EDITED BY: DrummerMax64

Chapter Nineteen - The Call

"About time," the voice spoke through the back speakers of the phone. "I almost thought you were going to abandon him."

Edward's ears perked up at the innuendo. The fact shouldn't have shocked him, but he and Charles had just mulled it over moments before the call began. The revelation was still fresh in his mind. The anguish and fear that coursed through his veins proved that he couldn't shake it. There was no hiding them either. If he dared speak, his voice would surely break and stammer.

But, he had to push through those shortcomings. He was strong. He had to be.

Edward sucked in a sharp breath, then went to open his maw, only to be stopped by Charles's paw, which gripped the wolf's arm tight. The lupine's lungs slowly deflated as he shot puzzled daggers at his friend. Obviously he didn't want the wolf to speak.

"You must not have many friends if you're willing to believe that," the feline muttered. "I mean, considering how you could kidnap a mammal and hold him hostage, you're probably as cold as ice."

The wolf shook himself free and grazed the tiger's arm. Edward mouthed a curse at him. The lupine thought that they were in this together. Why would Charles stop him from speaking?

Charles pulled his pocket notebook out of his pants pocket and flipped to a half written page. Using the pen embedded in the spine, he set the booklet down on the table and wrote in black ink, Didn't mention you.

Edward stared at the writing intently and absorbed every letter. Then—albeit more sluggish than he cared to admit—it clicked. If the mammal on the other end had no idea who he was, then there was the chance of him being able to continue investigating while the mystery mammal focused on Charles. At least, that's what he thought was probable. With their investigation uncovered, there was no way of knowing how the mystery mammal would react. It was the start of a plan, which was more than what either of them had to go on.

"If you want your friend to stay in one piece, cat, I suggest you stop trying to insult me and start listening, 'cause I don't think you want your friend getting hurt, do you?"

"I'm listening." Charles answered, sitting down at the table, the phone and book gently placed on its surface. He flipped to the next clean page, pen at the ready. Edward made himself as silent as he could as he began recording the audio of their phone call. He might as well keep the remainder of the conversation stored on his phone to add more to their pile of evidence.

"Good," the voice grumbled, "because I'm only going to say this once.

"As you can see, we already know who you are, Charles. We know that you're employed at the Gazette. You're a field reporter with a knack for getting into places you don't belong. According to some reports, you could say that heights aren't really your scene, and that you've got some pretty bad luck with relationships. I bet you must love therapy."

Edward noticed that Charles was gripping the pen in his paw tighter. Whoever this mammal on the other end was, they certainly had their facts straight. The biggest takeaway from their detailed description was how they knew about the incident in the Rainforest District years prior. They would've needed the records from the ZPD for that. It was strictly confidential.

The wolf put a paw on the tiger's shoulder, and felt him sink deep into his chair as the male voice continued.

"In regards to our operation, we know that you're at the very least aware of what we're doing. We know that you've been snooping around the hospital, Precinct One, at your… partner's place, for lack of a better word, and more recently at a few of our suppliers. They told me that you were buying Midnicampum for a friend. Is that right?"

Still recovering from the jab at Thomas, the cowardly tiger muttered, "Yes."

"Well," he scoffed, "let me be the first to say, you're a terrible liar. I checked with the town of… what was it, Bunnyville or something?"

"Bunnyburrow."

"Bunnyburrow," the voice repeated. "Well, the mayor's office told me that there weren't any new farms opening around the area. Personally, I didn't really think that was the case either, but I had to be thorough. The bulbs of Midnicampum cost a pretty penny, something a bit out of the paygrade of someone like yourself. Especially for a gift, wouldn't you think?"

"Not if I'm being generous."

"This must be some special mammal if you're willing to spend an arm and a leg for premium product. You planning on marrying him or something? I bet your girlfriend would be pretty upset by this."

"Boyfriend," Charles corrected with a touch of spite.

"Whatever you want to call her," the mammal shook off. "Regardless, I doubt that you'd be able to get the product if this mammal was real. But, I think that's the thing. This mammal is real, isn't he?"

Charles squirmed. Edward shivered and took a sip from the cup of coffee in his paw. This mammal was unnerving him, if the bad feeling in his gut wasn't enough to go by already.

"I'd go as far to assume that he's someone close to you. Someone you've known for years. In fact, I think I have a pretty good idea who it is."

"Oh, you do, do you?"

"I'm more than confident enough to bet on it," the voice sniggered. "In fact, I think that he'd agree. Isn't that right, Edward Snow?"

The two predators shared a concerned glance. Edward couldn't believe it. Whiplash couldn't begin to describe what he felt. How? How did he figure it out?

"It wasn't a difficult conclusion to come to," they continued, reading their minds. "We just connected the reports from your suicide attempt, his employment at the Gazette—or rather, unemployment now—and our little excursion to Savannah Central a little while ago. He looked so paranoid walking into your complex. A lone wolf prowling the city streets at night? How could anyone miss a twig like him? He was unmistakable."

Edward let out the breath pent up in his lungs and sipped his mug again. His ears were pinned backward. Their situation just kept getting worse and worse.

"You know, I gotta say, you really worked the typical reporter garb for this. Leading mammals on, that's just wrong. You always try and bend the truth to get the best stories, don't you?"

"I consider my record to be fairly clean for a newbie," the tiger admitted glumly. "Definitely a lot more rotten mammals out there willing to do a lot more damage to become something if you ask me."

"I doubt it," the voice dismissed. "And to say that you're different for not lying as much still puts you in the same boat. But, I guess I shouldn't have expected much coming from a pred."

"As much as I'd like to humor you," Charles rolled his eyes, "can we please get to the topic at paw?"

"I thought that we were. But, if you really want to change things up, let's talk," he muttered smugly. "First things first, you're going to tell me what you know. It's very important that you're honest with me."

"Only on one condition," Edward finally spoke up, setting his mug down on the table.

"Edward Snow, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, Edward, I sure appreciate your enthusiasm, but I don't think you understand what kind of position you're in. You're definitely not in the kind to bargain, that's for sure."

"Just hear me out. Please."

A few seconds passed by. Then a sigh. "What do you want?"

"I'm assuming that you already know all about me. My family, friends, and… other mammals?"

"Like your wife?"

"Yes," the lupine frowned, letting out a sigh of his own, thankful that bandage was ripped clean off. "With all that we've done, all I ask is that no harm come to our loved ones because of our investigation. The only ones who know about the Nighthowlers are Charles, Anders and myself, so there's no chance of the information leaking."

"What makes you so certain?"

"I haven't told anyone directly. In fact, I'd go so far as to bet my life on it," Edward affirmed. "No one else knows, and we wouldn't dare tell anyone else now that they're at risk. Please, just leave them out of this and we'll agree to any terms you have."

"What makes you think I can guarantee their safety?" he asked.

"I guess we'll leave that up to the terms we agree on."

The thick tension present in the air made the seconds of silence feel like hours. The lupine waited along with Charles for an answer.

Would this mysterious mammal show an ounce of sympathy for them, or was he as cold as Edward expected? Showing their bellies to this mammal and whoever he worked for was the only way to ensure their loved ones' safety. If the worst came to pass, having the knowledge that Sharla and his family would be safe meant the world to Edward.

A light breath picked up on the speaker before the voice finally spoke.

"Get rid of any evidence you have on us, physical and digital, and we'll consider it. Don't think that we don't know about the Zoogle Drive either. We have the pig's phone."

"Thank you," Edward nodded. "We'll do it."

"I wouldn't be thanking me yet, Snow. You still have my questions that need answering."

"Right," Edward mumbled, crestfallen.

"What do you know about Nighthowlers?"

Without hesitation, Charles started telling the mammal all about the beginnings of their investigation and how their research began. Charles was careful to omit the way Edward was thrust into the situation, a saddened expression aimed right at the wolf when it came time for that tidbit.

The feline continued on, delving into their trip to the hospital, their interview with Lucille Otterton, and their observations of Emmitt.

If Edward didn't know any better, he thought he heard the mammal laughing on the other end of the line. It was faint, but he swore that it picked up on their phone's microphone.

Relating why and how Charles and Edward's next stop was Precinct One was new for Edward, and Charles felt inclined to explain how for the sake of redundancy, touching on the texts he sent and the phone call he received from Thomas before their eventual meeting. The tiger explained how both he and the wolf got a hold of the report for the Missing Mammals Case, Edward quick to follow that he was the first to make the vague connection back to his family's farm. He explained it was a hunch that drove him to explore that possibility, and his eventual departure back to the Burrows to interview his father soon followed. It only took one mention of the word Nighthowler and his father before the mammal began searching for holes in his story.

"I thought you said no one knew anything about Nighthowlers?" the voice pressed. "You wouldn't be lying to me now, would you?"

Why on earth would we lie? Edward thought as his eyes gave a roll.

"Just give him a chance to explain himself," Charles responded, a hint of irritation in his voice.

"I assure you that he doesn't know a thing," Edward followed in a calmer tone, placing a paw on his friend's shoulder. "I believe that the term 'Nighthowler' originated first from canid families, more specifically wolves. I was going to do more research on it later when we had our interviews straight, but from what I know already it was something our elders and ancestors used to describe the plant, due to it resembling the night and the moon."

"How do you know he isn't aware of us, or your little investigation for that matter?"

"Trust me, if Judy managed to slip the word 'Nighthowler' in her press conference, I'm pretty sure anyone with a plant husbandry background would be keen enough to catch that. At that point, we should've been the least of your worries."

"Touché."

Moving on, Edward explained how the connection brought him to organize a meeting with both Charles and Anders about this revelation and where to go from there. Charles finished their recap with a dumbed-down version of their take on what was happening in the city, the way they set up their interviews, and how they would present their findings when they had proper evidence to back their claims up.

"That... should be everything," Charles sighed.

"And I take it the interviewees don't have a clue on what's going on either?"

"Correct."

"Good. Second question. Why didn't you go straight to the police about your findings when you first found out about this?"

"Because we already assumed that you had officers in your ranks?" Edward muttered, puzzled. Was this a trick question?

"And even if our tip went through, there's no way the rest of them would believe us without solid evidence," Charles huffed.

"Right you are," the voice said. "Now that that's settled, there comes the issue of how we are going to deal with you two. Frankly, I don't trust either of you."

"How?" Charles asked. "It isn't like we haven't been honest with you. Why would we lie? You've got all the cards. You have to admit that we've both been pretty cooperative for a couple reporters."

"Let me clarify then: I find it hard to believe that you'll delete everything you have the moment our little talk ends. You might be talking now, but who's to say after this call you'll be plotting to use other means to try and take us down? Not that we don't have precautions to negate that anyway. So, I have a proposition."

"Which is?"

"We arrange a meeting to ensure your end of this deal is kept."

Charles tapped a button on the screen to mute the microphone and stared into space. "I don't like this, Eddy."

"Neither do I."

After a short moment of contemplation, the feline reactivated the microphone and spoke to the mammal. "How and where would this meeting take place?"

"It's simple. Just a little exchange, that's all. You bring whatever evidence you have left, and we can go from there."

"Okay, yeah, I get that, but where—"

"The Rainforest District," came the mammal's quick reply. "Oakwood Bridge, Sunday, nine o'clock at night."

Edward's ears perked. The prominence of the unsettling feeling inside him was growing even larger by the second. With his many visits to the Rainforest District, he knew very well where that spot was. The wolf tried opening his mouth to explain it to his friend, but Charles beat him to the punch.

"We'll be there."

"Excellent," the voice replied. "I look forward to meeting you two. Don't go try and do anything stupid until then. We'll be watching."

The call ended.

"We'll try," the feline said melancholically to no one in particular. He turned to Edward. "You get all of that?"

Edward regained his attention and looked sharply at his phone, almost worried that the recording was lost. But, thankfully, his anxiety was quelled at the sight of his phone operating normally.

"Yeah," he finally answered, stopping and saving the audio, "I got it."

"Good. We should probably offload that to my computer or something before we leave. Wouldn't want it to go to waste now, would we?"

The lupine nodded and placed his phone on the table. Charles got up and took it, grabbing the laptop from the section of the sofa next to the dining area, and plugged in Edward's phone with the charging cable dangling from one of the computer's USB ports.

While Charles fiddled with the files, the wolf walked towards one of the windows. Drawing the curtains revealed an unsuspecting cityscape, a world unbeknownst to the evil lurking in its shadows. Edward sighed and took one final bitter gulp of his coffee. The mug dangled helplessly from his index finger.

Zootopia had lost its marvelous shine. If Edward was being brutally honest with himself, the fact he was foolish and stupid enough to think anything else of the city's 'glamor' was strictly ignorance. It was a shell of the place he and Sharla fantasized about, now just a pipedream for the unaccustomed and the naive. No one gave a damn. Not its citizens, its businesses, or its protectors. No one cared about mammals like him or Charles.

Biscuits, the wolf cursed. He set the coffee mug down on the countertop to the right of him. He needed a drink. Something way stronger than caffeine.

"Done." The wolf's ears reflexively perked and aimed themselves towards the table before finally turning his head. Charles was in the midst of a very tall stretch. "Our recordings are on the hard drive now. As long as we don't blab about it, we should have something to show for our efforts if someone else does better than us."

That's one gargantuan 'if,' the wolf thought with a small shrug. The feline handed back his phone, which Edward kindly took. Ignoring the slight grin on his friend's muzzle felt wrong for a split second, but Edward reckoned it as nothing before stuffing the device back in his pocket.

"So that's it then," Edward mumbled.

The smile on his friend's face dissipated. "For now."

"Yeah."

"Hey," the tiger hesitantly chuckled, "at least this mess will be over soon. Maybe now that we're free we can try and get you into ZNN?"

Edward's ears perked for a moment, then he looked down the ground.

Of all the things Charles could say, surely he would be wise enough to not bring up what happened earlier that morning. At least, that was what he thought. Edward couldn't even feel anger at that point. All he could feel now was the suppressed sadness inside him slowly evolving into pain.

The job, the story, the plot against predators, and even Sharla herself—Edward didn't need the reminder. He could feel everything in his stomach tense up, trying its best to combat the hurt and the tears, but he could feel himself starting to fail. Again. Even if he stood for working together, they weren't on equal terms. Not yet.

"You're not free, Charles," Edward sputtered before a canid whine escaped him.

"Ed—"

The lupine didn't allow the tiger to rectify his words. He was already out the door.