Hello Readers,

This was my largest chapter to date with over 7,000 words! Criticism is always welocme and I hope you enjoy the next installment of "A Weasel's Watch."

-CG

Adrian Bogo had been awoken from deep sleep by a frantic call from Lieutenant Howlington. In his exhausted state, the Cape Buffalo was able to make out some details from what the Red Wolf was saying. Words like "Weaselton", "Captured" and "Missing" stuck out compared to the rest. That is why at a little after Five in the morning, the Chief found himself fully dressed behind his desk and going over the last written reports of Detective Blackpaw to see if there was hint from the mustela officer of the danger he was in. With reports laid out in front of him, and reading them one after another, the large mammal noticed an unsettling pattern.

"It's too clean," muttered the Chief under his breath, "there should have been some trouble..." In Adrian's twenty five years of service in the Z.P.D., he had never read or been a part of an undercover operation that was supposedly running this smoothly. There was always a problem, whether it was something as simple as the officer's cover not being accepted, or more complex such as when an undercover officer in the Chief's third year accidentally became the right hoof of the McHooverton's in the Meadowlands. There was always a problem, normally they were solved or the officer was pulled, but there was always something. Now though, as the herbivore started going back further and further, there didn't seem to be any problem at all. So either Weaselton is the greatest undercover officer in the history or the Z.P.D.

"Or all these reports are false..." Adrian said out loud, sighing as he dropped the one month report back onto the desk. He ran a hoof over his eyes. How had he not realized this? The reports only suggest minor gains and the need for more funding, but if they were true than Weaselton was moving at a sloth's pace. The Bull reached for his desk phone and dialed a familiar number. The phone rung once before being picked up.

"Hello Chief," responded the sleepy voice of Lieutenant Saburo Salpicado, the officer on duty for the midnight shift, "what can I do for you this early morning?"

"Do you have a free officer?" asked Adrian, his free hoof rubbing the side of his head.

"No, but It's not a busy night. I can take care of it."

"I need you to search Detective Blackpaw's office...is Lieutenant Howlington there?"

"Hold on..." there was the sound of the phone being placed down. The Bull heard distant murmurs, but couldn't make them out. "Back Chief and yep Red's here. I'm a little surprised since I thought he left."

"Never mind that, you and Howlington search Blackpaw and Zirafa's office."

"Looking for anything specific?"

The Bull let out a heavy sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Anything suspicious, I wish I could be more descriptive but I don't know what you'll find. Just do your best."

"Will do Chief...do you think Blackpaw's dirty or something?"

Adrian stared blankly ahead. It was a new question that needed to be answered, but just like the question 'Where's Weaselton?' the Chief didn't have an answer. The Bull let out another sigh, "I truly hope not."

"Alright Chief, Red and I will tear apart the office and put it back together in no time. Saburo out."

The Chief hung up the phone, and was once again staring at the reports on his desk as if more information will reveal itself. The Bull's next move needed to be decisive. From the report from Howlington, it had been at least over an hour since Reggie was taken. Other than the location, no other information could be provided. This meant that the Chief had to find one of his officers, who was being held prisoner by a deadly criminal organization, with no direction and not enough on duty officers to start sweeping the city.

Adrian didn't reach for the phone this time, but pressed the desk speaker that connected directly to the Front Desk. "Officer Antlerson, start the emergency call for Day shift."

There was an annoyed groan on the other end, "It's such a pain!"

There was a moment of silence from Adrian as it started to sink in that an officer had spoken to him in such a manner. Snarlov had mentioned something in passing about the Front desk Kudo officer, but didn't believe it till now. Before he could remind the officer that he was the Chief of Police, she cut back in.

"Process has been started, should have at least half the shift by six thirty with seven at the latest. Anything else or can I go back to my magazine?"

The Bull simply ignored the question and stood from his desk. One problem at a time, and a rude officer was the least of his concern. Right now he had a Weasel to find. As Adrian looked out onto Zootopia from his office, the sun not even peaking up, the Chief mentally planned the schedule for the day. He couldn't assign every officer to find Weaselton, but he knew the officers would go above and beyond the call of duty to help one of their own. "Hold on Reginald," the Bull muttered, "help is on the way."

The Chief was standing at the podium, looking at a half empty Bullpen. It was exactly seven, but still he was missing officers from the day shift. The file in his hoof was all the information on Officer Weaselton, including the information removed from the system. Even though there was less three fourths of his officers present, the Bull had taken the initiative and announced the facts of the case. The veteran officer watched the reaction of the officers with his words. Some like Delgato, Fangmeyer and Grizzoli didn't react openly to the news. Others such as Hopps and Wolford showed their worry on their sleeves. Still a few others…

"Are you saying that you sent a rookie cop undercover and alone for three months AND DIDN'T THINK ANYTHING WAS WRONG!?" Bellowed Snarlov angrily, the Brown Bear standing up and leaning heavily on the table he normally sat at with Grizzoli.

The Bull would be lying if he said he didn't expect any for negative reaction from his officers, but he never in his wildest dreams thought that Gregor would be the cause of this uproar. "Officer Snarlov," Adrian tried to begin calmly, but the ursine's aggression sparked his own anger, "It was decided that Officer Weaselton would be-"

"Oh can the double talk," snarled Snarlov, "You screwed up and now you want us to clean up the mess, isn't that right?"

"That is not correct officer," responded the Cape Buffalo through gritted teeth, "and you best remember who's in-"

"Oh I haven't forgotten Chief, but let's not beat around the bush. You screwed up! You could have sent someone else! You-"

"That's Enough!" the Bull shouted back, slamming a closed hoof onto the podium and adding a large dent to the top. "Snarlov hit the streets and don't come back until you remember the chain of command!"

"Oh I'll show you command!" the Bear retorted, moving around the table and heading towards the front. Several officers rose from their seats, but a white paw landed on the Brown Bear's shoulder. Snarlov turned to see Grizzoli behind him.

Nothing was said between the two ursines, but Adrian recognized the silent communication that long term partners could develop. Snarlov scoffed, but left RollCall with a slam of the back door. If the Bull thought for a moment that the arctic ursine agreed with the Bull's decision, it was completely quashed by the leer the large mammal gave the Chief. If not for the seriousness of the situation, Adrian could see that Grizzoli would have walked out right after his partner. Instead the Polar Bear sat back in his seat and folded his paws on the table.

"Assignment!" bellowed the Bull, his emotions still running high, "Grizzoli and McHorn, you're in charge of the investigation. Wolford, Fangmeyer. You two are to head to Officer Weaselton's last known sighting. Precinct Six should already be there, so coordinate accordingly. We are handling this case, so evidence they find goes to our labs, understood?" The Polar Bear and Rhino moved to the podium with McHorn taking the folder. Wolford and Fangmeyer were not too far behind them. "The rest of you, same patrols as yesterday." Officers slowly stood and left the room one after another, but a pair of smaller mammals hadn't left yet.

"Is there something I can help you with officers?" Adrian asked as he stepped from behind the podium. His tone held an edge to suggest the very real threat of throwing them both of parking duty.

"Well…uh…Chief. I was wondering why Officer Wilde and I hadn't been assigned to help with finding Reg- I mean Officer Weaselton since we both have experience with missing mammals." Hopps asked politely, though judging by the scowl on her snout as she spoke it was only his rank that stopped the Bull from receiving one of her powerful kicks.

Thankfully this is something that the Chief had prepared for. "It's simple Hopps. I need officers who will think with a clear head and whose emotions are not tied to this case." Before the doe could protest, the Bull waved a hoof to cut her off. "I know you have been asking around about Weaselton. I know that your little 'investigation' has been going on and off since almost to the very beginning of his undercover assignment. So before you start to protest, recognize that I know you're emotionally compromised."

Hopps' ears fell and a paw went to her chest, but once again she was cut off. This time by a russet paw on her shoulder. "It's alright Carrots you'll get him next time." The smirk on the tod's face seemed to lack any care in the world as the vulpine officer slid next to the Rabbit. "Chief, my partner here is brimming with energy. I think what would help fluff out would be if you could assign us a case. You know what they say, idle hands and red furred devils, so how bout it Chief?"

Adrian could feel how much this was a con. The Chief wasn't in his position today without recognizing a swindle, but for the life of him he couldn't see how. While the two were some of his best officers, their involvement generally led to the discovery of a large conspiracy or drug ring or any of the other examples that the partners had solved. Giving them a small case should be alright and an electronic store was recently robbed, open and shut case. The Bull nodded, but kept his appearance stern. "Very well, there is a case for you at the Front Desk. Pick it up and don't let me down, understood?"

Both officers gave a crisp salute, but the Fox's grin seemed to deepen. The two left the Chief alone in the Bullpen. His shoulders slumped as he leaned against the podium. All the things that Snarlov had said hit the Cape Buffalo hard. It was the blessing and curse of being a ranked officer. Your decision could save or end an officer or civilian's life. The best any officer could do was making sure those underneath him are prepared for the worst and hope they never have to use that training.

"Chief Bogo," said a voice from behind. The Chief turned to see Sergeant Higgins standing in the doorway, the Hippo wearing a blank expression. "The Lieutenants have found something." The Bull nodded and headed towards the doorway, but when the Hippo didn't move a questioning brow rose. "The Deputy Chief of Precinct Seven called."

"I can deal with that fool another time." Grumbled the Chief, but still the officer didn't budge.

"It's about Blackpaw, sir."

There was a second of silence as the words settled between the two mammals. "I'll take the call in my office," growled the Bull as the Hippo finally let him pass, "and tell Zirafa when he gets here that I want to see him immediately."

"Yes sir."

Adrian walked towards the elevators, wanting a moment to put his thoughts in order that the quiet ride would allow him. Something was going on, and worse it happened right under his snout. The Cape Buffalo never liked surprises, and today was no exception. With more of a forceful push than normally necessary, the Bull started to organize the facts so far. At the moment nothing added up. The evidence that the Lieutenants found hopefully would start to answer some questions. The elevator doors opened, and Adrian stepped right in.

Ralph Wolford was nervous. His partner, Nadine Fangmeyer, and the lupine had been called in many times for missing mammal cases. The Wolf's nose never seemed to fail him, and the Tiger's eyes could always find the smallest detail. It made them a powerful duo. What made the lupine officer nervous was that he had never been called in to find one of their fellow officers. Usually runaways or bail jumpers, maybe a true missing mammal. Sadly with the latter cases there was the possibility of finding a corpse. It was this last fact that had the Wolf on fidgeting in his seat.

"Ralph," begun the low voice of Fangmeyer, "calm down." The Tiger was sitting in the passenger seat with her eyes closed.

"HA, I am calm Nadine," Ralph responded, even as his ears refused to stand, "ya-you're the nervous one! Yeah, old Fangmeyer worried about a little…case…" The Wolf trailed off as a large orange and black paw rested on his forearm. The color combination was always mesmerizing to the male. He removed a paw from steering wheel and placed on top of his companion's larger one.

"It'll be ok. We're going to find Reggie, and then everything will go back to normal. Right?"

The Wolf officer nodded, but he didn't want things to stay "normal" either. The past year with the rise in violence had really forced Ralph to put his life into perspective. He had always considered himself a "heart breaker" of sorts. One of those eligible bachelors who all females wished they could have and for a night they may. Hook-up culture had been perfect for Ralph. The consensus between two individuals to indulge in a primal release of energy seemed perfect for the young male, or at least that's what he was told. Now though, his mind had turned to a more permanent type of relationship.

It started out innocently enough for the lupine. He accepted a date with Lioness. The Wolf had never been interested in felines before, but something in the back of his mind told him to give it a try. It was an amazing night filled with laughter and drinking. When it came time to head back to her place, Ralph found himself uninterested. This was the part of the night where the Wolf finishes off his night of wooing with what the two were interested in, and yet Ralph couldn't move forward with it. He had apologized and left the confused feline to the rest of her night. He headed back to the Wolford Pack complex and passed out. It was the first night that dreamed of orange and black.

The dream had become a new staple of his nights, with more dreams floating in and out as well. It had taken the Wolf an embarrassingly long time to understand what his subconscious was telling him. Only when a co-worker pointed out the blush in Ralph's ears when Nadine had teased him over something trivial did the pieces start to connect. Of course once he realized that he had caught feelings for his partner, he started acting differently around her.

"It's up here on the left," Nadine pointed out, "that's strange I don't see any police activity."

Ralph frowned. This was the address in the file, an old Z.P.D. safe house, so why was no one here? The Wolf pulled over to the side of the road and put the cruiser in park. The bitter cold of Tundra Town went right through the officer's uniform, past his fur and right down to his skin. The lupine shivered, "I hate the cold."

"Cheer up Wolford," chimed in Fangmeyer, who seemed to not feel the cold at ally, "we're going to warm up with a hot case."

The Wolf couldn't help but snicker at the deadpanned expression that the feline delivered the joke. "Why aren't you doing stand-up again?"

"And leave my partner alone?" the Tiger quipped, her expression not changing, "You would be lost without me."

"Aw you do care!" Wolford added, not missing up on the opportunity presented to him, "am I melting the ice heart of yours?"

The Tiger chuffed and gave the Wolf a shove. "Move your tail before it freezes."

Thankfully the apartment heating was still working and the partners made it up the steps with ease. Once they reached the apartment though, Ralph heard voices. He couldn't make out what they were saying, but if the apartment number was correct it should be abandoned. The Wolf pressed himself up against the corner of the doorframe; he felt Nadine's paw on his shoulder as they both pulled out their tranq pistols. The door was slightly ajar and the lupine could hear…laughter? He breathed deeply and brought his pistol in front of him. Ralph kicked open the door and quickly knelt in the doorway to give his partner full line of sight. "Zee Pee Dee, Fr-" The Wolf's words caught in his throat as a started ewe stood in the middle of the room, a startled…naked ewe. "Oh…OHH!" was all Ralph could say as a blush overtook his face, "I'm so sorry! I-I didn't realize-"

"Is the Z.P.D. here?" asked another voice from inside the apartment. The ewe turned left, "Yeah, so hurry up with your shower doll."

"Ma'am can you please put something on?" asked Fangmeyer, it was the closest the Wolf had ever heard her plead.

"You bust in on me and get mad when I'm not dressed?" scoffed the Sheep, "Just close the door and give us three minutes."

Ralph hurried to his hind paws and quickly exited under the Big Cat's arms. He heard the click of the door behind him and glanced over to see his partner lean against the opposite wall. The Tiger slid down and let out a tired sigh.

"Ralph…" the feline began, her head leaning against the wall and her eyes closed, "what did we just see?"

Ralph smirked, a terrible joke dancing on the edge of his tongue. "Well Nadine, you did always wonder how they got wool." Fangmeyer chuckled quietly and Ralph's tail wagged. He loved that sound.

The term "hit the streets" was rather ambiguous to Gregor. Normally it meant that the officer in question was given a one day, unpaid suspension that was the precursor to a much harsher punishment, but this time it sounded like the Chief really wanted him to hit the streets. With his hind paws…and cruiser tire wheels. It didn't matter to the Brown Bear what punishment came his way, be it firing or jail time, it would be worth it if Reggie came back home safely. The ursine officer knew he would be kept out of the loop and his cruiser wouldn't be called to any crime scenes. There was only one mammal that may be able to help the Bear, but there was also the very real possibility he wouldn't want to speak to Gregor either.

The officer pulled up to the curb in Sahara Square, he stepped out from the air conditioned vehicle into the scorching conditions of the district. Across the road, with a folding table set up with different wares was one Duke Weaselton. "The Duke of Bootleg" was known to snitch whenever he was caught up in a crime, but over the last year the crimes that the Weasel was being caught up in were less and less. Gregor's first paw knowledge that the mustela's nephew had graduated from the Z.P.A. put the older criminal's actions into perspective. As the Brown Bear endured the heat from the sun, he could see the wares on the table. Instead of bootlegs, it was filled with jewelry and handbags. Each item was lined up, and in front of each item was a card. Gregor squinted as he made out the tiny handwriting.

"not jenuine stuff"

"Wat you's want coppa?" demanded the smaller mammal, "I ain't givin you's nuffin no more."

Gregor held up his paws in surrender, "I'm here about your nephew."

The attitude of the criminal changed in an instant. Gone was hardened mammal who was about to fight for every scrap of information he had, and he was replaced by a fretting uncle. Faster than the Bear expected from Duke, the older mustela climbed onto his table and launched himself at the officer. Merchandise fell to the sidewalk as he gripped the officer's shirt and dug his paws into the ursine's duty belt. "You's tell me where he at right now!" barked Duke, shaking and pulling at fabric in his paws as he glared at the Brown Bear.

Gregor sighed and grasped the smaller mammal by the scruff and pulled the mustela off of it. It needed more effort than the Bear originally thought, but eventually Duke released his grip and the officer brought the squirming mammal to eye level. The Weasel fumed as his arms were folded and his legs were scrunched closer to his core. "I'll scratch ya eyes out." Duke warned. Gregor snorted and shook his head, "I don't think you could, but I'm gonna take that risk either. I need help finding Reggie."

"So you's finally admits dat Reggie been missin and you come to me for helps? Ya'lls terrible."

"I'm sorry," Gregor begun honestly, "I didn't realize that Reggie was missing. I…I kinda got caught up in myself for a little while." The Brown Bear looked away, his shame causing him to not meet Duke's gaze. He sighed and straightened his posture, now was not the time for self-loathing. "Reggie is missing after an undercover assignment. He was supposed to infiltrate the club the 'Cat's Meow' three months ago, but this morning he was captured by Ivan Svinya and Ikan Skaal. We are trying to find out any information about where they could have taken him."

Duke scratched underneath his muzzle, "Gun runna's?" Gregor stared at the Weasel with a shocked expression. "Wha? Everyone knows dat Kedi is runnin a big goldmine, but no one figured why he needed dat much cash. Add in some of dem guns hittin da street and da old smugglin way in da Rainfores Riva and you's can make a killin…er...figuas o speech course."

"How did you know any of that?" Gregor finally asked, breaking out of his stupor.

Duke shrugged as he swayed slightly in the Bear's grip. "Mammals don't like me, but dat don't mean dey don't talk neither. I figuas dat if Reggie cames back I's could…"

"You could help…" finished the Bear, his view of the criminal changing with each passing moment. Duke was a known "old head," a criminal till the day he dies…at least that's what it used to be. Now the Weasel was willing to throw away any connections he had left, all for his nephew. Gregor nodded with a smirk, "Help me out now, and I'll do everything I can to get Reggie back. I think he deserves to hear what you're doing for him face to face."

"Problem is dat I dunno all of Kedi's places, ya know?" Dat Cat is smart, and hes woulda have couple places for da dirty deeds. If Reggie ain't at da club and da middle mam hadn't talked den I dunno what you's want."

Gregor frowned, "Middle Mammal?" There was no mention of another mammal being involved.

"How ya dink dat Kedi gets his mammals? Crabslist?" was Duke's snarky reply, rolling his eyes at the larger mammal, "You's coppas still don't know nuffin."

"I'm starting to agree with you," murmured the Bear glancing away before refocusing back on the Weasel, "So who is it?"

"His names Jak Woolty and he's all da way in da Rainforest. He's da one everyone pointin a digit at right now. "

"Jak Woolty…the drug dealer?" Gregor tried to ask calmly, but his temper started to bubble.

"Drug deala? Nah, he connects mammals ta one anotha. Problem is he'll turn on ya if he gets caught hisself."

The Brown Bear bit down a snarl as he gently placed the smaller mammal back onto the ground. "Thanks for the help. I'll find Reggie Duke, don't worry." The ursine turned to walk away, but was stopped by the mustela.

"Hey coppa, hold it!" Duke commanded. Gregor turned slightly to look at the Weasel. "If…When ya see Regg, could ya jus… tell'em dat me and Dutch and Mare want ta know he's ok. Ok?"

"I'll make sure you're the one to tell him Duke," The Bear turned back to his cruiser with his teeth bared and his paws clenched. "I promise you that."

To say Judy was confused over the events of the morning were an understatement. Nick never volunteered them for a case. It was usually she who was begging for anything rather than doing normal patrol. To add to her confusion was the tod's insistence on driving. He hated driving, even though he could, and always let the doe drive their cruiser. The case that they had grabbed from Clawhauser was thin with little to go on. There had been a total of three robberies of electronic stores, one in Savannah Central and two in the Rainforest District. Precinct Seven has no leads and gave what little information they obtained to Precinct One. The Rabbit read through the files in the folder, trying to find any missed clues as to who could be behind this crime. "It says that the robbers dug in underneath the sto-"

"It's the Merc brothers," interrupted Nick, his tone nonchalant, "Fin says they're hiding out in Sahara Square with their last haul."

Judy huffed and closed the file, "So how do they dig?"

"They're Meerkats, fluff. Digging is one of their specialties. And before you ask 'How are they getting the electronics through Meerkat sized holes?' They are simply digging in and then opening the door for the rest of them. I think there are thirty of them?"

The Rabbit officer was stunned and staring mouth agape at her partner. The silence seemed to have caught the Fox's attention as he glanced over to see Judy in her state. He smirked, "I can solve crimes too Carrots."

Judy shook her confusion away and moved to their next course of action. "So we are heading there to arrest them and take the evidence into custody?"

"Nope," responded the Fox, popping the 'p', "We are heading to Tundra Town to meet up with Mr. Big. All we have to do is radio over to Clawhauser in an hour to send some Precinct Two officers to the address Fin gave me and that should be it. I'm glad my guess for the case was right, if not we would actually be investigating." Nick chuckled to himself as he kept his eyes on the road.

"So wait," Judy started, rubbing her forehead, "why are we seeing Mr. Big then?"

"It's…complicated…"

"Nick."

The vulpine officer sighed, "It's a long story that I was going to have to tell you anyway, but could we wait for me to tell it until after meeting with Big? I know patience isn't somebunny's strongest virtue," his joke fell on folded ears, "but it would be better to have this conversation while we aren't on the clock."

Judy sighed heavily. With their relationship progressing, the doe had learned so much more about Nick. Stories dealing with his mother or his earliest days hustling now came out in the safety of his apartment. It gave her an even clearer image of the mammal she loved, but the Rabbit was also aware that there were stories that he hadn't shared yet. She knew that eventually all of his past would be known by the doe. The Fox didn't hold back from her anymore, but that didn't make it easier to wait for him to speak. As he had pointed out, somebunny was impatient. She nodded and looked at her partner. "Ok Nick, but you're buying lunch."

"Is Officer Hopps using Police property to go on a date?" Nick jokingly accused, mock shock showing in his gaze. He wiped a fake tear away, "Soon you'll be accepting bribes of carrots, Carrots."

Judy landed a hard punch into the annoying vulpine's thigh. "Hey easy!" The Rabbit officer glowered at her companion. "We both know that the only one who accepts bribes here is you, Officer Wilde!"

The Fox groaned, "Are we still talking about those smoothies?"

"We can't accept gifts for our services!"

"All we did was chase away some loiters, that's not really a service."

"We still can't accept any items while in uniform."

"It was the middle of summer. Carrots, we've have had this argument before and I always win. Can we skip to the part where you admit defeat already?"

Judy huffed and folded her arms, looking away from the other officer. "Carrots…Fluff…Judy…" She continued to ignore the annoying partner who was so annoying and dumb and snored and…"You know I love you."

"Oh no!" retorted the doe with a pointed digit, "You aren't getting out of it that easily."

Nick huffed, trying to suppress a growing smile, "How about I buy you lunch and tonight we watch one of those terrible romantic comedies you like? How's that sound?"

"I'm starting to think that you like those movies!" responded the Rabbit claimed.

"Madam," begun the tod, removing a paw from the steering wheel to place it on his chest, "I'll have you know that the day that I start liking the same movies you do is the day that I abhor blueberries…By the way this is a onetime offer."

Judy looked out the window, mulling over the deal. She knew that she could probably force Nick to watch more than one of her sappier movies if she gave him a pleading look later on. It also wouldn't be hard to convince the tod to let her lay on top of him. With his tail draped over her legs and his arms around her protectively, she felt so safe and secure. When she listened to his heart beat slowly, she always drifted asleep…

"Earth to Carrots, you there?"

"Huh?" Judy started, snapped out of her daydream, "Uh…Yeah. Yes. Yep."

"So you forgive me?"

"Oh yeah that…" Judy tried to huff, but it held none of the annoyance from before. "I'll forgive you this one time, but don't do it again."

Nick's grin deepened, "Now…You know you love me."

Judy looked away, not wanting to give the tod the satisfaction of seeing her smile, "You know I do."

It had taken more than three minutes, closer to a half hour really, before Ralph and Nadine were given the all clear to come back into the apartment. In the room were two freshly groomed females in evening wear, sitting on a bed in the corner of the room together. What shocked Ralph was that the Sheep's companion was a Tiger. The feline had an arm draped protectively across the ewe's shoulders and the other holding the sheep's hoof. The lupine couldn't help but compare this new Big Cat to his partner. The new feline appeared thinner and shorter than his partner. While Nadine was built for the rigors of the job, and had muscle aplenty, this Tiger looked like a strong breeze could push her over. All in all Ralph thought there was no comparison to his Tiger and the one sitting on the bed.

"So I'm assuming you're hear about ex?" asked the ewe politely. Unlike the officers, she seemed completely unfazed by the snafu that just occurred.

"Uh, who?" questioned Ralph with a cocked head.

"The Weasel who lived here," the Tiger responded with a scowl, "can't you put that nose of yours to good use?"

The Wolf's ears folded back, his embarrassment had distracted him from his job.

"If it's a Weasel who lives here, than who are you?" Began Fangmeyer, "How do we know that you two haven't covered up the crime?"

Ralph felt the feline officer step closer to him as she spoke, and could have sworn that the tip of her tail had smacked the back of his leg. He suppressed the urge to wag his tail and instead remained focus on the ewe. He would fantasize about his partner's tail later. The Wolf sniffed the air lightly. He could smell the scents of a Weasel that was old, two Tigers both fresh, one Sheep fresh, one Fox old and one she-Wolf old. There was another scent that he didn't recognize, almost as if it wanted to be one mammal but had been changed. Ralph followed the odd scent from the middle of the room to the doorway. The lupine's brow furrowed as he tried to decipher what this meant. Then it hit him.

"They used musk mask," Ralph declared, drawing the attention of the other mammals in the room, "I can definitely make out that one didn't use enough, but can smell at least two mammals that used it." He looked towards the seated mammals.

"Ivan Svinya and Ikan Skaal," the ewe chimed in, trying to rise from her seat but was stopped by the smaller Tiger. She patted the paw of the feline on her shoulder. The Big Cat gave a sigh, but let the ewe rise. "We have a girl who saw them take something out in a bag. She didn't want to come up here, but me and my kitty don't have such queasy stomachs. Isn't that right doll?" The question was aimed at the seated feline who simply chuffed and folded her arms. The ewe giggled in response. "She's Saffron and I'm Jezebel. We worked for ex…at least so to speak."

"Who's ex?" posed Fangmeyer with arms folded defensively. If her flickering tail was any indication to Ralph, than she did not trust the two in front of her.

"The Weasel," grumbled Saffron, her arms folding as well as her attention stayed solely on Fangmeyer, "isn't he one of yours?"

"Need to know," the feline officer snipped back, "if you two know this is a crime scene, than why did you decide to take showers?"

The sheep giggled and the smaller Tiger blushed. "Doll, have you ever used wax?" Jezebel asked.

Fangmeyer glanced at Ralph, who looked just as confused as she did and shrugged in return. "Not for whatever you used it for I assume." The Tiger said returning her gaze back to the females.

"It gets messy…" grumbled Saffron, whose shoulders had slumped as her blush doubled.

"I think we're off topic." Ralph interjected, not willing to find out why wax is apparently 'messy.' "If you know who grabbed the officer here, than why haven't you reported it to Precinct Six?"

"Doll, don't take us for fools," the Sheep added with a pointed hoof, "One of our gals is down there now talking to them. She even has an officer with her." Jezebel walked past the two officers. Ralph's eyes followed the Sheep as she walked over to a large desk and pulled open the bottom drawer. "I checked here first since I know ex likes keeping his stuff hidden here." The ewe tittered, "He always thought we didn't notice." She bent down low and reached a hoof underneath the drawer. With a little effort, the Sheep pulled out an envelope. She stood up and tossed it Fangmeyer who caught it easily. "I think there's a phone in there and some cash." The ewe moved back to her seat next to the Tiger. "We got a description of the car and a witness for it."

"That's great!" Ralph said, clapping his paws together, "we'll take you guys to Precinct Six an-"

"No you won't," snarled Saffron defiantly, her eyes wide in fear. She wrapped both her arms protectively around Jezebel. "I won't let you take her to that cesspool again!" The Tiger growled at the stunned officers.

The sheep rubbed the feline's arm and rocked back and forth, moving the Big Cat with her. "Shhh…its ok Saff. No one's going to Precinct Six. We can go to Precinct One and get nice and warm." Jezebel's gaze turned to the officers. The mirth that seemed to bounce in her eyes when she laughed was gone, and only a threatening edge remained. "Isn't that right…Officers?"

Once again Ralph and Nadine shared a glance; both not understanding what was going on but seeing a way to gain the information they need. "I'm sorry," started Ralph softly as he slowly approached the two rocking females, "we can go to Precinct One and take your statement. Can you get the mammal that saw what happened to meet us there?" Before he got any closer, he felt the large paw of his partner on his shoulder. This was a delicate situation, and needed to be handled gently. Fangmeyer may not have had the most tact when it came to these conversations, but Ralph knew his partner had a keen understanding of when to stop. "How does that sound?"

The Sheep stopped rocking and she turned to look the Tiger in the eye. "Are you ok with that doll?" Saffron looked away before looking back at the ewe and nodding. "You two will be the one's taking us in?"

"Not in," Fangmeyer added calmly, her paw still on the Wolf's shoulder, "We are simply giving you a voluntary ride to Precinct One. If you would like legal counsel before speaking with us we can try to have someone there for you. Is that reasonable?"

"That sounds fine." Jezebel responded, she then turned to her partner, "come on Saff let's go somewhere warm."

The seated feline gave the ewe another squeeze before letting go and standing up. She stayed directly next to the Sheep.

"We have a cruiser downstairs," Ralph explained, understanding the fragility of the situation, "you both will sit in the back and we will head directly to Precinct One. No stops in between." The Wolf moved slowly to the door, trying not to make any sudden moves around the frightened Tiger. The couple walked behind him as Ralph trusted his partner to bring up the rear. There were so many questions that were unanswered. What was Reggie's cover? What do they mean they "worked for him?" Why was there such an aggressive reaction against Precinct Six? Ralph pushed his questions aside. The only thing that mattered now was finding Reggie. Everything else could be answered later.

Adrian sat in his office, hooves clasped tightly together as he tried to hide his wrath. Blackpaw still hadn't arrived and Zirafa had just come in. The Chief was waiting impatiently for the Okapi to arrive. After RollCall the Chief had been on the phone with all of the Deputy Chief's. The fact that Precinct Six had been informed about the situation and not acted on it caused Adrian to break another phone receiver. He quickly fixed the problem there by having Weaselton's information added to the database. Adding to the Bull's dilemma were several suspicious items from the Mountain Lion's dealing with the case. He wanted to punch something, or someone, but before he could do that there was a question that needed to be answered. There was a knock at the door. "Enter." The Cape Buffalo commanded, there should be only one mammal stepping through that doorway. John Zirafa walked through the door, the Opaki wearing a worn out brown suit. "You uh…wanted to see me Chief?"

Adrian remembers when the Okapi first came to Precinct One. He was brought in from Precinct Eight after showing promise in the Canal District and there being a lack of experienced detectives at the time. The Bull was a Lieutenant at the time, but hadn't worked closely with at the time new detective. It wasn't too long later that the Cape Buffalo was promoted to Assistant to the Chief and any thoughts of the other herbivore disappeared with it. This was a fault that the Bull wishes he had corrected. "Sit."

The Okapi quickly moved to one of the large chairs in front of the desk, fidgeting slightly as he tried to get comfortable.

"How is the undercover mission going?" Adrian asked, the trap being laid.

"Oh, uh…it's going great!" The Okapi answered, his nervousness, "Weaselton is doing his best."

"Oh?" questioned the Bull, "I'm surprised that he's doing so well. I figured that he would have trouble considering his lack of experience."

"Nope," answered the detective more confidently, "He's doing great, a real natural!"

"When's the last time you talked to him?"

"Well uh I think Blackpaw was able to-"

"No," interrupted the Bull, his anger starting to seep through, "when is the last time that YOU personally talked to him!" The Chief rose, placing his knuckles on the opposite edge of his desk as he leaned closer to the now cowering Okapi. "When is the last time you made physical contact with him? When is the last time he reported back to you? When have you EVEN DONE ANYTHING FOR THIS ASSINGMENT!?" The Cape Buffalo wanted to move the desk aside and simply smash into the waste of an officer his own horns! Sadly that would stain his rugs and it wasn't in the budget to get them cleaned afterwards. He slowly breathed as he tried to rein in his shouting. The Chief sat back into his chair and resumed his earlier position. "Officer Weaselton is missing. Taken from a Z.P.D. safe house by the mammals he was supposed to be infiltrated with. All of the reports for this case have so far come from Blackpaw. So I will ask you, what have you done for this assignment?"

The Okapi remained silent.