It was raining when they got there, which just added to the unease that'd been turning in Nick's gut since he'd spotted that second message. Why had that mammal picked him to lead whatever case they were connected to? Why did they seem to be fixated on him?
"Well, this is the place," Delgato pulled into the lot. The Oakwood Apartments complex was in nearly the dead center of the Meadowlands, the hilly, spread-out district filled primarily with sheep and other such mammals, ferrets and weasels being fairly common as well. As such, it was one of the few buildings designed with larger citizens in mind, a slim white lioness waving them down by the front door.
"Oh, officers!" she stepped back as Jeremy pulled up to the curb, Allan and Nick climbing out as he went to find a spot that would fit the cruiser. "Thank you for coming so quickly!"
"Just doing our job, Ma'am," Nick and Allan followed her inside. "Sergeant Wilde, this is Lieutenant Wolfard, you said there was some kind of disturbance here?"
She nodded.
"Well, not me, exactly. I'm Juniper, the owner of this place," she looked past them when Delgato came in, shaking some drops from his mane. The blush that touched her ears was hard to miss. "Some of my residents were complaining about a lot of noise in one of the units, but the thing is, the unit's been empty for the past month."
She led them to the elevator, hitting the button for the fifth floor.
"I haven't looked inside yet, though," she went on. "I didn't want to risk messing up a crime scene, if it actually is one."
She led them down the hall to 8E, letting out a confused hum when her master key didn't fit the lock.
"That's weird," she tried some of the others on the ring. "It worked when I showed it a few weeks ago."
"Mind if I take a look?" Nick moved next to her, kneeling to inspect the lock when she stepped aside. He pulled a couple tools from a pouch at his belt, and after a few silent minutes, they heard a soft click. "It looks like someone changed it, could that have happened without you knowing?"
She flushed again, this time with embarrassment.
"I did have to call a locksmith a little while ago," she said. "A few doors in this place kept getting stuck, I guess he could've come up here during one of his breaks and done it."
"You have his number anywhere? We may have to talk to him," Jeremy held out a paw. "I'm Sergeant Delgato, by the way, I'm sure my colleagues here didn't say anything."
"No, they didn't," she giggled, holding his paw a second longer than needed. "I should still have his card in my office somewhere, I'll see if I can find it."
She headed back to the elevator, glancing at Jeremy over her shoulder before turning the corner.
"You two can just shut up now," he looked back to the smaller males smirking up at him. Allan chuckled.
"I didn't say anything, did you, Nick?"
"Not a word," Nick tucked the tools away and got to his feet. "Now let's see what's going on in here."
He pushed the door open, his hackles raising when he saw the envelope taped to the wall across from them. It was a perfect match for the other two, right down to the bright red words stamped across the back.
"Guess that answers one of the questions I've had the last few days," he made his way through the small, furnished apartment, noting how it was completely spotless. Normally, he wouldn't have thought twice about it, the place had been empty for weeks, and it would've been cleaned for the showing, but now it only served to heighten the fear starting to squirm in his gut. He peeled the note off the wall and opened it, pulling out a single card.
'I left a present for you somewhere. Hope you like it, sweetie!'
If he'd had any doubts about this mammal's apparent obsession with him before, they were gone now. He looked to see Tony and Al already combing through the rest of the place: the combined living room and kitchen area, a small bathroom and an even smaller balcony, meaning there was only one area left.
Guess it's time to see what's behind door number three.
His paw shook as he reached for the knob, silently telling himself to get a grip as he turned it, then pushed the door slowly open.
And felt his stomach drop right through his feet.
"No…"
"Nick?" Allan paused in his search, seeing the fox standing stock-still, staring blankly into the unit's only bedroom, his paw clenched around a piece of dark cream paper. "Oh shit…"
He came up behind the fox, his tail snapping between his legs.
Lying partway on his side, his wrists shackled to the plain brown headboard, was the nude form of a well-built honey badger, a length of ocean blue sheet still looped around his neck. Dark, bloodshot hazel eyes open and blank, bruised, swollen tongue lolling from his mouth. Nick audibly gulped, his fist tightening around the paper as he walked slowly forward, stopping short when music started to filter through the room. Al looked behind the door, seeing a CD player hooked up to a speaker, positioned so he'd hit 'play' when he'd nudged it open to slip inside.
'I made myself at home, in the cobwebs and the lies'
'I'm learning all your tricks, I can hurt you from inside'
'I made myself a promise, you would never see me cry'
"Sounds like you guys found something," Jeremy came up behind him, choking on his next breath when he saw the scene. "Oh shit…"
"That's exactly what I said," Al came up beside Nick, who was still staring blankly at the victim's face. He took the male's shoulder, gently shaking him. "You doing okay there?"
It took a few more tries to get him out of it, but Nick eventually blinked, his expression still haunted when his attention snapped to the wolf.
'You'll never know what hit you, won't see me closing in'
'I'm gonna make you suffer, this hell you put me in'
'I'm underneath your skin'
"I-I know him…" he said at last, drawing both their attention.
"What?" Jeremy stepped aside as Allan led the fox out, keeping his back to the corpse. Nick swallowed thickly, then nodded.
"H-His name's T…Tom," he started faintly. "T-Thomas Beckham, he…"
He swallowed again, then coughed.
"He was…my first boyfriend…"
Allan and Jeremy gaped at him, then turned back to the room. The door blocked the view of the bed, so even if it had been open, they still would've had to go inside to find the body, which the killer had likely done on purpose. After making sure the stunned fox wouldn't collapse, Al went to take another look, going around to the other side of the bed.
Only to see Beckham's tail had been completely severed, without even a drop of blood soaked into the sheets bunched beneath the wound.
Whoever did this was pretty damn careful, he went to the window, peeking through the closed blinds. It opened onto the fire escape, looking out over the empty stretch of land behind the building. Easy escape route, too. They knew what they were doing.
"I just called it in," Jeremy stepped through the door, wincing when he saw the body again. "I can't even imagine what's going through Nick's head right now…"
"Me, either," Allan let the blinds fall. "You think we should tell Bogo to-"
"Not happening," Nick cut him off, his voice hard. They turned to him, barely able to recognize the cold look on his face. Al shivered.
"I-I know what that first note said," he managed. "But do you really think they'd-"
"I'm not about to take that risk, Wolfard," Nick spoke over him. "The killer wants me to lead this case, and that's exactly what I'm gonna do."
Most of the precinct knew better than to argue when he, or Judy, got like this, but it still never stopped them from trying.
"Nick, think about it," Jeremy started. "Judy just had your son, do you really want to risk him growing up without you?"
"And what about Judy?" Allan put in. "Everything you guys went through, losing you would destroy her, especially with what's going on in her head right now."
Nick just kept staring at them, then shoved out a breath before heading back to the bedroom.
"We're looking for someone with at least some medical knowledge," he said flatly. "The tail was cut off at the joint that connects to the rest of the spine, and since the wound's been cauterized, with no visible trace of blood anywhere, I'd guess it was either done somewhere else, or…"
"They somehow managed it in a building full of mammals," Jeremy offered. "With no one noticing the smell of burning fur and skin."
"Exactly," Nick knelt by the bed, using his pocket flashlight to hold up the skirt and light the space beneath. "And it looks like I just figured out how."
An open container of scent neutralizer sat by each leg, ensuring anything set on top of the bed couldn't be tracked by smell.
"That still doesn't prove it was done here," Allan got to his feet. "I'll go check the security cameras, there's bound to be at least one shot of him."
He headed out, leaving the other two to wait for the forensics team to arrive. Jeremy turned to the speaker behind the door, had that song been on repeat this whole time?
"Is it supposed to sound like that?" was the singer a chipmunk? Nick shook his head.
"It's called nightcore," he explained. "It's a dance thing, you take a song and speed it up; some of the kids I've watched have really been into it."
He noticed the male was still doing his best to avoid looking at the body; he grabbed the wallet left in plain view on the nightstand, seeing it was empty aside from Beckham's ID.
"Looks like we've got also got a thief on our paws," he said. Nick sighed.
"That was probably more opportunity than anything else," he rubbed his eyes, though the lion couldn't tell if he was crying or not. He watched as Nick went to the dresser, leaning against it and staring out the room's other window, which opened onto a five-story free fall.
He's really gonna put himself through this, isn't he? He wondered about the note Al had mentioned, what must've been in it to make Nick so determined to lead this case. Would Bogo even be able to stop him from taking it?
I just hope he knows what he's doing, he headed for the living room, keeping an ear out for his coworkers. Last thing we need is another funeral…
Bogo drummed his fingers on his desk, eyes locked on the mammal across from him. Wilde, Delgato and Wolfard had returned from the Meadowlands hours ago, coming to his office one by one to explain what had gone down; he'd spent the last ten minutes in a staring contest with the fox, after he'd outlined the killer's original threat.
"I usually respect your decision, Chief," Nick started. "But I'm not budging on this."
He looked down at the first two notes, sealed in evidence bags.
'I want Sergeant Wilde to lead this case, and the longer it takes, the more mammals will pay.'
'I hope you're ready to play, tough guy, because the game is about to begin!'
The latest one had been sent to the lab for testing, though if it was anything like these, there wouldn't be much to go on, if anything.
"You know I normally wouldn't have any objections to you leading this case," he clasped his hooves, leaning forward to rest his chin on them. "But with the killer's apparent fixation on you, and now your personal connection with the victim, I just can't-"
"Oh, I think you might want to rephrase that, Adonis," a digitalized voice came through the intercom. Bogo glanced at Nick before hitting the button to respond.
"Is this some kind of joke?" he demanded. "Who are you?"
There was a giggle.
"Oh, I just can't give that away now, sweetie," the voice said. "The game's barely even started!"
"What game are you talking about?" Nick snapped. "What do you want with me?"
"Sergeant Wilde, so good to hear from you!" another giggle. "But I'm afraid you'll have to play just a bit longer to learn that! Which brings me back to the reason I called in the first place."
A short pause.
"I know what you were about to say, Adonis," they went on. "And I can tell you that taking Sergeant Wilde off this case would be a bad idea, a very bad idea."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Bogo had about lost his patience. They sighed.
"No need to get testy, sweetie, I was just about to tell you!" they cleared their throat. "I meant what I said when I wrote that message, taking him off this case will just lead to more trouble. And before you ask, I already have several specific targets in mind."
Bogo couldn't help the chill that ran down his spine. This mammal was just too casual about what they were saying, their static-backed words actually more excited than anything. His eyes flicked to one of the frames on his desk, to his wife holding their newly adopted daughter, the little ten-year-old smiling so wide he'd been amazed her face could hold it.
"That's right, sweetie," the excitement had vanished. "I've been watching you, all of you, for a long time, and I don't have any qualms about offing kids. So, unless you want your precinct to start planning funerals, I suggest you let our favorite cop head this case. Do we have a deal?"
Bogo stared across the desk at Nick, who had the same shell-shocked look he was sure his face did.
"I guess I have no choice," he hit the button. "I can promise that Sergeant Wilde will head this case, as long as you keep up your end of our little deal."
"Perfect!" the excitement was back, like it had never left. "Then it looks like we'll get along just fine, see you all soon!"
The line cut off, leaving the office in uneasy silence. Nick broke it first, clearing his throat while scratching the back of his head.
"T-Thank you for that, Chief," he said quietly. "I know that wasn't easy."
Bogo sighed.
"I wouldn't thank me just yet, Wilde," he rubbed a hoof over his face. "We still hardly know what this mammal wants."
"They's got my attention, at least," Nick returned. "I'm not happy about it, but if it means fewer mammals in danger, then I'm willing to give it."
"Then I expect you to keep me in the loop," Bogo said sternly. "The last thing I need is you going AWOL again."
Nick winced, but nodded.
"Understood, Chief, I'll update you when I can," he slid off the chair. "That everything?"
"For now, Wilde," he waved the fox out. "Dismissed."
Nick nodded, then stepped out, the door clicking softly shut behind him.
Don't let this be the one that gets away from you, he turned to another frame, almost hidden behind the first. Or you'll never forgive yourself…
The Devil Within belongs to The Digital Daggers.