Chapter 5 : Morning bread
The next morning, Judy woke up in her little moldy apartment. Her home, not Nick's. An ambulance had kindly agreed to take her back home.
Her seizure that had occurred a few hours earlier hadn't lasted long, but it had made all the animals in the shop worried. When the ambulance had arrived, Judy had already more or less regained her composure and her breath. The caregiver had only advised her to drink enough water and rest. She needed to release her stress. Easier said than done, especially when her best friend could potentially be in danger.
Barely out of bed, Judy called the precinct with her phone, unable to shake off her sad mood. She knew she was supposed to quietly stay at home, but she needed to see the video of the robbery with her own eyes. It was the same colleagues Humps and Spitz who came for her. In the car, Judy didn't say a single word. She was sitting in the back seat, her elbow against the glass. She wasn't feeling good. She had promised to Bogo she'd not interfere, yet, she did. Plus, she had been no use in the investigation. She hadn't been able to find something to clear Nick or anything that would have explained his supposed disappearance. She would have to confront Bogo again, and it didn't comfort her. He probably would scold her for her disobedience.
Officers Humps and Spitz lead her to the precinct. She shyly thanked them and went alone inside the building. Clawhauser came to her with a worried face, apparently alerted by what had happened last night.
"Judy! Are you okay ?"
"I'm fine, don't worry." She continued to go straight in the direction of her superior's office with the same poor mood than earlier.
"You always say that. That's what worries me. "
"I assure you I'm fine." She lied.
She knocked on Bogo office's door.
"Come in."
She slowly walked in and sat down on the first chair she could see. Bogo was silently reading the police reports he was firmly holding in his hands. He had put his glasses he occasionlly used to read. He hadn't met her eyes since she had entered. He seemed calm, but she knew it would be silly for her to interrupt the silence. She wasn't in the right position to speak as long as he didn't speak first. After a few seconds, Bogo cleared his throat and put the reports on his desk. He finally dared looking at Judy.
"You know what ? I'm not even angry." He carefully took off his glasses and put them away in his drawer.
"I was almost sure that no matter what I could tell you, you'd do whatever you want anyway." He was sitting in an upright posture. "I'm not surprised at all."
She could clearly feel irritation from him.
"I'm sorry." She looked away, knowing her weak response would not be enough to justify her past action.
"No need for excuses. I know they're only half true."
Judy deeply felt uneasy, but the thoughts of Nick helped her remembering what she was doing there.
"Chief, please. Let me take a look at the video. "
Bogo stared a moment into her eyes, motionless.
"You should not see it."
"Why?" She shouted without realizing that she had raised her voice.
"Because you'll not like it !" He replied with the same tone. "Should I remind you in which condition you were found yesterday night ? Are you even aware of your illness ? If I show you the video of your friend trying to run away, a bag behind his back, I doubt you'd feel better. "
Judy looked down. He wasn't completely wrong. Even if she had a wide-eyed faith for Nick's innocence, deep inside, she had a bad feeling about this video.
He made his voice cooldown and calmly continued :
"I honestly know how you feel about this case, but I say all of this for your own good. "
Still, she could not give up on Nick. She had to convince herself again that Nick wasn't the one to blame. It was someone else, surely another fox. She knew she was rarely wrong in her intuitions.
She was about to speak again, trying to be as persuasive as ever :
"Chief, please. Do me this favor. I have to look at it. I need to be sure."
He sighed. He hesitated a moment, looking back at her determined, unwavering eyes.
"Fine. But don't complain afterwards. I've warned you." He took his radio and leaned toward it." Clawhauser ! Bring me the video."
The cheetah hurried to the office. Judy saw him with a USB stick in his hand and a small laptop. He put the computer on the desk and looked at Judy worriedly.
"I haven't watched the recording yet. I didn't dare touching it."
"But I did." Replied the chief.
Judy leaned before the screen, fully attentive. Clawhauser jumped back after clicking the play button, covering his eyes with his hands for not watching the scene.
The camera was focusing on the building emergency doors. Judy's heart quickened as she was waiting for the suspect first appareance. Then, after a few seconds, she could finally see it. She narrowed her eyes and could clearly distinguish with Bogo a red fox in the middle of the frame, a large bag of stolen items in his back. His apparition was way too furtive, he vanished only two seconds after being seen. Judy was immediately overgrown with a huge stress. Both his size and his stoutness actually matched Nick's.
"Wait, reset the video please !" Her throat and her stomach tightened, but as long as she wasn't sure that it was her friend, she had to keep play back the video over and over again. The fox's face was hardly visible, hidden in the darkness. He wasn't wearing any mask, but the picture was quite blurred and prevented a clear identification. However, a detail made her squint even more.
"Wait, reset again, please."
Bogo did what she ordered and Judy's eyes widened. :
"It's not him."
Bogo looked skeptical. "Are you sure ? Aren't you just trying to protect him, by any chance? "
"No, I'm affirmative." She could feel a huge relief invading her, her ears now fully raised up with satisfaction.
"What makes you say this ? For me this fox really looks like Nick. "
"True, they're alike. But Nick's tail is different."
Bogo turned his head back to the screen, frowning as he was desperately trying to see any difference. He couldn't.
"Yes. Nick's tail is different." She repeated with even more conviction.
For the buffalo, the tail of the suspect seemed to be just as thick as Nick's. He didn't understand how Judy could be so sure, just from judging the shape of the tail. Judy could feel behind her Clawhauser letting out a deep sigh in relief.
"I'm sorry but I'm still skeptical." Pursued Bogo. "If this isn't Nick, then who is it ?"
"Probably another fox living outside Zootopia. There're a lot of them outside the city."
Bogo remained thoughtful for a moment. Judy decided to seize the opportunity at this point.
"Chief, let me tell you this again, I want to investigate on this case. I feel worried about Nick, it's not normal that he's still not back here. I'm convinced something happened to him."
Bogo was still staring to nowhere, without saying a single word.
"Nick is an officer from the ZPD ! He would never drop us like that ! We have to help him."
Clawhauser was imploring his chief to let himself be convinced by Judy's words. The buffalo closed his eyes. His silence seemed to last an eternity. He turned to the large window of his office and finally spoke again :
"No, we can not help him." Judy and Clawhauser quickly closed their eyes and gnashed their teeth. "Only you can, as his best friend." He turned back toward her. Judy raised her head and listened all ears her boss continuing his sentence.
"Officer Hopps, here's your new mission. Find the true criminal and bring back officer Nicholas Wilde to the ZPD, unharmed. You have carte blanche. "
A bright smile illuminated both Judy and Clawhauser's faces. The rabbit hopped on site and headed toward her superior. If she could, she would have hugged him, but she just happily shook his hands with grateful thanks. Bogo let out a slight groan, and let her know she had to go away. True, she had no time to waste ! She walked to the exit and left the office. Barely out, Clawhauser smiled to his boss.
"You trust her after all. "
"I have to." He said while admiring the view of Zootopia through the glass. "Even if she drives me crazy, she's likely my best recruit. She already proved me several times that I was wrong, and I hope she'll still prove it in the near future. "
Clawhauser smile was all the more brightened by all these kind words. A funny thought came into his mind.
"I know that you care for Nick Wilde too. You miss him."
The buffalo loudly cleared his throat and looked at Clawhauser, taking back a much more authoritarian voice :
"And you should take example from officer Hopps ! Despite her illness, she's doing her best at work ! While you, you're as gluttonous as before ! Go back to your post, and make it snappy ! "
Now that Judy was officially assigned on a mission, she could use again her patrol car. Good thing. She was sick of relying on her colleagues. She went to Nick's neighborhood. Maybe she could find some clues by rummaging the house ? There was also his cell phone that was left in the living room.
She parked near Nick's home and hurried inside. She rushed almost instantly to his smatphone, prominently displayed on a table. She was slightly uncomfortable at the idea of browsing her friend's personal phone. She wasn't the kind of people who liked doing things behind people's back, but the situation required it. However, she had to face the obvious. "PIN code", was what she could read on the screen. She facepalmed. She could really act as a dumb bunny sometimes.
She tried several combinations like the date of his birthday. Nothing. Maybe in the other way ? Neither.
She sighed and started looking for other clues. She looked every corner of the house, beginning with his room. There were comic books, clothes and DVDs stored in his shelves. Few unimportant things. Nothing interesting. She also rummaged the living room and the kitchen. Something finally get her attention in one of the kitchen cupboards. It was full of food reserves. Nothing special so far, but there were still fresh breads, likely bought the day before. She directly thought of the bakery on the other side of the street.
She closed the closet and went back into the car. She'd generally prefer walking for short trips, but in the middle of her investigation, she was in a hurry. She parked a few meters away and walked into the bakery. The shop was occupied by an old porcupine lady.
There wasn't many people inside. The animal warmly bowed to the rabbit who greeted her back. Judy approached her and showed her the officer badge.
"My name is Judy Hopps, and I'm from the ZPD. May I ask you some questions ?"
"Sure."
"Have you seen a fox passing by yesterday morning ? "
The porcupine seemed to reflect on the question for a moment. "A fox, you said ?"
"Yes, his name is Nick Wilde. Do you know him by any chance ? "
She remained thoughtful for a moment, then a cheerful smile appeared on her face as she opened her eyes wide :
"Oh, Nick Wilde? So this his is name? Oh yes, now that you mention it, I remember him. He comes here from time to time. We never really discussed together but he seems to be a very charming fellow. "
"Yes, he is." She let out a small awkward laugh as the animal in front of her had unknowingly escaped the main question. "Do you remember having seen him yesterday ?" She asked again.
"Oh yes. I've seen him bought some bread and jam, just before noon. He even bought a carrot cake if I remember correctly. He usually never buys cake."
Judy's ears stood up in surprise. She could hear again the procupine's first sentence echoing in her head. If it was true, then it meant that Nick was really innocent. She couldn't help but jumping around, just like earlier with Bogo, she wanted to hug the porcupine, but she didn't for more obvious reasons.
"Do you keep the sales history with you in the store ?"
"I'm not very good in electronic device, but I can try to fax you a copy of the receipt."
"Thank you ma'am!" Judy could feel her heart warming. She was finally able to have a written proof of her best friend's innocence ! With the date and the exact hour of the alibi ! It was such great news !
"By the way, sweetheart. Why do you need this ? "
Judy seemed surprised she wasn't aware of the case. She briefly informed her about the robbery in the neighboring district. She seemed to be astonished by her story.
"You know, I'm an old grandma that doesn't follow the latest news that much. I hope your friend is safe and that you will both come back here, together. "
"Thank you ma'am, your help was invaluable. We'll see you again next time." She smiled at her one last time and was about to leave the bakery. She was surprised to see a familiar figure entering before she could even get out. It was Finnick. The small animal could feel Judy's eyes focused on him. He ignored her and walked toward the porcupine.
"White bread, please." He ordered.
"Sure, mister." She gave him his order, he paid and then he simply left, ignoring again the bunny who was still staring at him.
"Wait" She said as she ran out toward him.
When she was right behind him, Judy slowed down to adopt the same speed as him. The fennec still looking straight ahead.
"Oh, who's here? Isn't it miss bunny cop ? "
"What are you doing here ?"
"I live in the district, and I bought my bread, like every morning. Legally. Can you leave me alone now, officer? "
She frowned, ignoring his harsh tone.
"Not yet. Are you aware of the robbery case ? "
"Yes." He curtly answered.
"Yes ? That's all ? Don't you care about it ? "
"No." He continued to advance straight but Judy stopped there. Annoyed by the lack of contribution.
"A fox is behind this, but it's not Nick." She continued.
"I already know that. Surely the thief was aware that Nick was the only known fox from Zootopia, he must have used him as a scapegoat. A classic case." His voice get lost as he walked away from her. But his last sentence made her resume her walk. She followed him again.
"Looks like you know a lot."
"When you work dishonestly, you're well aware of all these things." A few seconds later, he continued :
"I wouldn't like to be in Nick's shooes, I wonder how he's dealing with the cops."
"He disappeared." Judy said anxiously. He stopped on the spot.
"… Oh."
Judy could see for a moment a troubled look on the fennec face. It intrigued her.
"I had a little chat with him two days ago." He confessed.
She was suddenly very attentive, troubled by what Finnick just said.
"What did you tell him ?"
"I met him by chance near the pharmacy. He was surprised to see me, and he was still wearing his officer badge on his chest. I wanted to have a lil' fun and scare him. "
Judy frowned.
"I don't understand. What did you tell him ? "
"I made him understand that he would better not looking for problems with me." Finnick then began to laugh. "You should have seen his face, it was funny. I think he took my words seriously."
Unlike him, Judy wasn't amused at all.
"It's not like we would bring you to jail anyway, even if we happened to catch you in the middle of your activities."
"I think so too. But a little teasing doesn't hurt."
Then a dark thought came to Judy's mind. She paused again, looking at the little animal who was still walking forward.
"… Hold on. Are you linked to his disappearance ? "
Finnick turned back his head to her, a serious look on his face. He then let out a small smile before laughing.
"Of course not ! Do I look that mean ? "
"Then why are you acting like he was a total stranger ?" Judy continued with a much more aggressive tone.
"Aren't you supposed to be friends ? Why are you acting as if nothing had happened ?" Finnick didn't answer her, he silently stared at the rabbit and could hear her voice becoming shaky.
"Nick might be in danger. I don't believe you when you say you don't care about him." After saying that, she could feel herself on the edge of tears. "
"Nick is... precious to me. I... I will never give up on him." She closed her eyes and couldn't help but let out a few tears. The thought of Nick returned to her memory like a shot. Finnick was still keeping his poker face, but deep inside, he could feel himself being affected by her distress, at least a little.
"To organize such pillage, there must be two guys." He finally said.
Judy slightly straightened her ears, still in tears.
"This robbery…" He repeated. "It has been necessarily organized by two partners. There is no way for this fox to get inside the building all by himself. There must be an accomplice. No, actually, this accomplice is likely the "head" behind all of this." He could see Judy looking at him, frowning.
"If I were a cop, I'd watch the video recordings of the city, you know, from the town hall. But hey, I'm not going to teach you your job."
In the moment, Judy thought she could heard a voice inside her mind telling her "Dumb bunny". It was nearly obvious ! The city's surveillance system ! How could she have forgotten ?
"Do you have your cellphone with you?" Finnick interrupted her in her thoughts.
Judy wondered why he would ask such a question.
"Hm ... yes."
The small animal got closer to her.
"I'll give you my number, call me if you ever need me again."
She recorded his number directly into her phone, then Finnick went away, leaving her alone. There was no time to waste, she immediatly began to head her next destination : the town hall.
Okay ! So, we're now exactly in the middle of the story. I was planning on writing a total of 9 or 10 chapters. (It will probably not reach far more than 25,000 words but I'm satisfied enough with it).
I noticed several inconsistencies in my story, so I corrected them.
The main one was concerning the water rescue scene, in the first chapter. Judy can swim in the movie, so I just edited this scene a bit to make it more credible. Then, there were birds quickly mentioned in one sentence of the second chapter. How could I be so careless ? I'm fully aware there are only mammals in this world (or rather let's says birds and fishes don't exist as anthropomorphic beings), but I think I just didn't pay enough attention while writing it. Sorry for these mistakes.