Johnson opened the interrogation room door for Judy, and she strode inside. To her, the space bordered on cavernous, an effect heightened by the table and two chairs sized for small mammals placed in the very centre, directly under the room's sole, quite bright light. A mustelid in a vividly orange jumpsuit, his paws cuffed, sat in one chair, shifting and twitching. She took the other.
"All right," Judy told him, evenly. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. The easy way is you telling me, right now, where you got the tranq gun. The hard way..." She trailed off meaningfully.
Duke sneered. "Ain't scaring me, Flopsy. And I ain't. Talking."
"Hard way it is then." Judy sighed. "Wesselton."
Duke twitched. "Weaselton."
"Woozleton."
"Weaselton."
"Wassalten."
Duke jerked in his seat. "Weaselton!"
Judy didn't so much as turn an ear. "Weasellytune."
"Weaselton!"
"Wassailyten."
"WEASELTON!" Duke screeched, eyes popping, tail frizzing.
"Wossalteeny." Judy smiled sweetly. "You know how to stop this."
Duke screamed incoherently, heaved with paws clenching, then wildly nodded his head. "All right! All right! I'll sing."
"Good." Judy leaned forward. "The gun."
Duke glared venomously, then took a breath. "Grey Market."
The rabbit's head tilted. "I thought those were just an urban myth."
"Nah. They're real. You just need to know where and when to look."
"So you bought the gun at one."
"Nah. You don't buy stuff at a Grey Market. You get access to people you can buy stuff from. Someone on the list was sellin' guns, I showed interest, was given a burner phone. Next day, got a message. Leave a package of money in a Rainforest District tunnel, take a turn round the trees, when you return, gun'll be waiting. It was."
"Did you see anyone?"
"Nah. Saw no-one, talked to no-one, heard no-one, smelt no-one."
"Any chance you still have the phone?"
"Nah. It burned. Literally. Right after I got the gun. Singed my pads."
One of Judy's brows rose. "Which Rainforest District tunnel, exactly?"
"Painter's Pass. Ask your friend Wilde."
"Anything else you can tell me? Like where your Grey Market was?"
Duke stared hard at her for a few seconds. "Dark star."
"Dark star?" Judy's head cocked. "Is that it?"
"That's it." Duke was stony-faced.
"All right." Judy stood. "Thanks for your co-operation, Weaselton."
Just as she stepped outside, Duke called out. "Watch yer tail, Flopsy."