ZOOTOPIA: MAGNUM FUR
Disclaimer: Zootopia is property of Disney
Warning: This chapter contains some very dark material.
Chapter 08: What Does The Fox Say?
Date: Tuesday, May 10th, 2017
"What does he say?" Leo Horrowitz asked Furmington Benezio, who looked up from his cell phone. "He says go for it. He'll get Wilde away from him, and then we can pick him up and do what we need to do," Benezio replied with a smirk. "Same room?" Horrowitz asked. "Yup. Bring the big toy, too," Benezio said. Horrowitz cracked a very large and disturbing smile at those words before both officers parted ways.
Nick and Finnick were just about to walk past the main break room when Lisker walked up to them. "Wilde, can I have your help with something real quick?" Lisker asked him. "Uh... sure, but can I get my friend here to the front desk?" Nick asked him. "Is he the witness you were questioning?" Lisker asked, already knowing the answer.
"Uh, yeah," Nick replied. "Well, I guess it was his van that was towed to our garage about an hour ago, right?" Lisker asked him. "Wow, that quick? Hey, Fin, I guess you'll be outta here sooner than I thought," Nick said with a smile. "Well, about that... see, the maintenance guys haven't started on it yet. They have a few other vehicles to work on, like that one cruiser that Hooper tried driving yesterday," Lisker said.
Nick chuckled. "Yeah. He's better off riding a motorcycle," Nick said. "Definitely," Lisker said in genuine agreement. "So, how about I just get Finnick here to a waiting room and I'll help you out with what you need," Nick suggested. "Sounds good to me," Lisker said as he accompanied the duo to Waiting Room 2-03.
"Okay," Lisker said after Finnick was led inside, "I won't keep your buddy too long here, just a half hour tops," Lisker said. "Half an hour?" Nick asked him. "Well, I am in charge of the investigation, and you were on the scene first. I need your report," Lisker said. "I was going to wait until I was done questioning Finnick to type the report and hand it in," Nick said.
"Wilde, come on. You gotta get these things done while the memory is still fresh," Lisker said with a chiding tone as they walked down the hallway. "Besides, you can describe things to me while typing it," Lisker said to him. "Why not just let me type it up and then wait for me to give it to you?" Nick asked him. "I want to be the first person to see it," Lisker replied with a grin.
Meanwhile, back at the waiting room, Finnick sat in a chair across from a water cooler, looking at it before changing his gaze to the window where he watched various officers passing by. After about five minutes, the door opened an a large tiger stepped into the room. "Are you Finnick?" the tiger asked him. "Who wants to know?" Finnick replied.
"Yes or no. Answer the question," the tiger said. "Yes. I go by Finnick," Finnick said. "Good. Your friend Wilde told me to come get you and take you someplace more comfortable," the tiger said. Taking a look at the tiger's uniform, he saw the name tag read Benezio. "He did?" Finnick asked him.
"Yeah. He said that his meeting with Lisker is going to take longer than he thought. Come on, follow me," Benezio said before turning around. Something seemed a bit odd about this, but the tiger had mentioned both Nick and Lisker by name, and he knew that Lisker needed Nick's help with something, so Finnick reasoned that the tiger was probably telling the truth.
"Are you coming?" Benezio asked him as he turned around. "Will the chairs feel nicer?" Finnick asked him. "Absolutely. Nice cushions on them," Benezio said while looking away.
"Okay, I'm sold," Finnick said before jumping off the chair and following the tiger through the hallway. After a few minutes of walking, they came across a darkened hallway. "Uh, are you sure this is a better place to wait?" Finnick asked, his doubt returning. "Of course. Don't judge things by their appearances," Benezio replied.
"Right," Finnick muttered as he followed the tiger to a door with the label turned over. "Step in here, please," Benezio said as he opened the door to a darkened room. Finnick immediately began to reconsider the Benezio's proposal. "Uh, maybe I should wait back in the-ack!" Finnick cried as Benezio grabbed him and carried him into the dark room. The door closed and Finnick felt something being draped over his eyes to prevent him from using his night vision to see.
"What the hell's going on here!?" Finnick asked as he began to panic. "You and Wilde may be friends, but he's a cop now, and that means he has to sometimes make sure his old friends pay for their crimes," Benezio said as he turned on the lights and slammed Finnick down onto a chair behind a table.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean!?" Finnick asked. "It means that Wilde asked us to make sure that his past connections were severed. He wants people to trust him, and that won't happen unless he helps turn in criminals he's known," Benezio lied. "He asked us specifically to make sure you knew that," Benezio lied again. He then strapped Finnick to the chair and wrapped Velcro straps around both Finnick's arms and those of the chair.
"H-Hey, what the hell are you doing!? What the hell is going on!?" Finnick demanded. "I already told you. You have to pay for your crimes," Benezio responded coldly. Finnick felt the fabric being removed from his face before a bright light was shoved into his eyes. "Gah!" Finnick yelled.
"Now, confess," Benezio said calmly. Far, far too calmly for Finnick's liking. "I don't know what your talking about. Confess to what?" Finnick asked him. "Leo, get over here," Benezio said as a ram walked over to the table, carrying a box. "Inside this box is a tool that we can use to extract all the information we want out of you. If you cooperate and sign a form admitting that you have confessed, then we won't need to use it," Benezio said with a vicious grin.
"Confess to what?" Finnick asked him. "The murder of those three animals in that house. We know that yo did it," Benezio lied. "I didn't do shit!" Finnick snapped. Benezio walked over a punched him in the face. "Wrong response. Now, confess!" Benezio ordered. "Fuck you!" Finnick spat, causing Benezio to hit him in the gut. "Confess!" Benezio demanded.
Finnick looked up to see the feral grin on the tiger's face as he prepared to land another blow. "Hey, ask me how fat your mother is," Finnick said, just before Benezio decked him in the face again, causing his nose and mouth to bleed. "She's-she's so fat... that her high school picture was an aerial photograph!" Finnick coughed.
This time, Horrowitz landed a blow, hitting Finnick's left arm. "She-argh! She's so f-fat that... if you wanna fuck her-" BAM! "You-you have to roll her in flour to find the wet spot," Finnick spat, earning another beating, and a chuckle, from Horrowitz. "She's so fat... you have to slap her thigh and ride the wave in," Finnick said again, earning another brutal hit to the ribs. He swore he felt one of them crack from the force of the blow.
"She's so fat, every time she crosses the street... you guys have to re-route traffic," Finnick said. Horrowitz chuckled at that one too, just before he landed another blow to Finnick's face. "Are you ready to confess yet?" Benezio asked him. "Your mother asks me that every night after-oof!" Finnick cried as Benezio punched him in the face again.
"Well, it's time for the sure thing," Benezio said with a disappointed tone. Horrowitz reached over and opened the lid of the box, taking out a large machine and several cords with clamps on them. "W-What the hell is that?" Finnick asked. "This?" Benezio asked as Horrowitz began assembling the machine and plugging it into an outlet, "Is our guaranteed confession machine."
"It's a variation of something called the Trucker Telephone," Horrowitz said. "We usually save it for big guys, but in your case we've made an exception," Benezio said as Horrowitz applied the clamps to Finnick's legs. "Why are you doing this?" Finnick asked them. "We already told you. We need a confession, since you obviously killed those three animals. Yeah, they were criminals, but there's a system, you see? They're supposed to be tried by a jury and sentenced, not brutally executed by vigilantes like you," Benezio said calmly.
"But I didn't do anything!" Finnick snapped. "Sure. Why should we believe you? You're a fox. A no good, scheming, lying sack of shit," Benezio said. "You can stop this at any time by confessing, though," Benezio said. "I want a lawyer. I want a lawyer now! I have a right to legal co-aaaaaaaggggghh!" Finnick screamed as Horrowitz cranked the machine, causing electricity to flow through Finnick's legs and into his body.
Finnick continued to scream until Horrowitz stopped. He began panting. "Oh god. No-no more. I-I want a lawyer! I want legal counsel! I-I have a-a right to-aaaaaaaaaagghhhhhhhh!" Horrowitz activated the machine again. "Don't let up," Benezio said. "So, are you ready to confess?" Benezio asked the still screaming Finnick. "I'm sorry, I can't understand you very well," Benezio said with a chuckle.
He signaled Horrowitz to turn off the machine. Finnick's cries soon became whimpers. "Now, are you ready to confess?" Benezio asked him. "When I get out of this room, everyone will know what's happened in here, and you'll get nailed to the wall," Finnick said. "Damn. You have balls. Hey..." Benezio said before he removed the clamps. "See. You can't make me confess to something I didn't-what are you doing?" Finnick asked as Benezio yanked his pants off.
Benezio flashed a grin as he applied the clamps to the fur between Finnick's legs. "Let's see how tough you are now," Benezio said. "W-Wait. This ain't right! You can't do this! I didn't do anything!" Finnick cried. "I don't care," Benezio said with a shrug. "What the fuck is wrong with you!?" Finnick asked him. "Leo, if you would?"
Leo Horrowitz looked over at Finnick with a sneer. "Say goodbye to ever being able to have children for the rest of your life," Horrowitz said just before he activated the machine once more. Finnick's screams were almost deafening to the two animals, who continued the torture for a full thirty seconds before shutting the machine off. Benezio grabbed a piece of paper from another table and set it before Finnick and held a pen in his paws.
Finnick sobbed while catching his breath. "Now... are you ready to confess?" Benezio asked him with a grin. Finnick looked over at Horrowitz, who still wore a sneer on his face, before shifting his gaze back to Benezio. "Just so you know, this was all Wilde's idea," Benezio lied with a grin. Finnick screwed is eyes shut as he sobbed.
Later That Day...
"There. Happy?" Nick asked Clawhauser as he pulled the earbuds out of his ears. "Did you like it?" Clawhauser asked him giddily. "I... thought she was okay. Look, I'm not a big fan of Gazelle. I mean, yeah, her music is okay, but it doesn't exactly float my boat," Nick said to the portly cheetah. "Just okay?" Clawhauser asked him incredulously. "Uh... yeah," Nick replied.
"One does not simply find Gazelle's music to be okay, Nick! She is a singing goddess!" Clawhauser retorted. "Um... I think you're giving her a bit too much credit there, buddy," Nick said with a raised eyebrow. "There is no such thing as too much when it comes to Gazelle," Clawhauser retorted.
"Hey guys," they both heard Judy say as she entered the lobby. "Hey, where's Finnick?" Judy asked. "Lisker said he had someone take him over to wait for his van to get fixed," Nick said with a shrug. "Oh. I figured you two would be glued to each other's sides," Judy said. "No. Finnick's tough. He can take care of himself. Besides, he knows better than to cause trouble in a police station," Nick said.
"Where's the maintenance garage at again?" Judy asked him. "Oh, it's near the back where the regular garage is located," Clawhauser said. "You'll see a big sign near the waiting area," he added. "Thanks," Judy said as she skipped down the hallway. "Wait, why's she heading over to see Finnick?" Nick asked.
"Maybe she wants to talk to him? You know how she is. Probably wants to apologize for him being brought into the station," Clawhauser said. "Yeah. Until we get a report from evidence on that tranquilizer gun, though, we can't exactly dismiss... unpleasant thoughts," Nick said vaguely. "You don't really think that he did it, do you?" Clawhauser asked him.
"Ben, Finnick has spent the majority of his life on the streets. I've only spent half of my life on the streets. I don't want to think of him as a killer, but I know he'll defend himself with force if he doesn't have any other options," Nick said. "So... it's possible?" Clawhauser asked him. "There's always a possibility, but until we have conclusive evidence, I'm not going to say anything damning about him. Remember, innocent until proven guilty, and that hasn't happened yet," Nick said.
"Right," Clawhauser said seriously. "So... does Finnick like Gazelle music?" the cheetah asked the fox. "What? I don't think so. He's more into heavy stuff and rap and hip-hop. I don't really see him as a pop fan," Nick replied. "Oh," Clawhauser said.
Judy poked her head in the doorway as she entered the waiting area of the maintenance garage. "Hello? Finnick?" Judy called out into the empty room. She saw the officer on duty reading a magazine. "Um, excuse me, but have you seen a Fennec fox around here?" Judy asked the elk. "Fennec fox? No, can't say that I have. The only fox I've ever seen around the station is Officer Wilde," the elk replied.
"Oh. Um, what's your name?" Judy asked him, as she couldn't see his name tag clearly. "Desk Sergeant Chapman," the elk replied. "Oh. Um, well, my friend's vehicle was being brought in earlier because it was found near a crime scene, and one of the tires had been slashed. I was wondering if he'd already gone home with it," Judy said.
"Slashed tire? Do you mean that van with the artwork on it? That thing's still being looked over. Someone came in earlier and asked to look around inside. Showed me their papers,s o I let them in," Chapman said. "Oh. Well, I was told that Finnick was brought here to wait for his van to be fixed up," Judy said.
"Finnick?" Chapman asked her. "The fox," Judy said. "Oh, I thought the fox's name was Nick?" Chapman replied. "No, that's Officer Wilde's name. Finnick is the Fennec fox," Judy clarified for him. "Oh! Sorry about that. But, yeah, no one's been in here today except that ram and Sergeant Burns," Chapman said. "Ram?" Judy asked. "Yeah, he came in a bit later after Burns had left. Can't remember his name. It's probably on the sheet over there," Chapman said as he pointed a hoof at the sign-in sheet.
Judy grabbed the sign in sheet from the medium sized desk opening. "Leo B. Horrowitz?" Judy asked out loud. What would he be doing here? "Um, Sergeant Chapman, do you know if Horrowitz is still back at the van?" Judy asked. "Check the sheet to see if he signed out," Chapman replied in a bored tone.
"Oh. He was only here for a few minutes. Did he say what he was here for?" Judy asked. "I don't remember," Chapman replied as he turned to the next page in his magazine. "Well, thanks for your help," Judy said with a frown as she turned and left the room. Somthing didn't make sense to her. Where the heck is Finnick? He couldn't have gotten lost, could he? Judy felt a small knot begin to form in her stomach before she clocked out and left the station. I'll talk to Nick tomorrow, Judy decided.
Date: Wednesday, May 11th, 2017
When Nick and Judy stepped through the front doors of the station, they both saw Officer Furrero approaching them with a sense of urgency. "Furrero, is something-" "Wilde, in my office, now," Bogo's voice boomed over the intercom. "I guess I'll have to catch you later," Nick said as he made his way over to the elevator. "Nick, wait," Judy said as she rushed after him. "Bogo only said my name, Carrots," Nick said.
That didn't stop Judy as she leapt into the elevator before the doors closed. Cynthia tried to catch up to them but was too slow. "Shit!" she cursed as the elevator ascended. "Um, is something wrong?" Clawhauser asked her from the front desk. "Yes, Clawhauser. A lot of things are wrong," Cynthia said as she walked over towards him.
Just then, she caught sight of Inspector Milius entering the building with a coffee mug in one paw as he walked over to the front desk. "Mornin' Clawhauser," Milius said as he signed in. "Good morning, Inspector Milius," Clawhauser said with a smile. "You remembered my rank this time. Good job," Milius said tiredly before walking away. Cynthia rushed after him.
"Inspector, hold up!" she called out as she chased after him. Clawhauser raised an eyebrow as he watched the coywolf run after the leopard. "What was that all about?" he asked himself.
Meanwhile, up on the second floor, Nick and Judy made their way to Bogo's office. Once they entered, they saw Lieutenant Lisker standing beside the cape buffalo. "Hopps, I didn't ask for you," Bogo said. "That's what I told her," Nick said. "Sir, if Nick's done something wrong, it's all just a misunderstanding!" Judy exclaimed.
"Um, actually, we were going to congratulate him," Lisker said. "W-Wait, congratulate him?" Judy asked. "M-Me? What did I do right?" Nick asked in confusion. "You brought in a suspect who actually confessed to committing the crime. Good job, Wilde," Bogo said. "W-What? What suspect?" Nick asked, a growing sense of dread beginning to form in his chest.
"Why, your Fennec friend. I know it probably wasn't easy, but you did the right thing," Lisker said to him softly. "I-I don't... I don't understand. What are you talking about?" Nick asked them. "Your friend, Finnick? He confessed yesterday on his way to the maintenance garage," Lisker said. "He... he what?" Nick asked in bewilderment.
"He said that he didn't want you to feel conflicted, so he told someone else the truth, that way you wouldn't feel torn apart about him," Lisker said. "Hold on, this doesn't make any sense! Finnick is innocent!" Nick said. "Was innocent, until he confessed. We found evidence in his van, and his paw prints were on that tranquilizer gun," Lisker said.
"No. No, this... no," Nick said as he stumbled back into a chair, missing it and landing on the floor. "Nick," Judy said quietly. "Officer Wilde, this will be your first big arrest," Bogo said to him. "No, it won't. Fin's innocent. I know he is," Nick said. "Wilde, you're allowing your personal feelings to cloud your judgement. The evidence is too strong for him to not be the culprit," Lisker said.
"But... he wouldn't lie to me like that!" Nick protested. "Officer Wilde, if you continue to act like this, I will have you removed from the case," Bogo said. "But... I questioned him properly, and now you're telling me that it was all for nothing?" Nick asked. "Wilde. I'm sorry," Lisker said. "He's guilty. The evidence proves it," Lisker said.
"What evidence?" Nick asked. "The tranquilizer gun, his paw prints, the cleaning supplies in his van, which match certain stains found at the crime scene. It all points to him. And the most damning piece of evidence is his confession," Lisker said. "Finnick... why?" Nick said.
"I saw the bruises on him, Wilde. Those three must've pushed him to his limits. Maybe we can get a plea deal and convince the courts that it was self defense," Lisker said. "I... I know he would never go out and do that on his own," Nick said. "You're positive about that? If so, then, as I said, we could possibly get the courts to see this as self defense, but there's still the matter of the stolen tranquilizer gun, which he had to get from somewhere," Lisker said.
"Nick... Chief, Lieutenant, can we have a moment alone, please?" Judy asked. "We'll turn our heads," Lisker said. "No. Wilde, I need you to put on your grown-up pants and face reality. I need you to be capable of doing your job without letting your personal life interfere," Bogo said. "Can you do that?" he asked. "Yes," Nick said solemnly. "Good. Now, you and Hopps have parking duty today in Savanna Central. It'll make things a bit easier for you," Bogo said.
"Thank you, sir," Judy said as she helped Nick up off the floor. "Good, you're both dismissed. And once again, congratulations on your case," Bogo said. "You're... welcome," Nick said hesitantly before he and Judy left the room. Both officers walked quietly through the hallway until they reached the elevator. Nick slammed his fist against the wall and snarled.
"Nick!" Judy gasped. "It's bullshit, Carrots. Something is very, very wrong here," Nick said as he turned to look at her. Just then, the elevator doors opened, and Cynthia Furrero stepped out. "Nick, Judy! Finally. Okay, listen, I have to tell you something important. It's about your friend, Finnick. See-" "I already heard," Nick said bitterly. "You-You have?" Cynthia asked him with concern.
"Yeah. I heard it straight from Lisker and Bogo," Nick said. "Oh, Nick. I'm... I'm sorry. But, listen, it's still important that I talk to you, and it needs to be in private," Cynthia said. "Why?" Nick asked her, before he glanced down at her abdomen, which looked normal. "Wait, is this about-" "No, Nick. We used protection and that has nothing to do with what I need to tell you," Cynthia said.
"If it's important, then Carrots can hear it too," Nick said. "Okay. Let's get back in the elevator," Cynthia said. "All right, what floor?" she asked. "First. We're heading to the garage where our meter mobile is parked," Nick said. "You have parking duty?" Cynthia asked him. "Yeah," Judy replied.
"So, what's so important?" Nick asked her. "It's about your friend. He's innocent," Cynthia said. "Is that your idea of a joke?" Nick asked her bitterly. "No. He really is innocent. Take a look at him now and before you last saw him. He's a lot more bruised than he was when you brought him in," Cynthia said. "How do you know this?" Judy asked her.
"I saw him last night, in a holding cell. He looked like he had been beaten recently, like within the past few hours," Cynthia said. "Wait... Lisker said that some of his men were taking him to the waiting area for his van, but Sergeant Chapman never saw Finnick enter the room even once yesterday," Judy said.
"But he did see Officer Horrowitz go the maintenance area for a few minutes," Judy continued. "He's a Third Precinct transfer, like me and Lisker," Cynthia said. "Yes, thank you for reminding us," Nick said. "No, wait... Cynthia, those reports you gave me the other day; they were all from your old precinct, except for the Fasa brothers and Vanderbelt," Judy said.
"That's right," Cynthia replied. "How did you get ahold of those documents?" Judy asked her. "I have clearance for them," Cynthia replied vaguely. "Did you hack into the system or something?" Nick asked her. "No, but it was something I started noticing when we transferred here to Savanna Central. When I was back in Tundra Town, half the place was inhabited by mobsters and gangs. I didn't think much of the criminals dying the ways that they did back then," Cynthia explained.
"After the transfer, though, I noticed that Vanderbelt's death and those of the Fasa Brothers were too similar to be dismissed. And now we have Vincent Grimes and two of his cronies killed with the same weapon and toxin," Cynthia finished. "Wait a minute, the toxicology reports haven't even been finished, so how do you know that they were killed the same way?" Nick asked her.
"The tranquilizer gun. It's the only weapon that can administer the conotoxin while giving the killer time to get away," Cynthia replied. "But... where are these guys finding cone snail venom?" Judy asked, just before the elevator stopped and the doors opened. "I haven't figured that part out yet," Cynthia said as they exited the elevator.
"So-" "Look, we can't continue in the open," Cynthia said with a whisper. "Get those reports and keep them with you today. Read between the lines and take everything in. Read them over a dozen times if you have to, but I can't tell you what I've noticed out in the open, not where we might be overheard," Cynthia said before walking away and heading for the briefing room.
"Well, that was nice and vague of her," Nick said. "Come on," Judy said as she dragged him past Clawhauser's desk and through the hallway leading to the garage. They quickly grabbed the medium-sized Meter-Mobile and drove out onto the streets of Zootopia. "Uh, Carrots, where are we going?" Nick asked her after a few minutes. They weren't on their usual parking route.
"We're heading to my apartment," Judy replied. "Whoa, I think we're moving a bit fast here, Carrots. At least treat me to dinner first," Nick joked. "This is serious, Nick! I left my copies of those reports in my apartment. This way, we can study them during our shift, and see what else Furrero wants us to notice," Judy explained. "But, the Meter-Mobile doesn't have windows, just a top. Anyone could look in on what we're reading," Nick said.
"Nick, do you want to prove Finnick's innocent or not?" Judy asked him. "I do," Nick replied firmly. "Then we have to get those reports," Judy said as she continued driving to her apartment. Of course, Judy pulled over three times to place parking tickets on several vehicles that had expired meters. "You have a strange set of priorities," Nick commented after Judy returned to Meter-Mobile for the final time. "Oh, shut up."
Dark, isn't it? Just wait until we delve into Lisker's backstory after few more chapters. It gets darker.
