Chapter 9.

Listen to Me.

The next morning…

9:57 am…

The LAPD 32nd District's Intelligence Unit had a really busy night, and now, with the abduction of a young toon, they had decided not to go back to their respective homes until this toon had been found. And currently, it looked like they were going to have an extremely long day as they, and their comrades within the LAPD's other Districts now found themselves on the lookout for the toon that had been abducted by Kenneth Domhler. And, it was not just any toon that was missing, but, this toon was none other than Wakko Warner. One of the three main stars of the show, 'Animaniacs'. And as of now, Detective Skyler Washington found herself sitting at her desk, sorting through files of Domhler. Although she was tired from not getting sleep, she told herself that she, and her teammates were not going to give up the search. Not until they had found Wakko Warner. She was determined to have him found by the end of the day. Washington told herself that she would do everything she could within her power to find him, and that she would hit every house, for chase every lead until the puppy child was found. As she kept flipping through the files, Washington sighed as she didn't find anything useful from the papers that she had flipped through about forty times as if this morning. And as she was doing so, Detective Chase suddenly walked into the bullpen, and immediately, he spotted her. He saw that his teammate's eyes were barely open, and he did not like that at all. Chase immediately walked over to her desk and placed a hand on it.

"Skye? You need to get some sleep."

Suddenly, Washington looked up and saw that Chase was standing over on the other side of her desk. She immediately shook her head, trying to stay awake.

"No. I made a promise to myself that I would find Wakko Warner before something bad happens to him. Thanks for your consideration, Dolan, but I really got to find something on Domhler—or if not, then Butler."

Chase suddenly smiled, and with a sad look on his face, but it was gentle.

"The last thing we need is one of us in the hospital because of sleep exhaustion. Come on Skye, let us focus on that, please?"

Washington suddenly took a deep breath.

"I'll be fine Dol, but I really need to be on deck just in case we get a lead."

Chase then frowned slightly. "If it suits you, I'm not going to stop you then."

Washington suddenly looked up at Chase again. "There's something I need to tell you."

Chase immediately eyed her. "Okay, what is it that you feel like you need to tell me?"

Washington looked away from him for a moment as she took a sip of her coffee, then she eyed him again."

"The reason why I promised myself to do everything I would to find Wakko Warner… was, i-is because… I-I was… I was a toon animation artist at one time. I've seen what happens to a family of toons when they had a loved one who went missing, and was never found. And a family of toons, just like the Warners. There's no need to let Yakko and Dot Warner go through the same thing that this other toon family went through."

Chase immediately eyed Washington, the look in his eyes were basically telling her, 'I'm interested.'

Washington then took another sip of her coffee, then she continued on…

"There was this one family of toons who had their youngest son go missing one day. Once they went to the police, there was absolutely nothing the law could do for them. And as a result, one by one, they started dying, and the saddest thing of all was that they were slowly losing their minds as they were dying off. Dol, it was just… literally, the saddest thing I ever seen happen to a toon. And I won't let Yakko and Dot die like that… not at all."

Chase just continued to listen to Washington as she told him everything else that she saw while she had been a toon animation artist before joining the LAPD. And just as she got done telling him, Fontana, Layton, Lopez, and Chaney all came running up the steps into the bullpen suddenly. And as soon as they reached the bullpen, Fontana immediately motioned for Chase and Chaney to the interrogation room. Chase told Washington that he would be back later once he and Chaney got done. Once both detectives put their service pistols in the locker, Chase and Chaney headed into the interrogation room, and before their eyes, sitting across the table from them was none other than the toon killer that they had arrested last night—Harold Butler. As soon as Chaney took a seat, he cleared his throat, then he spoke.

"Alright, Butler. You're going to tell us where Domhler is, and I want nothing but the truth. The truth, you hear me?"

The man immediately scoffed at Chaney. "Yeah right? Like I know where he is?"

Chase immediately slammed a hand onto the table.

"Quit your lying, you dirty frick! We know exactly that you know where Domhler's at!"

Butler only scoffed again. "I actually do not!"

Chaney—with a look of disgust—immediately reached across the table and right there, slapped Butler right in the face.

"Let me tell ya something! A young toon was kidnapped because of your freaking lies! Your lies! So if I were in your shoes, I'd just 'fess up and tell the darn truth!"

Immediately, Chase showed Butler a picture of Wakko. And immediately, Butler scoffed again.

"Well, good! I hope he gets shredded in a paper shredder!"

Suddenly—and without warning —Chaney grabbed a hold of Butler's shirt and lifted him off his seat.

"Whatcha say!? Say it again! Say it! I dare you! Say it!" Chaney suddenly screamed into Butler's face.

Chase immediately had to hold Chaney back, and as Butler was let go of, Chase gave the criminal a glare.

"Well, that toon is none other than Wakko Warner! So you better tell us the truth! And now!"

And right there, Butler finally broke and told the two LAPD detectives everything he knew about Domhler. As soon as he got done, both Chase and Chaney walked out of the interrogation room and back into the bullpen. The Intelligence leader immediately asked them if Butler had told them the truth, and both detectives nodded their heads towards him, making eye contact with their immediate boss. Fontana then cleared his throat.

"Well? What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

11:55 am…

Yakko sat down in the waiting area of Burbank-Kell Private Investigations. He still couldn't believe that Wakko was still missing… no, more like, kidnapped. Ever since the middle Warner went missing last night, Yakko just couldn't help but worry about his baby brother. Yakko knew that if Wakko didn't eat anything within a few hours, that the middle Warner was bound to pass out from his blood sugar dropping too low. Yakko suddenly pictured the LAPD having found Wakko… all passed out on the ground, and because of his hyperglycemia. Ever since last night, Jasper had contacted Rachel and let both her, and Dot know of what became of Wakko. And as of now, as a result, Dot was also sitting in the waiting area of Burbank-Kell Private Investigations, and alongside her eldest brother. Yakko could hear his baby sister crying, and he actually did not get on to her about it, because he felt like doing the same thing also. Yakko suddenly gulped as he thought of a million things that could be happening to Wakko right now. And as he thought about them, Yakko tried to calm himself down.

No! Stop it Yakko William! That's not gonna happen to Wakko! He's gonna be just fine! Trust me!

Suddenly, Yakko heard the door to Jasper's office open and close. And sure enough, Jasper walked out to the waiting area and immediately cleared up his throat.

"That was Sergeant Fontana on the phone just now. He told me that they had a lead, but… it turned out to be false. But they're doing everything they can to find your brother."

Yakko immediately looked up at the man, and with a look of sadness, and deep regret.

"And are you and Ray gonna join them?"

Dummy! What type of question is that? They're not cops anymore!

Jasper took a deep breath, then he sadly shook his head no. And right there, the look on Yakko's face turned from sadness and to anger.

"Whatcha mean no J-Dog!? This is our brother we're talkin' about here! My baby brother! I mean, do you even know what Domhler's doing to him right now!? We're talkin' 'bout the same guy who outlined murdered four young fox toons! And who also about killed Dot a week before doing Cortez's filming! So what do you mean by that you and Rachel can't join them anyways!? I bet if it was Fay, or Grace, you would join them, would ya!?"

Jasper immediately took a deep breath, then he did something that he never thought he would ever do…

"Do you think that I get that!? Rachel and I can't join them, because we're not cops anymore! Bro! I wish I could do something about all this, but I can't! So don't you dare try and guilt trip me into doing something that I can no longer do! Do you copy!?"

Instead of acknowledging Jasper, Yakko suddenly walked up to him and locked eyes with him.

"You just don't understand, don't you!?" Yakko suddenly hissed.

"I'm not gonna just stand in the sidelines and watch my baby sister die from a broken heart all because they can't find my baby bro! I just won't! And like I said before, if it was your kids, you would do everything you would to find them! I see how it is! So—"

Jasper immediately wiped a tear from his eye, then he suddenly shoved Yakko, and roughly.

"That's enough from your mouth Yakko!" Jasper suddenly cried out.

"You know that I can't do the things I used to do as a cop for LAPD! So you need to just back the hell off and let them do their freaking job! I understand how hurt you and Dot are because of Wakko's abduction! But don't you dare tell me what I can or can't do! So just shut your freaking trap! Please!?"

And at that moment, Yakko saw the tears rolling down Jasper's face. The eldest Warner immediately regretted every single one last word that he had spoke to the man who they looked up to as a father figure. Yakko suddenly backed away from him and took his seat back. And soon enough, Jasper turned himself around and headed down the hall and back into his office. Suddenly, both Yakko and Dot heard as the office door opened and slammed shut. And as soon as she heard Jasper's office door slam shut, Dot immediately looked up at her brother and glared at him.

"Yakko William Warner!? You listen to me! Why did you just break our friend's heart!?"

Yakko suddenly shuddered. "I don't know why sis. I'm so sorry."

Dot then looked up at him. "I get it Yak. But I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."

Yakko suddenly broke down and started crying. Dot then wrapped her arms around him in an attempt to comfort him.

"Hey? It's gonna be okay. We're gonna find him, okay? Plus, if Wakko's in any kind of rut, I'm pretty positive that he'll know what to do. Especially since he's wacked! He'll probably keep his abductors up all night by signing 'Chopsticks', and the Capitals song."

Yakko suddenly stopped sobbing, and smiled. Then he looked at his sister.

"You're probably right sis. If there's anything we know about our brother, it's that he will go wack on Domhler. Wait until Domhler's asleep, and, bam! Wakko's outta his rut!"

Suddenly, the office door opened and closed again as Jasper came back out. Yakko immediately got out of his seat and walked over to him.

"I'm sorry for what I said to ya. Can you forgive me, please?"

Jasper suddenly chortled. "Ha! After everything you said to me? Of course I will. That's what friends do for each other."

Yakko suddenly smirked, knowing that Jasper had put the hurt behind him.

"Did Fontana tell you anything else about Wakko?"

Jasper tapped his foot. "Not really. Just that he and his Unit had a false lead. But beyond that, not much of anything else."

Suddenly, the door to Rachel's office opened and closed as she came out of the hall and into the waiting area.

"Just got a call from Chase. And he said that they just arrested Jori Cortez. And that they're gonna interrogate him once he's booked in by Lori."

"And?" Dot suddenly asked Rachel.

Rachel immediately took a breath. "They also got a possible clue on where Wakko just might be."

Yakko's heart suddenly skipped a beat as he heard the news that Rachel just announced. He really hoped that Wakko would be found before tonight. And that by the time the sun set, all three of them would be reunited, and back in their home of a water tower. And that they would be laughing about all this. Yakko just hoped that Wakko would be found.

He hoped. He really hoped.

So sorry about not 'dedicating' this chapter to Wakko. I promise you that you'll see him in the next chapter. Until then,

God bless all!

JalcoFox.