A/C Sorry this one took much longer than I thought. Got pretty busy.
(Sorry if it seemed rushed as well...)
"I miss one remedial and you get in a fight?" Brandon asked, nearly amused.
"You wanted to watch a fight? Sure, you can even be in it," Isaac replied.
"Nah. But come on, Ryan isn't worth a black eye."
"If hitting him shuts him up, I'm all for it."
"What changed though?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you never cared about him until recently. You've ignored him for over a year," Brandon stated.
"I started caring when he stole my journal and read it with half the class."
"Was there anything that sensitive inside?"
"It's just personal. It's a journal," Isaac answered. Brandon stared, not believing him one bit. Isaac wouldn't get that upset over a privacy invasion unless it uncovered something that was... well... very private.
"It's about Judy isn't it..."
"No..." Isaac started. "...maybe."
"Don't worry about it," Brandon said. "She's much better than whoever raised Ryan."
The two continued walking, making their way back to class.
"Hey did you study for the history exam today?" Brandon asked after a short pause in their conversation.
"Did you?"
"Yes."
"Good luck to you," Isaac smirked, knowing all too well how much the otter disliked the subject.
"Real inspiring."
She has real gut showing up here.
Caught her following me with the oldest trick in the book - just using my phone as a mirror to look behind me. And she didn't even see it. Even had the moxie to continue following me across half the street.
And now she appears at my doorstep. A cop. I wonder where her clumsy partner is. Must be too ashamed to even show his face. What a screw-up.
This will be interesting.
"May I help you?" the butler asked at the door.
"Yes, is Mrs Vulpes in? I'd like to ask a few questions," Judy answered. The butler stared for a moment, before opening the door fully.
"Right this way."
It was the most spacious room Judy had ever seen in a house. Someone could've easily fit a jet in it. And yet it was simply spacious. The ornaments that Judy had expected were not present, and the fancy chandelier that she had imagined did not exist. It was just... plain. There were only a set of sofas, a coffee table and a flat screen television. Apart from the television, Judy was sure that with her current pay, she was able to afford everything in the room.
"What do you need, officer?" A voice asked. Judy's ears picked up the voice before she turned to face the source. It was Jasmine. The butler glanced at her and Judy before leaving the two alone, disappearing into a corridor.
"Have a seat," the vixen offered. "Would you like a drink?"
Judy waited for Jasmine to sit down before she followed, settling on another sofa.
"No, thank you," Judy declined politely. Jasmine struck her as a friendly person. A warm, gentle smile was ever present on her, and she didn't show any signs of nervousness. Based on her training, Judy literally couldn't see anything that could even show nervousness. Her fur was not stiff, her eyes were not darting about or avoiding eye contact... The canine was physically upright, and completely relaxed, waiting for the rabbit to continue. If it wasn't for the suspicion Judy had, she would've let her guard down instantly.
"Anyways, I have a few questions regarding some cargo you've purchased about five days ago," Judy started, whipping out a notepad and her pen.
"The blueberry juice? What about it?" The fox asked casually. Nothing suspicious yet. Judy hesitated as she thought of how to phrase what she wanted to say.
"Well, it was confiscated. Authorities found illegal goods inside the container," Judy informed.
"My client won't be too pleased about this," Jasmine, looking a little annoyed.
"Oh, who is your client?"
"Blue Bottle. It's a company from the south. Manufactures bottled drinks."
Judy couldn't help but feel dismayed at her answer. If the suspect was all the way in the south, out of Zootopia, she wouldn't be working on the case. Another department would be, and yet Judy couldn't place her confidence in it. The south was a well-to-do region. Zootopia was the largest city, but the southern cities were easily close behind regarding size. If the company was large enough, no police force would be able to thoroughly check for anything related to the case. The very thought of a night howler operation existing just because of such a ridiculous situation infuriated her. But the current period was not the best time to express it.
"Do you know who Keith Wilde is?" Judy continued.
"Keith Wilde?" Jasmine asked, eyes glancing upward, trying to recall for a brief moment. "Isn't that the guy I bought the blueberry juice from?"
"Yes. Do you have any relation to him?"
"Not much. Just met him online, and then a few more times to check the shipment," Jasmine paused for a moment as she thought of asking something. Judy noticed and stopped writing for a moment, anticipating some kind of clue. "What illegal goods did you find anyway? I didn't see anything when I checked the cargo."
"Sorry, that's classified information," Judy declined to answer. The fox gave an understanding nod and waited for any other questions Judy had.
"So, you say you've checked the shipment?"
"Yes."
"Personally?"
"Yes."
"Do you know where your shipment was as of sixteenth March?"
"Probably still at the cargo station. It isn't even officially mine yet."
"I see. Is there anything else that you might know regarding the case?" Judy asked, standing up, preparing to the end session.
"Probably not, I don't even know what your case is about," Jasmine chuckled.
"Alright, thank you for your cooperation."
"How'd it go?"
"She claims that she had checked the cargo before, and didn't find anything suspicious. Let's take a look at the cargo station's surveillance cameras, we might be able to catch the culprit," Judy went straight to the point. Nick chuckled at her response. Typical Judy.
"That's a long shot, Judy. The cargo station is huge. You don't know if a camera managed to catch it," Nick replied.
"You got a better idea?"
"Just saying. It might not work."
"It's worth a shot," Judy shrugged. "Come on, drive already. Or else I'm taking the wheel."
"Oh no, you're not," Nick smirked as he manoeuvred the cruiser out of its parking spot. "We wouldn't want to crash into a lamp post now, would we?"
"That was ages ago, and I didn't crash the car," Judy protested. "It was... just a scratch."
"How much did that side mirror cost anyway?"
"Just a scratch!"
"Hey, come on! I didn't take anything! I was on my way out! I swear!"
"Who are you? Why are you here? And why does that tiny little dose of chloroform put you out for over eight hours?"
"I don't know, I was just here to...uh... admire the view?"
"You were trying to burgle my house weren't you?"
"I'm sorry, just don't hurt me!"
"I'm not planning to hurt you."
"Then... can I go?"
"Not yet. I have a few things to test..."
"Wha... is that a gun!? Whoa WAI..."
The bull took his own sweet time to fetch the footage, and his speed was easily comparable to the sloths at the DMV. Every passing second started to irritate Judy more and more.
"This one should have that box," the security guard yawned. And sure enough, Keith's (or Jasmine's) container was visible on the black and white screen. Nick and Judy leant in closer to look. The screen was rather tiny, about the size of Judy's phone.
"Sorry bout the size, a rat works here," the bull explained. The footage wasn't exactly interesting. It was, after all, just a video of stationary cargo. The replay was fast-forwarded, and yet it still looked like a black and white photo.
And then all of a sudden, the footage just became a mess of static.
"What?" Judy murmured subconsciously as she squinted at it, trying in vain to see something behind the static.
"Oh, that must be the camera that got busted," the bull muttered.
"What happened to it?" Nick inquired.
"Looked like someone threw a rock at it. The camera itself was knocked off."
"Is there a camera that can see that camera?" Judy asked, getting slightly panicked. The last thing they needed was a dead end.
"Yes, there's this one..." the security guard paused as he pressed a few keys on the keyboard before him. A new footage with a different angle blinked on. The container was not visible from that angle, but another camera was clearly portrayed. And soon, that was not the only thing that could be seen.
"Look, what's that black thing?" Nick pointed at a dark silhouette that appeared from behind one of the containers. It was someone with a dark trench coat and hat. He peered up at the nearest camera, and at a brief second, he revealed himself from his dark clothing as he reeled back to throw something. A camera flopped, wobbled for a few moments before its wire snapped, and fell off its support, rendered completely useless. The figure looked around and left in the direction of the container.
"We need this footage in our investigation," Judy stated.
"What was that for?"
"Oh come on, you're not even injured, stop whining..."
"What is this stuff? Why is it purple!?"
"Calm dow..."
"IS THIS WHAT I THINK IT IS?"
"Wait... Just..."
"ARE YOU NUTS?"
"Will you just..."
"..."
"..."
"Don't growl at me that way. It'll be over soon..."
"This can't be enhanced any further? I can hardly see anything," Judy huffed as she squinted at her desktop.
"I can see it. Just forward to that part where he flashes his face," Nick instructed. Judy looked at him dubiously and then did as he said. She paused the video just as the unknown person reeled back, preparing to throw the stone.
"There. His face. Do you see it?"
"It looks like a leopard," Judy observed.
"Quit squinting, zoom the video," the fox said. "You're going to need a pair of glasses at this rate."
"All we have is a face?" she ignored, still squinting at the screen. Nick sighed, and took over the mouse. Within a few moments, he englarged the frame, and the leopard's face was clearly visible.
"I guess I'll run it with the database," Judy shrugged.
"It's lunch break now. Don't forget Isaac," Nick reminded.
"Wha... What happened..."
"You're going free now."
"What did you do to me? What's this purple stuff?"
"Night howler serum."
"What?"
"Hold still."
"HEY DON'T SHOOT ME WITH THAT AGAIN!"
"Oh just stay quiet for once. If this works nothing will happen to you."
"AND IF IT DOESN... OW! HEY! ARE YOU CRAZY?"
"You are completely fine. Will you just calm down? You're savage enough without the serum."
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN CALM DOWN YOU SHOT ME WITH IT."
"Oh my, you seem very savage. Just calm down, do you want to leave or not?"
"Fine! Fine."
"Take this and clean off the serum. I'll release you once you're done."
"How was school?" Judy asked.
"There was a history test today."
"History test?" Judy frowned, facing away from Isaac. It was a simple feat. After all, she was in the front seat. You said there were no upcoming tests.
"How's the eye?" Nick mentioned casually. Judy turned back again to look at Isaac's injury. It was still at a nasty shade, but at least it wasn't swollen like before.
"Does it hurt?" the rabbit asked out of concern.
"Nah, just a little sore."
"Sore?"
"It's fine," Isaac insisted.
"How about Ryan? Is he still bothering you?" Nick inquired.
"He completely ignored me the whole day," he replied.
"And... that's good or bad?" Judy asked.
"It's obviously good. How can it be bad?" Isaac asked rhetorically. "Besides, any interesting case you guys have?" Judy peered at Nick. She had no idea how to phrase their current case in a simple (and without the word "Night Howler") way.
"Nothing special, just investigating the source of illegal cargo," Nick explained.
"What kind of illegal cargo? Night howler serum?" Isaac asked jokingly. Judy faced forward stiffly, trying to hide her expression.
"Heh. Better if you don't know the details kid."