Chapter proofread by JrRangerScout and Hawktooth.

Layla: "What's embarrassing him in front of everyone going to prove? This is so not fair."

Will: "If life were to suddenly get fair, I doubt it would happen in high school."

Sky High

About an hour later, Ben glanced around anxiously amid the usual activity in the ZPD lobby, such as it was at that hour. His conscience pricked him about his secret, and turned friendly waves from passers-by into something seemingly more accusing than an angry glare. Anxiety from paranoia spiked his body temperature, and it was sheer agony trying not to pant and give himself away.

I should get rid of the box, he thought. I can get more tomorrow. He started to bend down for it, then stopped as he realized just how reckless such a move would be. No! If the chief sees me carrying it, he'll-

"Clawhauser."

"Ah! It wasn't me! I didn't do it! I was-!" He stopped, realizing decidedly too late what a fool he was being. Already he could feel the suspicion in Chief Bogo's eyes, burning into his head from behind and a little to the left like two oil drills searching for a Confession Gusher. The chief had come from the direction of the bull pen, and until just then the large pillar at Ben's back had been between them.

After a moment, Bogo seemed to shut off the drills. "I wanted to get the..." Then he trailed off... and sniffed. "Clawhauser," he asked, starting to circle around where he could confront the cheetah directly, "what do I smell?"

The cheetah was a slow mover, but he could think fast in a pinch. "Doh!" he cried, 'accidentally' knocking a Gazelle figure into the space behind his desk. "Just a sec, Chief! Gotta make sure she's okay!"

"Clawhauser..."

Ben ducked down and, making a pretense of searching for the figure far longer than it took, dug out a bottle of mouth spray and gave himself a dose. Hoping that would cover the smell, he came back up with the figure in paw. "Sorry about that, Chief."

Bogo studied him doubtfully, then sighed as if in fatigue. "Clawhauser, look at your uniform."

The cheetah looked down, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Same bulging stomach, same blue uniform, same donut crumbs...

Aw, fudge. Suddenly the chocolatey treat in his stomach felt more like a mud pie; the kind made with actual mud, from the ground.

As if he hadn't felt lousy enough, the next words from the chief were the final blow.

"I didn't think you could do it."


Tucked away in a cubicle in the office part of the ZPD, Judy and Catano were combing the precincts's database and every online news archive they could find that would have any intelligence on Zootopia's political and economic history. To say it was a lot of work would have been like calling the Library of Cowexandria a book collection. Although Nick, by his own admission, wasn't cleared to browse the precinct's archives or even use the secured wi-fi network, Catano had agreed to let him borrow a company tablet and peruse news stories through the guest network. The strategy was simple, but effective enough in theory: follow the money, and follow the power.

Judy did her best to look on the upside: they had plenty of elbow room. The cubicle was actually made for elephants, but Catano managed to use the main terminal by raising the seat all the way and reaching her arms out. It was more like playing a pipe organ than a computer, and although Nick was tempted to make a wisecrack about ominous music, he noted out of the corner of his eye that no groan of complaint escaped her throat. Neither did a twitch of displeasure register in her ears or the tips of her whiskers, visible to either side of her head like the sun's corona during an eclipse.

She's got as much of a sense of humor as old Horn-Head, he mused, but she doesn't rile as easily. Nick had often tested other mammals' comfort zones, as he had done early on with Judy. It was one area where he could almost always count on winning, but Catano seemed to mingle Judy-like tenacity with an unflappable demeanor easily equal to his own. Maybe working with her wouldn't be so bad after all.

"I have something here," the cheetah announced. "Not much to go on, but possibly a sign that we're on track."

"What is it?" asked Nick, coming over to have a look. He and Judy climbed up the back of the cheetah's chair and peered over her shoulders.

She leaned over the keyboard and put a claw to the screen. "Here. Bellwether was the running mate to Leodore Lionheart, so I dug up a list of Lionheart's campaign donors. In the two elections before this last one, his campaign received sizable contributions from..."

"Pwasson's Passion!" exclaimed Judy, her eyes fairly popping out of her head.

"And look there!" added Nick, pointing. "Our fair lady also made some tidy private donations."

Judy scrunched her face. "That's strange. She sure didn't seem to think much of the Mammal Inclusion Initiative."

Catano turned to her, curious. "Yes, I noticed that in the notes from your interview. Did you detect anything about her remarks that wouldn't be in your notes?"

Judy thought back to the exchange, trying to remember as much as she could about the skunk's intonation and body language. At last, she shook her head. "No. She just asked me point-blank if I had gotten through the Academy on my own merits, or if I was just there to fill the initiative's quota." She scowled at the mere memory of it.

Rubbing her chin, Catano returned her attention to the screen. "That's rather interesting, given that skunks have been one of the top groups to benefit from the initiative." One of the initiative's particulars was that it provided equipment and other assistance under the heading of 'reasonable accomodation' for mammals seeking civil service or other such positions. Though in Judy's case this had mainly been in the form of a small Kevlar vest and other size-appropriate gear, mammals utilizing that clause could be reimbursed for a wide range of products and services. Skunks, in particular, could be eligible for deodorant or even surgery to have their musk glands removed, if they so chose. The former was a pretty trivial cost, but the latter was a boon for the skunks; a rather expensive one, at that.

"So, what, she's having regrets about the outcome of her vote?" asked Nick in an ironic tone. "Maybe worried about her spot as the richest skunk in the city?"

Catano ignored the humor. "That would explain the fact that she didn't sponsor this last campaign, but we need to concentrate on what's in front of us." She opened another tab and ran a search of news archives, cross-referencing Olivia Poisson and Dawn Bellwether's names. After a short load time, the search turned up an article topped by a photograph.

"That's Poisson!" exclaimed Judy, pointing to the picture. "And Bellwether!"

"What's it say?" asked Nick.

Catano scrolled down, and though she muttered aloud as she skimmed the article, the two less experienced sleuths could read it just fine for themselves. During Lionheart's first bid for mayor, Dawn Bellwether had courted numerous potential sponsors on his behalf in an event held at the city's top classical playhouse. "Well, that's interesting. Look at the plays they saw that night."

Nick was no English Lit major, but even if the plays hadn't been obvious, Catano's notice of them couldn't have been more transparent. "I'll take William Shakesbear for $500," he chimed.

Judy nodded, smiling. "So, it looks as if Smellwether found time in her busy schedule for going to the theater after all."

Catano clicked her tongue wearily. "Are we going to listen to that nickname for the rest of this case?"

Nick just grinned. "We're making progress. Where's your sense of humor?"

The cheetah looked at him through half-lowered lids. "Give it ten years on this job, Wilde. If you get that far, some beginner will put the same question to you."

Judy glanced at the cheetah, wondering if she was trying to discourage Nick from his career change or just being her cyncial self. "Should I mention this to the judge concerning the warrant application?"

Catano hummed to herself for a moment before answering. "Not yet. It's proof enough that the two of them had some past dealings, but there's nothing criminal about having talked to a criminal. Otherwise you'd have to arrest yourself too." Before Judy could respond to this very obvious point, the cheetah went on, "I suggest you get in touch with Poisson again, but-"

"Hopps and company, report to Bogo," came a call over the PA system.

Catano glanced at the intercom, then at the pint-sized pair. Her gaze briefly flicked over to Nick as if to satisfy herself that he was still in the room.

Nick raised his paw pads helplessly. "Oh sure, look at the fox."

"I looked at both of you," Catano answered coolly. "Besides, you strike me as the type who wants females looking at him."

Nick's eyebrows flatlined in annoyance. He would have gotten a lot more enjoyment out of Catano making a wisecrack if it had been at someone else's expense.

The cheetah rose and waved a paw. "Come on. It must be important."


About three minutes later, the two officers were in Chief Bogo's office. To their surprise, Bogo allowed the fox to enter. He's probably only letting Nick in because he knows it'll reach him anyway, thought Judy skeptically.

Bogo seemed to confirm this by talking as if Nick wasn't present.

"Hopps, I want you for a special assignment – one where your connection with the fox-"

"Wilde," Judy supplied.

Bogo scowled warningly, while Catano pricked her ears up a little straighter and lifted one eyebrow in mild signs of surprise that Judy had talked back to the chief like that. The cheetah honestly wasn't sure whether to be shocked or impressed. Nick, meanwhile, smirked for an instant but quicly hid it lest Bogo take notice.

"Your connection with Wilde might prove useful," Bogo amended in his usual surly manner, prompting Catano to lift both her eyebrows. "A report just came in of suspicious activity in an abandoned house in Hogswald Heights."

Judy's ears pricked up, and Nick's dropped down. The bunny had heard Hogswald Heights mentioned in passing a number of times around the precinct, and from what she gathered the community – if one could call it that – was a definite 'problem neighborhood' with multiple gangs and not infrequent cases of violent or drug-related crime. As for Nick... well, he'd run a few errands there; even brokered some deals in the neighborhood. It was not his idea of a fun place to be. "What kind of activity are we talking?"

Bogo's voice was grave. "Based on the call, we believe it's a Night Howler lab."

All six listening ears stiffened at that, though Nick and Catano both looked unsurprised. Judy's eyes widened, and her nose gave an involuntary twitch.

"With the threat of another attack hanging over us, we can't risk a full raid. Hopps, I want you to go in and check things out quietly for a start just as soon as we can get clearance to enter."

Judy's stomach suddenly felt a good deal heavier.

"Um, 'scuse me," Nick put in, raising a paw. "You got an address on that house?"

Bogo regarded him skeptically. "Yes, why?"

Nick was already punching a number into his phone. "I've got a friend at Tusk-co. About three years ago, they got stuck with the mortgages on all the empty houses in that neighborhood in a White Alligator deal with another bank, so..." He stopped and looked expectantly up for the address.

"Foxes," uttered Bogo. However, he handed the clipboard to Catano (it would have been on the big side for Nick), who held it where the fox could see.

"Hey, Murray," Nick greeted. "Got a favor to ask. I'm here with the police and... no; no I'm not under arrest."

Bogo smirked. Catano looked amused. Even Judy couldn't help smiling a little.

"Yeah, they noticed some suspicious activity in one of your empty houses... sure, I'll put them on the line." He tapped the screen and held up the phone. "Go ahead, Murray."

The call was done in under a minute, and the ZPD had the go-ahead to go in and look around. It was all Judy could do not to give Nick a high-five.

"You can thank me later," Nick smiled, pocketing the phone.

Bogo huffed through his flared nostrils. "Thank you," he uttered as if to get it over with. Then, that unpleasant bit of business over with, he turned back to the officers. "Take action only if there is an immediate threat. If at all possible, we don't want whoever's in there to know we've been there. Understood?"

"Yes sir," Judy affirmed.

Nick cleared his throat, drawing an annoyed look from the buffalo. "Wilde, you will provide whatever assistance and intelligence you can on the matter..." he paused as if daring Nick to make a wisecrack, but then continued, "and heed every order you are given to the letter. Am I clear?"

Nick smiled and snapped off a salute. "Like a window, sir."

The joke obviously fell on humorless ears. "Dismissed."

Catano led the way out of the office, making for the armory. "I'll want an extra sidearm in that neighborhood," she said in a quick, unasked-for explanation. "Hopps, you'll have to make do with a taser. We have those in your size."

"How can you have tasers for her to use, but not guns?" asked Nick, fairly running to keep up with Catano's long and rapid strides. He had, as a rule, stayed out of violent crime, but he knew well enough that tasers were like baby toys, especially when such a significant percentage of the population could literally crush you underfoot.

"They're not exactly plutonium," quipped Catano, "and there's a much bigger market for them among rabbits. I'm told that in Bunny Burrow you can buy them in any corner drug store."

Judy refrained from mentioning that they were more commonly offered in gas stations – and that they were kept behind the counter next to the tobacco products.

I just hope none of the ones here have pictures of foxes on them, she thought.

Oy! We were just getting somewhere with a possible clue to Obearon, and now this! What awaits the trio in Hogswald Heights, and what does the link between Bellwether and Poisson mean? Well, I hate to leave you hanging (no, seriously, I wanted to make this longer), but you'll just have to wait and see, dog-gone it.

My thanks to the Guest reviewer. I can't say how just yet, but this chapter too will deepen the mystery in some rather significant ways, though I suspect no one will know how until a second read-through. Wma-ha-ha-haa.

On some decidedly less funny business, this is the last chapter to be proofread by JrRangerScout. Work and education will henceforth be taking up more of his time, so he is getting an honorable farewell.

Tusk-co, for those not in the know, is a refrence to a bank franchise called Trustco. All other resemblances or dissimilarities are purely accidental. Hogswald Heights derives from Oswald Heights, a similar neighborhood referred to on occasion in the radio series Adventures in Odyssey, which I strongly recommend looking up if you get the chance. It is available for online listening if you can't find the series broadcasting in your area. Both of these are little-known enough that I thought it unfair to list them among the...

Easter Eggs

A Zootopia Deleted Scene

Popular Game Shows (bonus points if you remember the number one rule)

The play that was showing when Poisson met with Bellwether

Back to the Future

The reference to White Alligators is a play on the old White Elephant gift. In ancient times, leaders would give someone they did not like the gift of a sacred white elephant, which was expensive to take care of and could not be put to work to earn its keep because it was sacred. Since this would be slavery in Zootopia, I substituted an alligator, as white alligators are a big deal in zoos but tend to be more prone to skin problems. My knowledge of banking practices is limited, but I do know that debts and mortgages are sometimes bought or transferred from one holder to another. Implicitly, Tuskco somehow got stuck with a raw deal.

Thanks again for all the comments. According to the stats on here, this fic is actually getting the most feedback per chapter (on average) of any story I've ever put on this site! Thanks a million, and keep 'em coming!