Judy was tired, 'tired' being a relative term that is. The soul crushing exhaustion that had gripped her as the sun rose that morning made sitting down at her desk a contest between her desire to retreat to sleep, and desire to catch a master criminal who had now twice slipped through her grasp. She had been working late into last night, gathering evidence and trying to figure out just how the Scarlet Rogue had gotten away. She had a grudging respect for the masked man and his assistant though, having predicted exactly how the ZPD would respond to their threat against Santiago. The video, the emails and the certificate that they had released earlier this morning though only added to her problems. They had provided further evidence that Santiago's paws really were just as deep into city hall as the Tragic Pack had claimed. Then there was the fact that he had a different name originally, which was surprising to say the least. She walked over to Bogo's office to talk about what she and her people had found last night.
"Hey chief. I have the report for you about the break-in last night."
"Good work Wilde. Tell me, what do you think of these terrorists?" Judy paused for a moment before responding.
"To be honest, I have a grudging respect for them. They're good at what they do and seem to know how to market themselves to the people. At the same time though… They really burn my tail… If they had tipped us off and let us get a warrant, we would have been able to collect everything that they have shared with the public. Only instead, their actions have made all of the evidence inadmissible in court, so we can't actually build a case against Santiago." Bogo sat there and shook his head.
"I agree with you. Well, mostly anyway. You see Wilde, even if we had been tipped off there's no guarantee that we would have ever gotten the warrant. I was reading through some of the emails that leaked as well and it seems that Santiago's goons have contacts even within the courts. I don't know about you, but when even the courts seem to be willing to do a certain puma favors, it is very unlikely that we would ever be able to bring him down." Judy was losing patience now. She had been chasing after this terrorist for almost a week now and her boss now seemed to be on his side?
"So what? If even you think that these guys are doing the right thing, then why don't we just stop our investigation entirely? Throw out the case? Let the Tragic Pack roam free?"
"Because, even if we agree with them we have to catch them. Politics can be broken Judy, and it isn't our job to fix them. Our job is to uphold the law, even if the individuals breaking it aren't the real enemies."
"Why are we talking about this? I get the feeling that you are about to ask me to do something that you know I won't like." Bogo didn't say anything for a minute as he mulled over his choice of words.
"I just got a call from mayor Lionheart. I need you to go visit Santiago and assure him of his safety." Judy simply couldn't take it anymore.
"What!? Doesn't he have bodyguards?"
"That's not the point Wilde."
"No, I get it. The point is that Santiago wants to show all of Zootopia that he owns me and the ZPD!"
"Wilde, he's a citizen like anybody else."
"A citizen who I don't think deserves protection."
"So you won't do it?" Judy closed her eyes.
"Chief, you know I can't say no."
"I know Judy. You have no idea how much respect I have for you and your commitment to upholding the law." Bogo turned around and looked out the window for a long moment before he continued. "I'll let you in on a little secret. After this whole thing blows over, I'm going to resign as the chief of police. I tried my best to shield you from it Judy, but the politics that come with this job just leave me feeling betrayed. I took this job hoping to guarantee the rights of all of our citizens, but at this point I feel like I am only protecting the interests of a few." Judy walked over to the big buffalo to try and comfort him.
"Hey, it's okay. Zootopia has problems and we can't fix all of them. I remember Nick telling me that sometimes the best thing you can do is try, and that's what we're going to do." The Bison let out a long sigh.
"Alright. Anyway, Santiago's driver is waiting outside for you. Thanks for that by the way…"
Judy walked out of the office, turning back as she exited. Bogo was just standing there by the window, a resigned look on his face. She headed downstairs and saw the kangaroo standing by the door with a half-cocked smile as usual.
"Good afternoon Mrs. Wilde!"
"Thanks. I guess you're taking me to go see Julio Sanchez?" The kangaroo held up his paws in a stopping signal.
"I'd be careful saying that around him Mrs. Wilde. You see, it makes him more than a little bit upset, what with the scandal and all." Judy rolled her eyes as she followed the kangaroo out of the ZPD and to the car that was parked across the street.
Arriving at his company's headquarters, Judy got the overwhelming sense of not only being small in stature, but wealth too. The towering pedestal of glass and steel had a sense of refined class to it, but exuded a sense of wealth that was hard to comprehend. She walked into the lobby following closely behind Crowley who used his security card to get past the turnstiles and to the elevators. Crowley pushed the button to take them to the very top of the building, the place that she had expected Santiago's office to be. The elevator's doors opened to reveal a hallway that was done in the style of a Mexican villa, the walls a warm orange and the floor tiled. At the end of the hall was his office, two large glass doors leading into it. Crowley held the door open for her as she walked in and stood near the doors as Santiago carried on a conversation with three Hyenas in suits.
"Sir, we assure you, it's impossible for the city of Zootopia to build a case against you. Everything that has been presented so far either implicates only those below you or is circumstantial at best." One of the Hyenas nodded vigorously in agreement. She seemed to be the one in charge.
"Indeed. Furthermore, since all of it was obtained by The Tragic Pack, it won't be admissible in any court. The only thing that you have to worry about is your public image." The final hyena now chimed in.
"We think that you could remedy that with supporting some parks and other philanthropic activities. Besides, give this whole thing a few years and it will all blow over. Forgotten, just like the Canidae neighborhood." Santiago nodded thoughtfully to the lawyers before noticing that Judy was present. He took a leather journal of some sort that he had been writing in while his lawyers were talking and now placed into a drawer in his large wooden and glass desk.
"I'm sorry, but my friend from the ZPD has arrived," Judy bristled at this claim, "she and I have important matters to discuss." The hyenas left the office with a nod, leaving only Santiago and Judy.
Santiago reached over to a pitcher of water that he had on his desk and poured a drink for himself. He offered Judy a glass as well but she declined, moving to the chair in front of his desk so that she could sit across from him. Santiago didn't seem to be in any sort of rush, allowing the silence to spread out between them for some time. Eventually speaking in his usual cool, reserved tones.
"Mrs. Wilde. I am sure you are aware that a part of my history I had wished to remain concealed was made public today."
"Yes, I am."
"I am assuming that you and your associates at the ZPD have some sort of plan to fix this situation."
"Well, I was told to come here and guarantee your security if that's what you mean."
"While that is good, it isn't the real reason for why I sent for you. I am sure that you can guess what it is I am really looking for."
"The identity of The Scarlet Bandit."
"Yes. Tell me, have you and your team found anything yet?"
"Sir, you are not part of the investigation so I cannot reveal any details that we haven't already passed along to the press. You are going to have to wait just like anybody else." Santiago raised his glass to take another drink.
"I see… Tell me, do you at least have a list of suspects?"
"Of course! What do you take us for at the ZPD? It's not like we haven't been working our tails off to find these guys, they're just better than expected at what they do."
"A little too good wouldn't you say?"
"I have a feeling that you have someone in mind you want me to investigate."
"Indeed. Wouldn't you say that it is odd that the scarlet rogue seems to know not only Zootopia like the very back of his paw, but also the ZPD?"
"We did think it was a little odd that he varies his methods so quickly. Then again, it could just be that the individuals behind these attacks are simply very careful."
"I'd wager my dear that it's more than that. In fact, my own sources say that there's one individual who would fit the bill for the scarlet rogue perfectly." Judy shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
"Nicolas Wilde, your husband, meets every criterion that we can think of. He is a known criminal, has a working knowledge of the area and has training from the ZPD. Furthermore, according to my team's photo analysis he is even the same height and weight as the scarlet rogue. So tell me. Is he one of your suspects?" Judy swallowed hard, trying to remove a lump that seemed to suddenly appear in her throat.
"Nick… He… He has an alibi."
"Really? And what would that be?"
"Well, he was home with me during the first attack and the during the second he was out with one of his friends." Santiago took another sip and shrugged.
"Interesting. So I am to assume then that you were awake at the time of the first attack?"
"Well n-"
"And that you yourself saw him with his supposed friend during the second?"
"Well… n-"
"So then you admit that you have no way to truly verify his alibi." Judy didn't say anything for a minute, the shock and the fear rolling over her like waves. Soon though it was replaced by anger and rage.
"Yeah. Fine. I'll keep that in mind, okay?" A silence hung between them for a brief time. "…Anything else?"
"No. I just wanted to plant that seed in your mind. I assure you that my own teams can take care of security."
"Good." Judy got up and started heading towards the door, turning around as Crowley held it open for her, "one last thing. We. Aren't. Friends."
