" Nick exclaimed in agreement.
Soon enough, Judy regained her serious-self back when she changed the subject to their case.
"However, we have the case to be solved. As Bogo said that you have a mind of con artist, so you can tell me what you can say about these latest scams." Judy said.
Nick nodded to his partner and turned back to the case files Bogo had given to them and proceed to open several case files to check the reports about the scams.
"Well, as Bogo said about Sullivan's and Po'anda Chinakiro's scams happening almost at the same time, those gazelle, giant otter and pig seems to be accomplices with the forged certificates and disguises and they probably had planned these scams very carefully to avoid arouse the doubts. Very clever from them indeed. Maybe even as clever like tricking some naive bunny rookie into the wet cement pissing off some beaver construction workers for ruining their hard work, if you remember." Nick teased his partner with the sly grin.
Judy rolled her eyes at that unpleasant memory of that unpleasant - but luckily momentous - day when Nick had slyly hustled her into the wet cement and she got stuck in it, and Nick even put the blame on her from the incident, that wasn't even her fault, in attempt to get rid of her and her nagging.
And in addition of that, like being humiliated by the fox wasn't worst enough, she was angrily berated by those beaver workers for ruining the smooth surface of the cement when they released her legs from the cement.
"Stay focus in this, dumb fox." She said in frustration.
Nick couldn't help but briefly burst into a loud giggle, though he quickly managed to get the hold of himself and I continued to check the reports.
"Wait! There's three scams more of which Bogo didn't tell us." Nick exclaimed.
"One report tells about the famous bowler Mr. Rhinocerotidae. He met four days ago a beautiful rhino girl in bowling tournament, dated with her for two days and then went with her in the same bed in the third day's night. And the next morning, she was gone, disappeared without the trace. However, the rhino girl didn't disappear without leaving a note for him, because as soon as he woke up, Rhinocerotidae found out of nowhere appeared picture about another teen rhino girl - who was completely unknown to him - leaning next of his phone, into which had been left a voice message from that female rhino; "Rhinocerotidae, you treacherous pig! I hate you!" Nick explained, trying to imitate the light female voice.
"Oh, the love is so cruel! Why did she leave me? Why?" Judy said dramatically while landing her paw's backside onto her forehead and sighed so sweetly like she had just lost some one she loved to another. Nick couldn't help but giggle to her performance, followed by Judy, who quit her dramatic performance and giggled with Nick.
"But if you ask from me, I'll say that that doesn't make any sense. How exactly Rhinocerotidae losing his girlfriend like this relates to these scams, Nick?" She asked after she held back her laugh.
"Well, Rhinocerotidae's heartbreak turned soon into fury after he found out that his tenth golden bowling trophy, which he'd won in the tournament on the day he met that rhino girl in the bowling tournament, had mysteriously disappeared, and just the same morning as the rhino girl disappeared. Rhinocerotidae firmly believes currently that his so-called and back-stabbing ex-girlfriend stole the trophy while he was sleeping."
Judy shook her head after I ended this report
"That was pretty cruel trick... even from the con artist." Judy stated.
Nick nodded in agreement.
"And there's another one, which relates to that famous singer, Gazelle. She hired three days ago excellent and a lot of experienced gardener, a lion, in her house. He made excellent work for two days, turning her jungle-turned garden inside out, unlike his predecessor zebra gardener, who revealed to be lazy, incompetent and too annoying one, because every time when Gazelle turned her back and headed to her room, that zebra left his job and sneaked to her bedroom's window and secretly spied her while undressing and dressing herself... taking even pics of her behind of her back when she was... uh... well, you know." Nick said.
Nick heard Judy growling silently. Probably already knowing how annoying that kind of acting sounded... which made Nick to wonder that had Judy in some point of her entire life experienced such of harassment.
"Pervert!" Judy mumbled with her voice full of disgust, so Nick quickly returned to the main subject.
"Well, however, Gazelle had reported that she had after two days allowed the gardener to handle the flowers of her bedrooms, while she took the warm bath in the bathroom, which door she had locked in case of keeping non-invented mammals outside. But after she had finished her path and came out from the bathroom, the gardener had strangely disappeared… and much to her shock so were her jewelry and her shiny dancing dresses too… all of them. Nothing had left behind." I explained.
Judy's ears jumped quickly upright and her eyes widened into wide out of surprise after Nick finished reading this report.
"Her all jewelry and dancing dresses?! So that's why her concert on this week was canceled without the reason?"
Nick nodded before turning back to the reports.
"One left, a famous teenager saxophone player, Lisa Cougar, has lately reported to ZPD that her beloved saxophone had been stolen inexplicably from under her nose after her last performance, when someone teen-looking hippo girl inspired a number of fans to beg from her for her autograph, during of which her saxophone disappeared from her paws. That one scam really broke that poor cougar girl, because now that she is no longer able to practice without her saxophone, all her future performances will be in vain, and she is in danger of being erased from the finals.*"
Judy left her ears to drop against the back of her head after hearing this. This report reminded her from the moment during her childhood, when Gideon Grey stole from Sharla her own saxophone and threw it to the lake as "revenge" for revealing him as a thief of Sharla's teacher's cookie jar. Well thanks to Judy's help, Gideon was forced as punishment to buy to Sharla a new saxophone and then he was put to the home arrest for a whole month.
Judy then returned from the past to the current moment.
"So, we have a six scams to be solved, six victims to be questioned and probably six criminals, gazelle, giant otter, pig, rhino, lion and hippo to be find and put under arrest." Judy said before she let out the deep sight. "This is going to be long day."
Nick then turned his eyes and attention back onto the files, during of which they reached to a crossroads, where they had the red light, causing Judy to hit the brakes and stop their cruiser in front of the red traffic lights and crosswalk, which was soon filled with congested mammals from the sidewalks.
Nick kept going through the case files, until he suddenly spotted something interest-catching thing from the last case file.
"Wait! There's yet one more report. It comes from the theater in the downtown." Nick exclaimed after reading the final report.
"And what kind of sneaky scam this time?" Judy asked. "C'mon, Nicky. Give me one more reason to hunt down this or these criminals to the kingdom come."
Nick took a while to read report from beginning to the end in hope for some answers, until he finally found it.
However, Nick shook his head at Judy's guess.
"Well, in fact, this one actually isn't a scam nor robbery. They had reported in this one that some of that certain theater's costumes have been disappeared or more likely stolen. And THAT happened over two weeks ago… before any of these other scams." Nick explained.
"Over two weeks ago before any of these other scams, eh?" Judy questioned, before falling under of her thoughts for a moment.
And then, her expression turned into a serious one.
"This might be our very first clue, Nicky!" Judy exclaimed with the wide smirk on her face.
"What do you mean?" Nick said in confusion.
"Well, as you said, these con artists are possibly using the disguises in their scams. And if that's true, the roots of all these lately cases may somehow relate to that theft in the theater or vice versa. I think that we should then start the investigation from there, where all of this may have started." Judy declared.
"Agree! The report came from the Game Trail Street 12 Let's go my friend!" Nick loudly stated with the tone full of eagerness to start their investigation.
Judy turned to her fox partner and gave him a smug smirk.
"Ready to make the world a better place?"
Nick answered to his bunny partner's smug smirk with positive grin, before taking out his sun glasses and placing them on his nose.
"Then why are we sitting here on our butts, Cottontail? Let's roll! WILDEHOPPS TEAM'S STYLE!" Nick declared.
Nick's answer got Judy's smug smirk turn into a wide yet proud smile, before he turned her eyes on the road.
"Cop ladies and cop gentlemammals... next stop, the city theater on the Game Trail Street 12!" Judy declared, and when the traffic lights eventually turned into green for them, Judy hit the gas and the duo headed to the Game Trail Street 12 in downtown.
TO BE CONTINUED...
TRIVIA
*This case was inspired by Lisa Simpson's hobby of playing saxophone and The Simpsons fifth season's episode 'Homer the Vigilante' where Lisa's saxophone gets stolen by cat burglar Molloy.