Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from the movie Zootopia are all owned by Disney the great and powerful. All registered trade names property of their respective owners. Cheap shots at celebrities constitute fair usage.
The Gaylords put out some fun music, much of which falls into the category of novelty songs. In the intro to No More Pasta, Momma, It's Getting Me Too Fat, they warn their listeners they're going to offer a polka you can't refuse.
A Wedding You Can't Refuse
On Saturday evening Judy turned down an invitation to go out with Hye and Tom after dinner. She claimed she had a headache. Given the tension between the rabbit and Nick the two raccoons believed her.
While Judy had a headache it wasn't her main reason for leaving. Nick's phone had a GPS chip and she was afraid he was going to get into trouble. She tracked him as he went to the police academy. "He's picking up Ernie. They're both crazy... They're all three crazy. I can't believe Nick talked the Commissioner into... Maybe Nick lied to me about that... He's trying to be honest, I..." Then the chip was on the move again.
The car came to a stop. "Are they talking to someone on the sidewalk?" It was not the best part of town, but there were worse areas. Nick, or someone carrying Nick's phone eventually left the car and walked a couple blocks. Judy frantically searched Ogle Maps. She believed Nick had gone into a dive called the Pagoda Hell Saloon. She assumed dive. There were no upscale bars in that area. Or perhaps Nick had given his phone to Ernie... The weasel would be badly of place in a bar. Maybe Nick had given his phone to some friend just to confuse her.
More than an hour later the person carrying the tracking chip left the bar and returned to where Nick's car was parked. The car returned to Nick's apartment and the chip slowly went inside.
Judy expected Nick to call early Sunday morning. He didn't. She refused to call him, he was wrong and had to call her first. Judy had things to do around her apartment while she waited for the call which never came. And she checked for the location of Nick's tracking chip every fifteen minutes. In the mid-morning the chip began moving, out to the police academy. Judy frowned, were Nick and Ernie still following the... "Oh, Nick didn't take Ernie back to the academy last night." She hoped Nick would call now that the weasel was out of the apartment. Nick still didn't call.
Later Sunday Nick, Judy assumed Nick carried the phone with the GPS and was not misleading her by giving it to someone else to carry, returned to the police academy. Once again the car parked two blocks from the bar where a few minutes later Nick was presumably sitting on a bar stool. He left earlier. "Did they give up early?" Judy let her breath out slowly, wondering where the car was heading, desperately hoping it wasn't the hospital. There was a brief stop, then they were moving again. She felt a thrill as she checked the map for the location. "That's the police lab. They have something, what?" She fought the desperate urge to call Nick. "He should call me," she told herself. On the move again. "A diner? One of them needed a snack?" Then the tracking chip showed a return to the police academy, and a return to Nick's apartment. Judy had wanted to go to bed early Sunday night, she wanted to be her best for the meeting Monday afternoon. Watching Nick's movements, and concern even after he was back and presumably in bed, meant she slept poorly.
Monday morning. Nick's phone rang. Caller ID showed Judy. He wasn't sure how to answer. Part of him wanted to shout in triumph. Part of him was still upset with her for doubting him. "Yes?" he answered in a cold and formal voice.
"Rick? This is Trudy... I... I know we haven't talked for awhile, but I'm hurting. I need someone to–"
"Are you okay?" he asked, the worry evident in his tone.
"I told you I'm not okay... I'm having trouble with a co-worker. It's... Any chance we could meet for breakfast? You're so easy to talk with."
"Trouble with a co-worker?"
"Yeah, it's got me stressed out."
"Creep hitting on you at work? Someone not doing her work and you getting stuck with it?"
"No, nothing like that. It gets complicated. I need an outside perspective, please? Could we meet before I go to work this morning?"
"Let me check my schedule... Hmmm, I was supposed to meet with the president of the Zootopia National Bank in twenty minutes and then had a conference call scheduled with the heads of the Fortune Fifty... But you're more important. I'll blow them off. Where and when would you like to meet?"
"There's a little place called Donna's someone told me about once. Do you know where it is?" Nick had introduced Judy to the place. "If that works for you I could be there as soon as fifteen minutes."
"I think I've heard of it, may have even eaten there. And if this is important to you I'll be there in fourteen."
"See you soon." Judy knew that Nick couldn't possibly be there that fast.
Judy was wrong. 'Rick' was seated at a small table as 'Trudy' entered. He stood and gave the bunny a hug. "Trudy, haven't heard from you in awhile. I hoped things were going well for you."
"Did you break any speed laws getting here?"
"Moi? You have me confused with some other fox. I'm honest as the day is long."
"How about the nights?"
"They don't count. But we're not here to talk about me. I took the liberty of ordering a croissant and coffee for you; hope you don't mind."
The rabbit gave him a wan smile and sank onto a chair. "Thanks. I'm at my wit's end. I was handed a big assignment at work and it's stressing me out. And then I felt like the animal I work with went rogue on me I was worried sick something bad would happen to him."
"Hmm, did he explain why he went rogue on you?"
"He claimed he was trying to get information for me. But he refused to give me any details! I was in charge, and he was keeping me in the dark! On top of that we have all kinds of other rules and procedures. If you don't follow them... Well, you never know what can happen."
The porcupine arrived at their table and deposited the croissants and coffee as Judy was talking. They each took a small bite and Nick sipped his coffee. "Want to try a little role reversal?"
"Exactly what do you mean?"
"I'll pretend I'm you. I want things to be done right, and I don't want my partner hurt. You're going to try and argue in his place. Let's pretend for a minute that your partner had some reason to think he could help you, maybe even a reason to try and not tell you the details. Think you can do that?"
"I can try."
"Now why might you not want me to know what you're doing?"
"Well, one reason, if getting the information is dangerous. If I'm afraid she might get hurt... I think I'd find that insulting. I... I mean she was trained for the job and accepted the possibility of danger. If I'm trying to keep her from harm it means I don't think she can do her job."
"Good reason to be upset. I'll try and take your place now, and I'll ask him point-blank if that's the case... Do you trust him to give you an honest answer?"
"I don't know if... Yes, he will tell me the truth on that."
"Good. And if that's why he didn't tell you what was happening you kick him in the nuts so hard he'll be singing soprano until Thursday. Could there be any other reason he might not have filled you in on details?"
"It could mean I don't trust her, or think she couldn't do the job right?"
"Those are serious too. Sounds like you and your co-worker need a real heart-to-heart conversation to clear the air. Any other reason he might have that you can imagine?"
"Well, what he said, I mean I said – this role reversal can be confusing."
"Let's not worry about how you present it. Another possible motive for his behavior?"
"What he told me was that he'd been given a tip by someone who only did it on condition that it remain a secret from me."
The fox shrugged, "Any chance that could be true?"
"I don't know! I guess so. My co-worker had an interesting past before getting the job. He might know animals who... But I'm still in charge of the work we were just asked to do! And he's my partner! Partners need to share everything, they have to trust each other! If he won't tell me what's going on I'm scared we can't work as partners!"
"You're afraid of that?"
"It scares me. Other things scare me too. And he insulted me!"
"Insulted you? How?"
"He suggested I was upset because my pride was hurt because he got the tip."
"I... I mean, he really said that?"
"Yes he did. And I got mad and walked out. And now it's your turn. I'm going to ask him to try and understand how I feel. I'm hoping he won't repeat that stupid pride accusation. You had me try to imagine what's going on in his head. Your turn, try and imagine how I feel. Maybe it will help me with my conversation with him when I have that heart-to-heart."
Nick closed his eyes and sighed as he thought. "I'm not sure. I mean, I can see a couple issues you might have had with him – apart from that stupid insult. You said it was dangerous?"
"I thought so."
"Well, if you didn't want him hurt that would be one reason for you to be upset. You really thought he was in danger?"
"He can be impetuous. I was terrified he'd do something stupid and get hurt."
"And you also strike me as someone who likes things done by the book – and you say he was ignoring the "proper" procedures?" Nick made air quotes as he said proper.
"Proper procedures are there for a reason! They're there for a lot of reasons. But one is for protection... I think it ties in with the fact I was scared he would be hurt."
'Rick' glanced at his watch, "Oops, I need to run an errand before I go to work. I think when you talk with your co-worker you need to emphasize your fear for his safety. And this job is really important to you?"
"I can't begin to tell you how important it is to me."
"Allow for the chance that in his own bumbling way he wanted to help you. Oh, and Trudy?"
"Yes?"
"If he insults you again with that pride thing, do you remember what I told you to do?"
"I believe your suggestion was that I cause him excruciating pain?"
"Close enough. I told you how to inflict it."
"Thanks, Rick."
"No problem, Trudy. Oh, and since you called and invited me to breakfast – you're paying."
"Where's Nick?" Ben Clawhauser asked when Judy arrived at the First.
"We aren't living together," Judy reminded him. "We have our own lives."
The cheetah didn't like the sound of that. "Is everything okay? You sound..."
"We had a disagreement over the weekend."
"Is... Is everything okay?"
"Better now. I called up an old friend and asked for his opinion. He said I should try and put myself in Nick's place. I'm hoping Nick has calmed down."
The cheetah crossed his claws. Nick breezed in the door fifteen minutes later and Ben was relieved to see the fox carried a small bouquet of tulips. "For Judy?"
"Nah, thought I'd eat them myself." Nick laughed at Ben's expression. "Of course they're for her."
"She, uh, said you had an argument over the weekend."
"Yeah, I said something I shouldn't have... Gets complicated. Anyway, I need to apologize to her."
Clawhauser drew a sigh of relief. He wanted to tell Nick that Judy seemed to be in a good mood, but decided to let the fox find out for himself.
Judy was bent over her desk, working on details for the afternoon meeting. "Good morning, Beautiful," Nick called in a cheery voice as he approached her.
She looked up, "What have you got behind your back?"
"My paw."
Judy rolled her eyes. "Anything else?"
"Perhaps, but first I need to apologize for something I said, I'm afraid I hurt you with–"
"The pride thing?"
"Yeah, that one."
"It hurt me a lot."
"I'm sorry. I felt defensive because you said I was screwing up. But I shouldn't have said that."
"Apology accepted."
"And I should have found some way to explain what I was doing, while protecting the confidentiality of my source... We need to work on communication, don't we?"
"I think every animal in the world needs to work more on communication. And I shouldn't have gotten so mad and... Sorry I slammed your door. I didn't break anything, did I?"
"Just my heart." He took his paw from behind his back and extended the tulips to her. "If you want to give me a kiss, it will help my heart."
"No kiss."
"Still mad? Maybe I should just eat the tulips myself," Nick threatened and raised the tulips towards his mouth, baring his fangs.
"Stop right there, Detective Wilde," Judy warned. "The kiss I plan for you is inappropriate for the detective bullpen. You get it later. Now hand over the tulips and no one gets hurt." He handed them to her, she took a bite of one and smiled. "I love you."
"Love you too."
"And now tell me what you got last night. Have you heard from the police lab yet?"
"How did you–"
"I watched your GPS signal. I wanted to know where to find the bodies."
"They promised to have it by ten."
"Go over and wait for it. I want to see it ASAP, and don't stop for coffee on the way back. If there's anything good I need it for the presentation this afternoon."
Big's business office was not scaled for large or short guests. The discussions held in the office were for none but his closest confidants and employees. It was a good day when the meeting with his business analysts didn't last long, it meant everything in his empire was running smoothly. Things were not exactly smooth at the moment, but not in crisis mode. The city's plans to institute a small police force was causing Big and the smarter bosses to shift into legitimate businesses. A few bosses hoped that continuing illicit activities would improve their profits after the change. They all knew their would be a period of adjustment and were looking for what they believed would serve their interests best in the long term.
For years Big sat behind his desk as his analyst gave a report and a secretary took notes. When the the lemming had joined his inner circle he had moved from behind the desk. The four animals sat in comfortable chairs in roughly a circle. Chelsea Dagger sat on a chair to his right. The lemming still felt overwhelmed by her new status and had a pad and paper to keep notes of meetings.
Myron, the chief analyst, had reported two issues which needed further examination, an auto manufacturer was slow in delivering several new limos that had been ordered, and a shipment of smart-phone screens from the panda factories had gone missing – possibly hijacked.
"Ms Dee," Big inquired, turning to his right, "would you care to investigate either of these?"
"The missing screens," she answered quickly. It was the harder assignment, with greater chance of failure. Bigger risk, bigger reward. Greater chance of failure. She had not made it to the probational number two spot in the Big organization by playing it safe, and wanted to prove she was worth her new status.
Big smiled and nodded, acknowledging she had taken the more difficult task. He looked back to the advisor. "Will that be all?"
"That's it."
"Fine, you will–"
"Two other items for your attention," Chelsea interrupted.
Myron bristled with rage at the implication he had missed things of importance, but said nothing. He would not dare interrupt Big, and hoped Big felt insulted that this newcomer had dared to do so. In his vanity he had seen himself as number two in Big's organization, and the elevation of the Dagger to the role was a clear reminder he was merely an employee. From what he heard, however, it was much safer to say nothing against the lemming – simply hope she would fail.
"Yes?" the old shrew asked.
"One business, one more personal," she told him. "The initial pilot program for small police officers will begin in three weeks. It is for evaluating the abilities of smalls, and participants will not become officers. There is the potential for manipulating the system if some of our staff are enrolled."
Big was silent in thought for a minute. "No. The requirements for passing should be perceived as fair."
"Perhaps," she agreed. "However, I suggest that some of your animals go through academy training – it will provide a better idea of what to expect from small officers. It might also be good to have officers in the police department on payroll for potential information they could provide. I will suggest putting animals on the payroll into the academy rather than trying to bribe current officers and running the risk of the offers being made public."
He hesitated.
"The other bosses are likely to have animals in the police classes," she warned.
"You are right, of course," he wheezed. "And perhaps we should not limit ourselves to small officers."
"You're correct. A bear, and a short officer or two would be nice. There are animals already on the payroll who might be suitable."
Big looked at Myron, "You will see she has a blank check for anything she desires."
"Of course," he mumbled.
Big looked back at Chelsea, "You mentioned a personal item?"
"I know you take an interest in Detectives Hopps and Wilde. They are now engaged to marry."
"Ah, thank you. She is family, and I must give them a suitable gift. She could do better than the fox, but he is an interesting creature and she loves him. Do you have the date for the wedding?"
"There is no date at the moment for a wedding. They've decided for a wedding here in Zootopia rather than her hometown or the home of his mother. They are considering an intimate setting for wedding, a rather run-down location in town. Only a relatively few guests would be invited. Mayor Lionheart has a confused plan for the city to hold something extravagant for them. Even if he can find a way to organize such a thing I feel certain the spectacle is more than the rabbit and fox want."
"You possess a remarkable level of details."
"I have a very good source."
"Judy saved my daughter's life. We will offer use of the mansion for the wedding. It is large enough for a wedding and... You said a run-down location?"
"A former fire station. It has been refurbished and has a quaint charm, but no claim to elegance."
"She deserves elegance. Let them know the mansion is available for them. Request a guest list, so the caterer can prepare a suitable feast for the occasion."
"I'll speak with Detective Wilde personally."
"Lunch?" Nick asked.
"Too nervous," Judy confessed. "You go. I'll eat another tulip or two and think of you. I want the meeting to go well and will look over my notes for the millionth time... Part of me is still a little upset with you for not telling me what was happening. And part of me is incredibly grateful for the information."
"Well, I hope the grateful part wins. Anything I can do to help at the meeting?"
Judy closed her eyes for a moment in thought. She opened them and looked at Nick. "Don't try and help during the meeting. That would make me look weak. I'm in charge. I love you, but I need to look strong."
"You are," he assured her. "And I'll keep my mouth shut – unless the teacher calls on me."
"Deal," the rabbit grinned. "Oh, and I want your opinion on group dynamics. Alces warned some detectives resented me being in charge. He didn't say that to scare me, but it does. Tell me how you read their feelings, I really trust you."
"Oh, I do have a suggestion. We haven't met four of the detectives. Talked with Clawhauser about them?"
"Think I should? Some of his gossip is wrong."
"And some is right, worth taking the chance."
Judy met with detectives assigned to the wilde investigation in Conference Room C. She already knew Carson and Parr. Martin and Lewis from the Second, and Kane and Able from the Fourth were strangers to her.
According to Ben Clawhauser Martin and Lewis had been assigned as partners a year earlier and still had considerable friction between them. Ben said that Lewis, a dingo, was brighter than he looked. Martin, a marten, held the city record for on-foot pursuit of a suspect. Kane, a wolf had spent years undercover as a narcotics officer and she wasn't sure whether to feel grateful for his experience or fearful it might make him more willing to question her directions. After Kane's cover was blown he'd been assigned to work with Able, a lynx. Judy wished there was another female officer on the assignment.
She wondered if Alces warning was accurate, or it was her imagination, because she felt hostility directed towards her as the meeting came to order after introductions.
"I'd like to thank Carson and Parr for their work and establishing that wilde exists. There is new information as we begin, a pusher and distribution site has been identified and–"
"What?" Carson, demanded in a loud voice.
"I said a pusher and distribution site have–"
"Why weren't we told this earlier?" the wolf demanded.
"Because the lab didn't finish analysis of the sample until late this morning. Would it make a difference if I called you an hour ago instead of telling you now?"
"I... I guess not," he conceded, then gave a little laugh. "Parr and I work our asses off for three weeks just getting a sample of the damn thing and you get a pusher over the weekend?"
"Detective Wilde followed up a tip, to confirm the identity of a pusher. Unfortunately he neglected to follow procedure and there is no tape of the conversation. We do, however, have two officers who heard the conversation. The other officer, besides Nick, is now a part of our team. A weasel at the academy was sworn in as a police officer and took the role of a university student to make the purchase. The distribution site was a branch of the Shippers-R-Us chain. I have photocopies for you with some information on the pusher, and the address of the business. And Nick and Ernie, that's the name of the weasel, appear to have uncovered another important fact. As Detective Carson already pointed out it was difficult to even prove wilde existed. You probably formed your own theories – perhaps there simply wasn't very much of it, perhaps it was done to artificially inflate the price, perhaps there was a lot of it and their distribution method was extremely effective. The pusher, a red panda named Xhou, spoke of this as a product testing phase. To me, that suggests this could get a lot worse if we don't act quickly."
She handed out copies with the little information currently available on Xhou. Three priors. He had spent time in Juvie. His two adult arrests, for extortion and assault, had not ended in convictions. There was suspicion of witness intimidation, but Xhou himself had been in jail at the time – which suggested he was part of a larger organization. "I'll let you look that over for a minute and then make my assignments. Since I don't know your individual strengths you might feel better suited for a different job that I give you. There'll be time for modifying the assignments, and a discussion of any additional areas we need to examine before we leave."
"Do I have time for a cig?" Kane asked.
"Uh, sure," Judy told him and the wolf exited the conference room.
"Picked up the habit undercover," his partner explained. "Now he's hooked. There'll be a pile of butts at the edge of the crime scene, we call 'em the mark of Kane at the Fourth. You can tell how long he stood there thinking by how many butts are there."
As the other detectives read the information Judy had prepared Nick slipped her a hand-written note, "They're all impressed."
Parr caught Nick passing the note, and gave the couple a look that Nick interpreted as a belief he was really in charge and giving directions to Judy. "Asking my partner out for a romantic dinner tonight," Nick explained. "What? You've never asked Carson out for a romantic dinner?"
"Read the handouts," ordered Judy.
"All right," Judy told them when Kane returned from getting his nicotine fix. "The assignments I see as immediately relevant are establishing if there is a link between the Night Howler Crisis and wilde, an investigation of Shippers-R-Us – getting our paws on video tapes has the potential for blowing this open, we need background on Xhou and any of his connections we can find, and if this was just product testing and they plan to ramp up production we find out where they're getting the bulbs.
"The alkaloid in night howler bulbs is tricky stuff, it takes someone with brains to extract the poison and get exactly the right dose for insanity or controlled aggression. Three of the animals in the Night Howler Case were associated with the medical college at Zoo U. Parr, you and I are the only two prey species here – and I doubt if the prisoners will talk with me. I don't know if they'll talk with you, but I want you to question them. We want to find the names of anyone who might have known about their research. Oh, and you might start by asking if they know Nathan Almond."
"Nathan Almond?"
"Squirrel who had finished the medical program and had just received his residency assignment. Missing animal report out on him soon after the Night Howler Crisis was over. Might be totally unrelated and a coincidence or the timing might mean something. Now, Shippers-R-Us is a chain. There are eleven of them scattered around Zootopia, and more than thirty in other cities. Could the whole chain be controlled by criminals? Could the one franchised store be controlled by the drug sellers? Is there a single worker involved with drug distribution? Since an animal who rents a PO box can open it and leave something it's possible the business is innocent. At some point we may need a court order to seize on-site video tapes. This one is in the Fourth. Kane and Able, find out what you can about the store and franchise? We don't need a court order to set up video surveillance there or at the Pagoda Hell Saloon. You can handle those?"
The two animals nodded in agreement.
"We'll try and have Ernie make another purchase in a day or two, and this time we'll tape the transaction. If we assume they'll try to increase production the question comes up where they'll obtain night howler bulbs. The sheep didn't want to be seen buying bulbs, so they hired that weasel, Duke Weaselton, to purchase them. Weaselton got greedy and decided there was more profit in stealing the bulbs and pocketing the whole amount he was given. How will the animals making wilde obtain their materials? Night howlers are not banned. Some of the compounds in the flower repel insects and organic gardeners plant them around flower and vegetable patches. Martin and Lewis, it may be a needle in a haystack, but see if you can find any sort of large, new orders for night howler bulbs and follow up on whether the purchaser is using them in a legitimate fashion. Look for orders sent to addresses where gardening seems unlikely."
Judy told them that she and Nick would be going to the medical college to see if they could find any information there, as well as working with Ernie. Carson was asked to start gathering information on the red panda.
"I'd like a daily email report. You can tell me, 'Didn't find a thing'. That's fine. I just need to know. And if a priority investigation explodes on you, let me know so I can ask someone else work the assignment. Video conference Wednesday at one. Let's keep each other informed. Those are my plans. She looked over at the wolf from the Third. "Detective Carson, I want you to focus on Xhou. And, with your experience, do you see other topics that need work? Got any leftover rumors that might be helpful?"
Carson drummed his paw on the table for a moment in thought, "Think the work you and the fox did over the weekend blew most of the rumors out of the water. Can't think of anything at the moment."
Judy allowed fifteen minutes for discussion of assignments then dismissed the meeting. Carson and Parr lingered as the four detectives from other precincts left.
"Pretty fucking amazing," the wolf commented, clearly in regard to speed in getting the new information.
"That was Nick," Judy told him. "But he still needs to work on proper channels. Rookie mistake. But as you know he and I are both still rookies."
"You didn't show it today," Carson told her.
"I had some coaching from Detective Nyte."
"I've worked with her. Good detective. I think she's got anger management issues... And for Dog's sake don't tell her I said that."
Parr returned to the earlier note, and confirmed Nick's suspicion. "I still want to know what was in the note. Did the fox tell you what to say?"
Nick knew Judy might exhibit her own anger management issues at the question, and answered quickly, "No way! That was all Judy! I've got no organization skills, and she's been planning hard since the second this hit her desk. I told you what was in the note," he lied, "I was asking her out for a romantic dinner to tell her I think she did a great job."
"You asked her in the middle of the meeting?"
"She was nervous. So I told her, 'You're doing great. Want dinner?'. Just a little confidence boost."
Carson chuckled, "Ass kisser."
"Perhaps," Nick grinned, "but she–"
"Leave our personal lives out of this," Judy warned.
Carson and Parr left, and Judy demanded, "Where are you taking me for our romantic dinner?"
"Didn't you read the note? I said–"
"Six witnesses heard you say you asked me to dinner. And then you get the passionate kiss I promised for the tulips. And another for the apology. And another for not getting hurt, and another for... Well, I plan to keep kissing you until your own imagination takes over."