Chapter Four - Tested
ZPD, Monday, 0830
Nick leaned closer towards Clawhauser.
"It was really awkward. There was just this huge silence, and then you saved the day with that phone call. And that's pretty much what happened", concluded Nick. Benjamin Clawhauser, captivated by Nick's story, shook his head, sending sprinkles flying across his desk. "From what you're telling me, it sounds like I shouldn't have called. It sounds like I interrupted something." Clawhauser's dulcet voice was tinged with guilt.
"Trust me", intoned Nick. "It was weird." Clawhauser smiled mischievously. "Only because you let it be weird. You two obviously feel the same way about each other. And, to be honest, the entire department has been expecting you and Judy to get together for ages. As a matter of fact, there may or may not be a betting pool."
A bemused expression crossed over Nick's face. "You're telling me that there's a betting pool… and I'm not a part of it?!" Nick's mock outrage caused a pair of sheep officers across the atrium to turn their heads and stare for a moment.
Clawhauser's voice took on a conspiratory tone. "No can do, Nick. That'd be insider trading." The cheetah glanced upwards and boomed out a welcoming "Hello!" to Judy Hopps, who has just crossed the threshold of the front door.
"Hey Nick, hey Ben!" she called out brightly. As she reached Clawhauser's desk, the perky rabbit turned to Nick. "We should probably get changed soon, the test starts in a half hour." Clawhauser let out a small squeal. "Oh, I'm proctoring that! Just between the three of us" – Clawhauser's voice lowered by a few decibels – "there are twenty officers taking the exam today. Twenty! For four spots!"
Nick and Judy glanced at each other, and were both relieved that there was no awkwardness in the air between them. They both looked back to the tubby cat behind the desk and Nick winked. "Well, it's nice to have some good competition. I'd hate for this to be too easy."
Judy elbowed him in the leg. "Nick, be nice. C'mon, let's go get changed and meet at the briefing room."
Fifteen minutes later, Nick and Judy were standing on opposite sides of the hallway outside of the main briefing room, affectionately known as the bullpen to members of the force. "You know", said Judy, "I'm glad we got together on Saturday. It was nice to refresh on some of that old info."
Nick nodded. "Mmhmm." But every time he thought about Saturday, all he could think of was how it felt for Judy to be peacefully curled up with him on the couch. He shook himself out of his reverie – it was time to focus.
Clawhauser came plodding down the hallway. "Hey you two – I forgot to mention, they changed the testing room to Conference Room B, on the other side of the atrium." Nick looked between Judy and Benjamin. "Aha. So that's why we're the only people here." Judy let out a short chuckle. "Nice work, Detective Wilde!" Nick gave Judy a playful shove, and the bunny felt her stomach swoop – a feeling that had nothing to do with nervousness about the test.
The trio made their way to Conference Room B and entered. The room was the mirror image of the main bullpen, but was extremely handy when the precinct was busy, or when a special event was taking place (like a Detective's Exam). Save for Nick and Judy, the room was filled almost entirely with massive predators like lions, tigers, and bears. "Oh my!", blurted Clawhauser. "I'm running late! I've got to go grab the test forms, be right back!" He waddled off, whistling a jaunty tune. Nick and Judy glanced at each other, and then sat down together in the second row of tables. Quiet conversation filled the room as the assorted officers began to grow anxious.
The chatter in the room immediately died as the officers heard the foreboding thunder of Chief Bogo's footsteps approaching from down the hall. They all stood as Bogo entered the room, and sat back down at a wave from the Chief. Bogo adjusted his glasses and glanced down at a paper on his podium, then back to the aspiring officers. "Thank you all for applying for the Detective positions. As you well know, there are twenty of you and only four available slots, which means that in one week, sixteen of you are going to be very disappointed. How sad." The officers chuckled - they were senior enough by now to appreciate Bogo's trademark gruffness. Bogo cleared his throat and continued. "I want you all to keep in mind that much more than these test results are taken into account when deciding who will be promoted to Detective. Your records will be closely scrutinized, and your watch commanders will also have input on the decision. Good detective work takes skill, guile, and good fair judgment. My expectation is for you lot to make this an extremely difficult decision." Bogo looked up from his notes and gave a rare smile to the room. "Good luck, officers. Clawhauser?"
The cheetah had reappeared at the door, breathless. He held thick reams of paper in his arms, which he deftly distributed among the applicants as Bogo stomped out of the room and returned to his office. After Clawhauser had handed out the last packet, he took Bogo's place behind the lectern. "Okay, everyone", he said in his effeminate tenor, "you have exactly one hour to complete the exam. If you finish early, place it face down on the table and leave the room." The rotund cheetah glanced up at the clock on the far end of the room. "You may start… now."
So began a symphony of scratching pencils. Nick and Judy read the first question, glanced at each other, and broke into knowing smiles.
