If there was ever a place destined to be the scene of something grisly, it was the intersection of Slaughter Road and Leathertree Lane, which, oddly enough, was also the location of a childcare center. Nick would've laughed at the irony if he weren't there for a murder, and if he weren't exhausted. He'd stopped at the first place he could find that served coffee at that hour and gotten the strongest thing he could get, he just hoped it'd be enough to get back to the station. At least there he could pass out on the job without potentially putting lives in danger.

"Okay, so what do we have this time, Tony?" he looked up at the tiger next to him, who was working on his own caffeine fix, a double shot chocolate espresso. Tony wiped his mouth on the back of his paw, tapping a claw on the plastic lid before letting his arm drop to his side.

"This place has been closed for renovations the last few days, busted pipe or something," he explained. "The mammal in charge likes showing up early, and according to her, something just felt 'off' when she showed up this morning. She looked around a bit, and found our victim lying on the tile work they finished yesterday."

Nick pulled in a breath through his teeth, swirling what was left of his creamer-choked dark roast before knocking it back, tossing the cup in the trash can outside the front doors. The parking lot had already been cordoned off, though at this time of day he doubted they'd have to worry about curious onlookers. An older panther from Precinct Twenty nodded solemnly to them before leading them to the scene, the hallway that had seen the most damage.

"We weren't sure what we'd be dealing with here," she started, her gravelly tone suggesting a bad smoking habit. "But considering all the other bodies that have shown up lately, we figured we might as well call you in."

Nick's nose wrinkled at the smell of wet wolf, overlaid by that of blood. They turned a corner in the hall, his ears going back when he saw the gray wolf lying there, bound with a bright green extension cord that had been pulled from the reel sitting next to him. The notch in the right ear gave him a good idea who it was, but he circled around to see the canine's face anyway, and couldn't hold back his horrified gasp.

"Oh god…"

Tony gagged behind him, Nick barely noticing the pain when the tiger's drink splashed across his heels. The wolf's eyes had been gouged carelessly out, the lids pried open to burn the sight of hollow, bloody sockets into the mind of anyone who passed. The long tongue hanging limply from his mouth was pale and swollen, and even from where he stood rooted to the spot, he could see the ligature marks around the mammal's neck, mangled by claws that had failed to break whatever had been used to strangle him.

"Ivy Hedera, the mammal who found him, was pretty much hysterical when she called it in," the panther explained. "She was taken to Whitewood Hospital by the first officer who arrived at the scene."

"And who was that?" Tony kept his back to the dead wolf.

"My partner, Amelia Priest," she offered. "Ivy was treated for shock and given a sedative, so it'll be a while yet before you can speak with her."

"That's fine," Nick forced himself into cop mode, kneeling to inspect the corpse for himself. "Blood's still wet, it hasn't been long."

He turned to the panther, who was also doing her best not to look his way.

"I take it no one was seen running from this place?" he asked. She shook her head.

"I doubt it, the foliage is so thick around here it only takes a few seconds to disappear."

"And the camera at the doors is motion-activated," he mused. "But it didn't respond when we walked by, and going by what we know so far, I think it's a safe bet to say the whole system's been deactivated."

She sighed.

"So it is the same killer," she crossed her arms. "That's what I was afraid of…"

"You and me both," he stood, brushing off his knee. "And I can even make a positive ID, Connor Penwood."

Tony's ears pricked, and he looked over his shoulder.

"Wasn't he the guy you mentioned during the occult case?"

"Yeah," Nick swallowed. "T-This is the first time I've seen him in years."

Tony winced, but didn't say anything. Nick wouldn't have paid him any attention, anyway. He got back to his feet, scanning the floor around Connor, taking in the crimson pool around his head, his scrawny limbs pulled awkwardly behind him, his fur thinning in places and missing in others. They'd made it a year, and then he'd discovered Connor's drug habit, a secret the wolf had hidden so well even he hadn't picked up on it. Even worse was he'd refused to get help, claiming it would've robbed him of his psychic powers. All of that combined had been too much for Nick to take, and he'd kicked him out of their apartment, later moving to the other side of the city entirely to keep the deranged wolf from finding him.

He jumped when his phone went off, having gotten completely lost in his thoughts. It accepted the call before he could even reach to grab it, a garbled, digital giggle bouncing off the empty walls.

"No note for you to find this time, sweetie, sorry!"

He growled, snatching his phone from his belt, his paw shaking from how tightly he gripped it.

"I'm done with your fucking games," he bit off. "If you want me so bad, then just come and get me!"

They giggled again.

"Now what fun would that be?" they asked. "Besides, I have to make sure I break you first so you don't try to escape!"

He barked a cold laugh, wishing he could just reach through the line and rip their throat out.

"If you touch so much as one hair on anyone else's head, you'll be lucky if I leave you in one piece when I find you!"

"And what makes you so sure you will?" the manic glee had vanished. "It's been three weeks, and you're still crawling around in the dark!"

He scoffed.

"Foxes have excellent night vision," he returned. "It's only a matter of time."

A pause, then a short laugh that sent ice down his back.

"Well, then you'd better hurry, sweetie, because time's running out!"

The call cut off, a trio of chimes telling him he'd gotten a text. Tapping the alert, he saw it was an audio file, the number unknown. He hesitated before hitting play, swallowing hard when he heard what it was.

'Bring, bringing me to life'

'Getting all your blood tonight'

'Gonna make you feel all exposed'

That was exactly how it felt, like there was no way to hide from this mammal, no matter how hard he tried. He couldn't stop thinking that he should've tried harder, forced his exes to accept protection when Thomas had died. Sent his mother, Judy and Terry out of town the second he'd realized something bigger was happening.

Judy…his heart twisted as the thought took root. He hadn't been fast enough, hadn't been smart enough, and now they were in more danger than ever. Swallowing hard, he turned to Tony, freezing again when the next lines registered.

'You know it's almost time for my resurrection'

'Getting close to the end'

'But I can't ignite when you survive'

He didn't have to think on what that meant, he knew exactly what they were trying to tell him. He paused the message and shoved his phone in his pocket, he was trembling too hard to even try and put it in the case. He cleared his throat, forcing calm into his voice.

"Tony, can you take over from here? I have to get started on some things at the precinct."

"Sure," Tony grabbed his shoulder as he passed, looking worriedly down at him. "But after that, I strongly suggest you head home, and I'd rather not see your ugly mug around until Monday."

Nick pulled smoothly out of the hold, his fist clenching at his side as he squeezed his eyes shut.

"You know that's not gonna happen," he said. "Not until this mammal's behind bars or rotting in hell."

Ears falling back, Tony stepped away from him, keying the radio strapped to his shoulder, but Nick didn't hear what he said. He was too busy lining up what he'd say when he got home, how he wanted Alice and Judy to join his mother in Sunset Valley, and that he wouldn't be taking no for an answer. He just hoped Judy would swallow her stubborn pride and listen this time.

Judy hadn't felt so happy in weeks. The voice still popped up, spewing the same spiel as always, and while it was hard, she was getting better at shutting it out, admitting to herself that she needed to talk about it. Alice had already proven to be a great help in that respect, being a wonderful listener and always knowing just what to say. She'd also fallen in love with Terry, jumping at any chance to take care of him, letting Judy catch up on the chores that had gotten a bit out of paw, with she and Nick being so busy. She'd just thrown the last load of laundry in the dryer when she heard the front lock click, the slightly uneven steps when he staggered through.

"Sweet cheese…" she pressed a paw to her mouth when she saw him. His uniform was wrinkled, his badge crooked, and there was a large stain near his lap. She hurried over as he dropped his keys in the bowl, his aviators clattering softly to the floor when he set them too close to the edge. Swiping them up, she set them back on the small table, taking his paw and leading him to their bedroom. "This is the worst I've ever seen you, Slick…"

"We had…two bodies," he managed, the words broken by a yawn. She guided him to the bed, undoing his tie after he dropped on it, setting it and his badge on the nightstand. "Outback and Rainforest…"

She sighed, running a paw through his messy cheek fur, her frown deepening when she saw the dark circles under his glassy green eyes.

"And you say I push myself too hard," she winced when he fell back, asleep before he hit the comforter. It took a few minutes to get his head on the pillow, and she smoothed down the fur between his ears, the right one flicking when she leaned in to kiss it. "Oh, Nick…"

She slipped silently out, her mood falling further as she thought about what he must be going through. It was taxing enough, dealing with the murder of a stranger, but he'd known each of these mammals intimately, and hadn't had any time to even begin to process their deaths, let alone start to heal from them. She leaned back against the door, gazing down at her rings, each beautiful in its own unique way, both symbols of his undying devotion and love.

I wish he'd just let me help, she gripped her paw, holding them to her chest. Tears pooling in her eyes as she slid down, spilling over when she clenched them shut. That dumb, stubborn fox!

"Judy?"

Her head snapped up. Alice was standing in front of Terry's cracked open door, her pretty face a mask of concern. She stepped across the narrow hall, squatting in front of her.

"I'm worried about him, too," she went on. "I was pretty young when we moved, but I still remember how much he hated slowing down if he was helping someone. Making sure the job got done was always more important to him."

She nodded, taking the vixen's paw as she got back to her feet.

"He's one of the most selfless mammals I've ever known," she said as they went to the living room, sighing as she flopped on the couch. "I just wish he'd remember he has to take care of himself, too."

"Easier said than done," Alice sat in the recliner, grabbing the book she'd left on the end table, Nick's old copy of The Great Catsby. "At least he's better than the guys in this thing."

Judy remembered reading the book in high school. Daisy's husband had been a controlling jerk, while Daisy herself had been ungrateful and clueless. Carraway had just kind of been there, and Catsby had been a massive fraud, even if he'd otherwise come off as a good mammal. She hadn't seen why he'd kept pining after Daisy at any rate.

Some mammals just can't see their worth, I guess, she snatched the remote off the coffee table, turning down the volume as the TV came on. She'd kept ZNN on as background noise while she and Alice had been cleaning earlier, her jaw dropping when she saw what they were covering now.

"August Rush reporting to you live outside Childtime Daycare and Preschool in the Rainforest District," the news anchor, a well-groomed capybara, waved a paw toward the building behind him. "At approximately four-thirty this morning, a body was discovered here by one Ivy Hedera, the mammal in charge of renovations taking place at this location."

He held a paw to his headset, listening a moment before nodding.

"An anonymous source tells us this is the work of a mammal calling themselves The Mistress, and that it is the ninth body being attributed to them," he cleared his throat. "The ZPD could not be reached for comment, but we can assure our viewers of our continued coverage of this case, and updates will be delivered on the hour. Back to you, Fabienne."

"Oh god…" Alice shrank back in her chair, looking horrified. "I-I was there when they found that b…body in Tundra Town, but I had no idea there were more!"

Judy groaned and shut off the broadcast, dropping the remote next to her and grinding the heels of her palms into her eyes.

"That's because they've managed to keep it out of the media until now," she swallowed. "Nick's going to be furious when he finds out it was leaked…"

She dragged her paws down her face, peeking through her fingers at the vixen, who'd pulled her legs to her chest and buried her face in her arms.

"Alice?"

Her ears perked at muffled crying, Alice lifting her head before she could move.

"I-It's just…something like this happened a long time ago," she managed tearfully. "I-It's why we moved all the way to Ermineland…m-my mom never told anyone the truth…"

Judy moved to the other end of the couch, leaning against the arm.

"The truth about what?"

Alice sniffled, then shook her head.

"I-I can't talk about it," she wiped her eyes and got up, leaving the book on the chair and taking her phone from her dress pocket. "I-I'm meeting with a friend soon, I have to get ready…"

She went to her suitcase, propped against the wall beneath the windows, flipping up the lid and rummaging through it.

"I can pick up some dinner or something on the way back," she went on, pulling out silver leggings and a pastel purple tunic. Judy shook her head.

"Thanks, Alice, but we've got plenty of leftovers. Nick went on one of his cooking binges last weekend," she gave a weak laugh. It was one of the more productive ways Nick dealt with stress, she was amazed they'd had enough room for everything he'd made. "Do you want me to wait with you at the bus stop?"

She shook her head.

"I told my friend to pick me up here, I just hope he's smart enough to use his GPS this time," she rolled her eyes. "He has absolutely no sense of direction."

Judy giggled.

"I know quite a few mammals like that."

"Don't we all?" Alice smiled at her. "I don't know when I'll be back, and I don't want you leaving the door unlocked after all…that…"

She glanced at the television, then shuddered. Judy hopped to the floor and went to the kitchen, standing on her toes to look through a drawer by the sink.

"We got a couple extra spares made when I lost mine," she set it on the counter. "It'll be here when you're done."

"Thanks, Judy," Alice jumped when she saw the clock on the microwave. "Crap, I'll barely have enough time to dry off!"

She hurried to the bathroom, the water starting seconds after she shut the door. Judy laughed again, making sure Terry was still asleep before slipping into the room she shared with Nick. He was curled up with his back to her, quietly whimpering. She crept around the foot of the bed and climbed up next to him, her ears falling back when she saw the fear on his face, his claws starting to tear through the pillowcase. She took his paw in both of hers, rubbing slow circles into his fur.

"You're not alone in this, Nick," she whispered to him. "I'm here for you, and I always will be, I promise."

Dirty Angel- Courtney Jenaé