Nick stopped in front of the door of the Forensics Department in the basement corridor of Precinct 1. He listened with a smile on his face.
"Yush, my widdle catalysts! Be vewy good and speed up the desalination for mommy and she'll let you wide in the centwifuge machine."
Nick held a chuckle behind his paw. A cute chemist talking to her reagents. Now he'd seen it all.
"Who's a good widdle liposoluble organic compound? Yush, you are! Yush, you are my pwetty widdle dichlorobenzene phosphate."
Nick knocked gently on the door. Steps were heard crossing the lab. The door opened and a lovely bespectacled figure greeted him.
"Officer Wilde!" said Amber Beverly Latrans, the coyote girl that he and Judy had helped during the incident that folks had dubbed the 'crooked carnival caper'.
She blushed profusely as he walked in, her paws fidgeting with the notepad she was carrying.
"Such a pleasant surprise... I thought you were on leave," said Amber.
"I am. But I needed your help with something," said Nick.
"Oh, anything. Anything at all, Officer Wilde. I'm all yours."
She blushed crimson.
"Um... meaning... I am here to help... in anything... you may require... that I may be of assistance in…"
"I know I can always count on you, Amber," said Nick kindly. "I need you to analyse this for me."
He held up the hermetic bag with the withered carrot he had gotten from the Hopps farm.
"Oh, poor thing!" said Amber, taking the bag in her paw. "I've never seen a carrot look so sad."
"I'd like to know if there's something wrong with it, like a virus or chemical," said Nick. "The farmers say it's black rot, but I have my doubts."
"Sure, leave it to me," said Amber, taking the carrot and putting it into a refrigeration unit behind her. "I'll get to work on it right away. Results maybe tomorrow, afternoonish to evening, give or take a few hours."
"Thank you, Amber," said Nick. "You're the best and you know it."
Amber blushed even deeper crimson and turned around, fidgeting with her paws.
"I'm always here for you, Officer Wilde," said Amber. "Um… meaning… you know where to find me… if you ever need me, you know I'm here, and willing… to help, that is..."
"I do. And I can't thank you enough," said Nick, putting his paw on her shoulder. "It's great to have you on the team."
If there was a hitherto unknown shade of deep crimson, Amber had just invented it. She looked up into Nick's green eyes, barely able to breathe.
"Well, I'd better get going," said Nick.
"Sure," said Amber, walking him to the door. "Um, have a nice day...er, afternoon, as it were, Officer Wilde. I'll call you when I have results."
"Okay. Do you have my number?"
"I got it from Clawhauser. Oops! Um...I mean..." she stammered, very flustered.
"Great! I'll be expecting your call," said Nick with a smile and waved goodbye.
"Goodbye, Officer Wilde!" said Amber. "Stop by anytime."
As Nick walked up the stairs from the basement to the entrance hall, he chuckled to himself.
"I sure hope she keeps a fresh pair of panties in her locker."
A whiskery old walrus was sitting on a wooden park bench in front of a picnic table, with a chess board ready in front of him. From time to time he took a swig from a hip flask which he kept in his breast pocket.
The walrus looked up and saw someone familiar. A fox in dark blue joggers and a grey hoodie with the letters 'ZPD' printed on the front in blue was walking along the paved park path with a pastry bag in one paw. The fox smiled and waved, approaching the walrus.
"Nicholas Wilde," said the walrus, smiling brightly behind his bushy whiskers.
"Wallace Tuskington," said Nick. "Just the bloke I was looking for."
"How long has it been?"
"Too long," said Nick, sitting down across the table from the walrus.
"Where've you been spending your time, you old pirate? For a while, I thought the earth had swallowed you."
"Ah, you know how it is," said Nick. "Life. You get caught up. But I haven't forgotten you, and I know you haven't forgotten Mollie."
Nick put the pastry bag in front of the walrus named Wallace.
"You shouldn't have," said Wallace. "I mean really."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Your cholesterol and all that," said Nick with a wry smirk. "Whatever. A guy's got the right to his pleasures from time to time."
"You're damn right he does," said Wallace with a grin, taking the pastry bag in his flipper and opening it.
Inside was a delicious-looking chocolate éclair. The walrus took it out and bit the corner, savouring the wonderful creamy pastry.
"Ah, Mollie Moo, that marvellous little minx," said Wallace. "Nobody in town makes 'em like she does. If I were forty years younger…"
"She'd be a widow by now," said Nick teasingly.
"Touché," said Wallace, taking a generous bite of éclair.
"So, Wally. Word on the street is there's a new player in town," said Nick, casually moving the white pawn on the board two spaces forward, starting a new chess match.
"Yeah?" said Wallace, moving his black pawn in response and cramming more éclair into his mouth. "I might have heard a thing or two through the grape vine. Been shaking up the warehouse district, this new kid on the block."
"Yep," said Nick, moving his knight. "Shame about old Capri."
"Poor old devil," said Wallace, moving another pawn. "Went completely berserk. Ain't no more job security for anyone nowadays, I tell you. You work for thirty seven years, give your life's blood to a company, and still they flush you out like you're some college summer jobber, at their whim. Still, doesn't justify what he did."
"Yeah, I was sorry to witness that unfortunate event," said Nick, moving his bishop. "He'll be locked away for quite a while, I'm afraid."
"Sucks to be him," said Wallace, moving his own bishop. "Still, there's plenty of places he could have gone."
"Clayton Cosgrove has always taken care of his employees," said Nick, moving his queen a few spaces. "Good benefits, weekends off, paid vacation…he was an exemplary employer. Doesn't really make sense he'd suddenly be bought out."
"Well, Clayton Cosgrove didn't want to be bought out, from what I heard. More of a…had to be bought out."
"You saying they made him an offer he couldn't refuse?"
"I ain't saying that's what it is," said Wallace, downing the rest of his éclair in one go. "I'm saying that's what I heard."
"Hmm…that makes things a heck of a lot more interesting," said Nick. "Seems like a bit of trouble, this new rich kid on the block."
"Aye, a bit of trouble. About that size."
Wallace jerked his head to the left and Nick turned his eyes in that direction. Above the trees, in the distance, he saw the shining apex of a building. It looked pristine from where they were sitting.
"Pre-fab, they say," said Wallace, moving his rook. "Slapped it together in four months flat, just like building blocks. Tax exemptions could buy a small country. I sure would love to know how those bloody lawyers work their magic. I can't even buy a quart of brandy without dishing out an extra flipperful of dimes."
"Well, they know the law like the pads of their paws and know all the workarounds and loopholes," said Nick, moving his queen.
"If I knew the way around my wife like that, maybe we'd still be together," said Wallace with a wry grin.
"Spilled milk, old friend," said Nick, moving his rook. "No use lingering on it."
Wallace moved his other rook.
"So, that's their headquarters?" asked Nick.
"Yup," said Wallace. "Fancy place, fit for a king, or so I'm told. Topmost office has golden bathroom appliances, from what I heard. Must make warming the seat mighty difficult."
"I'm sure the CEO has his private seat warmer standing ready at all times," joked Nick, moving his queen. "Anything else?"
"Naw, that's about it," said Wallace.
"Aww, too bad. Because I came prepared," said Nick.
From out of nowhere, he suddenly produced another pastry bag and put it on the side of the chess board.
"You really do want to kill me, don't you, Nick?" said Wallace chuckling as he took the bag in his flippers.
"Naw, if I'd wanted to off you, I'd have brought you Mollie's strawberry pound cake. That would really give your arteries a pounding."
"Fair enough. You know, I just might have that the day before my funeral," said Wallace as he took a second éclair out of the pastry bag and took an enormous bite.
"Well, don't make it too soon, alright?" said Nick. "I might still need your help in a not-too-distant future. You can never have too many allies in my line of work."
"Well, you just keep bringin' the good stuff, then," said Wallace, chomping down the rest of his éclair. "And say 'Howdy' to Mollie for me."
"Will do," said Nick, getting up. "I'm gonna go and have a little snoop around the new kid's backyard. See if I pick up anything."
"Suit yourself," said Wallace. "Hope to see you around more often, although I reckon my cardiologist would disapprove."
"Don't they all," said Nick, walking to the end of the picnic table. "Oh, and Wally?"
"Yeah?"
"Checkmate."
Wallace looked at the chess board. Nick's white rook, queen, bishop and knight had his black king surrounded. Any move the king made would be futile.
"Why, you son of a…"
But Nick was already halfway across the park, heading towards the commercial district. Even so, he could hear the walrus's hearty laughter in the distance.
The building Nick stood before was huge. Opulent was perhaps the better word. Its forty floors shone with pristine windows and the front entrance was at the end of a long stretch of courtyard, complete with a fountain in the middle and benches to sit and relax.
"Not one for subtlety, this Terra Firma, Inc."
He suddenly saw three huge grizzly bear security guards approaching. He walked away and hid behind some shrubs, watching closely. A small mole with thick glasses walked between the guards. And beside him…
"Hmmm…"
Dressed in spotless business suit, with an expensive tie and golden watch, walked…a rabbit.
"I assure you, Mr President, sir, that the matter shall be taken care of promptly and effectively," quavered the mole as he walked, fidgeting with his paws. "I shall personally attend to the matter."
"I hope so, Jenkins," said the rabbit in a tone so haughty and high-and-mighty that Flintheart Glomgold would have been jealous of it. "My patience wears thin, and you know what happens when my patience is tried."
"Yes, Mr President, sir," said the mole.
An elegant black car stopped at the front of the building. The president and the mole got into the car, all the while escorted by the thuggish grizzly bear bodyguards.
"Somehow, I doubt taking care of 'business' involves signing papers and relocating assets," said Nick to himself as he walked away from the building.
It was eight o'clock at night when Nick finally came back to his apartment building. He had spent the day walking around gathering information from his sources.
He took his keys out and opened the door to his apartment.
"Well, time to call the bunny lord and tell her I'm back home," said Nick, taking out his phone.
But he didn't have a chance to dial one digit when someone jumped onto his shoulders and hugged him from behind. Someone small and fuzzy and warm…
"No need for that, Mr Wilde," said a familiar voice behind him. "If you wanna talk, I'm right here."
Nick turned around to see Judy, standing before him with a bright smile on her face.
"Carrots!" he said, embracing her with genuine surprise and delight. "When…how…"
"There's this invention called a 'bus' that people discovered," said Judy. "And I happened to catch the last one. Slower than a train, but it gets the job done. I'm here, aren't I?"
"That you are," said Nick, taking her paw. "Come on in, let me get you something to drink."
Judy sat at the kitchen table with Nick, sipping carrot juice from her family farm, which Nick had become very fond of and purchased at the grocery corner. Nick sat down beside Judy and showed her everything he had discovered so far, bringing her up to speed with everything.
"So this is the list of farms that were purchased by Terra Firma Incorporated in the last month," said Nick. "And it's not just farms. Warehouses here in Zootopia, a fleet of trucks…remember old Cosgrove and the incident with the goat, Mr Capri?"
"Yup."
"Well, Cosgrove was bought out by Terra Firma, Inc. And they sacked everyone overnight," said Nick. "No wonder Capri was so upset. He had worked for Cosgrove for 37 years."
"So this Terra Firma, they're slowly purchasing the farming land and warehouse spaces. Ten to one they'll be moving to retail space next," said Judy.
Nick nodded.
"How did you notice, Nick?"
"If there's something I've learned in my life, Carrots, it's this: When something sounds too good to be true, it's because it's not true," said Nick. "And if something sounds too shady, it's because it is."
Nick pointed at the map on his computer screen. He had drawn a line connecting the farms purchased by Terra Firma, Inc.
"They want to monopolise the land three hundred miles around," said Nick. "And who knows what's next. Industrialise, change farmland into factories...he who owns the land owns the people, an old adage says."
He looked at Judy.
"And it's up to us to keep this from happening."
He closed his fist and lifted it. Judy grinned and did the same, and they shared a fist-bump.
"Amen to that, brother!" said Judy. "Hopps and Wilde are on the case!"
Nick's tummy suddenly rumbled.
"Well, seems like someone decided to voice his opinion," said Nick.
Judy suddenly had a thought.
"You're not sleepy, are you?" she said.
"Not in the least," said Nick.
"Good!" said Judy, standing up. "Movie night! You and I! And a big tub of yummy popcorn and some soft drinks. On the bunny!"
Nick could only say 'Yes'.
It was close to midnight when Judy and Nick walked out of the cinema, chattering happily.
"I'm so glad you introduced me to the film, Carrots. Now I'll have to go and watch the previous ones on Newtflix."
"See, I told you you'd love it!" said Judy. "Although I will say, those special effects at the end looked like they were made on a Carrot II Computer in 1983 by a third grader!"
"Yes! And that's why we love it!" laughed Nick. "So much cornball and cheese if you drop it in hot oil, you'd have cheddar popcorn."
Judy laughed heartily.
"And the villian's voice acting, so hokey it's Racso-worthy!"
"I know, right!" giggled Judy. "It totally deserves an award just for being entertaining. Can you believe Hindentanic won like eight awards? I'd be hard-pressed to think of a more boring film."
"Oh, don't even get me started," chuckled Nick. "You wanna talk about an endurance round? Hindentanic was insufferable! Now you were six years old when that film came out, so you probably watched it later on video at home."
"Yup, my oldest sister rented it and we all sat down to watch it," said Judy.
"Well, at least you could pause the movie and go get a snack from the kitchen," said Nick. "I watched it at the theatre, when it came out and people wouldn't shut up about it. After the third hour I was like 'Oh for heaven's sake, just sink already, please!'"
Judy laughed mirthfully as she held Nick's waist, burying her face into his side, inhaling his lovely scent. He smelt so nice, like cologne and masculine virility. She took a deep breath of his wonderful aroma as they crossed the street and headed towards the park.
"So, tell me, Carrots," said Nick as they sat down on a park bench.
"About what?"
"Why did you really come all the way from your hometown all of a sudden?" asked Nick, putting his arm around her shoulder and pulling her a little closer.
"Do I really have to spell it out for you, slick?" said Judy with a raised eyebrow.
"No…but it's so much fun when you do."
Judy smiled and went quiet. Her expression changed. She hugged his waist snugly as her cheek brushed lightly against his chest.
"I just…needed to be with you, Nick."
She held his paw, fondling it softly.
"These past days have been…very emotional. For all of us."
Nick nuzzled the top of her head with his nose softly.
"We shared so much," said Judy. "I just…really needed you, honey bun."
Judy looked up into his eyes.
"I just really, really wanted to come."
Nick narrowed his eyes and looked at her with that teasing expression she knew so well. Then she realised it.
"You…rascal!" she said, slapping him playfully on the chest.
"Hey, I didn't say it! You did," said Nick laughing.
"You absolutely shameless cad!" laughed Judy.
"Heh-hey! I didn't say anything at all!"
They laughed for a while and then went silent again. Judy moved up onto Nick's lap and straddled him, resting her head against his chest and closing her eyes. Nick hugged her lovingly, feeling the soft fuzzy warmth of his beloved bunny close to him. She was so precious. In every way.
"What you did for my family, Nick..." said Judy, "…and how you put a smile on dad's face when all seemed so bleak…"
She opened her eyes and gazed at him.
"We could never, ever thank you enough... I could never, ever thank you enough for what you did for us. You saved our farm, and you brought joy to my family... you've done so much for us..."
"Hey, that's what we're here for, right?" said Nick smiling. "To help each other, through thick and thin."
Judy's eyes were damp. A small tear dripped from her left eye.
"Aww, sweetheart," said Nick, taking his handkerchief and wiping her tear gently, stroking the back of her ears softly with his warm paw. "I think we've shed enough eye-water for one week, myself included."
Judy giggled as her paws caressed his cheeks lovingly. Her purple eyes gazed up into his emerald irises.
"I always took you for the life-hardened 'no tears allowed – boys don't cry' kind of guy, Nick. But it seems you manage to surprise me every time I think I've learnt all there is to know about you."
Nick held her chin gently in his warm paw, nuzzling her nose with his.
"You'll find that there is much to learn about me, sunshine," said Nick with a kind, paternal gaze.
"Well, you'll have to fill me in one of these days, won't you, Mr Wilde?" said Judy giggling.
"You know, the fact that you said those two phrases so close within context," said Nick. "I'm afraid I'll have to sit you down on my lap and we're going to have to have 'the talk', little lady."
"What? You're going to teach me about the birds and the bees?" said Judy, sliding up higher on his lap, hugging him around the neck and looking into his eyes. "Well, I'm all for it, handsome. But I will have you know, Mr Wilde…"
She leaned seductively closer to him.
'…that I've always been more of an empirical learner."
"Well, in that case, Miss Hopps, I shall have to humour you, shan't I?"
Their lips came together in a warm kiss. They locked in a tight embrace as their lips savoured the succulent feeling of raw physical affection.
And then came a BOOM! And a rain of shattered glass noise!
Judy and Nick bolted up, their moment totally disrupted. Across the street, a window was shattered and fire blazed from it. And someone was lying on the sidewalk.
"What?!"
Automatically, their cop instincts kicked in. They rushed to the scene.
"Fire department!" Judy hastily shouted into her phone. "This is Officer Judy Hopps, ZPD! Explosion on 643 Hashengu Street! Paramedics required!"
She hung up and saw Nick holding someone in his arms. Someone her size.
"He's not breathing!" said Nick, putting the small someone down on the grass of the park just across the street from the building in flames.
Judy realised it was an otter. He looked like he had been caught in the explosion and blasted out the window. Nick started to administer CPR.
"Come one, hang in there, don't you die on me, buddy!" said Nick as he pumped the otter's chest.
And then, out of the corner of her eye…Judy spotted him!
"Nick!" she said. "It's that mole!"
A small mole in dark clothes and big spectacles was walking fast into an alley across the street.
"It's him!"
Nick looked up at her. She looked at him. They nodded in complete understanding.
Judy raced off after the mole while Nick continued to give the otter cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
She pulled out her phone and ran down the alley, filming the chase. She arrived at the other end just in time to see the mole getting into a big black car. The car drove slowly away. As Judy got to the end of the alley and onto the sidewalk, she followed the car on foot for half a block. And suddenly, she saw a familiar face…
"Flash," she said.
Flash Slothmore, Nick's friend from the DMV, was walking towards a bodega…very slowly. On the curb, behind him, was his car.
Judy's mind raced at top speed. By the time she asked him if it was okay, the black car that had picked up the mole would be out of sight. And surely he wouldn't mind. After all…he was Nick's friend…
Very quick and quietly, careful to stash her phone in her pocket, Judy ran up to Flash's car and got in. Luckily, the sloth had left the key inside.
"Sloth didn't see it, I didn't do it," said Judy as she started the car. "I'm not stealing…just borrowing."
She stepped on the accelerator and the car jumped forward like it had been sitting on a spring!
"WHOA!" said Judy, breaking and slowing down as she got the hang of the car, pursuing her target. "Does this thing run on rocket fuel or what?"
The license plate wasn't FST NML for nothing.
Judy chased after the black car from a safe distance. It was a bit difficult because the car was meant for a slightly larger animal, but she managed. She took her phone out once again and filmed the black car, trying to zoom in on the license plate while at the same time keeping the car steady.
The black car turned a corner, drove straight two blocks…and turned another corner…
"Where are you going, Mr Mole?" Judy said through her teeth.
Suddenly, she noticed the street light turn yellow and the black car stepped on the gas to beat the light.
"Oh no, you don't!"
She shot after the black car, but it was too late. The black car crossed, the light turned red…and a large delivery truck crossed her path!
Judy slammed the brakes, screeching to a halt! She stopped a foot away from the delivery truck, which slammed the brakes too to avoid the collision.
"WATCH IT, ROAD HOG!" shouted the angry driver, a large pig.
Judy cursed under her breath. She had lost the black car. As she waited for the light to turn green again, Judy checked the video on her phone. She managed to film the mole and get a good look at the car, licence plate included. So it wasn't a total loss.
Judy brought the car back to the spot where she had taken it from and quietly hopped out. And just as she did, Flash was opening the door to the bodega, walking out with a bag of groceries in his clawed paw, with a placid smile on his face, none the wiser.
"Well…for once, being a sloth worked out for the better," said Judy to herself as she walked briskly through the alley on her way back to Nick.
She arrived at the scene to find the fire fighters controlling the flames. The elephant fire fighters used their trunks as portable water hoses and soon the fire was tamed.
Judy noticed an ambulance across the street, two paramedics and someone in a stretcher. And beside them was…
"Nick!"
Nick was talking to the paramedics, holding the paw of the otter on the stretcher. The otter's eyes were open!
"Will he be alright?" asked Nick to the paramedics.
"Yes, he's out of danger now. Off to Euripides Mouse Memorial, we'll patch him up. If it hadn't been for you, Officer, he wouldn't have made it."
As Judy approached them, the otter held Nick's paw tightly, trying to talk. Judy could see from his mouth what he was trying to say.
"Thank you…thank you…"
"You're gonna be alright, okay?" said Nick. "Hang in there, sport. You're going to be alright."
The paramedics lifted the otter into the ambulance and closed the doors. Then they drove away as Nick stood there watching, with Judy beside him holding his arm tightly.
The Euripides Mouse Memorial Hospital was a warm and welcoming place by hospital standards. The reception lobby was ample, decorated with tapestry depicting a mouse in a toga pulling a thorn out of a lion's paw. The image was simple, but Judy felt that the meaning was deep and very important.
As Nick knocked lightly on the door of room 352, causing the bouquet of roses he was holding in his arm to shake a bit, Judy looked around her at the pleasant pictures on the walls and vases of flowers at every corner. Certainly nicer than the drab linoleum and wallpaper she had come to associate with hospitals.
The nurse, a kind-looking beaver lady, opened the door.
"Officers," she said. "You can come in. I've just finished adjusting his intravenous."
"Thank you, Nurse," said Nick.
Judy held his paw tightly as they walked in. A lovely room with an ample window met their eyes, with a picture of a little house with a watermill beside a river on the wall. And on the bed, smiling and looking at them with gratitude, was the otter that Nick had saved the night before.
"Rise and shine, sport," said Nick, walking to the side of the bed.
"Officer Wilde," said the otter with a warm smile.
"Hope you like red roses," said Nick, placing them in a vase on the bedside table. "They're cliché but effective, so I'm told."
Judy stood beside Nick with a smile of relief on her face. She was glad the otter was out of danger. The otter reached with his IV-free paw and held Nick's paw warmly.
"You saved my life," said the otter. "I cannot ever thank you enough for what you've done for me."
"Just doing what any good citizen would do," said Nick.
"I was doing my rounds, everything was quiet, and then suddenly it all went black and there was a deafening sound…and then I woke up and saw you. And there were fire fighters everywhere."
Judy gathered that he was a security guard at the building where the explosion had taken place.
The otter turned his head to Judy.
"Officer Hopps," said the otter. "So glad to meet you at last. You've done so much for my family and I never got the chance to thank you personally. I wish it could have been under different circumstances."
"Always happy to help," said Judy brightly, wondering what the otter had meant by 'his family'. She didn't remember meeting this otter before. "That's what we're here for. Mister…?"
"Otterton," said the otter. "James Otterton."
Judy's eyes opened wide when she heard the surname. And just then, the door to the room opened. And in walked…
"Jimmy!"
Judy turned around to see Mr Emmitt Otterton and his wife, and the two Otterton boys, walking in. Then she realised it: James Otterton, Emmitt Otterton's brother.
The Otterton family entered the room and Mr Otterton hugged his brother with tears streaming from his eyes.
"Oh Jimmy, when I heard…"
"I'm alright now, Mitt. And the two officers standing next to me are the ones to thank," said James.
"Oh, Officer Wilde," said Mr Otterton, turning to them. "How can I ever thank you? You and Officer Hopps just keep saving my family and loved ones. You truly are our guardian angels."
"Aww, shucks, Mr Otterton," said Nick. "Just doing our duty."
They all exchanged hugs. Mr and Mrs Otterton hugged Judy and Nick, the Otterton children did the same. It was a very emotional reunion.
After lots of thanks and hugs, the Otterton children gave their uncle the get-well cards they had made. James Otterton smiled and stroked the heads of his dear nephews as the whole family gave thanks for his safety.
Nick gave Judy a glance, and she understood.
"Well, we'll be on our way now," said Judy. "It's so good to see you in good paws, Mr Otterton."
"Officers, thank you once more," said James. "From all of us. I don't know how I can ever thank you enough."
"You can thank me by getting lots of rest and sampling some of the first-class food they serve in this hospital," said Nick with a wink. "I hear the applesauce is deee-licious."
"Will do, Officer," said James. "Thank you once again."
Nick and Judy said goodbye to the Ottertons, who all thanked them once more.
The duo walked out of the room, down the corridor and into the elevator. Judy pressed the button and shortly the door opened with a pleasant 'ding!' and they walked into the lift.
As they stood in the elevator, Nick's expression changed, from his warm smile to a look of sheer determination.
"I'm all ears, Carrots," he said.
"Heh, that's my line, slick," said Judy with a sideways grin.
Nick couldn't help chuckling as Judy took out her phone and showed him what she had recorded the previous night.
Chief Bogo rested his chin on his steepled hooves. He watched the video for a third time before saying anything.
"And this…mole…was in both crime scenes…?"
"Yes," said Judy. "Well…one crime scene and the other suspected crime scene."
"Or both suspected crime scenes," said Bogo roughly.
Nick sat in silence beside Judy as she stood on the chair with her phone in front of Chief Bogo, showing him what she had recorded.
"We have to look into this, Chief," said Judy. "If we don't, there could be more crimes..."
"Or accidents," said Bogo, moving his hoof to the side of his desk and picking up a newspaper. On the cover of the paper, the headline read: GAS LEAK EXPLOSION BLOWS GROCERY STORE SKY HIGH.
"Gas leak!?" said Judy.
"That's what the papers are sticking to," said Bogo. "And that's what the press will be sticking to. And by tomorrow, the headline will be different, maybe some brighter one like 'Finalists for Miss Zootopia Speak Up' or something daft like that."
"Chief…we have to look into this!" said Judy.
Bogo sighed deeply and spoke slowly.
"I know exactly how this is going to play out, Hopps," said Bogo. "We'll show them this recording, they'll say there is no evidence to suggest that the mole had anything to do with the explosion. He was probably running away in fear. It will be dismissed. Then the very next day, a very angry telegram will arrive from the lawyer of the distinguished President of Terra Firma Incorporated. He will be pursuing legal action for defamation. Whoever suggested his involvement in the explosion will have to retract her or himself, and that's where it will all end."
Judy was thunderstruck. But it was true. She and Nick knew that they had nothing. The enemy held all the aces.
"I wish it weren't this way, Hopps," said Bogo. "But that is the way things are. This conversation can serve no further purpose. You are excused."
Judy and Nick knew that when Bogo said those words, there was nothing further to discuss. They hopped off their chair and walked to the door.
"Hopps."
They turned around and once again saw Bogo with that unreadable expression that was somewhere between empathy and pity, two adjectives that we as far removed from the persona of Chief Bogo as possible.
"Some enemies cannot be taken down by conventional means," said Bogo. "This isn't some street burglar or bank robber. If what you say is true, and for the record, I believe that you are right about what you suspect…these people are well-connected and cover their tracks. If you're going to investigate this case, do so from the shadows. Do not expose yourself. Understand?"
Judy and Nick looked at each other and then at Bogo, and nodded.
"And that goes for you too, Wilde," said Bogo. "These people know how to cover their tracks. And you must do the same. I don't want to be the one to fish your bodies out of the bay because you weren't careful enough. I don't want to be the one to have to write letters of condolences to your families. Truth be told, I was never very good at writing letters."
Bogo stood up and walked around the desk towards the door. He opened the door for them and spoke in a low tone.
"As far as I'm concerned, we never had this conversation. And you two are on leave, gone dancing or parkouring or whatever it is you youngsters do nowadays," said Bogo. "But if you are right about this…just know that I am behind you one hundred percent."
They all looked at each other and nodded in complete understanding.
"Now clear off," said Bogo. "It's too wonderful of a day to be stuck indoors."
Judy's apartment was the closest. By two blocks, at any rate.
"It smells like a cover-up to me," said Judy over the tap-tapping of her keyboard as she Zoogled the news. "The grocery store that was attacked…Madame Mildred's One-Stop Shop."
She Zoogled Madame Mildred's. It had been around since the 1920's.
"I'll bet you a bucket of blueberries and an apple that she refused to sell out to Terra Firma, and this explosion was a consequence."
Nick nodded as he watched her work, standing beside her chair with his paws lightly on her shoulders.
"It's too big of a coincidence," said Judy as she Zoogled Terra Firma, Inc, and brought up several articles.
"There are no coincidences," said Nick. "Only connections."
"Right, and that mole is definitely connected," said Judy, clicking on a video in her results list.
The title of the video was 'President of Terra Firma, Inc. inaugural speech.'
Judy watched as Mayor Mousawitz spoke a few words and then introduced the President of the Company. And then…she almost fell back.
"He…he's a…rabbit!"
And so it was. The rabbit's name appeared at the bottom caption: Preston Keyes, President of Terra Firma Incorporated.
Judy watched with her jaw open as the president delivered a silky speech with an oily voice and captivated the press. He had them eating out of his paw. The video ended and Judy turned to Nick.
"Did…did you know?"
Nick nodded.
"But…why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't think it mattered," said Nick.
"Didn't matter?!" blurted Judy. "Nick, what do you mean…?"
"Judy…"
She stopped. Her heart skipped a beat. She blushed. Nick only called her by her name when he was serious, very serious with nary an atom of playfulness or snark.
"It doesn't matter who he is. What matters is what he's doing, and the people he is hurting," said Nick slowly. "You grew up with sheep all your life. They're kind and fluffy and helpful. Totally harmless. And yet, who was behind the night howler debacle?"
A smiling bespectacled face came to Judy's mind. A cute, fluffy bespectacled and benevolent face…which turned out to be the mastermind behind the biggest crime in Zootopian history, one that almost tore the city apart.
"You grew up believing foxes were untrustworthy, conniving and mean brutes," said Nick. "And yet…"
He fell silent. Judy stood up and hugged him tight, pressing her face into his chest and inhaling his lovely, welcoming scent.
"Oh Nick….I'm so sorry…"
Nick hugged her tight and kissed the top of her head. Then his smooth, cheeky smile returned.
"Aww, come on, don't get all weepy with me, Carrots," he said jovially. "We got a case to solve and a villain to bring to his knees."
Judy sniffled and wiped two little tears on Nick's shirt.
"Come one, deep breath…there, let it go slowly…let's see that bunny smile…show me those teeth," said Nick as he held up Judy's chin in his paw, "come on, let's see a big grin with those bunny chompers…there you go! That's better."
Judy smiled and giggled, still hugging him warmly.
"Okay, Little Miss Bunny Lord," said Nick. "What's our next move?"
Judy let go and turned around, closing her computer and taking her keychain off the table. On her keychain was a portable flash drive shaped like a carrot. She waved it in her fingers.
"We're going to head downtown and do some research."
"Hmm…" said Nick. "Does this 'research' involve obtaining information by methods of questionable legality?"
Judy's grin couldn't be any broader.
"Absolutely."
The reception lobby of Terra Firma Incorporated was almost like a museum. There were small exhibits showing agricultural devices from ancient times, modern equipment, model farms where everything was automated…and perhaps most distasteful, a 12-foot statue of President Preston Keyes himself, standing smack in the middle of the room.
Judy and Nick walked into the reception lobby. But nobody who had known them for any length of time would have recognised them. Judy was wearing a shawl around her head, ears tucked in, and dark glasses. Nick was wearing dark glasses, a straw hat, and his farmer outfit he had worn in Bunny Burrow, straw between his teeth and all.
"I reckon this is what they call 'scientific farmin' 'quipment' or something fancy like that," said Nick, purposefully slurring his speech as he and Judy moved from one exhibit to the next.
"Fancy schmancy! Ain't nothin' like a hoe to bring up the earth an' good seeds to make good crops," said Judy.
There were few people in the lobby. Nobody took any notice of them. Just as they reached the 'Farm of the Future' exhibit, Judy glanced to her right and saw a door that led to the office area.
"Okay…" she whispered. "As soon as nobody is looking."
"Alright…now!" whispered Nick.
Judy carefully opened the door as Nick walked in front of her, and disappeared behind it. Nick stood in front of the 'Our Forefathers' exhibit and pretended to be interested, all the while keeping careful watch behind his dark glasses.
Judy took her glasses off and hung them on her shirt collar. She was in a long hallway. An umbrella basket stood to her left, beside a door that read RESTRICTED.
"Well, best place to begin," she said and carefully opened the door.
She walked into a room with several large computers. At the far end there was a desk, with a regular desktop computer running. Nobody was in sight. Silently, Judy tiptoed towards the computer and moved the mouse, making the screen saver go away and showing the desktop.
"Okay. Here goes."
She searched the files for anything that could be useful. For about three minutes, she browsed, all the while glancing towards the door in case someone should walk in.
Finally, she found what she was looking for.
"Acquisitions," she whispered to herself.
It was an entire folder, chock full of files.
"Alright. In and out," she said, taking her keychain and plugging her flash drive to the computer.
She gave the COPY command, and the files started copying.
10%...20%…
"Come on…"
"40%...45%...
"Come on, come on…"
64%...68%...
"Hurry up, please…"
70%...74%...
Suddenly, she heard the doorknob turn. Judy ducked under the desk, barely daring to breathe. She heard steps, loud clopping steps, like hooves. They walked around the room, stopped in front of some of the mainframe computers…then left the room.
Judy sighed. Very carefully, she peeked over the desk. The room was empty. And the screen read 99%.
Three more seconds…and 100%!
"Bingo!" whispered Judy as she unplugged her flash drive, pocketed it and tiptoed back to the door, listening carefully for any footsteps at the door. Not a mouse stirred.
She opened the door a crack. Empty corridor. She sidled out the room and started to walk towards the exit. She was right beside the umbrella basket…when…
"Hey!"
Judy froze. Someone had seen her!
"Hey! You!"
Judy's mind raced and she acted immediately. She quickly put her dark glasses on, and snatched an umbrella from the basket and started tap-tapping the floor with the end of it, putting her other paw in front of her.
"Miss! You can't be in here!" said a voice, walking closer to her.
"Huh? Is that you, Clyde?" said Judy loudly, feeling around in the air with her paw and umbrella.
"Miss, this is…" said the voice, and suddenly stopped.
Judy turned around clumsily, pretending she couldn't see anything. But behind her dark glasses, she saw exactly who it was. A mole was standing in front of her, with a surprised expression on his face. A mole in thick glasses, wearing an impeccable business suit.
"Um…Miss…" said the mole hesitantly, realising why she had probably gotten in here. "This is a restricted area."
"Restricted? How is a gal supposed to go to the ladies' room if it's restricted?"
"Um…the ladies' room is on the other side of the lobby, Miss," said the mole. "Come on, I'll show you to the lobby."
"It ain't likely you can show me anything, mister," said Judy, tap-tapping with her umbrella.
"Please, if you will. Allow me to help."
The mole took her arm and led her out. He was gentle. Judy hadn't expected that. But she gave away nothing, she used her acting skills to pretend she had no idea where she was.
"Doggone modern buildings! Confusticate and conflatigrate all! Why can't y'all make buildings like you used to? Ladies' room is back and to the left! Everyone knows that!"
"I am sorry, dear lady," said the mole, genuinely apologetic. "I am glad I found you before security did."
Nick was waiting outside in the lobby, feeling increasingly nervous. The door to the office area opened, and Nick saw Judy being escorted by the mole. He saw her acting and immediately knew what had happened. He played along.
"Susan Eleanor Cottonbottom! I've been looking all over for you!" said Nick sternly, his paws on his hips. "Haven't I told you a hundred times not to wander off by yerself!? If your ma found out I let you out of my sight, she'd tan my hide!"
"Is that you, Clyde? Where you scoot off to?" said Judy.
"Oh, you silly ol' thing!" said Nick, taking Judy's paw.
Then he turned to the mole.
"Much obliged, pardner," said Nick. "I do declare, this bunny gets more and more scatterbrained by the hour."
"Your marbles are more scattered than mine, Clyde, that's if you can find 'em at all," retorted Judy.
"Come on now, Missy, ma will be waitin' for us," said Nick, tugging her away and towards the front door.
"I need to go to the ladies' room, ya silly oaf!" said Judy. "That's how I got meself lost in the first place!"
"Confounded bunnies! They can't never hold their water for more 'an twenty minutes," said Nick, turning back and heading towards the ladies' room.
The mole was still standing there, watching the two.
"Much obliged, Mr Mole!" said Nick, giving him a pawshake as he walked by.
"Ah, Jenkins," said the mole, shaking Nick's paw. "George Jenkins."
"Much obliged, Mr Jenkins," said Nick, taking mental note.
Nick led Judy to the ladies' room. The mole, George Jenkins, after seeing that everything was in order, walked back to the office area, disappearing through the door.
Nick waited until Judy came out again. Then he pretended to guide her outside the front door.
Judy and Nick walked out of the building, pantomiming all the way, until they reached the corner of the block. Then they looked around to see if anyone was watching, and broke into a brisk walk.
"Did you get it?" asked Nick.
"Right here, Clyde," said Judy, waving her carrot-shaped flash drive triumphantly in her fingers.
"Sly bunny," said Nick with a grin. "I think I know exactly where our next stop is."
"There could be no other," said Judy.
Judy pushed open the door painted with a 'Radioactive' sign. The sight that met her eyes was a familiar one, and yet it was no less impressive. Countless old computers and equipment piled haphazardly on tables and workbenches. As she and Nick walked in, Judy called out.
"Garth! I know you're in there!"
No answer.
"Garth?"
"Aw, c'mon! He's not even touching the fool!"
A loud voice came from the far end of the maze of junk. Nick smirked as he led Judy through the junk heaps and they finally saw him.
Garth O' Possum, Nick's hacker friend, was sitting in an old armchair in front of a huge television set, eating cereal puffs and watching WZW and apparently completely into it.
"Yes! Yes! A stunner! Go for the stunner!"
The beefy horse on the television made an impressive wrestling move and knocked his opponent to the ground.
"Pin him down! Come on ref! Countdown!" shouted Garth. "YES! YEES!"
"Um…hi Garth!" said Judy.
The opossum almost jumped out of his overalls! He spun around and quickly lifted his paw and paused the programme with his remote control.
"Hey!" said Garth. "Officer Hopps! And Nick! Long time no see, you guys!"
"Sorry to interrupt," said Judy.
"Naw, no worries! Just watching a re-run of when 'Stoat Cold' Steed Austin beat the snot out of Drake the Snake," said Garth. "It's my favourite match!"
"I had no idea you were into wrestling," said Judy.
"Oh, I've been a fan all my life!" said Garth, getting up from his armchair. "Stoat Cold is my all time favourite Wild Zootopian Wrestling champ."
Garth pulled up a couple of chairs for them, which were camouflaged among the junk piles.
"So, what can I do you for?" asked Garth.
"We have a little something we'd like you to look into," said Nick.
Judy gave him her carrot flash drive.
"Well, let's see what we got here, mine Thanes and Kinsmen henceforth be Earls," said Garth, walking to his main computer.
Judy and Nick followed their friend as he sat in front of his main computer and plugged the flash drive in.
He tapped some keys and brought up a screen.
"Hmm…" said Garth. "Some pretty heavy encryption you've got here. I take it this didn't come from a ninth grader's school project?"
"Um, not exactly," said Judy, looking sideways at Nick, who winked at her.
"Well, I could crack into this in a jiffy," said Garth. "But…"
He paused and turned around in his chair, looking directly at them.
"I'm afraid there is no way for me to do this without crossing into the…erm…legally questionable. And I do mean very, veeeery questionable."
Judy gave him a wink.
"Cop didn't see it, you didn't do it," she said.
"That's my gal!" said Garth, taking a compact disc from a drawer to his left.
He loaded the disc into the disc drive and tapped some keys. A progress bar appeared and the files started to decrypt.
"This will take a few minutes," said Garth. "In the meantime, do you want something to drink? I think there's some orange juice and pop somewhere to your left."
"Ah, that's okay, Garth. We're good," said Judy.
Suddenly, Nick's phone rang. He took it out and looked at the caller ID. It was an unknown number.
"Hello?" said Nick, answering.
"Oh! Officer Wilde!" said a breathless voice on the other end. "Um…I'm so glad it worked! I often get numbers mixed up. But anyway…I have the results! Of your carrot! If you can stop by the lab, I'll show you everything!"
Awkward pause.
"Um…everything I found out…about the carrot…and the results… and all that…"
"I'll be right over," said Nick, hanging up.
"Wooo! Where do you find them, Nick?" said Garth as he played a brick puzzle game on a portable game system.
"Actually…they kinda find me," said Nick, giving Judy a teasing smile.
Judy fake-punched him and giggled.
"I gotta go to the station for a bit," said Nick. "I'll be back as soon as possible!"
"I'll call you when we crack these files," said Judy.
"Be back before lunch, Nick!" said Garth. "It's Taco Thursday!"
"Um…isn't it supposed to be Taco Tuesday?" asked Nick.
"That's on Tuesdays. Taco Thursday is on Thursdays."
"Umm, oh yeah. Your logic is sound," said Nick, walking to the door and up the basement stairs. "See you in a bit!"
Nick knocked softly on the door of the Forensics Department. It was an hour before noon. They were making good progress.
Amber opened the door, blushed and flustered as usual.
"Officer Wilde!" said Amber. "So glad you're here! I managed to finish on your carrot!"
Awkward pause.
"Um…meaning…I finished working…on the sample…of the carrot…you left, for study, and the results are in…and I'd like you to have a look…at the results, that is."
"Awesome, Amber," said Nick kindly. "Let's see those results."
He walked in and Amber led him to her computer in the corner which was sitting on her neatly-arranged desk. Very different from Garth's place.
"Technically, there's nothing wrong with the carrot, Officer Wilde," said Amber, sitting daintily in her computer chair and softly tapping the keys with her soft fingers, her legs folded under the chair and her tail curled to her side. "No chemical poisoning, no virus. It should be healthy and edible. Except it isn't."
"So…it died of natural causes?"
"No," said Amber. "And that's the perplexing bit."
She pulled up an image with several chemical formulas in tiny print. It looked like an extreme zoom-in of a paper-thin wedge of the carrot.
"The carrot died of nitrogen depletion," said Amber. "Meaning it has almost no nitrogen in its tissue. The proteins in its cells fell apart and died from lack of the essential component of its amino acids."
Amber spun in her chair to face Nick.
"Imagine if you couldn't repair your body after a long day, Officer Wilde. You worked long hours and went home to rest, but instead of repairing your tissues during the night, as the body normally does, those tissues remained damaged and you eventually became so damaged that you collapsed, unable to repair yourself. Well, that's what happened to this poor carrot."
Nick listened carefully.
"This kind of thing would happen naturally if the carrot was planted in poor soil depleted of nutrients because of overcultivation. But that's definitely not the case. The farmers in Bunny Burrow would never allow that. It's as if someone somehow impoverished the land overnight, but it's very hard to believe anyone could do that."
"Hmm…" said Nick. "Impoverished the land overnight. That does raise more questions."
"I'm afraid so, Officer Wilde," said Amber.
"Questions to which the answers I shall find," said Nick determinedly. "Amber, thank you so much! I have to be going now, gotta meet up with an old friend of mine for lunch. I owe you one, big time!"
"Oh, you're more than welcome, Officer Wilde!" said Amber, getting up and walking with him to the door.
Amber opened the door for Nick. He paused at the doorway, looking back at her and smiling.
"You know, the Forensics Department used to be like a sort of limbo nobody went into, until you arrived," said Nick. "We used to walk past this door like it was just part of the wall, myself included. But not anymore. Now I have a good reason to stop by and go inside and say hello. It's always great to have a friend working with you, Amber. I really appreciate everything you do, and will make a point of stopping by every time I am down here."
Amber's face lit up with joy. Her cheeks flushed and she closed her eyes, completely enthralled.
"Oh, Officer Wilde! You can come inside whenever you like, as often as you like," said Amber delightedly.
Awkward pause.
"Um…come inside the lab…and pay me a visit…I'm always here, working on something," said Amber, fidgeting with her paws. "…and glad to have company…yes, always glad…"
"Thank you, Amber," said Nick. "You're a saint, and you know it."
He waved goodbye and hurried upstairs to the entrance hall.
"I wonder how many bed sheets she goes through in a week."