When the curtains went down Eve releases a heavy sigh, she began to walk backstage to go to her dressing room to freshen up.
"Eve fabulous job darling!" Felix cries out to the raccoon as he embraces the short female. Eve smiles softly as she hugs the cheery cheetah back.
"Thank you! You know I could never pull it off without you Feefee! You made me look fabulous!" She responses back as she twirls around showing off her busty figure in the fitted dress. Felix smile widens as he fans himself with his paw.
"YAS! You are slaying honey!" Felix gushes as they both share a laugh.
"Oh! How was your vacation?" The cheetah asks as the duo walk towards Eve dressing room. The raccoon smiles as she sighs in content.
"It was so relaxing! The Rainforest Districts has the best food!" She squeaks happily as she thought back to the many restaurants she had visited in the Rainforest, it made her mouth water. She needs to visit real soon!
"Well, you were obviously having a good time since you never answer any of my text." Felix says playfully as he bumps Eve's hip making her stumble slightly.
"I didn't answer your text on purpose; I lost my phone the day I left. So I couldn't contact anyone until I came back. And I already place an order for a new phone this morning." Eve explains as they made it to her dressing room.
"Ok, but once you get it, you better text me." Felix states as he kisses her cheek goodbye.
"Will do sweetie, bye!" Eve says as she waves him off. The raccoon opens her dressing room door and enters her space. Once inside the raccoon closes the door and leans her back against it as she lets out a heavy sigh.
"Rough day?" A voice asks her making Eve jolt in surprise. She cranes her neck to the left and sees the same fox she saw during her performance. He sat in her pink love couch with his feet prop on her black wooden coffee table as he read a magazine. Eve groans internally as she glares at the fox, talk about a stalker. The prey pushes herself off her door and stands confidently with her paws on her hips.
"What are you doing here?" she asks in a irritate attitude. Nick peeps up from the magazine to look at the raccoon.
"Oh, where are my manners? I am Nick Wilde from the ZPD and you Rizzo Coon are being taken into my custody." Nick answers as he places the article down and stood on his feet. The raccoon felt her heart pump a little faster when he introduces himself; she knew who he is, she just hoped he didn't come looking for her. But Rizzo rolls her eyes; she didn't have time to play his stupid mind games.
"Sure and I'm Gazelle." She says sarcastically. It was Nick's turn to rolls his eyes, but he lifts his right paw to shows her his badge. Rizzo's eyes widen slightly, oh he is serious.
"And is this not you?" he asks her as he pulls out his phone and shows the raccoon a photo of herself. Rizzo did everything she could to keep her calm demeanor, the young female scoffs, and turns away from him.
"Pft, I know we all look alike, but sorry sweetie you got the wrong raccoon, she has blue eyes and glasses." She states as she walks over to her vintage mirror and began to reapply her mascara. Nick smirks as he pulls Rizzo glasses from his pocket.
"You mean these glasses? Also, if you take the contact lenses off, I think we'll have a match. Sorry sweetie I got the right raccoon." Nick shots back as he walks closer to Rizzo. Rizzo takes a deep breath as she looks herself in the mirror, damn it. She easily takes off her colored lenses and she puts them away in a case. Rizzo flicks her large icy blue eyes at a blurry Nick from her mirror. When she did the fox could feel nostalgia blossom in his chest as he stares into her hypnotic eyes.
"What do want, Nick?" Rizzo asks as she turns fully around to him. Her voice snaps the cop out of his trances, he gathers his thoughts together and spoke.
"Rizzo you are a suspect of first-degree murder." He announces in a serious manner. This made Rizzo scrunch up her snout as she raises her brows.
"Murder? What are you talking about?" The blue eye mammal inquires genuinely confused about the situation.
"Grey Clawston was found dead in his hotel room this morning and your phone was at the scene of the crime." The fox states with a harsher tone as he pulls out his handcuffs from his blazer pockets. Rizzo's eyes widen as she felt everything stop at what he said. Grey…Grey is dead?
"He's dead?" She asks meekly and Nick nods. Rizzo's eyes sting as she leans against her makeup table for support. Her eyes fill up with tears as she sniffles quietly. This couldn't be happening, she saw him right before she left! Nick sighs as he approaches the female and stares down at her.
"Hands behind your back." He orders the raccoon. Rizzo gazes up at him with watery eyes as she gave him a harsh scowl, but she did as told. She turns around and lets Nick cuff her.
….
"I told you I left to the Rainforest District on Sunday, June 19, the same day I lost my phone and I came back this morning at 3 a.m." Rizzo explains to Nick and his well-known partner Judy Hopps. All three of the mammals sat at a metal rectangular table in an integration room. Both Nick and Judy sat side by side across from Rizzo who is still is handcuffed.
"So you just happen to lose your phone the day you left and came back the day of the murder? Sounds extremely coincidental." Nick scoffs as he leans against his seat.
"That's because it is." Rizzo growls out as she continuously glares at Officer Wilde. Judy's ears droop down as she shifts her eyes from Rizzo and Nick, she could literally feel the tension in the room.
"Uh, well do you have proof of you being out of the city during the time the murder happened?" Judy asks kindly, hoping to ease the tension. Rizzo shifts her eyes over to the bunny as she flips her bang out of her face.
"I don't, but my Uncle does. Can I call him?" Rizzo asks gently as she spoke to Judy. The rabbit gives her a small smile and nods.
"Sure." Judy gets off her seat and Rizzo follows her out of the interrogation room, leaving Nick behind. Once the bunny and raccoon left Nick let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. The fox leans forward on the metal table and rubs his face.
"Keep it together Wilde."
…..
"You get one call." Judy instructs the raccoon as she leans against the wall next to her. Rizzo nods and began to dial her Uncles number. When she finishes pushing in the numbers she took a nervous breath as she waits for him to answer. After a few rings, someone picks up the phone.
"Hello?" Came a cheery voice.
"Hey, Tio. I need a favor, I need you to come to the police station to prove to them I was out of the city when Grey was murder." She says softly into the phone transmitter. The line went quiet and Rizzo began to think he hung up, but she heard his voice in the receiver.
"I'll be there in a few minutes." Click. Rizzo hung up the phone and tilts her head back as she slouch her shoulders.
"Now we wait." Rizzo comments.
After a few minutes of waiting in the interrogation room, Nick and Judy brought in an elder raccoon with a mop of curly hair, a thick mustache, an oversize sweater and a cane. Rizzo quickly stands on her feet as she saw him enter the room.
"Rizzo!" Her Uncle cries out as he hobbles over to his niece and embraces her in a hug.
"Oh, sweetie I'm so sorry to hear the news about Grey! You must be heartbroken, you two made such a fine couple!" Her Uncle cries as he strokes his niece back in a comforting manner. Rizzo sighs as she hugs her Uncle as tears began to build up in her eyes again. Damn it, she hates crying.
"Yeah, I miss him, Tio Abel." She mutters to herself as she hugs him closer. Judy lower lip trembles as she watches the heartwarming scene before her while Nick seems a bit shock. Grey was her boyfriend? A sudden sadness seems to weigh itself in his chest, but he shook it off…or tried to.
"Uh, I'm sorry to interrupt but we need proof of Rizzo being with you the whole time since the crime." The teary eye bunny utters softly as she sniffles.
"Oh, right! Here are some photos I took during our trip." Abel replies as he pulls away from Rizzo. He takes out his smartphone from his pants; he quickly unlocks the device and clicks on the photo album app.
He clicks on the recent photos and shows the cops' pictures of him and Rizzo on the train to the Rainforest District with the date above the photo; he scrolls through several more photos of them at dinner, at the pool and sightseeing. And the last photo he shows them was a picture of a sleeping Rizzo on the train back to Savanna Central, the cops' check the time and date- June 22, 2016, at 2:34 a.m. Nick and Judy glance at each other and nod.
"Well, you're good to go. Thank you for your time." Judy says calmly as she walks the two raccoons out the police station. Abel nods to the bunny as he held onto Rizzo's arm.
"Anytime and please do find who did this to Grey. He was like family to us." Abel requests to Judy with a sadden expression on his face. Judy nods and pats his shoulder.
"Don't worry, we'll find them." She reassures the raccoon.
"Thank you, Officer Hopps." Rizzo mutters before turning around with her Uncle and walking with him to his black vehicle where a badger driver awaited them. Rizzo opens the door for him and helps him in car and she closes the door after herself. Once they both settle in the driver drove off into the busy city streets. Rizzo clears her throat as she looks up at her Uncle.
"I'm sorry you had to-" But before she could finish Abel smacks her across the face hard making her glasses fall off her face and onto the car floor.
"How dare you make me walk into a police station! I've been avoiding that place for years and now I had to dress up like some old fool to get your sorry butt out of there!" Abel shouts angrily as he tosses the wig off his head and he rips off his fake mustache. Rizzo whimpers softly as she held her face that is stinging with pain.
"I'm s-sorry, they w-wouldn't let me go w-without proof." She cries softly as lean against the side of the car to get further away from her Uncle.
"You stupid girl! You're so lucky that I have a meeting in Tundra Town in a few hours or I would give you a beating of your life!" he barks as he took off his oversized sweater to reveal a tailor all back suit.
"But what about Grey?" Rizzo asks as she looks over at her blurry Uncle. The question made him scoff as he adjusts his buttons.
"That idiot? I say he got what was coming to him. I told him not to sell at Manny's men corner, but did he listen? No, now he's dead and now I have to speak to Manny to prevent a gang war." Abel spats angrily as he finishes fixing himself up. Rizzo cringe at his harsh tone and Gray's death made her want to cry more, but she knew her Uncle would only make it worse for her if she did so.
"Anyways did my eyes deceive me or was the young Nicky in there?" The elder mammal asks his Niece. Rizzo nods as she leans down and picks up her glasses.
"Yeah, that was him." She answers back weakly as she adjusted her frames back on her face.
"Mhm, I heard he join the pigs, but I had to see it to believe it. Shame, I wanted him to join the gang, but maybe this might be a good thing still." Able mumbles as a wicked smile grace his face. This might work to his advantage.
"No, you said if I go with you, you'll help my dad and leave Nick alone." Rizzo reminds him as she faces her Uncle. She gave him a light scowl, but this only made Abel cackle.
"Oh, still in love with your old flame?" he resorts back making Rizzo glared harder at him.
"No, not anymore. Just leave him out of this." She responds back making Abel roll his hazel eyes.
"Whatever you say. I just thought you wanted to help your dad to get out of that miserable hospital ASAP, but guess not." Abel shrugs as he grabs his phone and began to text one of his many men about the drug deal that is happening in Sahara Square. But what Abel said poke at Rizzo curiosity, how was Nick going to help her father? She does want to help her dad; she didn't know how much time he has left. And at this point, she would do anything for her dad, even if it meant betraying an old lover. Rizzo scoffs loudly as she crosses her arms over her chest.
"What's your plan?"
…..