How do I look?
Nick attached a selfie to the text before sending it off to Judy, his tail slowly swishing behind him while he waited for her reply. His idea to get a rental suit had mostly been driven by his wish to ensure his bullet proof vest wouldn't be visible. The trauma plates he'd picked up didn't add nearly as much bulk as he feared, but if he was going to be in a building with a bunch of thugs he didn't want to risk anyone noticing he had it on. The sports jacket would be a big help on that front. He just wished it fit a little better.
After a couple of minutes his phone vibrated with a text from Judy: Please tell me you're joking.
Not Joking, Carrots.
The reply came more quickly this time. Is the Lt really letting you go like that?
Nick glanced at Lieutenant Uncia and smiled. She says I look like I belong in a bad Jack Savage movie, but yes. I convinced her that if Flip thinks I'm working for Mr. Big then I should look the part.
They didn't care about that before.
They think I was trying to hide who I work for until now, he messaged back. And you still haven't answered my original question, Fluff.
Another long pause, then: You look fine.
Just fine?
Alright. You look good. Satisfied?
He could almost imagine her irritated expression. Immensely. You already at the warehouse?
Around there. Another quick reply, followed almost immediately by another. Eating at the cafe. Once I'm done I'll get into place.
Just be careful. Don't let Flip see you.
"Officer Wilde, what are you doing?"
Nick looked up to find the Lieutenant staring at him. "Just messaging Officer Hopps. She's nearly in position."
"Any problems?"
"She didn't mention any," he said, putting his phone away.
"Then stop distracting her," Uncia said. "And start worrying about your part in this. You need to get them talking as much as possible. Think you can handle that?"
"That is one thing you don't need to be concerned about. I'm sure Flip will have all sorts of things he wants to tell me about," Nick said. "Still think you're making a mistake by not arresting him, though."
"You've made your feelings on this well known, Officer Wilde. Chief Bogo tells me that you were the one to come up with the idea for this little operation in the first place, so you should know we're after bigger fish than a few smugglers."
"I also know that sometimes clinging to the plan doesn't make any sense," Nick said, keeping his eyes on the feline. "Flip is bad news. He always has been, even back when I was a kid, but back then he was just doing the usual thing. He's different now. I don't know how, but I can tell. The things he said to me sent shivers down my spine."
"We will not be making an arrest because your gut says we should," Lieutenant Uncia told him, then tilted her head to one side. "If you really think he is that much of a problem then get him to say something incriminating. Then we can talk about arresting him."
That was fair, he supposed. Also easier said than done. Flip might have a cruel streak, but he wasn't reckless. Considering their history, Nick was confident that Flip was going to be extra careful. Still, it was worth a try.
The area around the warehouse looked quite different during the day. Not quite like a good neighborhood, but close. Judy was well aware there was a minor crime problem in this part of the city, only with the light she actually felt quite safe. She certainly wouldn't have guessed there was a major smuggling operation not three buildings over.
But the sun was already on its way down, and she needed to get into position while she could still clear the area to make sure nobody had noticed her. Sighing, she folded her ears down and pulled her hoodie up over her head then picked up her modest satchel before starting down the street. She double checked her phone to make sure it was completely silenced on the way, and noticed she'd gotten another message from Nick.
Smiling, she opened it, then couldn't help laughing as she saw that he'd sent her a few more selfies, this time holding his fingers out like a gun while striking suitably dramatic poses. In the background Lieutenant Uncia, Fangmeyer, and Snarlof could all be seen. The two other officers seemed to appreciate the fox's antics, judging by their amused expressions. Surprisingly, even the Lieutenant seemed willing to tolerate Nick's behavior.
Got that all out of your system? Her thumbs flew across the touchscreen as she sent off the message.
Almost, came the reply. Something is missing though.
And what would that be?
Another quick answer: In the movies the hero always has a pretty lady hanging on his arm. Interested?
Judy was thankful that the hoodie covered up her ears as she could actually feel them turning a deep shade of red. Even so, she self-consciously checked if anyone was watching before she answered. Not really dressed for the part. I'd need a gown.
Darn. Maybe next time.
Her face continued to burn as she put her phone away again, then once more checked that nobody was paying attention to her before entering the alley beside the warehouse. Nick had assured her that nobody would care what she did so long as she acted like she belonged, but a little extra caution couldn't hurt. So far he'd been right, though. Everyone was too busy doing their own thing to bother watching what some bunny was up to.
Once she was off the main street she felt a little safer. A final glance over her shoulder to make sure nobody was watching, then got a running start before jumping at the wall. A firm kick rebounded her off the brick surface, aimed right for the fire escape. She got just high enough to catch the handrail. Pulling herself up the rest of the way was easy enough, and then she was climbing the stairs to the roof.
Near the top she opened her satchel and pulled out the radio she'd brought. There was a burst of static when she turned it on. She hurriedly turned the volume knob all the way down, then made sure she was on the correct frequency before keying it.
"Officer Hopps checking in. I've reached my position, about to secure the area."
Lieutenant Uncia responded almost immediately. "Copy, Hopps. Be careful, but try to finish quickly so I can kick this twit out the door."
"Yes ma'am."
Judy clipped the radio to her belt and pulled out her tranquilizer pistol, then peered over the lip of the roof to make sure nobody was already up there before she hopped up. Even though it looked clear she still took the effort to check the entire roof just in case Flip had thought to hire mice or some other small mammals to keep an eye on things. She was well aware of how often others underestimated her due to her small stature and didn't intend to make the same mistake, not when all it took was a couple of minutes worth of extra effort.
After she'd satisfied herself that it was safe, she made sure the access door to the roof was locked so nobody could simply burst through and catch her by surprise. Then she carefully peeked through the skylights while there was still enough light for her to get a clear picture of the situation down below. There were already several mammals busy organizing crates, and although there was no trace of Flip yet she did get a good look at Conrad. She took the opportunity to snap a few pictures of the workers with the hope that the ZPD might be able to identify them later, then found a good vantage point and settled in.
"Site secure," she said, after keying her radio again. "They've already got a half-dozen mammals moving crates around down there. No sign of Flip, but his number two looks like he is keeping an eye on everything. I'm sending the photos now."
"Good work, Hopps. Try to get a picture of any mammal that shows up."
She acknowledged the instructions as she tried to find a comfortable position to wait, her ears perked up alertly so she could listen to what was happening inside. After a few minutes her phone vibrated again. Since there wasn't anything else going on she checked it.
Keep on your toes, Carrots. Be safe.
There was a certain art to walking out at night in a suit without drawing trouble that Nick had never mastered. Being part of a larger group obviously helped, especially when certain members were well known for working with Mr. Big. There was also a certain dangerous confidence that he couldn't really pull off. He was better at alternating between sincere and smarmy as the situation dictated, but for as much as many mammals disliked foxes they weren't exactly considered dangerous. Just untrustworthy. Wolves, bears, and wolverines—those were the ones you didn't want to tangle with. Around a fox mammals simply kept an eye on their wallet.
But he could fake it well enough to make it to the warehouse, and since Flip already believed he was working with Mr. Big once again he would be safe once he got inside. Safer anyway. It was with that in mind that he got a taxi to drop him off right out front and only paused to give his appearance a final once over. Not too cleanly pressed. Just rough enough around the edges that nobody would mistake him for a respectable mammal.
As with the last meeting, Conrad was the first one to meet him. Work was already underway, with most of the workers busy moving crates out of one of the storage rooms and onto the main floor. The crates themselves were fairly large, they came all the way up to Nick's chest, however they couldn't have been very heavy as it only took two mammals to move them. Moreover, there wasn't the telltale clink of glass on glass that would give away bottles of alcohol. While nobody was paying attention to him he snapped a few pictures of the boxes with his phone for later, when he could examine them more closely without drawing attention to himself.
Only after the wildcat made a call did Flip finally make an appearance. Judging by how quickly the other fox arrived he must have been watching from somewhere nearby, a detail that Nick tucked away in case it would prove useful later.
"What is this?" Flip asked, gesturing to Nick with both hands and giving a laugh. "Who do you think you're impressing, Nicky?"
"Just a little reminder of who I'm working for, and how lucky you are that I chose not to inform Mr. Big of who he's helping," Nick answered, letting the implied threat hang in the air. "If I was trying to impress you I would have asked Koslov to join me. I'm sure he'd love to meet you again."
The remark was enough to shut Flip's mouth, if only for a moment while he eyed Nick suspiciously. "I am not here to play games, Nicky."
"No, you just aren't used to dealing with someone that can play back," Nick said evenly, slowly swishing his tail behind him. "I'm the one doing you a huge favor, Flip. Now are we going to get down to business, or should I just call the whole thing off and let the ZPD start crawling up your tail again?"
Judy lightly chewed on the end of her pen as she focused on Nick's conversation with Flip, sifting through what they were saying in an attempt to take note of the relevant details. She paid special attention to every name that Flip mentioned, jotting them down onto the notepad she'd laid out beside her. Many were aliases, but if they managed to track down any of the accomplices there was a chance they could be squeezed for information later.
She wished they'd move on to the actual work, but apparently Flip wanted to make sure the ZPD really had cleared out of the neighborhood first. Nick used the time to make small talk and got Flip to admit to several crimes in the process. Breaking and entering. Theft. Selling drugs. Smuggling. Nothing they didn't already know, and no specific details, but she relayed it all to Lieutenant Uncia just the same.
At last a kid came in from outside to tell Flip that he and his friends hadn't been able to find any trace of the cops. It was difficult to tell from where she was, but she thought the boy was a badger. Perhaps fourteen or fifteen years old. Despite the poor lighting she snapped a picture of the kid as Flip paid him before sending him off once again.
"Satisfied?" she heard Nick ask.
"Yeah, yeah, you did your part," Flip answered. "Alright everyone, lets finish this."
There was a sudden burst of activity as the gathered mammals inside began to move once more. Just as quickly Nick raised his voice to speak over the noise.
"Just one moment. I believe you're forgetting something. Part of the deal is that you let Mr. Big know what you're bringing in," he said.
"What's he care?" came a gruff voice that she'd come to recognize as belonging to the wildcat Nick called Conrad.
"I'm hearing a lot of complaining from mammals that are getting something for free," Nick commented, his voice carrying a sharp note of reprimand. "Mr. Big wants to know, and I'm not in the habit of asking him to explain himself. If you want to know you're perfectly free to call him up yourself to demand answers, just don't expect me to stand close to you afterward. I'm fond of living."
Judy waited with baited breath until Flip finally spoke again. "Let him do what he wants, Conrad. It doesn't matter."
Ears perked up, she dared to peek down into the building in time to see Nick moving to one of the boxes. Flip gestured to a skunk, who grabbed a crowbar and began to pry the lid open. Sensing an opportunity, she quietly moved for a better view and brought up her camera to wait. One corner came loose, then another. She checked to make sure the flash was off and that it was in low-light mode, then zoomed in all the way. As the lid was finally pulled free she took a series of pictures, then quickly ducked back down.
Down below she heard Nick speak up again, confusion in his tone. "Flowers? You're smuggling flowers?"
Nick quietly watched Flip's men load the final few crates onto a truck as he wondered what the other fox was doing. He'd insisted on being shown the contents of several other crates that he selected at random, just to be sure that Flip wasn't trying to pull one over on him, but they all contained the same thing. Little, white clover blossoms. Nothing else. Not even a hint of contraband. He pocketed a few for evidence just in case, though it seemed like a waste of time.
When questioned, Flip merely shrugged and reminded him that today was only supposed to be a test. That still didn't add up to Nick. Even a test like this would have operating costs. Clover flowers were perfectly legal, even with the current shortage it would be impossible to make enough to cover all the expenses. Tonight was going to cost Flip a few thousand at least. That sort of behavior was going to make keeping the whole operation running impossible, unless…
"What the heck are you planning to bring in?" he asked Flip, his tail slowly flicking about behind him.
Flip gave him a sideways look. "Just the usual stuff, Nicky."
"Stop being obtuse," Nick said, "and stop lying. This dry run of yours is costing you a small fortune, isn't it? So whatever you plan to bring in has to be big enough of a deal to cover the expense."
"There you go worrying about money again. Don't worry, Mr. Big will get a fair cut with what I'm planning to move next."
"It better not be more flowers," Nick warned. "I swear, Flip, you better not be trying to make problems for me or I'll make sure they come back on you. You should know by now, it all runs downhill."
"If you're that eager to find out just come by Wednesday. Same time. That's when we'll be bringing out the real stuff." Flip gave him a toothy grin. "Heck, feel free to bring as many of Mr. Big's toughs as you like. We'll have fun, just like old times."
He sure remembers things differently than I do, Nick thought. "Two days doesn't give me much time to set everything up."
"Really? Worried that Internal Affairs investigation that's started sniffing at you will catch wind of something if you aren't careful?"
The off-hand question caught Nick so completely by surprise that he couldn't keep his face straight as his mind raced. Normally he would assume that Flip was making a threat, but he doubted the other fox had any ability to influence IA's investigation. That left him with the problem of how to address the situation. His knee-jerk reaction was simple denial. It was definitely the easiest route, but then he couldn't learn anything.
Better to play along. "Surprised you heard about that. You aren't exactly the type with the resources to bribe city officials, Flip."
"Bribes. That's a good one," Flip laughed. "Maybe that's how things went in the past, but after Bellwether it's gotten much easier. I'll give her one thing, she may have been a bitch in sheep's clothing, but she turned out to be very good for business."
"You expect me to believe she partnered with a fox? Really?"
Flip laughed again. "Nothing like that, though I'm surprised I have to spell it out for you Nicky. You really do focus too much on money. Surely you noticed how many preds lost their jobs while Bellwether was running the show, especially in the government."
Although Flip didn't elaborate, Nick didn't need him to. It was obvious enough. So many mammals finding themselves without a job, and the few that managed to keep their place often got moved to a worse position while taking a hefty pay cut. A lot of desperate preds. A lot of angry preds, too. Just the sort Flip loved to manipulate.