Chapter 9: I Was Angry With My Foe
(A/N: In law, the 'fruit of the poisonous tree' is evidence not allowed in court because it was obtained illegally. As always, there are expectations and loopholes, interpreted differently by each judge.
Does anyone know the title reference off the top of their head?)
Judy saw his paw move toward her again, and she took a step to the side, watching as he cupped air. He coughed a little, smiling weakly at her, and put his paws back into his pockets. The bright lights of the elevator didn't help her headache, nor was it very flattering on her mark. Geárr's white button-up had several stains on it, the cut a little too tight and the collar uneven, lopsided. He shifted on his feet constantly, eyes never still, at least not when they rested on her.
It was what she expected. Wasn't this what a Detective did, anyway? Just focus on the goal. She focused her eyes forward and followed him out the elevator and to his apartment.
The headache she was fighting wasn't making it easy to focus on what was around her. He had a kitchen, he had a living room, he had plenty of food on the counter. The carpet she was walking on had a nice design, and it was a lot easier to stare at than the bright light above her. Or at Geárr, whose feet he could make out at the corner of her eye. She felt her phone buzz in her pocket, but now wasn't the best time to check..
Judy felt her headache recede a little, and took the chance to look back up at Geárr. "It's an awfully nice place you have," she said. " Mind if I look around?" She made the effort to smile at him, and Geárr nodded.
" Go ahead, get comfy." He said. " You could always lay down, you know- might help the headache. Or…" he ran to the kitchen. " You want some water? I got water."
" You're awfully nice, Tommy." She called, hearing him dig into cabinets. " I thought this was gonna be a… a quick thing. Not that I mind!"
The idiot answered back quickly. " Not for you!" he said. " A doe like you deserves the best treatment- no rush for anything, we have all night, um, beautiful. Heh. "
She ambled around the living room, eyeing the flat-screen TV and considering if she should steal some fruit from the kitchen. He had plenty of it on the counter. An orange maybe, or an apple… She shook her head slowly. Evidence. In and out, once she got home then she could eat.
Geárr left the water on the counter, which she didn't touch, and he made offered her the use of his shower, which she ignored. The first time he asked, he had taken a few steps towards her with a look meant to be alluring. The second time, he tried to get a grip on her waist, and after getting a noseful of stale whisky she had to apologize after stumbling back.
" My head's pounding right now," she muttered. " Let me…. Let me just get some air, drink some water, and I'll make it up to you."
" You sure?" the idiot said. " It'll be worth it." Geárr had a bad habit of being persistent, and she had to tell him she was sure three times before Geárr left to shower with a concerned look on his face.
It was going better than she hoped. Geárr was apparently dumb, she was keeping the panic down, and she'd be out before she could stop ignoring it. She just had to focus on the task at hand.
She figured she had fifteen minutes to look around before she had to talk to him again. She hadn't found anything that looked like an office, or a briefcase, so any evidence would be stashed somewhere inconspicuous. She didn't see anything out here, nothing near the TV or in the stand, so she moved on to the bedroom, placing her carryon bag on his bed.
She dug in his drawers, ignoring the magazines and pill bottles. Ten minutes left, and if he tried anything, she had pepper spray in her pocket, a Taser in the bag. Just focus on evidence, think about it later.
Nothing under his clothes, nothing she could feel out under his mattress. She hesitated, turning back to the stack of magazines in the top drawer. She flipped through the top one, a little surprised to find actual articles in between the pictures, and found a handful of notes tucked in the back.
She felt her phone buzz again, and she checked it while trying to hold back a cry of frustration. Nick. She would have to make it quick.
" Detective Hopps here." She said cheerily. No need for him to worry. " How can I help you?"
She heard Nick take a deep breath, and she could imagine him glaring down the block.
" Where are you, for one," he said calmly. " and two, what are you doing?"
Well, he wasn't yelling, so that was good. She gave him the address, and took a second to phrase the second answer correctly. " Evidence." She muttered testily. " Which I'm losing time for right now, you know."
" Poison tree, Ace." Nick said. " I'll be there soon, hurry up." He hung up first, and she jammed her phone back into her pocket. Poison tree or not, she knew that anything in plain sight was allowed to be taken as evidence. Which is why she put the letters on top of the dresser and then into her bag.
She heard the water stop in the bathroom a handful of minutes later, and she sprung up from the floor, dusting herself off. He didn't have any false bottoms under anything, to her dismay.
Thomas came out in a bathrobe, thankfully, taking a minute to stare at her from the bathroom hallway. He smiled, but she could still see that concerned look in his eyes. " You alright?" he asked. " You don't look so good."
Judy grimaced, rubbing her head and sighing loudly. " You know my partner? Someone snitched on me and now he's trying to figure out where I went." Geárr tensed a little, and she continued, paws punctuating her words. " If I'm not home soon… Who knows what he could do! He's always trying to 'protect' me, won't let me ever have any fun doing what I want…" she stopped briefly in front of Geárr, searching his eyes and deepening her frown. " I thought I was being sneaky this time, but now…" she paused, thinking. " Now he's trying to ruin the few hours I'd get to have with a great guy."
Geárr rubbed his forehead, looking fearful. " You might have to go, Judy. Sorry! Sorry, but I really can't have that fox here- he might- um…" Judy took that opportunity to grab her bag and scurry out the room, her face filled with panic and regret. She left his place shouting a promise to try and make this up.
" You're trying to kill me." Nick said tiredly, leading her outside and towards a waiting cab. " Honestly, if you would listen to me and not go off and do these crazy things…"
They settled into the cab, got to her block without saying a word. He didn't even look at her, staring at the driver's headrest instead.
Nick walked with her upstairs, staying behind her. " You know you're stumbling, right?" he said. " You almost bust your head, there, careful."
She ignored him. It was just a headache so far, she felt fine otherwise. He was just nitpicking again. So close to home, then she could unwind.
" You know we're going to talk about this in the morning, right?" Nick said, leaning against her front door. He watched Judy chug the bottle of water he brought, drag herself over to and settle on top of her bed. She stared at the ceiling, waving him over.
He walked over beside her, and he felt a twinge of surprise when he noticed her paws shaking, which she kept wringing. She took a second to speak.
" I, um… I know you might be angry, but I…" she wrung her paws again, and he watched her expression become frustrated.
" I got some evidence I think." She said quickly, shifting her gaze towards him. " Might be useful, maybeitlleven-" She sat up, raising her voice. " He's an idiot! He knew who I was, and all he could think of was taking me back home, like I was some floozy or something! And he kept staring at me, trying to grab me, and I kept thinking there was going to be some sort of trap, or ambush, or something in the water…"
She grabbed Nick's arm, looking at him pleadingly. " I tried to focus, Nick, I did." she said, tearing up slightly. Nick sat to sit next to her, and she squeezed his arm. " But you hear all these things in the news, and from friends…"
Nick tried to open his arms up, and she remembered to let go so she could accept his hug. She felt him move away slightly after a second, but she squeezed him and he stayed still.
She didn't cry, too tired for that, but she kept fighting sleep in order to get everything out. She was halfway through complaining about him disappearing when he heard her drift off and start snoring.
Nick sighed. It was two in the morning, the third day on a favor, and they might be chasing nothing. She wanted to be a hero and finish things quickly, apparently, and… And for once he didn't have a definitive feeling on that. At least she was safe, and tomorrow he could get some answers.
The evidence had better be worth it, he thought.
