Ch. 21: Planting the Seed
Judy felt the sunlight warm her face, telling her it was morning. Judy kept her eyes closed and stretched her paw out, opening her eyes in surprise when she didn't feel Nick beside her. Suzy was roused from her sleep as Judy moved and stretched while the rabbit checked the bathroom, it was empty.
"Well he has to be in the apartment somewhere," Judy insisted as she picked up the fox's phone, "He never leaves this."
Grabbing the rattle she hid under the pillow Suzy then jumped onto Judy's shoulder and the officer walked into the kitchen where Amelia was fixing a bottle for the sugar glider. She smiled softly at the rabbit but Judy was busy looking around the kitchen and living room, finally she turned her eyes to the vixen, "Where's Nick?"
Amelia's eyes widened, "He didn't come back?"
Judy's brow knit and her gut clenched in worry, "What do you mean?"
"He went for a walk last night," Amelia explained, "I fell asleep but he said he wouldn't be long…"
"I swear if he's not at the precinct…" Judy forced her voice to sound angry so she wouldn't show how scared she had suddenly felt. Something really bad was going on. She placing Suzy in Amelia's awaiting paws and the sugar glider offered Judy the rattle. Judy took it, distracted and hurried to get ready, and a few minutes later she rushed out of the apartment in her uniform, Nick's phone and Suzy's rattle in her pocket.
When Judy walked into the ZPD precinct everyone within a hundred mile radius knew something was wrong.
Clawhauser and Aaron were sharing a pleasant chat when she was suddenly standing next to them and placing Nick's phone on his desk, "I can't find him," her voice cracked with worry.
"What?" Clawhauser asked, his friend's expression instantly had him on high alert. Aaron was distracted by his phone chiming in a text; the deer fished it out of his phone, studied the screen and quickly typed a reply, a smile on his lips. "My girlfriend," he explained when the rabbit and cheetah looked at him. "We're trying to do the long distance thing."
"Nick apparently went out for a walk last night," Judy explained to the two. "I've known him for two years and he's never taken strolls at one in the morning. And he left his phone! He never does that!" She stared at the black device forlornly.
Aaron studied it and realized it was turned off. "Maybe we can find some clues in it?"
"You mean snoop through it?" Judy looked doubtful; it was hardly something a good girlfriend did.
Clawhauser must've followed her train of thought because he patted her paw comfortingly. "This is an emergency, Nick would understand."
Judy sighed and nodded turning the piece of technology on. As she did so Aaron pulled out his phone to send another text to his girlfriend, and the minute Nick's phone came on it buzzed with new messages. Several new messages actually.
Feeling like a crazy, jealous ex Judy looked through them, hoping one would tell her where her boyfriend was. She got more than she bargained for:
And get our paws red like we did in the good old days.
Remember, Never Turn Your Back.
Our favorite hyena nearly drank some night howler serum.
What do you know about the Felino gang?
How do you keep sugar gliders come?
Answer me, Nick.
And the newest text: Meet at Cliffside Asylum at 4. Don't be late Nick.
Judy placed the phone back in her pocket, her stomach had tightened itself in knots as her thoughts whirled, trying to find a logical explanation because what this phone was telling her could not be true. It couldn't be.
"Judy?" Clawhauser spoke softly as if afraid to startle her, the cheetah and deer were watching her.
"I-I need to go," she managed, already heading out of the precinct; "Tell Bogo Nick and I called in sick."
She was going to Cliffside Asylum.