See end for AN. A reviewer on MHWA stated my writing style of grouping all the dialog together made the story a little hard to read, so I'll making the dialog its own line, making it easier to read and of course edit. All future chapters of Haunted and MHWA will be released this way and the previous chapters will be edited to match.
Chapter 3: The Pain of the Past:
The desk chair squeaked as Daniel leaned back, his gaze focused on the ceiling tiles. He'd just finished the spreadsheets for the store's inventory, as well as the report for the store's quarterly profits his boss had him type out after he finished the inventory. His eyes burned from staring at the computer's screen for the past three hours. The office door opened, and Rick walked in, carrying two bags of food from Bug Burga. "Danny! Got you some food!" he said happily, shaking the bags in his hands, their contents shuffling around inside.
Daniel looked down from the ceiling. "Oh, uh...thanks Rick," he replied. Rick set one of the bags down on the desk next to Daniel, then the coyote sat himself down on the couch nearby, digging through his bag and pulling out some fries, shoving them into his mouth. Daniel opened his bag and pulled out the burger.
"Hey, Dan, did you get the reports finished?" Rick asked.
"Yeah, I did," Daniel replied with a sigh.
"You sound tired," Rick said.
"Yeah, well I did just spend three hours staring at a computer screen," Daniel replied. He unwrapped his burger and took a bite, the bug patty crunching beneath his teeth. He wasn't the biggest fan of Bug Burga, but he was starving so he couldn't complain. He looked at the clock on the wall: 2:23 p.m. 'Three more hours,' he thought. To pass the time, Daniel thought back to the morning when he met Carol. He smiled when he pictured her face, her beautiful fur, long hair, her striking, gold eyes..."You okay there, Dan?" Rick asked, snapping Daniel from his thoughts.
"Uh...yeah, fine," he replied.
Rick cocked an eye at him, a sly smile growing on his muzzle. "What's her name?" he asked in a cheeky tone.
"What?" Daniel asked, feigning ignorance.
"Come on," Rick replied, "You were staring off into space, with a smile and that dreamy look in your eyes. Come on, what's her name?"
Daniel sighed, "Carol."
Rick laughed. "See? I knew it," he said smugly, Daniel rolling his eyes. "So, when and where did you two meet?" Rick asked.
"This morning, at Harry's Diner," he replied.
"Harry's, huh?" Rick questioned, "You still go there?"
"They have good coffee and great food," Daniel replied.
"If you say so," Rick replied with a shrug.
"I do," Daniel said, reaching into his Bug Burga bag and grabbing his fries. He stuffed a few of them into his mouth, savoring the taste of fried potatoes and peanut oil.
"Well, don't leave me hangin', tell me more about your lady friend," Rick said.
"Why?" Daniel asked.
"Just curious," Rick replied.
Danield sighed, setting his box of fries on the desk, "Well, she's a grey wolf, about five foot three, long black hair, and beautiful gold eyes." Rick's eyes widened at her description. Daniel noticed, cocking an eye at him, "What?"
"That sounds like that one college girl," Rick replied.
"What college girl?" Daniel questioned.
"You know, Carrie...was it, Carrie?" he asked himself, scratching is chin, Daniel watching him in amusement. "Anyway," Rick continued, "This college girl was murdered back in '96, and her killer was never caught."
"I heard something about that," Daniel said dismissively, picking up his box of fries.
"Yeah, sounds like your girlfriend fits her description," Rick said, pulling out his phone, "Here, let me pull up a photo."
"I don't wanna see some dead college girl," Daniel said.
"I'll show you one when she was alive," Rick scoffed, "I'm not a psycho." Rick tapped on his phone's screen a few more times. Daniel stuffed the last of his fries in his mouth, watching Rick scroll through his phone. "Having trouble?" he asked.
"Give me a second," Rick replied. Daniel rolled his eyes again and tossed his empty fry box in the trash can under the desk. "Ah! Found an article!" Rick exclaimed. He stood up and walked to Daniel, showing him his phone's screen. On it was a picture of a wolf girl resembling Carol. "Huh," Daniel said quietly.
"Yeah," Rick said, "She was killed back in the 90s. It was quite the story, especially with how brutally she was murdered."
"What was her last name?" Daniel questioned.
"Uh...it says Walters," Rick replied.
"Carol said her last name is Walker," Daniel said.
"Well, maybe she could be a relative or something?" Rick asked.
"I doubt that," Daniel replied. Rick huffed and placed his phone back in his pocket. "Why are you thinking about this dead college girl, anyway?" Daniel asked him.
"I was watching this crime documentary a few days ago that talked about it," Rick replied.
"You and those stupid crime documentaries," Daniel muttered, rubbing his eyes in frustration.
"Hey! They're interesting," Rick said, "You'd be surprised how many psychos are walking among us."
Daniel groaned in response, laying his head on the desk. "It's almost the anniversary of her death, too," Rick said.
"That's not something you should celebrate," Daniel replied, raising his head to look at Rick.
"I'm not saying anyone should," Rick said, "I'm just saying it's interesting you met this girl who looks like her so close to the anniversary of her death."
Before Daniel could retort, his boss strolled into the office. "There you are!" he exclaimed, "Been lookin' all over for you two."
"Whatcha need, boss?" Rick asked.
"Just got another shipment in," he replied.
"God damn it!" Daniel groaned.
"Don't worry," his boss reassured, "I just need you two to help unload the truck, the rest can wait till tomorrow."
"Alright," Rick said standing up from the couch, "Come on, Daniel."
Daniel followed Rick out of the office and to the roll up door where the truck was parked. Rick climbed into the back where James, another employee, was grabbing the boxes. They stacked them in the corner reserved for the store's inventory. Once the truck was empty, James returned to the front of the store while Rick and Daniel headed back to the office. "Well, that was fun," Rick said, plopping himself back down on the couch.
"Yeah," Daniel replied, sitting back at the desk. He placed his arms behind his head and continued his staring contest with the ceiling tiles.
"Thinking about your lady friend again?" Rick asked.
"Yes, I am," Daniel.
"Think you'll see her at Harry's again?" Rick asked.
"Probably," Daniel replied, "She told me she goes there a lot."
"I'll have to give that place a try some time," Rick mused.
"You really should," Daniel said. He stretched his tired muscles, looking at the clock: 3:30 p.m. 'Still two more hours,' he thought. He still needed to go shopping after his shift. He again thought about Carol. He really hoped she would be at Harry's again. He couldn't explain it, but something about her captivated him. He let out a sigh and closed his eyes, clearing his mind of work and instead thought about seeing her again.
Walter's Residence: 1 hour earlier:
"Go ahead, ask away," Mrs. Walters said with a sigh.
Judy took a deep breath. "Okay," she began, "Let's start with Carol, tell us about her, what was she like?"
"She was our whole world," Mrs. Walters replied, "She was sweet, and very outgoing, always wanting to make new friends." Judy quickly scribbled Mrs. Walters' words on her notepad.
"Carol was an honor roll student," Frank chimed in, "During the week, she would spend most of her time in her room, buried in her books."
"Did she have any enemies or anyone who wanted to hurt her?" Judy asked.
"Not that we know of," Mrs. Walters replied, "Everyone loved her."
Judy nodded, the sound of her pen scratching against her notepad was the only sound in the room. Judy tapped her chin, thinking of a question. "Um...what about her ex- boyfriend, Randall?" she asked after a moment, "Your husband mentioned he didn't trust him."
Mrs. Walters chuckled. "Oh, that's just Frank being protective," she said, patting his thigh.
"Maybe," Frank said with a sigh, "But I still didn't trust him."
"Okay," Judy said, again writing in her notepad. "Was there anything unusual that happened in the days leading up to her death?" she asked.
Frank and his wife glanced at each other, seemingly unsure of what to say. Finally, Frank answered after a moment. "Me and Diane, my wife, went on vacation for a week right after she and Randall broke up," he replied. "Diane called her shortly after we arrived at our vacation home."
"When she answered," Diane said, "She sounded nervous about something, asking about when we would return home."
That caught Nick and Judy's attention. "Did she say why?" Judy asked.
"No," Diane replied, "It was her first-time being home alone for so long, I just assumed she was nervous about being alone." Judy wrote down her answer and then motioned for Diane to continue. "She called the next day we were gone," she said, "She sounded even more nervous than the day before. When I asked what was wrong, she kept telling me that she was just tired, and that nothing was wrong."
Judy hummed in thought, taking everything in. "So," she began after a few seconds, "Do you know how Randall handled the breakup? Was he angry and like...started stalking her or something?"
"I couldn't say," Diane replied, "But he didn't seem like that kind of man to me, he seemed so nice."
"Like I said before, I had my suspicions," Frank said, "Even if he didn't kill her, I can't help but feeling he was involved somehow."
"Why's that?" Judy asked.
Frank sighed, rubbing his forehead. "He...I-I can't explain it, but something about him just rubbed me the wrong way," he said, "I don't know, maybe I was just being too overprotective."
"Maybe," Judy said, "But he sounds like our only lead." Frank and Diane nodded in agreement.
"Is there anything else?" Judy asked. At this, Frank and Diane lowered their heads. Nick and Judy took notice. "What is it?" Judy asked.
"Well," Diane began, "Um...two days before Carol was...we called to check on her, but she didn't answer." She began to tremble, Frank placing a hand on her shoulder to keep her calm.
"Me and Diane went out the next day," Frank said, continuing the story," Carol called while we were out." Frank let out a heavy sigh, then continued, "She left us a message, begging us to answer the phone, saying she was scared. That was at eleven at night, on June 24th, an hour and a half later..." he trailed off, but Nick and Judy understood what happened next.
"We still have that message on our old answering machine," Diane said in a trembling voice.
"Would it be possible for us to listen to it?" Judy asked.
"I...guess you can," Frank replied uneasily, "We keep it in the basement. Follow me." Frank left the living room and headed for the basement door, Nick and Judy following close behind. Arriving at the basement, Frank opened the door, turning on the stairway light. Nick and Judy followed Frank down the stairs and into the basement. The room was rather large and filled with cardboard boxes and old furniture.
"Wow!" Nick exclaimed, "There's a lot of junk in here! Ow!" Judy elbowed Nick in the side, giving him an angry look. Nick cleared his throat and apologized to Frank.
"You're fine, Officer Wilde," he said, digging through a nearby box, "I've been meaning to clean this place up, but I've been lazy." He dug through the box for a couple of minutes before finding the answering machine. "Here it is," he said, pulling out the machine, showing it to them. He brought the machine to a nearby desk and plugged it in to the outlet beneath the desk. "Okay, that should be good," he said to himself. He turned to Nick and Judy, "It's all setup. Just press play." He walked back to the stairs. "I would rather not listen to it again," he said with a sigh, "I hope you understand."
"We understand," Judy said sympathetically, "We'll come back up when we're done." Frank nodded and went up the stairs, leaving them alone. They turned to the machine, staring at it with some hesitation. Nick glanced at Judy and asked, "Are you ready?"
"Yeah," she replied, "Ready."
Nick pressed play, waiting for the tape to start. After a few seconds of static, the audio began to play. "Hi! You've reached the Walter's Summer Retreat!" A voice exclaimed from the machine. They recognized it as Diane's. "Please leave your message after the beep!" A second later, a loud beep was heard, then a frantic female voice came through. "Mom!? Dad!? Are you there!?"
"It's her!" Judy said with a gasp, "It's Carol!"
"I know it's late, but please pick up!" Carol's voice continued, "I'm sorry I didn't answer yesterday...there's...something's...been going on...I didn't want to make a fuss."
"Make a fuss?" Nick asked himself, "Just what the hell was going on?"
"I'll...I'll try to explain, just...please...please pick up, mom...I'm scared." The tape ended, and Nick and Judy were left speechless.
"My God," Judy said, "That poor girl."
"Could it have this Randall guy?" Nick asked, "Was Frank right about him, that he seemed off?"
"I'm...not sure. But as of now, he's our only lead," Judy replied.
"Frank said that he left town years ago," Nick said, "And he doesn't know his whereabouts."
"Maybe we can talk to the sheriff after we leave here," Judy suggested, "They should know something."
"Sounds like a plan, Carrots," Nick said as Judy reached under the desk and unplugged the machine.
"Okay. I think we got everything we could get from them," she said, "Next stop will be the sheriff."
"Alright, let's go," Nick replied, and they headed out of the basement. Back in the living room, they found Frank and Diane were now sitting on the couch. Diane was slowly eating a fried fish fillet that she brought home earlier, Frank sitting beside her, gently rubbing her back to comfort her. He looked up when he heard them enter.
"I unplugged the machine and left it on the desk for you," Judy said.
"Thank you," he replied.
"We know this was hard, but thank you for everything," Judy said.
"No problem," Frank replied, "I know you'll do everything you can to make sure the one who murdered our daughter pays for it."
"Don't worry," Judy assured, "Whether it was Randall or someone else, we'll find them."
"Thank you, officers," Diane said.
"You're welcome, Diane," Judy said with a smile.
"What are you two gonna do now?" Frank asked.
"We're going to speak to the sheriff and see what he can tell us," Nick replied.
"Okay," Frank said, "Thank you for stopping by."
"No problem," Nick replied, giving his two-finger salute, "Take care." He and Judy headed to the front door when Nick suddenly stopped, a thought coming to him.
"Nick?" Judy whispered as he turned and walked back to Frank and Diane.
"Yes?" Frank asked, noticing Nick's return.
"Something we almost forget," Nick replied, "On the case file we were given, the transcript of Carol's 911 call showed an unknown male voice on it."
"Yeah," Frank said in a solemn voice, "We listened to the tape."
"Was that voice Randall's?" Nick asked.
"We didn't recognize it," Diane replied, "The voice was deep, too deep to be Randall's."
"The Sheriff's Office might still have the recording," Frank said, "Maybe you could convince them to let you hear it."
"We'll make sure to ask," Nick said, "Thank you, again. For everything."
"You're welcome, officers," Frank said, "Feel free to come back if you have any more questions."
"Will do," Judy replied, waving goodbye to Frank and Diane. She and Nick then left the house and returned to their rental.
Once inside, they looked up the local Sheriff's Office. "It looks like the sheriff's is across town," Nick said, tapping at his phone.
"Alright, let's go," Judy said, "After we're done there, we can head back to the hotel and go over everything we've got so far." Nick nodded in agreement and begun the drive to the sheriff. The ride went on in silence, both of them deep in thought. Judy was flipping through her notepad, running her finger over the written words, reading them to herself. Nick smiled at her. He was always amazed by her determination. In the two years he worked at the ZPD, he'd never seen any other officer work as hard as Judy. After what he saw during the Night Howler case, he wished there were more like her. Nick returned his attention to the road, the traffic becoming heavier as they passed through the center of town.
They arrived at the Sheriff's Office twenty minutes later, parking their rental car next to one of the five patrol cars. Exiting the car, they walked to the entrance and stepped inside. The interior was brightly light, the light reflecting off the white walls of the lobby. A reception desk was located at the end, a white-tailed doe occupying it. Nick and Judy walked up to the desk. The doe noticed them, putting on a smile. "Officer Hopps! Wilde!" she said happily, "I've always wanted to meet you two! What brings you all the way out here to our little town?"
"Well, we were given a cold case to solve," Judy replied.
"A cold case, huh?" she questioned.
"Yup," Nick replied.
"What kinda case brings you out to the sticks?" the receptionist asked.
"The murder of a local girl named Carol Walters," Judy replied.
The receptionist's face fell at this. "Carol," she said softly.
Judy's ears drooped, "Did you know her?"
"Not...personally," the receptionist replied, "I was kind of an introvert back then, and she was a little too outgoing for my tastes. But I'd meet her a couple of times. She was the sweetest mammal I've ever met." She sighed heavily before continuing, "She didn't deserve what happened to her."
"That's why we're here," Judy said, "We're going to find who did this, and make sure Carol gets the justice she deserves." The receptionist smiled and thanked them. "You're welcome," Judy said, "Miss..?"
"Oh! It's Ms. Adler," the receptionist replied.
"Is the sheriff in today?" Nick asked, "We want to ask him some questions about the case."
"He is," Ms. Adler replied, "Through door on the left, his office is at the end of the hall."
"Thank you, Ms. Adler," Judy said.
"You're welcome. Good luck, officers," Ms. Adler.
Nick and Judy entered the hall, heading to the Sheriff's Office. They passed by the breakroom; a few deputies were milling about inside. A couple glanced their way, but most minded their business. Arriving at the sheriff's door, Nick raised his paw and knocked. "Come in," a gruff voice announced from inside. Nick reached up to the doorknob and turned it, the door creaking open. The office was rather large, almost the size of Bogo's. The walls were a nice mahogany, reflecting light from the nearby windows. At the back of the room was a large, wood desk. Behind it sat a large, red deer. He was clad in a dark green uniform, a gold star on his shirt pocket, the midafternoon sun's light making it appear as of it was glowing. His wide brim hat sat between his ears, a small cutout on each side to allow room for his impressive, curled antlers. A small pair of glasses sat on the bridge of his nose, the reflected image of the file he was reading on the lenses. He looked up from the file as they entered. His eyes narrowed slightly, scanning them up and down. Nick and Judy felt somewhat uncomfortable under his gaze. It was even more intimidating than Bogo. "Can I help you two?" he asked, his voice rather monotone.
"Yes," Judy replied, "Officer Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, ZPD Precinct One."
The sheriff raised a brow, "Precinct One, huh? What brings you out here?"
"Well, we were given a cold case by Chief Bogo, we're hoping you can help us solve it," Judy replied.
"A cold case?" he asked. Judy nodded in reply. "We have a couple cold cases here, which one are you two investigating?" the sheriff asked.
"The Carol Walters case," Judy replied.
"Hmm. Carol Walters," the sheriff muttered. He looked out the window, watching the cars drive by. "Sheriff Richards told me about that case," he said, "He was the one investigating it. He retired a couple years back, and it really bothered him that he couldn't solve that case before his retirement."
"That's why we're here, sir," Judy said.
The sheriff turned to her. "You think you'll be able to solve it?" he asked.
"I know we will," she replied.
He huffed in response. "So, what do you want to know?"
"Um...were you at the crime scene?" Judy asked.
"I was not," the sheriff replied, "I joined the department three years after the murder."
"Okay," Judy said, "Has there been any evidence since then, like something found at the crime scene that wasn't in the case file?"
The sheriff shifted in his chair. "Everything that was found should be in the case file," he said, "Whoever the killer was, they manage to get in and out without leaving any evidence or anything else that would give us a lead." The sheriff sighed, leaning back in his chair, "Since then, there hasn't been any new evidence or a lead."
Judy huffed, tapping her foot rapidly on the floor. Nick noticed her frustration and moved closer to her, placing a hand on her back. "We interviewed Carol's parents earlier," Nick said, "They told us that her ex-boyfriend was questioned after her death."
"He was," the sheriff replied, "But from what I understand, there was no evidence to place him at the crime scene."
Nick lowered his ears in annoyance, "Did you question him at all?"
"I didn't, only Sheriff Richards did. According to him, Randall said he was at a friend's house, and his friend vouched for him," the sheriff replied.
"Her 911 call," Judy asked, "Do you still have the recording here?"
"We do," he replied, "Deputy Boyd is in charge of Archives, he can help you find the recording."
"Thank you," Judy replied, "But, before we go, would you happen to know Carol's ex-boyfriend's whereabouts? We were told by her parents he left town years ago."
"He did. I'm not sure where he went, though," the sheriff replied, "But I can look into it, and see what I can find for you."
Judy smiled, "Thank you, sheriff."
"You're welcome, Officer Hopps," he replied.
"Here's a contact number to reach us if you find anything that can help us," Nick said, writing his number on a post-it note he took off the sheriff's desk. He handed it to the sheriff, who placed in on his desk. The sheriff then plucked a card from a stack on the corner and handed it to Nick.
"That's the card to our office," he said, "The number will contact Ms. Adler, just ask for Sheriff Redding."
"Thanks," Nick said, slipping the card in his pocket.
Sheriff Redding gave a small nod, "Deputy Boyd should be in the breakroom, he's the only caribou in our department." Nick and Judy thanked Sheriff Redding and left his office. They walked back to the breakroom, scanning it for a caribou. Not seeing him, they entered the room.
"Excuse me," Judy said to a ram nearby.
He turned to them, "Yes?" he asked
"Um...we're looking for Deputy Boyd have you seen him?" Judy asked in reply.
"Boyd went to the bathroom," the ram replied, "He'll be out in a moment."
"Okay, we'll wait here," Judy said and she and Nick sat down at a nearby table. A few minutes later, a large caribou entered the room.
"Hey, Boyd!" the ram called out.
"What's up, Wallace?" Boyd asked.
"These two are looking for you," Wallace replied, pointing to Nick and Judy.
Boyd walked over to them, "How can I help you?"
"We're investigating a cold case, and Sheriff Redding told us you're in charge of Archives," Judy replied.
"I am," Boyd said, "Lookin' for anything in particular?"
"Yes," Judy replied, "We were assigned the Carol Walter's case by Chief Bogo of Precinct One, so we need everything you guys have on that."
"Walters huh? Alright, follow me," Boyd said, leaving the room, Nick and Judy following behind as he led them past the sheriff's office, and to the Archive room. Boyd dug in his pockets, pulling out a key moments later. Boyd unlocked and opened the door, flicking the light on. Boyd went to the file cabinet at the back wall, opening the bottom drawer. He then pulled out a file. "Ok," Boyd said, "Here is the case file we have." He handed it to Judy, "I'm not sure how much Chief Bogo gave you, but you're welcome to look through it."
"We appreciate it," Judy said.
"We talked to Carol's parents, and they said you might have the audio of her 911 call," Nick said, "Would we be able to listen to it?"
"Sure," Boyd replied. He went to the opposite side of the room where another file cabinet was. This time, he opened the top drawer and pulled out a manilla envelope. He handed the envelope to Judy. She opened it and pulled out a small tape. "The tape payer's here on the desk," Boyd said, pointing to the desk next to the first file cabinet.
Judy brought the tape to the desk, placing it inside the player. Nick joined her right as she pressed play. They listened to the conversation between Carol and the 911 dispatcher. They both felt chills listening to the fear in Carol's voice. Finally, they heard the voice: "She doesn't need your help anymore." Judy re-winded the tape and played the voice again. She focused on the voice, listening for anything distinct. Like Carol's parents said, the voice was male and rather deep. "Did anyone come forward to help identify the voice?" Judy asked.
"Well, I was a kid at the time of the murder," Boyd replied, "But I do remember the department playing the message on T.V. to see if anyone had any information, I can't say if anyone actually come forward."
"That's okay," Judy said, "We appreciate everything you gave us."
"No problem," Boyd replied, "Do you need anything else?"
"Not at the moment," Judy replied, "We'll come back if we need anything else."
"Okay, I'll see you around," Boyd said, waving goodbye as Nick and Judy left the room. They exited the Sheriff's Department shortly after and climbed back into their rental car, Nick driving them back toward their hotel. They arrived thirty minutes later, quickly heading to their room to go over all the evidence they collected. Once inside their room, Judy set her notepad down on a small table in the center of the room and grabbed her laptop, setting it next to her pad. Nick joined her a few seconds later, carrying two water bottles he got from their room's fridge. He placed one next to her, opening his and taking a drink. When Judy's laptop booted up, she opened a word document.
"Okay, let's see here," she said quietly, flipping through her notepad. Nick watched her with amusement. "Alright, let's start with our interview of Mr. And Mrs. Walters," she said.
"Okay," Nick said, sitting down next to her.
"We have the break-up with Randall a week before Carol is murdered," she said.
"After that, her parents leave for vacation," Nick chimed in, "Then Carol begins acting strange. She makes several phone calls sounding nervous about something-"
"But she doesn't tell them what it is," Judy said, finishing Nick's statement.
"Exactly," Nick said.
Judy typed the words on her laptop. "Then, about an hour before she is killed, she makes one final phone call to her parents," she said, "They aren't home at the time, so Carol leaves a message."
"On that message, Carol says there's something going and that she's scared," Nick said, "Again, she doesn't tell her parents what it is."
Judy continued typing the words, "Alright, so, we know that Carol was distressed about something, but we don't know what."
"But her father suspected her ex-boyfriend, Randall, may have been responsible," Nick said.
"And what do we know about him?" Judy asked, making a separate section for him on her document.
"Uh...Carol's mother said he was nice," Nick said hesitantly.
Judy stopped typing and looked at him. "And?" she asked with annoyance.
"Well, Mr. Walters said he had a bad vibe about him," Nick replied, "But they didn't tell us that much about him now that I think about it."
Judy made a note of this, "Okay, we'll have to ask more about him sometime." Nick nodded in response. "Okay, we've listened to Carol's 911 call, heard the mysterious voice, " Judy muttered while typing. Nick looked over the words as Judy typed them.
"It doesn't look like we got much," he said.
"We didn't," Judy said with a sigh, "But it's a start."
"Finding Randall or one of his friends should be our priority," Nick said.
"Yeah," Judy replied, "So far, he's the only substantial lead we have."
"Sheriff Redding said he would look into it," Nick said.
"We should probably ask Bogo," Judy said, "The sheriff didn't seem to be interested in helping us."
"Want me to call him?" Nick asked.
"Let's finished this first," Judy replied, typing the last of the evidence on her laptop, "I'll e-mail this to him and then we call and tell him want we've found so far."
"Sounds good, Carrots," Nick replied.
Judy finished typing a couple minutes later. She read through the report to make sure she had everything before e-mailing it to Bogo. "Alright," she said, "Let's give him a call."
Nick pulled out his phone and dialed Bogo's number. After a few rings, the line picked up. "ZPD Precinct One, Chief Bogo speaking," Bogo said. Nick put his phone on speaker as Judy answered, "Hey Chief, its Hopps."
"Hopps, how's your investigation going?" Bogo asked.
"Uh...well it's going," Judy replied uneasily.
"What's wrong, Hopps?" He asked.
"Well, interviewed Carol's parents and the current sheriff today," she replied, "But we didn't get as much as we'd hoped. We e-mailed you what we were able to get."
"Yes, I just got it," Bogo said. Nick and Judy could hear Bogo humming to himself as he read their report. "You listened to the audio of Carol's 911 call as well?" he asked.
"Yes," Judy replied, "Before, when we interviewed Carol's parents, we asked them if they recognized the voice on it, but they didn't."
"I remember the voice, can't forget it," Bogo said solemnly. There was a moment of silence on the line before Bogo spoke again, "What is this message you mentioned here?"
"Do you remember that Carol's parents were on vacation a time of her murder?" Judy asked.
"I remember," Bogo replied.
"While they were gone, her mother would call her and ask how she was doing, but she said Carol seemed off," Judy replied.
"Off, how so?" Bogo asked.
"They said she kept asking when they would return home, and that she sounded nervous about something," Judy replied, "But she wouldn't say about what."
"That's very interesting," Bogo said.
"As for the message," Judy said, "Carol called her parents when they weren't home, and she left a message for them, saying that she was scared, but again, she didn't elaborate. That was only ninety minutes before she was killed."
"Hmm," Bogo hummed in thought. Silence again filled the room. "And this, Randall, Carol's ex-boyfriend," Bogo said after a moment, "You believe he's your lead?"
"Yes, Chief," Judy replied, "Her father was suspicious of him, saying he had a vibe about him that seemed off."
"Me and the sheriff at the time interviewed him," Bogo said, "He had an alibi. He said he was at a friend's house, and his friend vouched for him."
"What's was his friend's name?" Nick asked.
"It was...this guy named Martin," Bogo replied.
"Do you know where he is, Chief?" Judy asked.
"He's dead," he replied, "He owned a gas station in town and was killed during an armed robbery in '98."
Judy inwardly cursed at this, "Then that just leaves Randall."
"It says you asked the sheriff to help you find him," Bogo said.
"We did, but he didn't sound too interested in helping us," Judy said.
"I hear you," Bogo said with a sigh, "The department gave up on the case a while ago."
"Could you look into Randall's whereabouts for us?" Judy asked.
"Absolutely, Hopps," Bogo said. "Thank you, Chief!" Judy exclaimed.
"No problem, Hopps," Bogo said, "Call me if you need anything else."
"Will do," Judy said.
"Good luck you two," Bogo said, then hung up the line.
Nick put his phone back in his pocket. "What do you wanna do, now?" he asked.
"Um...there's not much we can do right," Judy replied, shutting down her laptop.
Nick scratched behind his ear, humming in thought. "Well then, you wanna go for a walk around town, see what we can find?" he asked after a few seconds.
"I don't know, what time is it," Judy asked in reply.
Nick pulled his phone back out and checked the time, "It's six o'clock."
Judy huffed, resting her head on her hand. "Alright, let's go," she said moments later, hopping to her feet and headed to the door.
Nick chuckled and followed her out. They left they hotel lobby a couple minutes later, the late afternoon sun casting its bright orange glow over the streets. Nick and Judy walked down the street from their hotel, looking at every building they passed. They saw a few antique stores, a couple of gas stations, and a Bug Burga. "Definitely has that bumkin feel," Nick said with a smirk.
"Nick," Judy said, elbowing his arm. Nick laughed, rubbing his arm, and they continued walking down the street.
Ten minutes later, Nick felt his stomach rumble, he realized that he and Judy hadn't eaten since the morning. "Hey, Carrots," he said.
"What's up, Slick?" she asked. "I'm hungry, let's go get some food," he replied.
Judy's stomach growled in response. "Yeah," she said, "What's nearby?"
Nick looked around before spotting a restaurant across the street. "How 'bout there?" he asked, pointing to the restaurant.
Judy followed his finger, seeing what he was pointing at. It was a small diner, something you'd see in any small town. At the top of the diner was a sign that read: Harry's Diner. "What a sec," Judy said, "That's the diner Mr. Walters mentioned."
Nick followed Judy's gaze to the top of the diner, "Oh yeah, it is."
"That's where the Carol look alike was, remember, the picture.?" she asked, "She was at the table by the window.
"Yeah," Nick replied, "I remember." Through the front window, they could see a male wolf sitting at that table, appearing to be talking to someone across from him, but no one was there. Nick and Judy shared a glance of confusion. "Well, I think we should go in there," Nick said.
"Yup," Judy replied. They walked down to the crosswalk, pressing the cross button. A few minutes passed before the traffic stopped and they were cleared to cross. Once on the other side of the street, they headed for the diner, then went inside.
Bob's Hardware store, thirty minutes earlier:
The clock struck five and Daniel let out a sigh of relief. He was starting to think his shift would never end. He left the store and headed to his car, Rick following behind him. "Some day, huh?" he asked.
"It certainly was," Daniel replied in a bored tone.
"Aw, what's wrong, Danny?" Rick asked.
"Like I said earlier, I'm just tired," Daniel replied.
"Yeah, it was a long day," Rick said.
"Hopefully tomorrow won't drag," Daniel said. He arrived at his car, and unlock the driver side door, "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow, Rick."
"You too, Danny," Rick replied, continuing to his car.
Daniel got inside his car and started the engine. He idled his car for a bit, letting the engine warm up and his A/C cool off. He was glad it wasn't too hot today. Satisfied, he left the parking lot and headed to the grocery store. He really didn't want to shop today, but he didn't have a choice. He had been without food in his apartment for a few days but was feeling too lazy to shop. As he drove, he saw Harry's Diner in the distance. His thoughts again drifted to Carol. Something about her really drew him in, he couldn't explain these feelings. He'd never met any other girl that made him feel this way. 'Maybe I'll stop by Harry's again tomorrow,' he thought.
Driving past the diner, he spotted Carol at the same table she been at breakfast. Daniel couldn't believe it. "Groceries can wait," he said to himself. He pulled into the diner's parking lot, then made his way inside. Carol was staring out the window as she had been before, half a salmon sandwich on a plate in front of her. He walked over to her table. He cleared his throat to get her attention. She turned to him, a smile appearing on her muzzle when she recognized him. "Oh! It's you," she said happily, her tail wagging.
"Yeah," Daniel said, rubbing the back of his neck, "I was on my way to the store when I saw you here."
He glanced up and saw the other customers staring at him. Like this morning, he ignored them and sat down across from Carol. "So...uh," Daniel began, thinking of what to ask, "How was your day?"
"It was alright," Carol replied, "I walked around town, checked out some of the new stores."
"Sounds fun," Daniel said, "I spent the day stacking boxes and doing paperwork."
Carol giggled; the sound was music to Daniel's ears. "That sounds exciting."
"It sure is," he said, "Gotta do the same thing tomorrow."
"It's almost the weekend, at least," Carol said.
"Yeah, it is," Daniel replied.
"So, where do you..." Carol began, then trailed off, looking over Daniel's shoulder, her eyes widening.
"What's wrong?" he asked. He then heard someone clear their throat behind him. He turned around and saw a male red fox and a grey female rabbit, both of whom he recognized, that were standing nearby. The rabbit had a confused look on her face, similar to the one on the other customers, while the fox had his trademark smirk. "Good evening, sir," he said in a cocky tone. Daniel sighed, 'Now what?'
Aurthor's Note: Again, sorry for the long delay, but sometimes work takes up your free time. As I mentioned in my Aurthor's message, I will be posting Cavity Search 2 pretty soon. Once that's done, I'll continue MHWA chapter 4. I might release chapter 1 of Redemption, but I'm unsure about doing that. Anyway, please enjoy chapter 3! Constructive criticism welcome. P.S. Sheriff Redding is based off Oguma from Beastars.