TRICKS AND TREATS: CHAPTER 8
SO CLOSE. PART 2.
Nick and Skippy went through most of the park for an one hour while searching Nermal...
...but to no avail. They did not find him anywhere, no matter how many times Nick and Skippy checked the bushes within the border of the lampposts, where they suspected that wolf clown to be hiding from them.
That wolf clown didn't even play pranks on them anymore, which hidded him perfectly to the park from them. Bad to Nick and Skippy, because they had begun to be extra cautious in case of the new pranks that Nermal would have set up for them, which would have also reveal to them Nermal's current location.
And looking for Nermal with to no avail was starting to get to Nick's and Skippy's nerves.
However, in the verge of the frustration, Nick came up to the new plan, using the advice Mr. Big had once said to him and Judy during of their Missing Mammal Case a long time ago.
My child. We may be evolved, but deep down, we are still animals.
And using this as an advantage, instead of looking for Nermal with their eyes, they started to use their natural animals instincts.
Remembering well that from what that piece of cloth from Nermal's clothes smelled, Nick started to use his sense of smell to catch up Nermal's scent, and with addition to that, Nick also started to use his perfect night vision to look into the shadows behind the trees and bushes beyond of the borders of the lampposts lights range and catch with his night vision any wolf-shaped shadowy figures sneaking in the shadows.
And Skippy, started to use his own sharp sense of hearing, which was very much like Judy's own, to locate Nermal's silent footsteps from the air.
Nick and Skippy decided to split up to investigate the area, from where they haven't yet searched for Nermal.
Searching the uninvestigated area's bushes, roads and the shadows took from them about over fifteen minutes, until...
Nick and Skippy, after they finally found something, hurriedly and silently hurried to each others to inform that what they have discovered.
"I found the footprints from the ground in middle of the road near of the southern entrance, in which has the very same scent of the wolf and the sugar as in the piece of cloth. The footprints then disappeared like the dust into the air before they even reached to the entrance and next to the grassy area, but his scent felt still strong to where his footprints disappeared into the gross and the darkness..." Nick informed at first.
"I heard the steps, walking steps, against the parks gravel road. And then, I heard then the silent running like steps against the soft ground, grass, I believe, as well as the sound of the shaking leaves from the impact like someone had just passing the bushes..." Skippy informed after Nick had informed his own information.
Nick started to think as he recalled Skippy's information in him mind for a couple times for a bit over five minutes.
"What are you thinking, Uncle Nick? All these informations are related to one wolf baddie, and all of this happened near of the park's southern entrance... what do you think that what this could mean?" Skippy said as he urged Nick to tell him, impatiently twitching from Nick's hoodie's skirt.
"That might mean that the baddie has most certainly exited off from the road before that entrance and taken a shortcut through of the park's grassy area, in the shadows, beyond of the range of the lamppost light, I guess..." Nick said, breaking the brief silence.
Skippy also started to think for a bit Nick's answer.
"Then the baddie may have been all of time aware of that we're going to investigate from the southern part of the Park while searching for him, right?" Skippy asked, like guessing this out of nowhere.
"Probably... and if so, he intentionally left the trail of his footprints on the road leading to the southern part of the Park to make us think that he's still in here somewhere, while he took off from the road to follow his shortcut." Nick asnwered.
"Does that mean that he wanted us to remain here searching for him in vain while he makes his escape?" Skippy asked.
"The short cut he took... it's leading to the north, but there's a longer distance between of southern and northern entrance. That means that he wants to make the quick exit before we realize that his gone." Nick explained.
"But there's the one entrance, which is in the end of the distance, which is a half of a shorter than the distance between of southern and northern entrances." Skippy informed.
Nick then turned to Skippy, with the wide grin on his lips.
"And what happens to be in between of north and south, if we go back to the central of the park and from there to the left leading road?" Nick asked with the sly smile, expecting somekind of answer from Skippy.
It did not take long from Skippy to guess that.
"The west entrance of the park!" Skippy asked.
"CORRECT, you little sly bunny! And that's the sollution to this! With all of those pranks, quick disappearings and the brief appears in everywhere, Nermal wanted to lead us to the southern part of the Park, so that he could sneak through of his short cut in the cover of the shadows and reach to the Park's west entrance... and..."
"... and to make his exit out of the park from there." Skippy finished.
"Correct! And right now, that fiend in heading straight to the west entrance of the park, and now he got the head start." Nick said.
"But I got the plant."
And, following Nick's plan...
...Nick told to Skippy that he wanted him to go after Nermal through of his own short cut to catch him up to the west entrance of the park, with reminding him that Nermal was the wolf and bigger than him, meaning that he couldn't move among the bushes without shaking the leaves and reveal his location...
...but, Skippy was the rabbit, smaller and lighter than the wolf, and the bunnies were capable to move beneath of the bushes duo to their small size without shaking them and revealing their location. That's what the bunnies did a long time ago to hide from the air hunting predators.
And now, Nermal was walking on two legs and he had the head start, but Nick told to Skippy to let his natural animal instincts out and go after him with all fours, so that he could gain the extra speed to go after Nermal.
And, before Nick send him off, Nick had to roll Skippy in the dirt to cover his white fur color, which might reveal him to the runner even in the end of small distance from the border of the lamppost light range...
...and to Nick's surprise, Skippy didn't make any resistant against the idea, 'cause he sometimes wanted to be a bit dirty... much to Barbara's discomfort.
And, doing what Nick told him to do, Skippy allowed his natural animal instincts to come out and his jumped on his all fours... and immediately rushed after Nermal.
And, following Nick's adviced - imagine that eagle, hawk or owl is hunting you from above. Stay low, silent and in the hid - Skippy remained low against the ground when he moved beneath of the bushes... moving from beneath of one bush to beneath of another at time.
And after doing this for ten minutes, Skippy was quite amazed... he was moving very silently.
And using his sharp sense of hearing as one of those natural animal instincts of his, he soon caught the sounds of the shaking leaves, along of the struggling and angrily growling-like sounds from nearby of the area...
...and judging from the short distance between of his spot and the source of the sounds, Nermal wasn't far away... so Skippy immediately headed straight towards the sounds... but remained quiet and moving in the low and beneath of the bushes and their leaves so that he would not reveal his location nor presence to Nermal.
And it did not take long from Skippy, before he caught among the bushes struggling Nermal in sight.
And as for Nick, Nick rushed down in all fours along the road, heading towards the central of the Park and turning from the southern road to the west road.
However, in the spots of each the park benches, Nick had to stop to sniff the air to smell to catch Nermal's scent and locate his location, not daring to look over the bushes and use his night vision in the risk of revealing himself to Nermal.
And, it did not take long from him to reach to the west entrance of the park.
No sight of Nermal out there, but its course suddenly changed night wind, that was carrying Nermal's scent from south to the north, was telling to Nick thyat Nermal was right on his way to the entrance... and he was close, very close.
And judged by the scent of a bit dirty bunny, Skippy was right on his tail.
And so, Nick quickly climbed on the nearby tree and settled on one of the branches to wait for good opportunity ambush Nermal from above when the time is up.
It took less than ten minutes from Nermal to appear out from the bushes to the west entrance's road, with his fancy clothes dirty and partially torn due to the bushes branches and dirty ground beneath of them.
And, as Nick suspected, Nermal looked around of him to make sure that he was alone and that the route was clear, clearly not bothering to waste time by sniffing the air to catch the scent of any possible pursuers to make sure that the area was totally clear.
"Hah! They went lost like little boys in the woods. Dr. Nermal is an genius and smartest than the duo of fox and rabbit." Nermal said arrogantly and started to walk towards the entrance to exit from the Park...
...until suddenly and completely unexpectedly to Nermal, a bit dirty Skippy appeared from the bushes and bounced right in front of him, startling the wolf so badly that he let out the girly scream and jumping backwards.
"What's the matter clown? Did the little and a bit dirty bunny scared you out of your pants? And I though that the clowns were supposed to be scarier." Skippy humorously said, as he "blocked" the way from Nermal.
Nermal gathered himself together after realizing that the bunny was the same bunny with the fox officer and knowing that when the rabbit was in present, the fox officer was nearby.
And so, not willing to wait for the fox officer's arrival and to be arrested, Nermal charged towards Skippy and tried to scare him out of his way by baring his teeth, growling and barking loudly and aggressive-like at Skippy.
However, Nick saw his chance and leaped off the tree's brance, landing towards Skippy charging Nermal's back and kicking him towards Skippy, who wasn't afraid of Nermal's aggressive-like acting at all.
And, as Nermal was about to fall over and towards Skippy, Skippy jumped on his back to the ground, coiling his hind legs and kicked the wolf to the face with all strength he had, sending the wolf to fall backwards until he landed on his butt to the ground.
This trick was taugh to him by Judy some time ago.
As Nermal was sitting in the ground, stroking his slightly bleeding nose with his paw...
"Smarter as you claim yourself to be, huh? Then why didn't you use your own natural instincts to see our coming through of your ears and nose rather than with your eyes, if may I ask?" Nick said, as he arrived to him with the handcuffs.
"Nermal Midas Wolf, like I told you earlier, you're under arrest for using the children for your illegal…"
However, before Nick could finish, Hermal suddenly pushed Nick over the ground and kicked Skippy away from him, before he quickly get up on the ground.
And thinking quickly, he quickly ran to another nearby tree and climbed to one of its brances than reached over the Park's fences, and proceed by jumping from the branch to the other side of the park's fence.
"Blasted!" Both Nick and Skippy cursed in disbelief that Nermal got away again!
"By my tail, why didn't I see that coming?!" Nick said, berating himself for leaving the tree, one of which brances reached to outside of the Park, unnoticed.
However, Nick landed back down on his all fours and quickly picked Skippy on his back and rushed out of the Park and after Nermal.
Nermal had with his sudden trick got the head start and he managed to gain even more distance bwteen of him and the duo by already crossing the road with the heavy traffic...
...forcing Nick to jump through of the hydrant to the front plates of the driving cars and kept going by jumping from one plate to another with his natural animal speed and flexibility to quickly cross the road.
This of course caused the cars, on the plates Nick had bounced, to stop in middle of the road, and the drivers reacted to this sudden act from the fox, in the back of which was riding the dirty white little rabbit, by yelling angrily after them and angrily shaking their fists at them.
Both Nick and Skippy, however, did not care from the insults what the angry drivers were yelling after them.
They had to catch up Nermal before they'll lose him again.
And they already had caught still escaping Nermal to their sight, following him to wherever his was going.
And they certainly had to keep up, because the loud sound of the heavy traffic and the mixed scents of the many animals covered the sounds of Nermal's steps and his scent from his clothes.
They got the glance of Nermal as he ran to the another alley, to where Nick and Skippy followed him.
And once there, Nermal started to throw over the garbage cans on Nick's and Skippy's way - or turn some of them over and kicking them to roll towards them - to slow them down and buy himself time to escape out of their reach.
Nick did his best to dodge the garbage cans, but in the narrow alley, it proved to be a bit difficult try to avoid every garbage can thrown on their way, until…
One a flying beverage can unexpectedly hit to Skippy's head and knocked him off from Nick's back.
Nick heard Skippy's loud yelp of pain as he landed roughly to the ground in Nick's high animal speed.
"Oh, no!" Nick gasped and immediately halted his run.
Nick then jumped back on his feet and turned around to see Skippy lying in the ground and even rolling in pain as he was holding from his right shoulder and gritted his teeth together in pain, probably having injured his shoulder or something!
"Damn! He must have hurt his left shoulder!" Nick though, as he was about to forget Nermal and go back to get to Skippy, but...
"Don't care about me, Uncle Nick! Just get him!" Skippy yelled as he held with his right paw from his left shoulder.
After what Nick heard Skippy saying, he went into shock after realizing that what Skippy meant.
Nick then found himself torn between of two choices.
Nick looked alternately to the direction to where Nermal just ran after causing Skippy to hurt himself and then to Skippy lying wounded in the end of the small distance between of them.
Nick greatly hesitated to leave Skippy wounded and on his own and yet in middle of the another dark alley full of bad mammals.
It would break his oath to ZPD and the ZPD's most important code... to serve and protect... by leaving the wounded civilian in the trouble.
"JUST GO! DON'T LET HIM GO! FOR AUNT JUDY!" Skippy screamed, after seeing that Nick hadn't moved after Nermal, urging Nick to continue the chase without him, for his goal to prove Judy's innocence.
Nick felt the bigger urge to forget the whole chase to get Skippy out of here.
And... because of his concern for Skippy's safety and well-being, which were in his responsibility, Nick started to ask from himself in his mind that what's the point from hunting down Nermal now when he had already got everything to prove Judy's innocence and got the evidences against Nermal.
However, sometimes it also demanded the full confession from the criminal himself for his crimes, which would assist his goal to prove Judy's innocence to Detective Oates with the high level.
However, Nick's sense of duty and his hesitation to turn his back to wounded Skippy and leave him behind to go after Nermal kind of paralyzed his legs.
"GO!" Skippy screamed again.
Strong sense to go to the wounded and get him into the safety, turn away and go after Nermal, do as Skippy had told him to do... all of these opinions filled Nick's mind, that made him bark out of frustration.
"If chief learns about this, he's gonna cut off my tail before he takes off my badge." Nick whispered to himself, as he still kept his concern-filled eyes on Skippy.
"And Barbara's definitely gonna skin me alive if SHE learns about this."
Nick then let the snort out of frustration to go ot between of his gritting teeth.
"Well, rather Barbara than chief himself." Nick said to himself, and turned yet again to Skippy.
"Hide beneath of the garbage can and wait in there! I'll be back for you!" Nick said, as he reluctantly turned around, jumped on his all fours again and continued the chase after Nermal.
Nermal had once again the head start, but thanks to Nick's natural animal speed with which he ran through of the narrow dark alley, he soon caught Nermal in sight.
However, Nick, angered of Nermal causing Skippy to got hurt and having finally enough of this running after the clown magician with full of tricks, that he immediately jumped upright on his feet and pulled out his taser.
"Stop, Nermal! One last chance. Stop!" Nick yelled with the officer's stern voice, as he aimed his taser towards Nermal.
And as Nermal didn't stop running, Nick eventually fired two electric darts after him, hoping them to hit him to his butt.
But instead, Nermal dodged them in nick of time that the darts accidentally hit the bowing black jaguar's butt.
"You missed me, sucker!" Nermal yelled over his shoulder at Nick as he kept running.
The jaguar, whose attention was caught by the passing running wolf, felt suddenly a stinging pain in his butt as the electirc darts got hit to it and the jaguar let out the loud roar out of pain as the electric darts shocked him for a while, before the jaguar fell to the ground, stunned by the shock.
"Sorry about that." Nick said with the apologizing tone as he quickly passed the stunned jaguar, quickly removing the darts off from his butt before continuing his chase after the wolf.
"Foxes…" Jaguar murmured as Nick disappeared out of sight.
A plan A had failed. Now Nick had to use the plan B to shove to Nermal how serious he really was right now.
With the four-foot running speed, Nick was able to catch up Nermal, or at least get closer of with two legs running wolf... until he was so close of him that he quickly jumped back on his feet, quickly pulling out the Skippy's firecrackers he had confiscated from him earlier and matchstick.
Nick took handful of the firecrackers and quickly scratched the matchstick's sensitive end against the wall, igniting it on fire, and then he proceed by igniting with it the crackers and threw them towards Nermal, aiming the small distance away from Nermal as an attempt to halt him and then catch him.
The crackers flew between of Nermal's legs, landing a bit away from him to the ground and then one by one exploded and created the thick smoke everywhere, surprising and halting Nermal's escape immediately.
This gave Nick time to shorten the distance between of them... and thanks to the wooden fence, which blocked the way to the streets in the other side and served as an dead end for Nermal's escape, the wolf was finally trapped.
"Hah! I-I got you now!" The panting Nick exclaimed as he kept running towards Nermal.
But, however, looking once again around of him and thinking quickly, Nermal suddenly jumped over the garbage cans against the alley's right-side wall and one of them was against the wooden fence andclimbed over the top of the wooden fence as he made his another narrow escape.
Nermal then stood up on the fence and turned to look at Nick, who was still running towards him with the last of the strength he got left.
"Bye, bye, officer Slow-Like-Turtle. Dr. Nermal's gotta go now but I got a little street magic trick just for you." Nermal said, mockingly waving his paw as an goodbye to Nick, as he took out the handful of his own smoke bombs out of his pocket.
And seeing this, Nick realized that Nermal was about to make the old one disappearing trick!
"Oh, no! Not again!" Nick shouted in annoyance.
If Nermal gets time to throw the bombs to the ground and disappear like the dust into the air and without tracks under of the smoke, he'll never find him again.
So, Nick doubled his two-leg running speed towards the garbage cans and jumped over them, before he gathered the strength into his legs and bounced into the air, lunging straight towards on the fence standing Nermal with the loaded taser gun aimed at his chest.
"Hocus Pocus, Nermal said, bye bye now and fade into night! Hihihihihehehehehahahaa!" Nermal giggled mockingly as he threw the bombs against the cover of garbage can right bellow of him to the ground, creating the huge smoke cloud from the impact of the bombs against the can's cover.
"Oh, no you don't!" Nick barked and fired the darts to the smoke.
Oddly, he did not hear the lupine-like yelps out of pain, neither the electric sounds after impact, as the darts disappeared to the smoke.
But instead, Nick heard the sound of the breaking class and the car's tire rubbing drastically against the car road's asphalt from the smoke cloud... or behind of the smoke cloud... before the smoke cloud swallowed Nick himself.
As Nick coughed couple times, as he flew through of the thick and blinding smoke cloud, he prepared to land painfully against to the ground or whatever was behind of the cloud...
...until he landed roughly against the something, which felt like a car's windshield.
And, as the cloud faded, the thing on whuch Nick had landed through of the cloud was revealed to be indeed car's windshield.
Nick groaned out of pain after the rough landing, before he was able to open his eyes.
But once Nick did so and looked looked inside of the car, he realized that the car was much to his surprise the police cruiser of ZPD.
But right now he really hoped that he was not in the scene right now.
Nick realized that he was looking through of under of hic weight cracked windshield into the eyes of the DEETECTIVE OATES himself, who was sitting surprised, shocked and confused in the driver's seat of the car.
Nick slowly turned his eyes to the pig officer sitting in the passenger's seat and noticed, that the electric darts he shot a moment ago, were flew through the windshield's class and hit the pig officer to the chest.
The pig officer was now knocked out by Nick's electric darts, which were still attached to his chest, and he was at the moment lying limp on his passenger seat.
"Oops." Nick murmured, as he realized that what he had done.
Also Oates noticed this, and turned his angered eyes at Nick, who was stumbling up from the windshield.
"Uh… Hehehehee. Uh… well. I, eh… uh… Hi, Mr. Oates. Uh... how are you? Are you... on the little car jogging tonight... right now? Ehehehee." Nick said nervously as Oates gaze in his eyes hardened.
"WIIIIIIIILDE!" Oates neighed with the loud and angry voice.
As Oates came out of the car and Nick landed from the car's front pelt to face angry horse detective.
Nick new that this through of accident happened reunion was far from the happy, friendly and sunny atmosphere… even though it was late of night.
"Do you think, Wilde, that I am very happy about what just happened... or more likely said, what you just did!" Oates said with the berating tone.
"Something happened behind of that wooden fence because we heard the explosions, as if someone had fired the punch of firecrackers, even though it's not yet the New Year's Eve. Then that cloud of smoke appeared out of nowhere in the top of the fence, as well as two electic darts which flew from the cloud through my car's windshield and stroke and stunned my pig partner, which caused me to temporalily lost the control of my own cruise. And then you just showed up from the smoke, landing on my cruise's windshield and ye tholding from the taser gun that's linked with those darts in my partners chest. What was that all about? And ambush? SOMEKIND OF STUPID CHILDISH TRICK OR WHAT?" Oates said, letting out the annoyed snort.
"But sir, let me explain myself. At first I did not know that you were right behind of the wooden fence and that cloud of smoke. And secondly, I was…" Nick tried to say but was quickly interrupted by Oates.
"And because you came from that alley behind of that wooden fence, from where the explosions came from? Was it you, who caused those explosion-like sounds from the firecrackers out of there on the alley?"
"Well, kind of yes, but…"
"I though that police officers are supposed to confiscate such of dangerous toys from the troubled teens, not play with them themselves." Oates berated Nick.
"But sir, I…" Nick tried yet again to explain himself but was once again interrupted by Oates.
"And I though that you were busy trying to solve the case to prove your soon-to-be ex-partner's innocence. Well, if you have a new information… please, share and try to impress me." Oates said harshly.
Nick began immediately to explain the whole case progress, and this time without Oates to interrupt him, starting from the very beginning when he had found Judy in the strange zombie-like state after Oates left from Barbara's house.
"She moved like the bunny in drunk, and this is not about of drinking herself in drunk… she was pale-furred like a vampire and she felt cold like ice... and yet, she had the lifelessly greyed eyes… she also moaned like she was like a zombie, only the empty shell." Nick started.
"Aha, so, the news of her as an criminal did hit her so badly that she drank herself in drunk. I get it. Please, continue…" Oates urged.
Nick frowned and gave the dark scowl to Oates for his insulting comment for Judy, but he quickly changed the expression in his faces and continued.
"I took her to the hospital to find out that what was wrong with her. And in Dr. Madge's reception, she checked her completely out twice and told me that this was all about the hypnosis, as I told you during of my call to you earlier today. And if I haven't already told you about this during of my last call to you, Dr. Madge told me that Judy's case was not her the first one because she had already checked out her last patient who was under of the very same state as Judy right now. And she told me that she had had tried to wake him and Judy from under of hypnosis by clicking her fingers but without the effect. Eventually she declared that only the original hypnotist may withdraw this spell of hypnosis from Judy and ordered me to pay visit on the Halloween Town to seek more the information about all of this from there… and so I did. At first, after our not-well-ending call, I went to investigate to the crime scene yet again." Nick said.
But even so far, Nick cleary saw it from Oates eyes and in his wide grin on his lips... and not to mention about his sarcastic nodding.
The Detective-Horse-Butt took nothing what Nick had just said seriously, but still allowed him to continue.
Nick decided to leave out the mention of Skippy's being involved to this whole investigation all of time, because he remembered the deal with Oates and the agreements between of them.
If Nick was gonna solve this case, he'll solve it on his own. With no one's help, expected the suspect ones.
Nick knew very well that if Oates finds out that he had took, even against his own will at first before his urging need for the partner got best of him, the civilian bunny with him to possibly dangerous investigation, he was in the big trouble and he would possibly lose either his job or his chance to solve this case to prove Judy's innocence to the Shopping Paradise theft.
Nick felt the cold sweat running along on his furry temples and cheeks. This happened always when he was nervous or stuck in the very bad stituation, even though this was quite nothing compared to meetings with Mr. Big, if he wasn't in the good mood or was angry at him for something.
However, Nick kept his cool to stay calm and continued reporting.
"Back in the crime scene, I found from the nearby alley two clues what you and your guys had missed during of YOUR investigation."
Nick took out the picture with the wolf's footsprints and the torn piece of cloth in a plastic bag to show to Oates.
"If I remember correctly, Judy's own footprints are much more smaller and thin yet differently shaped than these ones in the paper, Mr. Oates. And I don't remember she had left from Barbara's home to the Shopping Paradise with the black silk-made cloth. This piece of silk cloth happens to be of good quality and quite expensive." Nick explained.
"And there's no bunny scent neither of them… but the scent of timber wolf. This means that the real culprit was a timber wolf by his species."
Oates, however, rolled his eyes and let out the bored snort.
"And how do you know that, as you said, "a real" culprit was a timber wolf by his species, officer Wilde? And who is this HE?"
"Well, because along with the scent of wolf, the silk cloth like this is used in the clothes which are used by the people of circus… mostly by a magicians. Also the scent of cuddly fur and chocolate, cotton candy and sugar led me to there. So I paid the visit in the Halloween Town and I went to have a word with the Halloween Circus' ringmaster, Zeke Midas Wolf. With the all information he gave to me, I know that the certain timber wolf is actually his own sweets-loving son, Nermal Midas Wolf, who a year ago quit himself from the circus after getting humilitated in front of the children crowd in order to become the street magician… only to be disappeared from the reach of his own father for the couple years."
"So, the sweets-loving timber wolf, eh?" Oates said.
"Yes… and I think that all those children gone missing lately might relate to this case. They're another clue." Nick said.
"Officer Wilde, I already told you that…" Oates tried to say but was this time interrupted by Nick.
"Yes, I know. It's your job to solve these strange disappearances, not mine." Nick said. "But it's quite interesting that all those children oddly and surprisingly went missing at the same night, when the crime in the Shopping Paradise happened."
Oates tried to speak again but Nick speak over his own words interrupting him again.
"Aren't you even surprised that most of that neighborhood's children went missing on the same night when the crime happened, and tht there's no other reports of an offense except that one in the Shopping Paradise what Judy does not even remember to commit or to be involved of it."
"Actually Wilde, there's been a couple reports about the burglary targeted to the…"
"…candy shops, right?" Nick asked, interrupting Oates once more.
Oates went speechless that Nick actually guessed that correctly.
"See… a timber wolf, who went missing couple years ago to become to a street magican… All those children who went missing on the same night those crimes happened… the hypnosis… Judy not remembering her being part or committing the crime… and the robbed candy shops. The pieces of this whole case begin to fall into place as one piece, which tells me with the one hundred percent that Nermal Midas Wolf is behind of everything!" Nick declared loudly and eagerly.
However…
"Not so fast, Officer Wilde…" Oates said, which caused the smile on Nick's face to fade and being replaced by the look of confusion.
"Even though all of that what I just heard... from the mouth of the fox... is all true, how you're gonna explain that the missing children, robbed candy shops, your case and that wolf… whateverhisnamewas… are in fact related to each others as one piece?"
Nick eager smile came back and he took out the bunny-sized camera.
"I got a final evidence, I managed to lure him out from his hideaway and record with this camera his criminal activity. If you watch this, you'll see that he hypnotizes the children with the hypnotism watch to take them under of his control and orders them to do the firty works for him. I was chasing him through of this square from Salmiac's candy shop with my little buddy partner until I collided with you and he get away."
Suddenly…
"Woah, woah, woah, slow down, Officer Wilde. What do you mean about "your little buddy partner?" Weren't you supposed to work alone as we agreed" Oates asked with the sucpious look.
Nick realized in shock that he had got too far gone with his words.
Suddenly…
"Uncle Nick! Uncle Nick! Nermal! Did you got him? Where's he and…" They head Skippy's voice calling for Nick from the alley.
And it did not take long before the little white-furred rabbit appeared from the hole in the wooden fence to next of Nick, still holding with his paw from his left shoulder...
...which he seemed to be able to move, albeit only slightly and not without gritting his teeth in pain, telling to Nick that nothing bad had happened to Skippy, such like Skippy managed to broke his arm or that his arm had gone dislocated from the shoulder, thanks to Nermal, but Skippy had probably got some scratches from his fall off Nick's back.
And after Skippy appeared in next to Nick, he instantly spotted Oates standing right front of them.
"Oh… Hi, Detective-Horse-Butt, as uncle Nick said. We were right about investigating on our case in order to try to find out who framed aunt Judy for the candy theft in that shop, which she does not remember to commit or even being involved. We found some clues from the alley in the next of the crime scene, where uncle Nick defended me from the big nasty grizzly bully. And after some investigation in the Halloween Town, we found out that who's the real baddie behind of this case and we lured him out from the shadows by using me as the bait and dressed as the homeless poor bunny child so that Nick was able to film the criminal acticity as evidence to prove aunt Judy's innocence and bring the real fiend behind the bars. We were about to run him down through the streets, alleys, all around of the Park and roads full of cars as he tried to evade us but he..." Skippy said as he turned with the wide, eager and proud bunny smile to look at Nick...
...who, however, instead of smiling back at Skippy like he usually does, tried nervously to motion him to stop talking any more in the presence of Oates.
While talking, Skippy looked to everywhere around of him, looking for Nermal with his eyes, but he didn't see that twisted wolf-clown-magician anywhere in the area.
"...apparently got away, again. Didn't he, Uncle Nick? Didn't he?" Skippy asked from Nick as he started to slowly realize that Nermal had got away from them again, and this time for good, causing his wide and eager bunny smile to fade away and turn into the disappointed expression and his heartily above of his head hanging bunny ears lost their grip and fell down against the back of his head.
And after Skippy had finished, Nick tried to create some excuses to explain himself and Skipper, but it was too late.
Oates had already heard everything.
"Busted!" Nick murmured, as he slapped his right paw against his faces out of frustration... knowing too well what to expect from this.
Oates eyes turned from Skippy to Nick, lifting one of his eyebrows up as he created the questioning look on his faces as he staared down at Nick.
Nick was trying nervously evade the eye-contact with him but it failed.
"You brought the civilian bunny… even a child… to investigate your case as your "buddy partner" even though you knew that we didn't agreed with that when you took up this case?! Is this true, officer Wilde?!" Oates questioned with the venomous eyes targeted down at Nick.
"Uh, yes but I…" Nick tried to explain, only to be harshly interrupted again by Oates.
"And is this true that this... little bunny child... was running with you through of the dark and criminals-filled alleys and on the streets and car roads full of fast driving cars, which are usually the extremely dangerous places for the little children in his age?!"
"Hey, I'm not little!" Skippy, annoyed of being called "little" once again, loudly protested, but Nick quickly silenced him, preventing him from making the situation even worse, before Nick turned back to Oates in order to explain.
"Yes, but sir, I…" Nick tried, but Oates spoke over his words once again.
"Do you understand that you placed the innocent life… the civilian's life... yet even the child's life… in the great danger by taking him in the investigation of this case, which are the police officers' and detectives job, not the little bunnies' jobs!"
"And did I heart it correctly, that you EVEN USED HIM AS A BAIT FOR YOU SO-CALLED CRIMINAL TO LURE HIM OUT FROM HIS HIDEAWAY! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA THAT WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED TO CIVILIAN DURING OF THIS INVESTIGATION! HE COULD HAVE BEEN HIT BY A CAR! OR HE COULD HAVE FOUND HIMSELF AS AN CHEWING TOY OR AS AN KICKING BALL OF THE HOOLIGANS THAT ARE ON THE MOVE AT NIGHTTIME!" Oates furiously barked.
"AND NOW LOOK AT HIM! hE'S LUCKY THAT HE DIDN'T HURT HIMSELF EVEN BADLY THAN JUST HAVING THE SCRATCH INTO HIS ARM!"
Skippy then made his stand by coming between of Oates and Nick.
"Hey, don't you blame Uncle Nick like that, Detective-Horse-Butt, as Uncle Nick called you after you left from our house. Uncle Nick was torn between of following the rules of your stupid agreemend and his burning need for the partner to this case. But I myself volunteered to come along and I persuaded him to take me along with him to investigate this case, even though he was very reluctant to allow me to come as his a new bunny partner in aunt Judy's place, even though I knew all too well the risks, but I didn't cared. All what I wanted to do was to help Nick in his case and I voluntarily agreed to be used as live bait for that twisted wolf-clown Nermal... only to help him to progress in the case…"
"And yes, I got hurt from my shoulder during of the investigation of the case when we chased Nermal through the streets, car road, alleys and Park, but not so badly. It was just a scratch, nothing worse. But it's not uncle Nick's fault if I hurted myself. It's that fiend's fault who caused this whole mess in the first place. He hit me with the beverage can when we chased him through of that alley and I fell off Nick's back during of his four-foot running speed and I hurted my shoulder... but I asked/demanded Uncle Nick to continue chasing Nermal instead of turning back to help me, until he finally got away." Skippy said, defending Nick and berating Oates for his severity towards Nick.
"Stay out of the adults business, kid." Oates snarled sharply as Skippy, making the little white-furred bunny to back off.
Nick reached with his left arm to Skippy and pulled him behind of his back to keep him out of this.
And then, Nick turned back to Oates and attempted to speak again, but Oates quickly and harshly spoke over his words, once again."
"Didn't we agreed that you're gonna solve this case all alone and not without the help from anyone, except the suspect ones?! And now, you've broken the rules of our agreement!" Oates shouted, causing Nick to feel himself like the mammal cornered to the corner with no escape.
"But with his help, I've reached this far in this case. Without his help, I could have never - or maybe not in time - find these clues and not even get this evidence, with which I can use as evidence against Nermal and Judy's charges." Nick sain in self-defense.
"You know well yourself that I could have never been reached this far within two days. Or was that rule "on my own and with no help from anyone" supposed get me deliberately to fail in this case with the limited chances so that you can, through of the half-false evidences, throw Judy Hopps to the jail for the one small theft like some kind of high-levelled dangerous criminal… just like the chief Bogo seemingly did with Judy as an attempt to deliberately get rid of her when he put everything she got to the game to solve her first big case with the unfairly limited reasources?"
Then there appeared an annoying grin on Oates face.
"Well, thank you for that, Wilde. I'll take that one… as all of those "Detective-Horse-Butt" commeds for me behind of my back... as an insult towards me." Oates said and, suddenly, he took the camera, the piece of the silk cloth and the paper with Nermal's footsprints.
And… to Nick's and Skippy's shock and horror… Oates rip the pic into pieces and threw their with the hard effort and sweat acquired clues into the nearby garbage can... and he even deliberately dropped the camera to the ground and lifted his leg up and above of the camera.
Nick realized that what Oates was about to do.
"No, no, no, NO, NO, NO, DON'T! THAT'S THE MAJOR EVIDENCE FOR PROVING JUDY'S..." Nick tried but too late.
Oates landed his leg down and stomped the camera beneath of his hoof, smashing it.
"…innocence." Nick murmured out of shock and despair, as the horse detectine kneeled down and picked the pieces of the broken camera and thew them to the garbage can after the other evidence.
"That's the punishment of breaking the rules of our agreemend with my terms... and well as for insubordination with the insulting words." Oates said, explaining his actions as he turned back to Nick and Skippy.
"Geez! You're even worse than even chief Bogo himself..." Nick murmured silently.
Skippy stood still in next to Nick, with his eyes widened, his ears having jumped back upright (and eventually fell back down against the back of his head) and his lower jaw was hanging out of shock... after witnessing with his very own eyes Oates breaking the camera under of his leg... and the evidence for proving Judy's innocence along with it.
"Hey, that was my mom's camera!" Skippy yelled at Oates in anger!
"In the fox hands, it looked like the toy camera to me. Besides, it was already broken. The small scratch in the corner, if case you failed to see." Oates simply, and with the school bully-like style, said to Skippy, who stared at the horse detective with the long and dark scowl...
...yet with the watery eyes, because Skippy had got from his mother the permission to borrow it for taking the pictures on the Halloween Eve, on the condition that he would not break it. Skippy had also promised to his mother that he would return that he would return it to her as in one piece.
But now when it was broken, Skippy was unable to return it back to his mother, and he began desperately to think how he would explain this to her mother, as it was sure that Barbara would never believe that some "honest" horse detective deliberately broke it.
And in the feel of ashamed for not being able to keep his promise to his mother, Skippy lowered his head down and his expression turned from anger even more into the look of ashamed and sadness.
Nick saw this and lied his paw comfortingly over Skippy's shoulders, which gave to Skippy even more strenght to hold back his tears, even though a couple of them managed to escape and ran down along his cheeks.
Nick also created the dark scowl at Oates.
"Yep... definitely worse than Bogo." Nick murmured.
And then, Oates ears axted like the horse detective had just caught some noises from nearby distance.
And so did Nick's and Skippy's ears, as the sources of the sounds came closer.
And when they were close enough, Nick recognized the sounds.
The sirens of the police cruise.
Oates then turned to Nick.
"And, speaking of the chief Bogo, Wilde." Oates said as he turned to thedirection of the sirens.
And within the seconds... at least four-six more police cruisers appeared and stopped right next to Oates' car.
"Ten... nine... eight... seven... six... five... four... three... two... one..." Nick counted, as he knew what to expect at first.
"WILDE!" Nick heard chief Bogo's angry shout as the buffalo came out from the lead cruiser.
"A'aaaaaand... here we go." Nick added.
"SKIPPY SPEEDLEG!" There was the another voice, following right after Bogo's own, and which belonged to none else than to Barbara.
"Uh, oh! Now we're in really bad trouble." Skippy whispered to Nick, as he quickly held back his tears or wiped them off from his eyes and cheeks with his paws.
And soon, the duo found themselves in front of at the mangrily glaring chief Bogo and Barbara.
"Where have been looking for you everywhere!" Chief said with the stern tone and angry frown.
"You two... especially you, Nicholas Piderius Wilde... own me a rational explanation for being out late for over six-seven hours!"
While Barbara was berating Skippy for not telling him for what they really sneaked outside of the door and even staying out after midnight. Bogo was at the very same time berating Nick for bringing the civilian… and even a child… along with him to the investigation of the case and for having placed Skippy's life in the danger during the investigation, both sternly and coldly reminding the fox officer that the investigation of the cases were the duties of ZPD's officers', not civilians' and especially not the little children's duty.
Even both Nick's and Skippy's attempts to explain their both's motives in order to justify their actions for the good purpose and to defend each other weren't enough to calm chief and Barbara down.
And Detective Oates only worsened the stituation even more by telling everything what he had heard from Skippy and Wilde.
However, much to dox-and-rabbit duo's annoyance, Oates edited the trust by leaving Nermal and the entire hypnosis part without telling and told to chief instead that soon-to-be ex-officer Hopps had nothing else wrong, but she had only drank herself in drunk out of feel of guilty, and that Nick took Skippy quite deliberately along with him to play the detective only. He even claimed Nick and Skippy being playing with the firecrackers in the alley and during of the surprising reunion… Nick had out of surprise dropped Barbara's camera from his paws to the ground, which caused it to went broken, which greatly added Barbara's (along with Bogo's) disappointment upon of Nick and Skippy.
The information of Nick "breaking" the camera her late husband gave for her as an gift, made Barbara to mourn its loss, because she had taken with it many wonderful family memories... and now when the camera was broken, she was unable to take anymore any pictures of her family... and she was also unable to buy a new one.
"Don't worry, Ms. Barbara. I can buy to your a new camera with as an replacement for the old one that butterfingered fox just broke." Oates said to Barbara, angering Nick and Skippy, because their claims of Oates being the one who was resbonsible for the breaking Barbara's camera and Oates being the liar, were ignored by chief and Barbara.
Bogo then turned to Wilde.
"Wilde, when the Halloween Eve is over, you'll spend two months in parking duty for insubordination! And you're released from the task of investigating this case, and the officer Hopps unfortunate incident will be now in Oates hooves." Chief Bogo declared firmly.
Nick couldn't help but let the word "WHAT?!" loudly out of his mouth.
"But sir, you do not understand! Judy being framed for the robbery of the Shopping Paradise is why I'm doing this, solving this case to prove her innocence and trying to wake her from her current state, which has nothing do to about drinking herself to drunk out of feel of ashamed, confusion or guilty! And I've worked hardly the whole night to have the evidences to free Judy from the charges against her. Oates hasn't done anything about it and now he just sabotaged my efforts to prove Judy innocent by destroying the evidences and clues! You gotta believe me, chief!" Nick pleaded, but...
"Not another word, Wilde! I've spoken!" Chief said sharply, refusing to listen Nick.
"Consider yourself being lucky, Wilde, that I don't resign you from ZPD for breaking the code by placing the child's life in unnecessary danger." Bogo said and walked towards his police cruiser to leave the scene, followed by the other cops that arrived with him.
The police cruises soon left from the scene, except for chief's cruise, that remained behind to give Barbara and Skippy the ride back to Barbara's.
As the chief in the driver's seat opened the door from the passenger's seat, Barbara took from Skippy's paw and started to walk with him towards the car.
And on their way, Skippy desperately tried to get his mother to listen to him, only to be sternly silenced by Barbara.
"Skippy. You, young man, are grounded for one month… no video games, no hanging out with the friends, no dessert and no candies... one month!"
Skippy's eyes widened and ears jumped up after hearing this... and this was following Skippy's voice turning even more pleading.
"But mom, you promised! Give me even next night. Please? Please please please please?" Skippy pleaded, but Barbara had made her decidion.
Barbara only took the firm grip from Skippy's wrist and took him to the chief's car.
But before they entered into the car ans sat upon the driver's seat, Barbara turned to Nick.
"And Wilde, I need to talk with you two alone once we're back home!" Barbara said darkly to Nick as she entered after Skippy to chief's car.
As the chief, Barbara and Skippy drove away. Oates then catched Nick's attention.
"You're lucky that you at least did't got fired, officer Wilde." Oates said as he leaned down nearly to Nick's head's level.
Nick let out the angered growl as he turned around to look at Oates to the eyes.
"You did all of that deliberately!" Nick snarled at Oates.
"Yes, I did... but because you got to keep your badge, I'll say that our agreement, still with my terms, is still in effect." Oates said.
This left Nick a quite confused, because the last thing he heard was that chief released him from the investigation of the case and placed him under the parking duty for the next two months after Halloween was over.
But, before he was able to say the word "What?" He was quickly interrupted by Oates.
"I'll grant you the second chance to solve this case, but this time, without the help or partners. And remember, that if you try to pick the evidence and clues out from that garbage can, I'll break our agreemend right here and right now and pay the visit at Barbara's to take Judy with me to the custody as punishment for the candy theft in the Shopping Paradise. Understood?!" Oates said, as he went in his car and drove away from the scene...
...leaving Nick behind to double-depressed, due the fact that all his and Skippy's efforts to prove Judy's innocence were all in vain... complete thanks to Detective Oates.
And, because Oates did not bother to give Nick the lift back to Barbara, Nick had to order the tax to take him there.
It was five o'clock at night when Nick arrived back to Barbara's and stepped into the house.
And once entering into the living room, Nick found Barbara sitting in one of the living room's sofa, with the living room's table's table lamp as her only companion.
Barbara demanded Nick to sit onto another sofa, so that they would be able to start their discussion for tonights events right here and right now... with the cost of the remaining hours of night.
However, Nick asked for permission to pay the quick visit on Judy before their harsh discussion, which Barbara reluctantly but quickly granted.
"Make it quick!" Barbara said sternly as she dismissed Nick for a while.
And with that, Nick headed to the guest room's door and opened the door slightly open... and proceed by looking inside through of the gap to see that was Judy in there, before he opened the door even more to step in.
There Judy lied on the bed, in the very same lifeless and motionless statue-like position as Nick had left her after bringing her back from the hospital trip earlier today and then departed to do some investigations for the case.
Judy had her still lifelessly greyed eyes open and there was no any friendly reaction in her face in Nick's presence like usually she used to have.
All what she only did was just aimlessly looking at the room's ceilimg, moaning quietly.
It hurted Nick to see Judy in the state like this, as an empty aimless and motionless shell, especially when he was so close... so, so, so, so, so close... to have the evidences against the charges against her, to prove her innocence cleaning her name and to arrest Nermal for his crimes.
Now all of those evidences were gone... and Nick had only nineteen hours time to prove judy's innocence.
Completely impossible mission!
Nick walked to Judy's side on the bed and sat down next to Judy, looking at her with the eyes full of sorrow for her and the desperation for his extremely poor chances to prove her innocence.
Nick stretched out his right paw towards Judy's head, placing his fingers over her eyelids and gently moved them down, closing her eyes. Judy did not make any resistance on it, but aimlessly allowed Nick to do it... even though she probably didn't even knew that what Nick just did.
Nick then ran his paw over Judy's cold forehead for the several times, before he moved his paw from Judy's forehead over her left cheek, gently rubbing with his thumb Judy's soft furry cheek from beneath of her left eye.
Nick was even kind of expecting Judy letting out the pleasant purr from the feel of his touch against her cheek like she usually does... but this time there was no the purring sound to be heard from Judy.
And because of the sorrow of seeing Judy in this state like this along with his intentionally sabotaged efforts to prove Judy's innocence because of Oates and his terms in their agreemed, it proved to be difficult for him to find the perfect words to say.
However, he had to say something quickly, and then go back to face Barbara's wrath.
And then, Nick leaned closer of Judy's faces, moving his muzzle next to Judy's ear...
"I'm sorry, Judy. I'm so sorry for letting you down. I tried my best for your sake, but my efforts weren't enough. I hope that you'll forgive me my failure." Nick whispered into Judy's ear, not caring about the fact that Judy didn't even hear him
And with that, Nick ran his paw over Judy's head for one more time, before he jumped off from the bed and moved out of the guest room, leaving Judy to "sleep" over the remaining hours of night in the bed.
TO BE CONTINUE...