Chapter 4: What if Nick went to jail?

Judy was going to a place where a fox could be. In fact, she knew perfectly well that it would be there, because at the same time the day before, the fox was going for Jumbo ice cream. All she had to do was get a good lookout for the white and orange figure. In the vehicle Judy was driving this was easy as the car was not going faster than 30mph. She soon spotted a medium height fox in front of her wearing a light green shirt and beige short trousers. She immediately associated this figure with whom she engaged in a not very pleasant dialogue. Judy immediately prepared a notebook folder for the cockpit, a picture of the person she was looking for, and her carrot-shaped pen, which had tape recorder options. Judy took a deep breath (she expected this would not be a pleasant conversation again), then used the horn to get her attention.

"Hi, it's me again!" said Judy approaching the fox slowing down to follow his pace.

"Again! Sergeant tutu?" laughed Nick ironically.

"Well err, Constable Hopps from this side, I'm investigating a disappearance and I'd like to ask you a few questions" said Judy trying to be nice, although the sheer disdainful look in his eyes, the look made her nervous.

"And what happened to the traffic? Someone stole it,probably not me!" replied the Fox again starting to laugh at the rabbit. Judy as she predicted, this is not the most pleasant conversation she has been involved in. She sighed and then pulled the fox in the way, startling him.

"Hey, carrot. I'm in a hurry to get the baby to work."

"To work? Come on, the two dimes in ice cream can safely wait," replied Judy as she got out of the car and prepared her notebook with a pen and a photo. She had the pen held out a little towards Nick's mouth, but not too much so that he wouldn't realise what special functions the pen had.

"Ha, two dimes? I do two hundred and two hundred a day Gold, 365 days a year since I was six. My time is money so you can get lost" replied the Fox showing with his hand for her to move her little vehicle she had arrived in. Judy was already on the verge of collapsing into a state of rage, but nevertheless she continued with her plan to get along with Nick, although it was going terribly awkwardly. She had yet to see someone as stubborn as him. She put the folder with the notebook down on the armchair then put the picture of Mr Wydralski in front of her showing it for the fox.

"You sold him an icebreaker yes? Do you know him?" asked Judy. Before he could answer the fox laughed again ironically making Judy's ears fall back and the fox waved his head from side to side.

"Of course I know, but it doesn't matter because...I heard the news that the plush shop is short of rabbits, so a bow on the head and into the box" replied Nick, to which Judy laughed ironically. He didn't know what kind of trouble he had gotten himself into now.

"Well, if you say so...we'll sort it out another way " replied Judy taking command of the conversation. In the blink of an eye the trolley Nick was pushing was cuffed with a yellow wheel lock which startled Nick.

"Hey, what are you handcuffing my kid for!"

"Nicholas Bayer you're under arrest!" said Judy, to which Nick reacted weakly at first because he didn't even realise how serious his trouble was.

"Yeah? And for what? For talking to a police officer?"

"For tax evasion?" resisted Judy, to which Nick instantly converged on those words. He hadn't paid them from the start, no one had attached themselves to them, so why should he? Plus he completely didn't expect someone like Judy to have access to such data. The rabbit, seeing the fox's reaction, laughed again with a modest laugh, then started writing something on her notebook.

"Okay...let's do the math. 200 times 365 since you were six years old is about one million four hundred and twenty thousand, but you know, I'm just a stupid rabbit... I can multiply, unfortunately. Also, in the office you reported, let me see...zero reports! False confirmations are at least 5 years and that's without hinges." replied Judy as she finished writing her notes on her notes. While she was scaring the fox she looked at her files to be sure of her words. When she thought this would be enough to move the fox to repentance she was badly mistaken as Nick continued to not give up.

"Pfff... my word against yours"

"Well, that's not quite right" replied Judy taking a pen out of her pocket, replaying Nick's words. It was one to one of his words, causing Nick to lose his confidence completely, which gave great satisfaction to Judy.

"You have a choice. Either you help me find Mr Wydralski and I'll give you a pen, or you'll be selling more ice-cream in the prison canteen." threatened Judy waving the pen in front of Nick's eyes, who focused his gaze on the pen.

"The choice is yours, either you help me or you go to prison" repeated Judy showing the pen one last time. Then he said something that surprised both Judy and Finnick, who had been sitting in the trolley the whole time being covered by the trolley roof.

"I won't help you " stated Nick briefly, which surprised everyone.

"What did you say?" asked Finnick getting out of bed dressed as a small child.

Judy also did not hide her surprise at the fox's words. Did he really want to go to jail than help find the missing man for her?

"Well...are you sure? Once you're in there there's no going back and you'll sit there for a minimum of 5 years. You could even get 12 years! Surely you've thought this through?" asked Judy, to which Nick nodded with a movement of his head.

"Nick, have you gone mad! Would you seriously rather go to jail than help out for that rabbit?"

"Since she's a police officer you don't need her help. Let her fend for herself, I'm not going to help her" stated Nick to which Judy snickered. She took the handcuffs out of the car and then ordered for Nick to turn his back to her with his hands up.

"Well, Nicholas Bayer, you're under arrest..." sighed Judy cuffing his hands. She honestly didn't want to do this, she was hoping they could come to an agreement on this and he would start cooperating with her, but as you can see not all things are possible. By law she had to arrest him and that was what she wanted to do when she was interrupted by Finnick pushing her away from Nick.

"I can go after this moron," Finnick said.

"You? And do you know anything about Mr Wydralski?" asked Judy.

"After all, I sell that ice cream with him. Listen, because that loser has too big an ego to cooperate with someone he doesn't know. Let's do this: I'll come with you, do the right thing and you give us that pen back by letting Nick go, how about that?" asked Finnick. Judy thought about it. All in all why not, if he knew as much as Nick and was more cooperative than he was then he would certainly be more useful than a fox. Then again, she didn't want to arrest him so this would be a good excuse to let him go.

"All in all why not...ok it could be. See Nick, aren't you ashamed of your friend sacrificing himself like that?"

"Ashamed of him? Hahah! He's never embarrassed " laughed Finnick.

"Okay, you say what you want, take off those handcuffs and you can go " interjected Nick, but then he noticed Judy put the handcuff key in her pocket which surprised him.

"Unfortunately, that's not how it works. You have to stay in them," replied Judy.

"Ha! I wonder where you'll cuff me in the street!"

"No, but I have a better idea" replied Judy ironically.

No, you're not going to lock me in the police station!" cried Nick as Judy led him towards the police station. This could probably be the worst thing that could happen for Nick. He had been trapped in the police station once before and didn't remember that time very well. As they headed to the police station Judy went into the shop to buy some doughnuts, a bribe of sorts (although that's too strong a word anyway).

"Why do you need so many doughnuts ?" Finnick asked.

"You'll see," replied Judy as they went inside. In front of them stood the reception desk and on it sat Glawhauser, who was eating something sweet as usual. Judy approached the reception desk with Nick and then Judy put a packet of doughnuts on the desk top which surprised the cheetah.

"Judy..."

"He needs a temporary prison for a friend, can you manage to lock him up somewhere?" asked Judy moving the doughnuts towards the cheetah. The cat tried to restrain himself, but the aroma of the still fresh chocolate doughnuts was turning him all over. He sighed heavily disappointed that he had let himself be bought with a packet of doughnuts again.

"Well...I'll try to lock him up somewhere ".

"Great thanks! Just make sure no one knows about it" thanked Judy as she saw Glawhauser get up from his seat and take Nick's hand. Nick still tried to escape the cheetah's grip, but the squeeze was so strong that it caused a slight pain in Nick's arm.

"Can we go now ?" Finnick asked to which Judy nodded with a motion of her head.

"Yeah sure, then where did Mr Wydralski go last time?" asked Judy.

"To the oasis of calm. That's where we need to go," replied Finnick as he walked out of the police station.