Sly squirmed to break free from Carmelita's hold, but it was no use; Carmelita was holding him with an iron grip.
Raleigh appeared from around the corner with a huge grin, but suddenly he coughed and shrank.
Carmelita and Sly both stared with unreadable expressions as Raleigh tried to smile innocently. The fox and the raccoon looked at each other and nodded, both having formed between each other an unspoken plan.
Holding his cane tightly in both cuffed hands, Sly was held up by Carmelita. His tail curled down in-between his legs and thus protecting himself, and Carmelita threw him forward just enough that his cane hit Raleigh over the head. The frog stumbled, his hat crumpled, and Sly used the cane to help himself stand before pointing the cane threateningly at Raleigh.
"Where are the pages?"
"I don't know what you're talking about!"
"Where are the pages?!" Sly raised the cane, threatening to beat the frog up some more.
Raleigh pointed wildly. "Behind the chair! In a safe!"
"What's the combo?!"
"I don't know!"
Sly grumbled. "Whatever, I'll crack it."
"With one hand?" asked Carmelita.
Sly looked back at her. "It'll be difficult, but it's do-able."
"Just like you.." Raleigh purred. Sly hit him a few more times with the cane before Carmelita cuffed him as well.
Sly turned to walk back to find the safe, but Carmelita called him back.
"Hang on, ringtail!"
He turned again.
Carmelita checked the pocket on her jacket above her right breast and pulled out a key.
"... So you knew where the key was the entire TIME?!"
Bentley waited in the van, worried about Sly. The storm outside sounded insanely powerful. If Sly had already stepped outside with the pages...
"Aww, where is he...?"
He'd already tried reaching Sly through the Binocucom, but there had been no signal for some reason.
"What if he's hurt? Or if Raleigh..." Bentley trailed off, unable to imagine what Sly would be experiencing if the latter were the case. He sat in front of the computer in the van and clasped his hands; praying that Sly was okay.
Sly tried to crack the safe open, not paying any mind to the fact that Carmelita was right behind him, swinging the cuffs around her finger and holding Raleigh's mouth shut with her boot.
"Hurry it up, Cooper. I don't have all day."
Sly didn't respond, too focused on cracking the combo. Soon there was a brief click and Sly's face brightened with a pleased smile. Carmelita blushed a little; Sly looked cute when he smiled.
Sly pulled the safe open and pulled out some pages. "Yes, this is it!" Still smiling, he reached into his red backpack and pulled out a calling card, placing it in the safe and slipping the pages into the backpack.
He stood and looked at Carmelita, his smile fading. Carmelita's face grew more serious as well, at least until Sly smirked.
"Thanks for the assistance, Inspector." He snickered.
"You're not getting away, Cooper. I'm taking you to my offi- jail, I mean."
He stepped closer to her, making her freeze. He then wagged his blue-gloved index finger in front of her face, his other hand on his hip. "I don't think so. I still have the other four chunks of the Thievius Raccoonus to collect."
Carmelita tried to quickly cuff him, but he used his cane to smack her hand, making her drop the cuffs, and he started running. She aimed her shock pistol WHICH PACKS A PUNCH THAT IS PARALYZING at him. "If you so much as step outside you'll be swept away!"
He looked back at her and winked before diving outside.
"COOPER!"