Chapter 53: Return

When the train stopped and passengers were given permission to be able to get out of their carriages, there was a small traffic jam in the corridors caused by everyone rushing to get out onto the platform most likely to meet someone they were waiting for. Judy felt terribly strange knowing that when she exited the train she would not be greeted by anyone, she would be alone. Her only goal would be to get to her flat where she could get a good night's sleep.

It was very bright on the platform thanks to the lamps that illuminated the brick platform, which was mostly covered by a thin layer of white snow, which was now gone. There were plenty of figures standing on the platform despite the late and dark hour, waiting for their friends or family to greet them with open arms. As Judy got off the train she saw most with their luggage greeting whoever was standing on the platform. Their hugs of warm greetings and laughter all around made the doe feel even more alone. It pained her to see them, not only were her parents surely angry with her, but Nick had still not been found, and the case was most likely still at a standstill! And that was where Judy took some comfort. She had wanted to get on with it for a long time, she expected it would be quite difficult to achieve anything without her, she had the opportunity now to prove something to herself and others, the question was what? Everything she could show she had already shown, no one can take away from her that she is a good police officer, perhaps a very good one, everyone knows she is good, humble. It could seem that Judy wants to prove something to herself, perhaps to make herself feel proud.

Riding the city bus up to the block of flats where Judy lives she was met by several greeters, they were complete strangers, but Judy greeted them with the same cordiality hiding her gasps. After the action with the wild boar, the doe was quite a popular figure in town, everyone practically associated her at least ( after all, she is the only rabbit who is a police officer). These small gestures, a simple hello, made the doe feel a little better and less lonely knowing that someone remembers her after all and even cares, because she was asked twice about her health after the unsuccessful action in the restaurant. She explained that she felt fine and everything would have been fine if it wasn't for the fact that she was later asked about those events and what could have gone wrong. The doe herself could not answer this question, after all, she could not say outright that the kidnapper had beaten them with his intelligence! The doe's pride did not allow it; she preferred to say nothing about it rather than admit defeat.

As her interlocutors left the bus exiting at their respective stops, Suzanne texted to Judy.

"Can we talk?" Suzanne asked. Judy looked around the bus - there were still quite a few travellers, and knowing what her sister Judy would want to talk about, she had to say no and postpone the conversation.

"Not for now. When I'm at the flat I'll call you," Judy wrote back, to which Suzanne agreed by sending a smiley paw up. It wasn't a conversation in a public place, and she wouldn't want anyone curious to overhear her topics and make trouble for her.

When she finally arrived at her flat and switched on the light in the kitchen Judy sighed with relief and looked around her accommodation with a slight smile. She hadn't been here for about two weeks, but she damn near missed these interiors, the kitchen, the living room, the bedroom. She immediately remembered all the funny moments she'd had with Nick here, it was mainly because of this that her mood improved a little. She closed the door behind her and sat at the table looking at the never dying city, in the same position as Nick. He often had a knack for it, especially when he was alone and no one was bothering him and he had a mug of warm coffee. He was always looking out at the city and searching for something, for Judy had never managed to guess what her boyfriend might be thinking about as he gazed up at the skyscrapers. Now she was doing just that, watching with a sigh the glowing neon lights strung across the tall buildings, the ends of which could not be seen through the dark night.

"This is a really nice view" thought Judy still doing what her boyfriend was doing. In fact the panorama of the city from their flat was fantastic, it was hard to take your eyes off it, one was even tempted to say that the landscape was mesmerising.

The doe was snapped out of her musings on various matters by a phone call from Suzanne, who must have had a specific reason for calling even when Judy texted that she would.

"Hi Judy, how was your trip?" Suzanne asked when Judy picked up the phone.

"Hi, I can't complain. I had a pretty good drive, nothing interesting happened," replied Judy with a little tiredness. She was already tired...of it all. She wanted to get a good night's sleep so that she would be 100% ready for work the next day.

"Uhm...you said for your parents that you were with a fox right?" Suzanne asked with slight embarrassment.

"Yes, why do you ask?" Asked Judy.

"I'm asking to make sure. When they came home they looked terribly confused, by then they were sitting kind of punched up and I had a feeling that they were both very far away from here in their thoughts " explained Suzanne.

"Just as I assumed," replied Judy. She expected them to be heartbroken by what they had heard, she just hoped they would retain what they had learned... Knowing them they would never tell anyone that, fortunately for Judy.

"You may have some doubts about what you did, but believe me it was a very good choice. It's already the foundations for you two to be together," Suzanne replied.

"First it's up to me to find him," sighed Judy heavily.

"You can do it, I believe in you. After all, who if not you?" Suzanne asked rhetorically. Judy laughed modestly hearing the praise from her sister.

"There's something in that...I need to find it," she added.

"And keep it up...I've got to go...my parents are walking around again checking we're asleep. They could stop doing that sometime! Good night and good luck"

"Good night" replied Judy with a laugh. Suzanne immediately hung up leaving her sister alone. The doe with the phone turned off the light in the kitchen and headed for her bedroom, which she also missed and mainly the comfortable bed.

"The only upside to Nick being away is that the whole bed is for me," thought Judy. The sight of the big bed being made made her feel even more sleepy and tired. She put the phone down on the bedside table then removed her clothes putting them on the bed rail. Being ready for sleep she lay down in bed and covered herself with the duvet to make herself feel cosier. Thinking for several minutes she fell asleep, in the background she thought she heard rain on the concrete...

"Another day without any important clues to point us towards something important. You know about the mayor starting to run out of patience with us and this case? If we don't embrace this by the charity conference there's nothing we can do," Bogo asked Caroline when they met at the police station in the morning. Everything was listened to by Clawhauser, who, having returned from his time off, returned to his post pretending to be busy with work, but was actually listening to the dialogue between the two commanders. Both were not in the best of moods, the commandant from the Fox District was supposed to help them solve the mystery faster and in the meantime, thanks to her, the case was gaining popularity, unfortunately the negative one, so that the police were put in a bad light.

"What can I say that we are...helpless. You know very well that my people can't help with the investigation because they have to appease people on strike, Judy's gone, Nick's been kidnapped...and if we're talking about him, what happens if he...well, you know?"

"We'll issue a proper document and we'll have to forget about it...but it's better not to even think about it, if he's gone I dread to think what will happen to Judy, who was friends with him...and quite a friend" replied Bogo. Their friendship was not a secret, the secret was hidden however, what was it that brought them together so strongly? Something had to be going on, everyone knew it just no one could guess what it was about.

"The question was when Hopps would return to the station..."

"Possibly now" came the familiar voice of a possible top commander in Zootopia across the hall. Moments later, a small silver and white figure revealed itself from the exit, full of strength to get into its officer's uniform and ready for work.

"Judy!" Cried Bogo cheerfully upon seeing her heading towards them. He didn't even realise how strange his satisfaction must have been when he never showed it! He realised this when he heard the quiet laughter of the Clawhauser sitting behind him. He coughed out his laughter in embarrassment and resumed his calm low tone with the embarrassment of pretending that nothing had happened.

"How good of you to come back Hopps. We've been waiting for this moment," said Bogo shaking his paw for her.

"Well, that's an acute fact, the boss was already slowly giving up and the swamp was getting pretty bad, that's a shock!" Clawhauser added. This was met with an aggressive stare from Bogo, who forced the cheetah to shut up.

"Bog?" Asked Judy in surprise.

"Well...you could say that. The media have already made us look like losers who can't catch a single criminal. They are laughing at us in public and this guy is starting to play games with us. The situation is not the best," Caroline explained.

"And any news about Nick?" Judy asked. They all unanimously denied it with a shake of their heads. Judy lowered her head down in slight embarrassment staring at the floor in disappointment.

"So they didn't do anything," thought the doe.

"That's why we need you Judy. You are our last resort. " added Bogo.

"Well literally, if our...friend, attacks during the charity conference we're screwed. We will all be thrown out and the police in this town will mean nothing," added Caroline.

"Exactly... although wait, what conference?" Judy asked. She had not received any information about any major event that was going to take place. There was nothing on TV either, and she hadn't looked at the internet for almost a week.

"You haven't heard about it?" Asked a surprised Caroline, Judy denied with a shake of her head.

"It's a meeting where awards are given out for the good-hearted, for those who help others without wanting anything for themselves. This year, through these fox attacks, the academy has planned to do a reception at the Zootopia wildlife museum where special guests will be invited and guess who will be there..."

"There will probably be special guests invited, foxes"

"Bingo. If even one person dies at that party we can say goodbye to the job." Caroline replied.

"That would mean he would win against us...what about the guy who was most likely killed?" Judy asked.

"We prefer not to talk about it out loud. But if you want to know about it, we were able to indentify him, he was some gambler from the Fox Quarter. His family has been looking for him for some time, as has everyone, they don't know where he might have disappeared to. The only thing that caught our attention with him was the needle marks, something had been injected into him, just not sure when or what it was. Nothing surprising was found in his body", replied Bogo. The whole time Clawhauser was listening to them, this time he no longer interfered in their dialogue after the visual warning from the boss. He busied himself with his work...so half-heartedly.

"Well...and can you tell me when the ceremony will be?" Judy asked.

"The day after tomorrow. The ceremony will start at 6.p.m. and will probably last until midnight. A lot of influential people will be there so it would be good to perform at our best," replied Caroline.

"Until then, we have to plan everything in such a way that we can stop the kidnapper from playing his next action" replied Commander Bogo. Judy wasn't particularly listening to them both, the news of the meeting had given her some direction that she felt she should follow when it came to solving the case. Her thoughtful gaze let the commanders know that she was already starting to figure something out.

"Well...either we'll make sure he doesn't do anything or we'll provoke him into it," Judy said mysteriously to which Bogo and Caroline cast an uncertain look at each other.

"What do you mean?" Caroline asked.

"Don't you understand anything? This could be our chance! Still nothing? Ugh...let's go talk in a more secluded place, preferably the courtroom," sighed Judy heavily. When the three characters went to talk, Clawhauser also wanted to go with them, but Bogo forbade him by showing him to a chair.

" You sit here".

"Oi, he wants to listen too! Oh...well yes, I got too much into their role" sighed the cheetah. He took a bite of his chocolate doughnut and then went back to work