Chapter 10: The Weak Link
For the first time since becoming an officer, Nick found himself to be absolutely miserable. He put on his usual tan slacks and Hawaiian style shirt and looked at himself in the mirror. He noticed that his usual red fur had actually turned just a shade lighter, most likely a side effect of the climate change. He sighed and poured himself a bowl of cereal, realizing after he took the first bite that he wasn't all that hungry. He took another bite and had just started to chew when he heard his phone buzz. He picked it up and saw that it was Loxey. The message read, Meet me at the cornerstone cafe as soon as you can...Loxey.
"Wonderful," Nick grumbled to himself as he hastily finished off his cereal. He was in no real hurry to be berated and belittled by his new partner, but he knew he had no choice. He quickly downed a glass of milk and headed out the door and into the crisp, cool air. His paws were immediately bombarded by the sensation of ice and snow settling in between his toes, and he shivered as he felt a cold wind assault his fur. Normally, foxes were adapted to survive in both cold and hot weather conditions, but seeing as he had hardly ever set paw in cold climates up until recently, his body still wasn't quite ready for it.
He had rented a small apartment in a run down complex just outside of the city for the time being; at least until he could afford to buy an actual home of his own (which was certainly going to take awhile). One good thing about it was the way it was constructed: everything was pretty much a short walk away, including the Cornerstone Cafe. After a few minutes of walking, he reached his destination. Almost immediately, he spotted Loxey, sitting just inside the cafe and sipping on a hot drink.
He opened the door, took a deep breath, and put on a fake smile as he said, "Hi Loxey, how are we doing this morning?"
Loxey smiled at him as she said, "Hi Nick! Please sit down, I need to discuss something with you"
Nick gave the vixen a puzzled look, a bit surprised that she wasn't criticizing or ridiculing him. "Uh...sure, okay," he said quietly as he took as seat. He looked around at the quaint yet fancy cafe, marveling at just how cozy and homey it was. He shook a bit of water from his fur (a result of the snow outside) and said, "What's up Loxey?"
She looked a bit sheepish as she said, "Nick, I...wanted to apologize for yesterday. We got off on the wrong paw, and it was totally my fault." She flipped a bit of snow white fur from her eyes and smiled sweetly. She was hardly dressed for a climate of this magnitude. All she had on was a blue tank top and black sweats, with the lack of length in the top showing a bit of her toned belly.
Nick looked perplexed. "It's...okay Loxey," he said, haphazardly pawing at a coffee creamer container to his left. "Believe me when I say that this line of work involves a lot of stress. Don't worry, I forgive you."
Loxey looked relieved. "Good!" she said happily as she leaned forward. "Now, about our mission tonight." She looked all around her as if she had a feeling someone might be eavesdropping, which was unlikely considering that it was just them and the waitress currently in the cafe. "If we're going to go undercover, we have got to make it look convincing. I was thinking that we could go as an elderly married couple who's already drunk. It would make us look like bar hoppers, and it wouldn't be the least bit suspicious."
Nick thought for a moment. This was actually a good plan, and one that he could easily pull off, considering that he and Finnick once did the exact same thing to unknowingly hustle a bunch of cheetahs out of a game of pool. "Yeah...yeah that could work," Nick said with a smile. "I'm sure I could find some nasty, tattered old clothes lying around somewhere for effect. OH! And what if I make it look like I haven't showered in a couple of days? That would be even better!"
"Now you're getting it!" Loxey said , giving him a sly wink. "I have something in mind too: I could dress like a skimpy stripper or something. It'll be perfect!"
Nick was just a little taken aback by the prospect of this beautiful vixen sitting in front of him dressing like a stripper, but he didn't make a fuss about it. "Great!" he said after a few moments of awkward silence. "So the plan is we meet at this bar at midnight, correct?"
Loxey nodded, then took another sip of her drink, which Nick's powerful sense of smell had deduced as hot chocolate a few minutes prior. "Yes, that's the plan. Look Nick, I know I said some horrible things about you and your past, but the truth is, I admire the steps you took to get where you are. Not many animals can pull off a complete 180 like you did. It's kinda...impressive." Even in the dim lighting, Nick could tell that she was blushing. Truth be told, he was struggling not to do the same.
He smiled and said, "Well thank you Loxey, that means a lot. I owe a lot of it to my former partner Judy though. She really changed me...a lot." His eyes suddenly filled with sadness at the mention of her, and Loxey could tell.
Loxey reached across the table and put her paw on his. "I know it's hard for you Nick...it's been hard for all of us. But if there's one thing I know about you, it's that you're a strong mammal. Judy wouldn't want you to be sad or upset; she would want you to do the best work possible on this case...to work hard and make her pruud."
Nick realized that she was right. Judy must be feeling the same way he was, but he knew for a fact that she wasn't going to let it interfere with her duties. Quite the contrary in fact; she was probably letting it drive her even more than usual. He let a smile cross his face. "You know something? You're right Loxey; Judy would want me to focus on what's really important: catching this scum of the streets animal...and that's exactly what I'm going to do."
Loxey waved a paw in a mock scolding manner as she said, "Uh uh uh Nick...It's what we're going to do." She presented her paw to him, which Nick accepted and shook gently. Loxey smiled, her gold earrings and bracelets jangling as they shook paws. "Now, let's go get 'em partner," she said happily.
Nick had a strange mix of emotions flow through him at that moment. He was just a bit suspicious of the sudden change in Loxey's attitude, seeing as she was not very fond of him just mere hours ago. Furthermore, he had noticed that she was wearing a very generous amount of perfume. Normally, this wouldn't have raised any red flags, except that he swore he detected another scent underneath all of that perfume; a scent that just barely tickled the very recesses of his strong sense of smell enough to be detected: cigarette smoke. This meant that, most likely, she was trying her best to cover up the scent. But why? Sure, it was a bad habit, but why go through so much effort to cover it up? "Nick? Nick are you okay?"
Her sweet voice jarred him from his thoughts. "Oh yeah, yeah I'm fine," Nick said hastily. "I was just trying to remember if I turned the stove off at the apartment, that's all. No worries though, I'm pretty sure I did…heh heh..." he chuckled nervously, afraid that he might have tipped Loxey off, but she just grinned and said, "So, you're the forgetful kind huh?"
Nick was beginning to let his nerves get the better of him, so he decided that now would be a good time to order himself a coffee as well. "Excuse me, waitress?" he said, raising his paw and flagging down a very unenthusiastic looking polar bear. "Could I get a coffee...black, with uh...extra caffeine?"
The polar bear slowly jotted down the order and said, "Sure thing, coming right up." Once the waitress left, Nick flashed an awkward smile to Loxey. "So...Loxey...how long have you lived in Tundratown?"
She took a sip of her drink before answering. "Well, I was actually born and raised here, but I moved to the city of Zootopia for awhile before..." she looked down at the floor before saying, "My parents died." but...when my parents died."
Nick's eyes went taut with sympathy. "Oh Loxey, I'm so sorry," he said softly. His first instinct was to reach out and hold her paw, but he resisted.
"Thanks," she said without much emotion. "The truth is, when my parents died, I just decided that I wanted to continuing living where they raised me, you know? I just felt it was a fitting homage to them; to let them know that I'll never forget how much they loved me...and how much I loved them."
Nick let a warm smile cross his face. "Loxey, I think that's very admirable. I'm sure they're very proud of who you've become."
Loxey didn't look too sure about his statement. She rubbed her arm uncomfortably as she muttered, "Yeah, sure they are." She then looked at her watch (in a manner that was almost certainly meant to change the subject) and said, "Oh wow, we'd better get this show on the road Nick! Meet me behind the specified coordinates at 8 P.M. okay? And don't forget, act inebriated!" She grinned as she exited the cafe, and Nick was left alone with his coffee. "Yeah…I won't forget," he said to himself as he let out a sigh.
Nick wasn't quite sure what to think of himself as he checked out his appearance in the mirror. He had purposely disheveled his fur to make it look as if he had been out drinking all night, and had ripped holes in the knees of an old pair of jeans to add even more authenticity to the look. Heck, he had even foregone sleep so that his eyes would look red. After all of this effort this mission had darn well better be a success, he thought to himself as he headed out the door to meet Loxey.
The night air was just as cold as ever, and Nick could feel that the snow which had fallen earlier had now turned into a light sheet of ice. He used the claws on his hind paws to gain extra traction as he trudged onward. He had a very uneasy feeling in his gut, and as much as he tried to ignore it, it continued to gnaw at him, giving his nerves a thorough beating.
Just then, a firm paw closed around his arm and dragged him behind a wall. "YAI!" Nick cried out as his paws actually left the ground. It was a matter of mere moments later that his nostrils caught the scent of Loxey's perfume.
"Sh, quiet you idiot!" She said calmly yet firmly. Nick saw that she was wearing a sparkling, red halter top with a white fur jacket, which perfectly accentuated her short, black leggings. "You're late..." she grumbled, letting Nick go and flipping her snow white fur out of her eyes.
"Nice to see you too," Nick grumbled as he straightened out his shirt. Obviously, Loxey's good mood from earlier in the day had completely disappeared.
"The bar is this way, follow me," Loxey said flatly as she motioned for Nick to follow. Nick obeyed and followed Loxey into the bar, which was already full of rowdy, intoxicated animals. The bartender looked just a bit concerned as he cleaned a few glasses with a rag and put them back on the rack. Judging by his facial features, he had been doing this since a very early hour. Nick and Loxey took a seat at the main table of the bar, both of them nonchalantly looking around and taking in their surroundings.
"Can I get ya anything?" A large rhino came out from behind a red curtain and leaned his elbows on the table.
"Anything with the letters W-I-N-E in it my good man," Nick said, not slurring his words in the typical intoxicated mammal fashion but making sure to keep that smile plastered on his face.
"You got it fox," the rhino said, nodding his head and heading back towards the wine rack positioned on the far left side of the serving station. As the bartender was getting the drink, Nick looked around the bar at the various animals in attendance. No one looked particularly out of place or suspicious, and he was beginning to feel like maybe this undercover mission was a mistake. That is, until he saw a smarmy looking skunk sitting at a table in the corner. The first thing that made it look suspicious was the way that the animal was dressed: a dark blue suit with a white undershirt and a bright red tie. The second thing that raised Nick's concerns was that this particular mammal had no drink, and he had a concerned look on his face as he talked into his cell phone. Nick had learned in his training that these were all telltale signs of someone whose nerves were going haywire, and therefore was a prime suspect in something that required their attention.
He lightly nudged Loxey's arm just as the bartender placed their drinks in front of them. "Loxey...that skunk over there...on his cell phone," Nick motioned with his head, and Loxey followed. The animal hadn't noticed them yet, and Loxey was doing a masterful job at looking inconspicuous.
"That is suspicious," she concurred, turning her attention back to Nick. "He's not dressed at all for a quiet evening at the bar, and skunks aren't even close to being indigenous to this area."
"We need to pump him for info," Nick said, cradling his chin in his paw as he thought. Then, a smile spread across his face as he said, "I think I may have an idea...follow my lead."
Loxey looked as though she wasn't quite on board, but she followed Nick anyway. They both made their way (acting as slightly intoxicated as they could) and took a seat at the table next to the skunk. As far as skunks went, Nick had admittedly known very few of them throughout his lifetime. However, from what he had heard, they were skittish mammals who usually had no time for nonsense. Of course, Nick being Nick, he had come up with a plan.
"Here, order this," Nick said, sliding the menu of drinks under Loxey's nose and pointing.
Loxey looked confused as she saw the drink that Nick was pointing to: "Passionfruit Punch Medley." She rolled her eyes as she said, "Nick, we're not actually here to get legitimately drunk."
Nick just grinned. "Exactly..." he said with a sneer, "but maybe he is. Look, the plan is simple: we load this skunk up with enough juice and he'll be putty in our paws. He'll be so drunk he won't know which way is up or down. Then, when he's at that perfect level of inebriation, boom, we take his wallet, cell phone, I.D., anything that can give us a clue as to who he is. I have a very strong hunch that this skunk knows who our culprit is."
Loxey looked dumbfounded. She blinked her eyes a couple of times in disbelief and let Nick have it. "Nick, I have never heard of such a stupid, far fetched idea. One, you're not even sure this skunk knows who are suspect is. Two, there's no guarantee that his info will be legit. Three..."
"Look, if you have a better idea, please enlighten me," Nick said, crossing his arms in front of him and narrowing his eyes at her. "But in my honest opinion, this is our best shot."
Loxey frowned, then heaved a heavy sigh. "Fine, fine...let's get this over with. But Nick Wilde, I swear, if this goes south I'll make sure your badge is toast...got it?"
Nick just smiled his trademark sly smile and said, "Yeah, sure, got it," he said without much emotion. "Now, let's get this guy as drunk as a..."
"DON'T...say it!" Loxey said as she slapped her forehead with her paw. She sighed again and realized that she was defeated. In all honesty, she definitely had no better plan in place, and as much as she hated to admit it, Nick's plan was sound. As long as they played their part, the operation would go over without a hitch. "Okay, order the drinks," she said firmly. "Let's do this."