A/N: This one starts funny, but then gets a bit real. Sorry, but we need to take some things seriously.
CA$H ONLY
Chapter 6: Negotiation$
By: I Write Big
A plane is designed to glide. The engines are used to provide continuous propulsion and to induce lift. Navigating these forces properly truly comes into play during takeoff and landing. However, once the aircraft has attained proper altitude, as long as there isn't an unexpected pocket of turbulence, flying a plane becomes only slightly more complicated than driving a car. ZAX even has emergency air-traffic controllers specifically trained and assigned to guide airborne citizens who have lost their pilot into a safe landing. This is all dependent, of course, on the mammal in the cockpit maintaining a calm grip on the steering column, also known as the yoke.
Duke did not know this.
"I'm gonna die!" the weasel screamed as he maintained an absolutely not calm hold on the stick-thingy that was supposed to steer this flying metal death trap. He had spent the last half-hour slapping the drugged pilot, but they just kept drooling. "Come on, ya bucktooth, wake up!" He reached over for another slap but leaned a little too far. The flimsy plane dipped to the side and Cash landed on his face and successfully blinded him, giggling the whole way.
"FUCK!"
Duke maneuvered the clinging baby shrew so he could get at least one eye open and jerked the yoke back the other way. The duster shakily righted itself… and then kept going into a spiral! The world flipped over and over as Duke lost complete control. Through the mind-bending sight, Duke could see they were heading right for a mountain!
"NO!"
He wrenched the yoke with all his strength but it was like trying to control a hurricane! The plane hit the mountain peak head on! And smashed straight through…
"What da—" Duke let out before they tore through another easily crumbling mountain. One of the crumbly rocks tumbled into the cockpit and Duke held it up. It was an empty bottle of Phull Muun. These weren't mountains… they were piles of trash!
The plane skidded across a peak of Bugga Burger boxes, bounced off a pile of broken mattresses and rolled on its wheels through a huge box labeled 'fur trimmings'. Eventually, the sticky ground slowed the plane and it came to a gentle stop hanging halfway over the car compactor.
Duke jumped out of the plane with Cash happily clinging to the top of his head and threw his arms up, "I'm alive! HA! I can't believe it!"
"What in tarnation?" gasped a familiar voice.
"Travis! Did ya see dat?" Duke called to the ferret climbing down Maggie the Magnet, "My life flashed 'fore my eyes! Me and Cash were goners for sure!" He blinked as the adrenaline from yet another near death experience subsided enough for him to think clearly for a moment, "Cash!" He dove back into the plane and pulled out the well-earned metal briefcase. "Dere ya are! Did ya miss me?"
"Duke!" cheered Cash.
"Not you!" he rolled his eyes at the brat on his head and then snuggled the briefcase until he heard the baby whimper. He sighed, "Okay, maybe a li'l you. And quit sayin' my name."
Cash giggled and snuggled one of Duke's ears.
"I plum don't believe this," Travis approached, his mouth agape, "You're back."
"Back? Back where?" Duke spun around, "Holy shit! I juss can't keep outta dumps!" He then eyed the ferret, "Ya ain't gonna call da coppers, are ya?"
"Uh..."
Duke raised his briefcase threateningly, "'Cause I juss got paid, almost got whacked and somehow survived a plane crash, in dat order! I'm in no mood for coppers!"
"Alright, alright, no cops. Careful with that. Your last bonk nearly chipped my lucky gold fang," relented Travis while rubbing his matching black eyes. They then both watched as the crop duster tipped over and fell into the compactor. "There ain't nobody still in that there plane, right?"
"Eh, some bunny," Duke shrugged and walked away.
Travis flinched and ran to the wreck.
Judy hugged her knees. Through her low hanging ears she watched Precinct 1 bustle about. They were all completely unaware of the past hour. Every mammal she accidentally looked in the eye morphed into Duke's wounded face before she could turn away, which filled her with a confusing mix of shame and anger. She tried her hardest to ignore the muffled shouts on the other side of the door. She imagined this was what all those fellow classmates of hers felt when she tattled and got them sent to the principal's for punishment.
At last, the voices stopped. The silence was far worse. The door next to her cracked open and Nick entered her sight. She avoided looking at him before he turned into Duke as well. He said something, probably something comforting, but she wasn't listening. The comfort of his arms around her barely registered in her mind. She slipped out of his hold and went into Bogo's office. The Cape buffalo waited until she sat down.
"Why did you feel it was necessary to break protocol?"
Judy licked her dry lips and went over in her head what happened outside the diner. The chaotic intrusion of the bloggers, the lack of sights on li'l Judy... his smug grin… "Unforeseen circumstances forced us to adapt, Chief."
"Adapt?" She tried to shrink even smaller. He sounded calm but she knew it was just hiding his barely contained temper. She still couldn't bring herself to look at Bogo. "You were there to be the Bunnyburrow expert, to be liaison with local law enforcement, and to advise on the best placement of resources. Not to run in there and lose the kitnapping victim."
She winced as she remembered the plane flying into the distance with her goddaughter.
"Again, why did you feel it was necessary to break protocol?"
She took a shuddering breath, "Because when I looked through that window… You were right, Chief, I was too close."
"To who?"
Memories stopped as Judy finally looked up at Bogo. He showed an oddly untroubled face.
"According to the reports, no mammals spotted Judy except Wilde and only after the operation went awry. So, when you looked through that window, who did you see?"
Duke. His smug grin, flashing back at her. He had never looked more confident. And she had never felt so… betrayed. She scrunched her nose at that unexpected reaction.
Bogo leaned forward, his professional tone shifting to a more understanding one, "There once was a camel who had this habit of stealing the radios out of cars that mammals forgot to lock. Not exactly grand theft auto, but I always seemed to be the one who brought him in, each and every time. I berated him, scolded him like a he was a kit but, in the process, I got to know him. Sound familiar?"
Judy barely nodded, transfixed by what Bogo said.
"He wasn't a bad mammal, most aren't. Some mammals just make a mistake and end up trapped, having to keep making that mistake to survive. In a weird way, I sort of considered him a friend." Bogo's shoulders slumped as if the next part was the hardest to remember. "He stole from the wrong mammals. The kind who wouldn't settle for an insurance payment. He was scared. Alone. And he came to me. Begged me to protect him. Said he would become a new mammal and go straight, if I got him out of the city. I arrested him and that's where everything changed. He got worse and worse, and now he's doing life." Bogo stood and came to her side. "There are those we put away and those we try to change. I lost my friend. If given the chance, would you arrest Duke?"
She saw Duke's wounded face, "I already hurt him."
"But did you arrest him?"
Her paws clenched. After she had figured out Duke still had li'l Judy, she had been hellbent on taking him in. But in that moment, in the booth, after he had lied about her being in the kitchen... when she should've grabbed him like the law said she should... it hadn't even crossed her mind.
Bogo's hoof on her shoulder woke Judy from her thought. "I think there's a part of you that wants to see Weaselton go free. To become a better mammal. I think that's why you let him go." His words brought some clarity to her troubled thoughts. She felt a sense of responsibility for Duke, but was that responsibility one of obeying the law or care for another mammal? She and Duke had certainly been through a lot of headaches and she had spent a great deal of time trying to change his ways. Did she somehow consider Duke a friend like Bogo and his camel? There were still many things to work out.
"Hopps, you did what I couldn't and you can still do more."
"More?" she asked with a hint of hope.
"You're still off the case." Bogo returned to his desk and donned his glasses to look over a report. "After Bunnyburrow, it's clear that we need an officer with a level head."
"Oh… of course."
The door was then kicked open by a familiar, smarmy fox. "Which is why Wilde will be taking the lead," concluded Bogo.
Judy could barely believe what she was hearing as an open-mouth smile began to spread across her muzzle, "...Nick?"
"On it, Chief," Nick saluted, "I'll need someone to be in charge of getting my coffee, of course. Very important role. Should go to somebody who knows how I like it." He snapped his fingers in a big eureka moment, "I know! Why not Hopps?"
"Very well," Bogo made note on a clipboard and absently waved for them to leave, "Hopps is not on the investigative team but, officially, is getting coffee for the Big kitnapping case instead."
"I take my coffee black, by the way," Nick leaned on Judy's chair and smirked at the bunny. She then tackled Nick into the most passionate kiss of her life. Well, it was only the second kiss of her life, but it was still pretty amazing.
"Jeez, I should save your career more often," a starry-eyed Nick said as he wiped the lipstick from his jowls.
Judy walked by his side with a renewed skip in her step. Evidently, Nick had tried to explain to her the reassignment when he first came out of Bogo's office, but she was too into her 'my life is over' trip that she hadn't hear a word. Her depressive state had surprised Bogo when she walked in, expecting a much more excited and eager bunny, and left him scrambling to come up with a way to lift her spirits on the spot. Judy gave him an A-.
"I'm not gonna make a habit of messing this up," Judy folded her arms, "First, we need to track down that plane and then secure li'l Judy's safety."
"Judy, I'm leading the investigation," Nick reminded with a frown, "That means, we go with my lead. First, we need to track down that plane and then secure li'l Judy's safety."
She leveled an unamused stare at him.
He gave Judy another lazy smile, "Which I've already started. ZAX is scouring the skies and grounds for the plane as we speak. Duke won't be able to hide for long. Until then, we should say hello to our mysterious guest."
He opened the door to the interrogation room they usually put Duke in and faced Donny Clawleone. "About damn time! Who the hell designed this chair? It's like I'm sitting on a rock!" demanded the shrew.
"You're turning yourself in?"
Duke rolled his eyes at the question as he siphoned the gas out of another junked car. This was the fifth one missing its steering wheel. He didn't know much about cars, but he was pretty sure a way to control the vehicle was necessary. He turned to Travis who was struggling to keep up while dragging the drooling bunny pilot behind him on some sheet metal and clarified, "I didn't say dat. I said, da family paid and now I need ta fill my end of da bargain and get Cash back ta her mama."
"Mama!" cheered Cash from her perch on Duke's head.
"Yeah, heard that part, and how do you reckon you'll do that?" Duke was beginning to remember how annoying Travis' accent could be. He scampered to the next car. No gas pedal. "Tundratown is the farthest, northernmost part'a Zootopia. You have to cut through the heart of downtown which is crawling with ZPD." Another car. A wide sedan from the 70's. Nothing missing. Duke could deal with the tons of pink shag carpeting as long is it drove. He thought he had found his ride until he spotted a decoration hanging off the rearview mirror. A little stuffed carrot.
"You know, some of 'em officers came down here looking for you, including this one bunny I used to know..."
Duke was back at the diner. He remembered the hurtful words she spat at him, the veracity with which she had chased him over the mob. It stung. Up until that moment, he thought of Cottontail as another copper. Now, after she had proved him right, he strangely wondered if they could've been pals... He ripped the carrot off the mirror and tore it in half.
He felt Travis place a paw on his arm, "Look, why don't you leave the tyke with me? I can say I found her outside my office. There aren't no cameras, they can't say otherwise. That way she can get home and you can skedaddle."
Duke found himself lightly chuckling as he realized Travis had just suggested doing exactly what his original plan was only a couple nights ago. With a gentle smile, he began pouring the collected gas into the shag carpeted clunker's gas tank. "You're alright, Travis," he patted the ferret's back, glad that there was at least one mammal in this world who was willing to help. "But da last time I trusted Cash with `nother mammal, yer family ended up kitnappin' her right under deir nose."
"You ran into—My family did? Why would any Picklle do that?"
The tiny strip of plastic currently sitting in Duke's pocket suddenly weighed heavier than the still pouring gas canister. The weasel's jaw tightened and his throat dried. He had said too much and if he spoke the wrong word, he could have another Picklle problem on his paws.
As if sensing his distress, Travis leaned forward, searching for a reason for his abrupt silence. "Du—"
"I dunno!" Duke ripped the not fully emptied gas can out of the fuel tank and threw it to the side. Grabbing the briefcase, he dove through the driver's side window and began frantically rubbing exposed wires together. "Buncha maniacs, if ya ask me!"
He sensed Travis' scrutinizing look on him. "Duke, did you… take something from my family?"
"What?! Me? I mean, sure, I'mma crook, but dat's juss rude!" The engine sputtered a couple oily coughs but didn't start. He needed to get out of here before Travis put the pieces together.
"The other day, that was… the Tri-Family Reunion. It's only a day's walk. You went there, didn't you?"
"Never! I ain't never been ta Podunk!" A spark erupted between two wires and at the same time Travis gasped.
"That's where Mama Pikel—and the family's—Dear Lord...you took the—"
VROOOOM! The engine roared to life, drowning out Travis' accusation! Duke put the gear into drive and slammed on the pedal. The slightly deflated tires kicked up grease and propelled the car around the bend and through the already broken fencing. Travis was left staring, wide-eyed, at the trail of smog left in the car's wake.
"Dammit, Duke." Travis grabbed the sheet metal and dragged the drooling bunny towards his shack, "Why'd you have to go and make this complicated?"
Judy listened patiently outside the interrogation room. As the official Coffee-Getter, she couldn't vent any of the burning questions racing through her head she had for li'l Judy's uncle. She wasn't even allowed past the door. Her only option was to wait in the hall with the door slightly cracked open and let Nick do all the asking. Unfortunately, Nick preferred to take things agonizingly slow. Donny had claimed to have vital info on the case but it felt like half the day had crawled by filled with nothing but small talk, rants about how cold the room was and what kind of coffee Judy should get them next.
She stomped impatiently, "Cheese and crackers, Nick, are you conducting an interrogation in there or having a date?!"
"Who's that?" she heard the shrew ask.
Nick's soothing voice answered, "Li'l Judy's godmother. You can understand how eager she is to hear what you have to say."
"The bunny wondercop? She ain't related to her. She ain't family." Judy's fur bristled at his words. How dare he insinuate she didn't care!
"Doesn't mean she hasn't done everything she could, including nearly getting discharged, to get your niece back. You can trust us, Donny."
There was a pregnant pause. Every second felt like a lifetime as Judy resisted the urge to run in there and demand answers.
"Sorry, I ain't never squealed in my life and I probably won't have the chance to again." The voice she heard had suddenly become solemn, as if she was listening to a shrew on his deathbed. "Don't try to sell me on witness protection or any of that bull. Pops'll make me disappear after this and you can't save me. So, listen and listen good." She heard the click of the audio recorder whir to life. "My name is Donny Clawleone, 29, and when I was a kit, I called 911 in ZAX and said nothing when I sure as hell saw something."
"You saw a crime being committed at ZAX?" Nick's voice pressed.
"No, not there. It was at where we flew from… South."
A shiver ran up Judy's spine. This was significant. She wasn't sure how. Had Duke mentioned South? It was the general direction he was originally heading before he showed up in Bunnyburrow.
"Most mammals don't like making mistakes. Pops don't like admitting he ever does make mistakes. He prefers they go away. I was very young, I didn't understand how the world worked but I already had one younger brother so when the housekeeper showed up with another baby shrew, I grasped that I now had two. Fredo my middle brother and Michael, my little brother. Except, Michael didn't look like us. Wrong fur color, strange nose, floppy ears. He looked like the housekeeper and that made him a mistake. First the housekeeper disappeared, I don't know what happened to her. Then Pops announced we were all going South for a vacation. The whole trip, I wanted to carry baby Michael like I used to carry Fredo. It was my job, I was the biggest brother. But Pops kept me and Fredo away, never let us too close to him. I didn't get why until we showed up at the orphanage. They took Michael inside and came out without him."
Judy held back the tears that were threatening to fall. She covered her mouth to stifle the snivels pushing against her trembling lips. She couldn't imagine such pain. She loved her hundreds of siblings with all her soul. If she had to witness her parents putting even one up for adoption, she was afraid it would break her and she would not be the same bunny in that hall that day.
She turned on her heels and entered. Before Nick could stop her, she lifted the shrew and hugged him tenderly. He was stiff in her grip, not sure how to react, so she whispered, "We're gonna get her back. You're gonna see your niece again."
Donny relaxed in her paws and she felt one claw finally return the hug, "Just find her. I ain't gonna live to see her. You can't protect me."
She squeezed him lightly, "I'm a cop. It is my job to serve and protect and I am going to protect you." There was no choice in the matter. It was her duty and she so desperately wanted him to believe that.
"Ahem," Nick cleared his throat and both saw he was holding the still going audio recorder as far away from their mouths as possible. He gave Judy a proud smile, "Thank you for bringing in that coffee, Judy."
She nodded, signifying that she got the unspoken message. She moved to put Donny back in the chair but found he was stuck to her shoulder almost like he had been slathered in super glue. "Uh, sorry!" He detached from her uniform with a snap and Judy saw his tiny claws retract back into his paws. He looked away with a growl, "Us shrews tend to cling to those we feel... safest with." Those last words brought a slight blush to his face. Judy respectively tried not to coo at how plain precious that was as she backed out of the room.
"As awful as what you saw is, Donny," she heard Nick's voice continue as if nothing had happened, "it's not a crime to give your child to an orphanage. The housekeeper might have some legal claims in the matter, if she is indeed the biological mother. I'm not seeing how this is related to the kitnap—"
"Pops thinks of li'l Judy as a mistake! Don't believe a word he says. He'll act like he's helping you, like he's the best bet you got, and then she'll be gone!"
Testimony and reports whipped through Judy's mind. Every polar bear had turned in their guard routes and proof of movement. Fru Fru recounted the day so many times, she practically had it memorized. Every Big in that house spoke up. The only Clawleones who even offered to help in the investigation were Fredo and now Donny. How had the ZPD missed an entire half of a family never coming forward? If what Donny said was true, then li'l Judy was in far more danger than she thought. Judy never believed she would think this, but she was actually relieved that her goddaughter was in Duke's paws. At least, he didn't want to make her disappear.
"Thank you very much, Donny." Nick sounded like he was wrapping up and raring to get started. "We'll look into Pops. Unless you have anything else you need to tell us..."
There was another pause. This time Judy was resisting the urge to charge down the hall and send Grizzoli and Delgato out to tail any mammal by the name of Clawleone. She heard Donny's tiny claws strumming the table. He was thinking. Considering if there was any last details to give in what he believed to be one of his last days in this world. Judy swore to herself, again, it wouldn't be.
"I wrote to him. I tracked Michael down and I wrote to him. Told him everything: who he was, where he came from, why he was abandoned, everything." Judy sharply inhaled as Michael suddenly had motive. "He's become a very capable shrew. He's a Clawleone, dammit. To pull this off from across the border would be nothing!" And now means. Judy's foot thumped uncontrollably as Nick asked the question that was at the forefront of both of their minds.
"Donny, who is your little brother?"
"He's the owner and founder of the Phull Muun brewery. His full name is Michael Hornesto."
The little red needle kept getting closer to the E with every passing mile. However, Duke was not planning on stopping at any gas stations unless absolutely necessary. He grew nervous with how familiar the highway was getting. It wouldn't be long.
"Cash..." he waited until the baby shrew's face popped into view from above, clinging tightly to his forehead fur, "What we're about ta do is very dangerous. I know dat what we've been doin' da past couple days hasn't exactly been safe, but dis is serious. Ya need ta stay outta sight and keep quiet. Can ya do dat?" She stared blankly back at him as a strand of drool dribbled out and landed on Duke's muzzle. He wiped the disgusting drool off as he grumbled to himself for trying to talk to a dumb baby again.
"Juss get unda my shirt, will ya!" he tugged the neckline of his wifebeater. Cash saw the exposed fur and, surprisingly, climbed to it. Duke felt her slight weight now safely hidden under his clothes. That was half the problem covered. The other half was that, after Bunnyburrow, he had been exposed. Every mall cop, beat cop, and meter maid would have a picture of his mug. He massaged his head as he realized that if he hadn't messed shit up with Travis, he could've used the ferret who had an eery resemblance to him as a fall guy.
His blood ran cold as the car approached the 'Welcome to Zootopia' sign. Over the horizon, crested the majestic skyscrapers he thought he'd never see again. Against the setting sun, the view was glorious. An unexpected wave of nostalgia took hold and he found he could not look away… until his phone began to ring. The screen said 'Unknown'. There was a chance that the ZPD were on the other end and planned to track the call. Duke had seen it done plenty of times in the movies. Perhaps, it was better not to answer, but he did anyway.
"Word is spreading that you are back in town, Duke," greeted a strangely twanged voice Duke felt he hadn't heard in a lifetime.
"H-H-Horn! How ya be—"
"I did not take offense when you failed to appear at the designated spot. Delays are expected and understandable. What is not expected nor understandable is your showcasing of my package online in Bunnyburrow this morning." The weasel nearly bit his toungue. How the hell had Horn heard he was back so fast? Sure, the guy had shown that he kept his ears open but this was ridiculous! "Tell me, Duke, do you intend to return my package?"
There was a pinch where Duke knew Cash was hiding. She had dug her tiny claws even deeper as if she could sense his fear. The words mammals kept using to describe this poor kit. Package. Horn always called her a package. Duke steeled himself and said, "She ain't a package."
"Excuse me?"
'Nobody will never see that li'l 'mistake' again,' claimed the old shrew.
"She ain't a package and she ain't a mistake." Duke grit his teeth, "Why can't any of ya juss say her name and call her Cash?!" There was no immediate response. For the longest time, Duke only heard his own rapid heartbeat.
"Her name is not Cash." The sun dipped under the horizon. The little red needle reached the E. The car engine sputtered and died and the car slowed to a stop in the middle of the highway. Duke reacted to none of it. He only looked straight ahead. The briefcase of real cash sat next to him, packaged with the amount which he had decided was worth the life of a baby he had called Cash by mistake.
"Though I suppose it is a fitting name, coming from a thief such as yourself."
Duke's voice cracked, "I'm not..."
'You're nothing but a dirty, wily, little weasel!' shouted Cottontail.
"I'm— I had to..."
'This ain't never gonna end,' sobbed his dad.
"Duke?" the baby shrew poked her nose out of his wifebeater and he looked down at her. The worry on her face was illuminated by the flickering dashboard lights. He had stolen so much and never once had he cared. It was always justified. They deserved to be robbed. It wasn't too much, just enough to fill his pockets. He needed the cash.
So... many... zeroes... under his name.
"What do ya want?! HUH?! Da money?!" Duke roared. The words hurt. Christ Almighty, did they hurt. Horn and his stupid words were making him feel like he didn't deserve what was in the briefcase. Like he was no better than the scum he had been trying to cheat. Like he was no better than the family that didn't want their grandchild. His paws cradled the baby shrew clinging to his fur. He clenched his eyes shut and pressed his forehead to the steering wheel in an attempt to get Horn's words out. "It's way more dan what ya were gonna pay me! You're juss a fancy soundin' asshole on a phone! Dink dat's `nough ta scare me inta givin' ya even one cent? Well, buddy, ya got `nother thin' comin'!" 'Course he was better than Horn and that old shrew. He wasn't going to take a kit over the border. Well... he was at first but he changed his mind! ...After he figured out how to make even more cash out the whole fiasco. Duke banged his on the steering a couple more times in frustration. The pain at last overwhelmed whatever the hell was happening to him and he sat back with the phone still to his ear.
"This was never about the money. That was your only chance."
The line went dead.
As if they were connected with his phone call, the dashboard lights went out and the clunker was finally spent. Duke sat in the dark, listening to the disconnection tone. What had he done? What did this mean? Did he have a hit on him? Was South out of the question? He couldn't live in Zootopia anymore so where else could he go? Bunnyburrow? Podunk? He brought up his call history and hit 'Unknown.'
"We're sorry, the number you have dialed is no longer in service," informed a machine.
He redialed. Same message. Again. And again. And again. He grabbed the briefcase and got out. He marched to the highway's edge. The distant black trees of the wilderness waited. Duke's arm reeled back and pitched the briefcase over the guardrail! It struck a tree trunk and the impact unlatched the container's locks. With a mighty BOOM an explosion of blue liquid erupted from the briefcase, launching it back to Duke's feet. Paint covered bills rained around the weasel. The insides of the case were splattered with cash and bright color.
"Pffffttt! HAHAH!" Duke wheezed at the sight, "Holy shit! How did dat not go off in da plane crash?! Could ya imagine if I was in da clear and I went ta open it up and KABOOM! Dat'd be priceless!" He gripped his stomach and laughed until his sides stung. The echo of his laughter sounded empty to him. He fell to his knees as his hysterical chuckles weakened to whimpers. He picked up one of the many blue rectangles and tried to scrape off the paint. It was once a crisp new hundred, but now there was an unmissable stain across the bill. The paint was probably treated so it would never come out without a certain chemical or something.
It was all dirty and useless.
There was another pinch against his chest fur. The blast must've scared her. He stroked the furball until he felt the pinch go away. Then he felt something else. A pressure against his leg. He reached into his pocket and his paw wrapped around glass. With widening eyes, he pulled out his last bottle of Phull Muun. The one he had stuck in there so long ago.
He smashed it on the road and out fell a couple clean bills. Wiping his his paws on the grass the best he could, he picked up the cash and counted, "Fifty… Fifty-five… Sixty-three. Sixty-three bucks."
He rose to his feet and turned towards the twinkling lights of downtown, still several miles away. Even further, on the clear other side, waited Tundratown. He stuffed his last sixty-three bucks into his pants and began to walk.
"Alright, let's get ya ta mama, Judy."
SMASH!
A semi-truck with a large Bugga Burger logo was now engine deep into the trunk of the old dead pink shag-carpeted car. "Agh! My neck! Who the fuck left this car in the middle of the road?!"
Duke decided running was better than walking.
END CHAPTER SIX
I wonder how many readers are going to go back to previous chapters and see that each and every single time Donny brought up Fredo he always called him his 'middle brother,' never his little brother. Such a simple detail. Can you find more?
