Chapter 20 - Faux hunting
A brilliant warm glow strolled gaily into the police station lobby. The streets outside were still shrouded in early morning shadows but the lobby practically shone with a new light. Hopping and skipping, the glowing ball of fluff entered Precinct One through the main door, bringing a pleasant, cheery warmth to the giant room. It bounded across the red marble star that was laid into the polished floor and leapt onto the large, circular reception desk.
Sitting behind the desk was a plump feline whose fur was the color of the midday sun and was covered in charcoal spots. He wore a navy blue uniform with a brass shield pinned over his left breast pocket, and a long, black tie. In his large paws he held an unopened box of donuts.
Inhaling deeply through his nose, the round cheetah purred loudly as he breathed in the intoxicating aroma of freshly fried pastries. He placed the large, pink box on the polished, wooden surface that was his desk and carefully sliced it open with his claws.
With the first donut of the day in paw, Clawhouser watched the small, glowing mammal enter the lobby and skip across the floor like a schoolgirl in a field of daisies. In one graceful bounce, she sprang onto his desk, delicately landing next to his breakfast. Turning around in a simple pirouette, she smiled up at the predator that loomed above her.
Clawhouser had to cover his eyes with a large yellow paw since the radiant smile that glimmered from the city's smallest police mammal rivaled that of the sun so early in the morning. Taking the first bite of his morning donut, he closed his eyes, savoring the pleasure it usually brought him, but it paled in comparison to the joy and exuberance coming from the rabbit that stood before him.
"Good morning, Judy," Clawhouser exclaimed cheerfully with his muzzle half filled with glazed and sugary goodness.
"Good morning, Benjamin." Her warm greeting echoed around the lobby, filling it with a brilliance that seemed to cause the ferns and hedges, that lined the walls, to stand a little taller.
Swallowing his second donut, Ben inquired of the elated bunny, "Why are you so chipper this morning? You haven't glowed this much since the first day you walked up to my desk a year ago."
Twirling around on one hind paw, Judy snatched the third donut right from his paws before it could pass near the cheetah's inescapable maw. "Don't you just love mornings?" she chirped.
Unperturbed by the rabbit's theft, the rotund receptionist withdrew another pastry from the large pink box, "I sure do. This is the best time to get the freshest donuts."
With a deep sigh, she continued, "And all the birds are singing their greetings to the sun as it slowly warms the land. The world is filled with hope and wonder at the coming of a new day. It's always the best time of day."
She held her paws together in front of her chest and looked around the lobby curiously while her ears rotated in two small circles. Taking a nibble of the donut in her paws she turned to the spotted feline, "Have you seen my par, um, Nick this morning?"
Shaking his head, Clawhouser replied, "Sorry, I have not seen him yet."
The bright light faded slightly from the eagerly glowing rabbit.
"He might have slipped in through a different entrance. I'm sure he is probably waiting in the bullpen right now."
Hopping off the desk, she headed towards the first floor briefing room.
"You might want to hurry, Chief Bogo is planning to start extra early this morning."
Quickly turning back, she thanked him with a warm smile and a salute, before skipping across the lobby once again. Behind her, she barely noticed a hippo and a short wolf sneak up to the cheetah and exchange whispers. She was too caught up in her own thoughts to notice that a few bills also swapped paws.
Today was the day that she was going to tell that smarmy fox how she really felt about him. She had kept her emotions in check for months, but she decided to finally let them out. After their date last night, she had lain awake for half the night dreaming about her fox.
It had taken her a long time to realize how she felt, had always felt about him. Since working together on their first case, she had felt the hint of something for the incorrigible fox. He was the only mammal who believed in her dreams of being a police officer and had even helped her see them through. Her feelings for the todd slowly grew from admiration into a close friendship. When he began to return that friendship, those feelings grew into a warm desire, a desire that she had denied even existed.
At first, she believed that there was no place in this world for such intense emotions. Instinct should have told her that what she felt was wrong. She was prey and to have affections or even desires for a predator were not only laughable, but forbidden. So she had kept them buried deep down, not even willing to admit them to herself.
Yet the more time she spent on the streets of the city, the more she came to see that there were many more mammals like her. That different species could be more than just friends and that she didn't have to be afraid to confess that she, a rabbit, had strong passions for a fox.
Stepping through the giant door that led into the bullpen, a shudder ran down her spine as she let her thoughts run wild. The room was crowded, as usual, filled with all of the officers from the early morning shift. Every seat seemed to be occupied except for one in the front row, her seat, the one she shared with her partner. She could not see the chair clearly, but she knew it was there and she knew he would be waiting for her with that smug grin that always pulled on her heartstrings.
Walking past a huge polar bear named Grizzoli, she focused her gaze on that single chair in the front of the room. Her paws clenched in determination as she marched up the aisle. Today was the day that she was going to tell him how she felt. So be it if everyone in the bullpen saw them, she wasn't going to wait any longer to tell the fox that she loved him. She was going to climb into that ugly, orange chair and kiss him directly on his long muzzle, in front of the whole room if that's what it took.
Passing a large hippo that was sitting near the end of the second row, something felt very odd. There was no fluffy, orange tail wagging behind the chair. No red, pointed ears poked above the high, plastic backing. A smug grin did not greet her and no one was there to speak her new favorite word, "Carrots."
The chair was empty, barren. Her fox was gone!
Grey clouds seemed to cover the sky, from the peaks of Tundra Town to the southern horizon far out to sea and the glow faded from the rabbit as her ears drooped. The bright cheerful bunny diminished, seeming to shrink several inches as the light left her eyes, never to return again. An elephant near the back of the room shivered at the sight of the sad bun.
Sadly, Judy climbed into her chair and sat down with her paws folded on the large table. Maybe he had just gone to the bathroom, she thought, as half a smile crept back onto her muzzle.
Turning to the large rhino sitting to her right, she asked hopefully, "Have you seen Nick this morning?"
Huffing, McHorn returned gruffly, "Nope, it's not my turn to watch him this week."
Her mind raced, coming up with dozens of reasons why her partner was absent for their early morning briefing. None of the reasons she came up with made any sense. When she had left him on the steps to her apartment he wasn't sick, or too drunk and surely that helpful cabbie would have made sure he got home safely.
Pulling out her phone, she began to dial his number. It immediately transferred to voicemail where she left a very angry message. Next she sent a text message urging him to call her when he finally got his sleepy head out of bed.
She was about to dial his number again when Sargent Higgins called the room to attention and the Police Chief stormed through the door.
A large cape buffalo stepped through the enormous door on the rightpaw side of the room and marched across the green, corded rug. He walked up to the podium with a hoof full of large manila folders while all of the officers in the room stomped in unison or slammed their paws on the tables. The rabbit followed suit and thumped her large hind paw on the chair loudly.
"All right, all right!" the buffalo bellowed. "Everybody sit." The room finally quieted down after Bogo yelled at them a few more times. Once he had everyone's attention, he pointed at the city map behind him, "There has been a recent rise in drug related crimes across the city and the mayor is riding my tail to look into where these drugs are coming from."
Holding up the stack of folders, he exclaimed, "Assignments." Reading off each officer's name and assigning them to various districts in the city, he handed each group one of the folders as they passed. Near the end of his list, he called out the names of his fox and rabbit officers, "Hopps, Wilde."
"Yes, Sir," Judy stood up in her chair and saluted.
Looking up from the podium, the large police mammal noticed that one of his officers was missing. "Officer Hopps, where is your partner?" he nearly growled, snorting huge gulps of air through his large nostrils.
Lowering her arm in defeat she replied, "I don't know sir. He hasn't answered any of my calls or messages."
Glaring down at his smallest officer, he calmly declared, "Well then go and find him. And when you do, bring him back to my office where the three of us will discuss his lack of punctuality."
Saluting, she hopped off the chair and headed out of the room, her eyes downcast with her ears flopping loosely behind.
Raising his large head, Bogo motioned to the last remaining wolf in the room, "Wolfard. Go with her in case this isn't simply a case of over sleeping."
Shaking his head, the chief thought about his newest recruit. The fox had only been on the force for a few months and was still on probation. As irritating as the small mammal could be, he still showed a great deal of enthusiasm for the job. Other than his uniform barely meeting acceptable standards, the todd had not shown any signs of laziness in the past. However, tardiness this early in his career had the potential to leave a black mark on his record.
For the rabbit's sake, he hoped that the fox had only overslept, but his gut had a different feeling. This city did not take kindly to foxes on the best of days, so if Wilde had gotten himself into trouble, the wolf might be able to pull him out of it, or at least keep the rabbit from getting caught up in whatever it was.
Judy stormed down the hall with her paws clenched so tightly it was like she had two steel balls on the ends of her arms where the paws had once been. She was going to find that damnable fox and give him a piece of her mind and then, she was going to let her fists show him exactly how she felt. Her large, hind paws stomped on the hard floor in a decent imitation of her boss's hoof steps. She was about to march around the corner at the end of the hall, when she heard someone call her name.
"Hopps," Wolfard cried down the hall at the nearly rampaging rabbit. "Officer Hopps."
Two large rabbit paws planted firmly to the carpet as Judy stopped and turned to see who was following her. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the large, grey wolf casually stride up behind her. "What do you want?" she growled at him.
"I'll drive," the wolf declared, holding out a set of keys and letting them dangle in the air between two fingers.
Glaring up at the calm wolf, she was unable to hold onto her anger for long. Her tightly balled fists slowly opened and her head tilted curiously. A sad grin replacing her angry snarl as she nodded at the wolf and followed him to the motorpool.
Silently, Judy sat in the wolf's large, black and white cruiser, while he drove out of the back lot behind the police station. Once again, her thoughts raced through what had happened last night. Everything her fox did during dinner, seemed to reciprocate her own feelings for him. They both had shared similar pasts and he had even come right out and declared that he was open to the idea of dating outside his own species. So what had happened to him?
Was she too forward? Had she scared him off? Or like her, had he stayed up all night thinking about her and just forgot to set his alarm? Had he gotten too drunk and was still passed out on his couch, fighting with a hangover? These questions and more filled her mind as she watched the familiar streets slowly slip by outside her window.
Along the side of the street, she noticed that several parking meters had expired and her thoughts soon drifted off to her first day on the job. Driving past a familiar ice cream parlor brought her nostalgia into sharp focus. She had been so focused on proving herself to the police chief, that she never would have guessed she would meet a kindred spirit that day. Nor could she have known how she would eventually fall in love with that very same mammal.
Lifting a small grey paw, she wiped away a tear that began to roll down her cheek. With a sigh, she turned away from the window to focus instead on her own toes.
"What is going on between you and Wilde?" Wolfard broke the silence after they passed several more blocks.
Judy lifted her head, sharply turning to the wolf in surprise, "What do you mean? There is nothing going on between us."
"Come on, we both know that's not true." the wolf reprimanded.
"What would make you think anything is going on?" she asked with a hint of animosity.
"First, your emotions keep jumping from joy to anger and sorrow so quickly, you could make a cheetah dizzy."
"That doesn't prove anything. I am just worried about my partner is all."
"The second thing is your scent. Normally it's rude for a wolf to tell other mammals how they smell, but in this case I'm making an exception. I need to know what I'm walking into here. I hope you understand." Wolfard added cautiously.
"Sure, it's ok," the rabbit said with her head once again looking at the floor. Working with a fox had opened her eyes to how very powerful the canid's nose could be. "What about my scent?"
Taking a deep breath, the wolf thought of how to tell the somber rabbit what she smelled like without offending the small mammal. "You're positively covered in the smell of fox, a very specific fox for that matter."
"Wait, you can smell him on me?" The rabbit leaned over sniffing her uniform while trying to see if she could pick up what scent the wolf was talking about. "I made sure to take a shower and everything this morning."
Stopping at the next red light, Wolfard turned to his passenger to explain, "Fox musk is very strong and difficult to get out with only a simple shower. Plus, I am not even going to mention the other, more personal scents you're giving off." He rubbed his nose slightly in irritation.
"How can you know all this?" Judy asked, disturbed that the wolf suddenly knew so much about her.
"When you live with a nose as large as mine, the world is defined more by smell than either sight or sound. It is a part of our lives. Most mammals aren't aware of it on such a level as wolves and other canids are, which is why there is an entire department in the ZPD to take advantage of our heightened sense of smell."
"I knew all of the wolves were good trackers, but I guess I never really knew how strong your noses are."
"After the department put me through Sniffer training, I can tell a lot about a person by smell alone. I can even tell what a person had for dinner last night, or even breakfast."
"That's fascinating," Judy declared curiously, seeing the wolf detective in a new light. "Can you guess what I had for dinner?"
Pressing on the gas pedal, Wolfard cautiously moved the cruiser through the intersection when the light finally turned green. He took a deep breath through his nose, and didn't even turn in the rabbit's direction. "Let me see. You had kale and spinach in your salad along with some kind of tree nuts, and the dressing was an oil and vinegar mix with garlic, dried peppers and a hint of lime."
Judy's jaw dropped and she gaped at him in shock. "How did you do that? I brushed my teeth and made sure to even use mouthwash."
"It's not really that hard, with some training," he explained confidently. "Most strongly scented foods will get into the bloodstream where they can carry the smell to the skin. From there, it soaks through the fur so that a mammal will often smell like their last meal. The more you eat of a certain food, the more you smell like it."
"I guess that makes sense."
He waved a paw at the rabbit while keeping the other on the steering wheel. "Take a good strong whiff of your paws and you should see what I mean."
Curiously, Judy lifted both paws to her muzzle, the tiny, pink nose twitching. She took a long, deep breath, followed by a shorter one. Pulling the paws away, her eyes widened in surprise, "Wow! Your right. I can smell garlic and vinegar and." She sniffed her paws again, "and is that cayenne pepper?"
Grinning that he could teach the young officer something new, he continued with his impromptu lecture, "About a hundred years ago, the city prisons started using this trick. They started putting a certain blend of spices in all their food. They don't really make the food taste very good, but it does make things that much easier when tracking escapees. I can often smell an ex-con for months after they have been released."
"Isn't that a bit cruel, to treat animals that way?" the small officer empathized.
"Not anymore than forcing them to wear those awful orange jumpsuits and chaining their paws together."
Looking down at her paws, Judy contemplated her own job and the mammals that she had to put away so far.
"Judy," the wolf used her first name with an almost fatherly tone. "You have a lot of enthusiasm for this job, but you still have so much to learn if you want to become a detective."
Thinking on the detective's words, she turned to stare out the window again. They had left the downtown area and were headed towards the cheaper sections of town. The Sahara docks were coming into view and she knew that they would be soon arriving at their destination.
"So," the wolf stated as he turned a corner. "I know that there is actually something going on between you two, and you know that you can trust me not to tell Bogo. So is this something serious and are the two of you having some kind of quarrel?"
"No, no, not at all!" the bunny waved her paws in the air like she could wipe away the wolf's accusations. "Nick took me on a very romantic date last night. It was this new place downtown and the food was pretty amazing. I actually got him to open up a little and tell me about his past, it was really rather sweet."
"You might want to be careful about letting other mammal's know that the two of you are going steady," the wolf cautioned.
Not catching the wolf's warning, Judy continued to describe the dinner date. She told him about their drive home and how she left Nick standing alone on the steps, "I just wanted our first kiss to be something special and private. I know the cab driver was just trying to encourage us, but for some reason I chickened out."
"It's ok, I always get the jitters when I ask a girl out for the first time."
"Really, an old hound like you?" She carelessly punched the larger mammal's shoulder.
Rubbing the fur on the back of his head in shock at the bunny's callous reference to his age, Wolfard responded, "Sheesh, I'm not really that old, Rookie. I still have a lot of good years left in me."
"Is that what Fangmeyer told you?" the rabbit chided.
"What does she have to do with anything?" he asked coldly.
"You two are a couple right?"
Sighing, the wolf slumped his shoulders in defeat, "You are pretty sharp for a rabbit. Yeah, Fangmeyer and I are an item."
Nearly jumping in her seat at the news, Judy continued to press the canine. "It's only fair you tell me about the two of you since I told you about my date with Nick."
Waiting for the next light to change, he leaned back in his seat and began telling the small officer about him and the tiger. "We have actually been going out for a couple of years now, but we were partners for much longer."
The sparkle returned to the rabbit's eyes and her nose slowly started twitching as she listened to the story of how two of her friends on the force were also romantically involved.
"Unfortunately, Bogo split us up when he caught us being indiscreet while singing karaoke together. He gave us a choice to either end the relationship, or to find different partners. We chose the latter."
"That's unfair," Judy exclaimed, crossing her paws over her body armor.
"It is standard police policy to separate romantic couples. We still get to work together sometimes, but never on the same patrol and rarely on the same case."
The light turned green and the police cruiser moved forward once again, while the small rabbit thought about her friends. After the next intersection, she looked up curiously, "Are you two intimately involved?"
Expecting the question at some point, the wolf calmly replied, "Sometimes, but it is not a central point of our relationship. We have been close friends for a long time. We enjoy each other's company and spend our free time together, but we are also not afraid of being intimate either."
Curiosity filled the small mammal at the discovery that there was yet another interspecies relationship going on right under her nose. She wanted to know more about this oddly matched couple and how it might apply to her own situation.
"What is it like being intimate with a mammal twice your size?" the rabbit asked while her nose quivered furiously.
"So we're having that kind of conversation now?" Wolfard slammed on the brakes at the next red light and the bunny slid forward nearly falling out of her seat. Watching the rabbit adjust her seatbelt and climb back into the passenger seat after the sudden stop, he continued, "At first we were very careful because she could easily throw me across the room without a second thought, but after awhile, we got more comfortable with each other and developed our own personal sort of rhythm. It hasn't been without its challenges though."
Telling the story, Wolfard watched as Judy's curiosity grew with each word and he began to suspect she had a much more personal reason for these kinds of questions, "Are you asking this because of Nick?"
Judy's ears turned beet red and she tilted her head away from the wolf, hiding behind her ears. She still nodded slightly and mumbled something through her paws.
"Wait, I thought you two have been dating this whole time. You both seem awfully close and you started smelling like the fox since the first day you became partners."
"Yeah, I guess I have been curious about him for awhile now, but we only went on our first date last night."
"Then I suggest taking things slowly, but really, you should tell him how you feel first. I know nothing about how foxes date, so it's better to get answers from the source."
Shyly, the rabbit turned back towards the large predator, "Ok, I guess you're right. I really do need to talk to Nick first. But what about you and Fangmeyer? I've only seen you together once."
"Well, as a mixed species couple it has been hard for us. We have a very casual relationship and we're not strictly dating, just very close friends."
Wolfard finally pulled up in front of Nick's apartment but did not shut off the engine. Instead, he continued to inform the rabbit beside him about his relationship with the tiger. "We both keep our paws off of each other when in public or at work. Absolutely no public shows of affection, but we will occasionally hold paws and sit together behind locked doors. She will sometimes lay her head in my lap when we watch a movie together, or when she is reading a book."
"Oh," Judy smiled at the thought of sitting with her fox on his couch.
"We don't go out for dates very often and are rarely intimate, but when either of us wants to be that close, she has kind of made up this little rule."
"What kind of rule is that?" Judy asked, twitching her nose.
"She decided that she won't share any private alone time without me taking her out on the town first. Usually dinner and a movie or even karaoke, but it has to be something special," the wolf explained, shutting off the engine but kept his paws on the wheel.
"Why did she make up a rule like that?"
"Because that gorgeous tiger still wants some romance in her life, even though we don't live together." Wolfard said with a sigh. "As officers of the law and an interspecies couple, that is just how it has to be for us. We live separate lives, but quietly come together in private to share a little romance."
Judy breathed out a long sigh and her eyes began to moisten.
"And if you're serious about your fox," the wolf continued. "I strongly suggest that you keep it private as much as possible. Liz and I are both predators so our relationship is easily overlooked, but a pred and prey mix will get a lot of flack."
"What about the gazelle case last week. They were a mixed couple right?"
He unbuckled his belt and opened the door, "That is another story altogether and best saved for another day." He motioned for the rabbit to follow him, "Well, we are here, let's go see if we can wake up your lazy fox."
Standing in the hall outside Nick's apartment, a uniformed wolf and rabbit waited for a response to their insistent knocking. Judy repeated her knock and shouted through the door hoping to wake the fox.
It was still very early in the morning and the loud knocking had woken one of the neighbors. Across the hall an angry badger, still in his pajamas, stuck his snout out the door to yell at whoever was rude enough to be shouting and banging so early in the morning. When he saw the large, grey wolf in a police uniform he closed his muzzle without saying a word and quietly shut the door.
Opening Nick's door with the spare key that the fox had given her, Judy slipped into the room with the much taller officer ducking to fit through the low door. Inside, she felt a sense of peace and security wash over her, a feeling she once only associated with her parents home back in Bunny Burrow.
To the right of the door, was a small kitchen with a dining table that also served as an island and extra counter space when needed. The fridge sat only a few paw lengths from the door and a light switch was mounted on the wall. She flipped the switch, fully illuminating the dimly lit apartment and her jaw dropped at the scene that sprawled out before her.
Everything seemed to be exactly like she had left it a few days earlier. The remains of the takeout they had shared still sat on the coffee table and the clean dishes sat in the drying rack where she had left them.
In the living room, she spotted an article of discrete clothing laying on the floor and she raced across the room to hide the delicate item behind her back. Seeing that the older wolf had not noticed her embarrassment, she deftly stuffed the bright orange cloth under one of the couch pillows. Quickly scanning the room, she wondered what else she might have accidentally left laying around.
Not seeing any more feminine items lying around the room, she took a deep breath and remembered why she was there. Calling out her partner's name again, she cautiously walked towards the fox's bedroom. A loud gasp escaped her muzzle as she turned the corner and saw what waited for her.
Hearing the shock in her voice, the wolf ran to her side, scraping his head on the low ceiling. When he arrived by the small rabbit's side and saw a paw covering her muzzle, he almost placed his own large paw on her shoulder in comfort.
He was prepared for anything. In the many, long years he had served as a police detective he had witnessed dozens of murders and other heinous crimes, but he did not expect the scene that had so shocked the little bunny. The fox's bedroom was clean, almost too clean. And it smelled strongly of fox musk, causing the wolf to cover his sensitive nose.
Judy stepped into the clean room, with her muzzle wide open. The first thing she noticed was that the bed was freshly made and not a single piece of clothing lay on the floor. It was not like Nick to clean anything, ever, certainly not his own room. On closer inspection, she realized that the bed had been made sometime during the day yesterday and no one had slept in it since. Everything about it left her with more questions than answers.
Turning around to ask the older detective what he thought, she noticed he was holding his nose and trying not to breathe too deeply. Tilting her head, she asked curiously, "What's wrong Wolfard?"
"Oh, um sorry," he replied with a deep nasally voice while trying to hold his nostrils shut. "The smell of fox is really strong in here and I think it's causing my eyes to water. How can you stand it?"
Smiling slightly, the uniformed rabbit took a deep breath and cheerfully replied with a shrug, "I don't know. I actually kind of like it." She took another long sniff, this time closer to the bed and hummed in contentment.
Waving his arms in the other direction, he turned around to leave, "I think I'll just step out into the hall for a bit. If you need anything, just yell."
An hour passed while Judy searched the apartment and even tried to tidy up the kitchen a bit, but she found no clue as to the missing fox's whereabouts. All of his shirts and ties still hung in the closet like they did every day that she had ever been there. His toothbrush lay on the edge of the sink instead of in the drawer where he kept it, his furwash and dryer lay exactly where he usually left them after taking a shower. She also spotted a rather expensive bottle of cologne on the counter that she had never seen before.
Something about what she found in the apartment didn't seem to sit quite right. The bedroom, and the other clues just seemed out of character for the lazy fox. The one thing that she didn't find was his phone and that meant he must still have it on him.
Dialing his number again, it went straight to voicemail so she left another message apologizing for her earlier anger. She also sent him a text, but it just stayed in the 'Sending' status and never went to 'Delivered.'
With a worried frown she watched the little wheel spinning on her messaging app and after several minutes, showed it to Wolfard. "Doesn't that usually happen when the other person's phone is turned off or the battery runs down?" the larger detective asked.
"Yeah, I guess," Judy nodded, confused. Nick never shut his phone off, or let the battery die. He was a sworn device addict and could hardly go five minutes without checking one of his many apps or his email. "This isn't like him at all. Something must have happened. We should have Clawhouser put out a BOLO for him."
"Whoa, slow down, Hopps," the wolf held up his large paw to halt the zealous rabbit before she bolted tearfully out of the apartment and down the hall. "The Chief would not be too happy if we started using department resources to find a tardy employee. We should return to the office and apprise him of the situation."
Defeated, the rabbit's shoulders slumped and her ears drooped behind her head. "You're right. We should see what Bogo has to say."
A large, black hoof slammed onto the giant desk causing both officers to jump in their seats. "So what you're telling me is that Wilde was not at home and has not been there since yesterday?"
"Yes, Chief, that is correct," nodded the smallest officer in the room. The uniformed rabbit looked sadly up at her boss. "And his phone also seems to be turned off. I have left several messages but he has yet to return any of my calls."
It had barely been twelve hours since Judy had last seen her partner, but it was twelve hours too many and the worry had only started to set in. She had been pacing back and forth across the enormous chair while she described what they had found in the fox's apartment. It really wasn't much to go on, the few clues they found were proof that he had spent a lot of extra time and effort getting ready for a date. Nothing was able to tell them where he had gone after the date or where he was now and the lack of information was creating a lot of anxiety inside the small mammal.
She wrung her paws together and looked up at her boss wishing that she had more to give him regarding the missing fox.
"Wolfard?" the large buffalo turned to the grey wolf who sat in his own chair beside the rabbit.
"None of our officers currently on patrol have seen any sign of Officer Wilde. Officer Hopps also led me to the last place she saw him last night and I was able to follow his scent briefly, before he climbed into a cab."
Standing up, Judy interjected, "We also tried to contact the Zuber company, but unfortunately, they are not willing to give us access to the ride receipt without Nick's phone or a warrant."
Huffing, Chief Bogo glared down at his smallest officer, "It's too early Hopps. If he hasn't shown up for twenty four hours, then we can legally call this a missing mammal case. Only then, can I authorize the use of any departmental resources to find him." Leaning back in his enormous chair, the buffalo rubbed his temples. Even when he wasn't here, that fox was still a major headache.
"Thank you, Sir," Judy nodded in reluctance.
"For now," the buffalo continued. "I had wanted to have you and Officer Wilde back on this drug case."
"Oh?" The rabbits ears perked up.
"It seems that several witnesses mentioned seeing a tall mountain goat that matches your description of the dealer. But with Wilde's absence I am going to pair you with Wolfard for the time being. So focus on the drug case for now, and we will talk about Wilde again in the morning." Sternly pointing at the door, the chief ordered the two police mammals out of his office.
Standing outside of Bogo's office, Judy looked up at the uniformed predator standing next to her, "What do we do now?" She threw her paws in the air. "The leads Nick and I were following had all dried up before we were assigned to the Palm Court case with you."
With a paw on his chin, Wolfard looked down at the grey doe, "Maybe not." He pointed the paw at the smaller officer, "Didn't Nick find a bag of pills in the victim's bedroom?"
The rabbit's ears stood up straight and she snapped her fingers. "Hey, you're right!" she exclaimed. "They even had some of the same numbers that the clinic reported as stolen."
"Do you think maybe we should go ask our tiger dancer where he got them?"
Before he had even finished his sentence the bunny cop was already racing down the hall, "What are you waiting for, slow poke?"
The secure wing of the Zootopia General Hospital was quiet that morning. A large, brown bear sat in the nurses station, casually reading a novel that was three sizes too small for her enormous paws.
When the oddly matched cops arrived, she barely looked up from her book before stating that the doctor on the floor was expecting them in his office.
A tall badger waited in the first office on their left. He was dressed in comfortable, loose fitting scrubs with bright green forest scenes printed on them. Motioning for the two officers to sit, he cheerfully asked, "I am guessing you're here about the tiger, Mr. Rayahs, our current Night Howler's patient?"
"Yes," Judy replied, hopping onto a large, plush chair, while Wolfard simply sat down in the one next to it. "How is he doing so far?"
"Well," the doctor's expression never changed as he lifted a report off of his desk and glanced over it. "He has been doing a lot better, but not all the drugs in his system have fully run their course. There are still a few persistent ones sticking around that are causing him some bouts of aggression, frequent flashbacks and hallucinations. But, with a few days more rest and lots of water, he should be all right to be released, provided an officer signs off on the release forms. Are you here to sign the paperwork then?" He said the last bit with a slight hint of anticipation.
"Sorry, doctor," the rabbit replied. "We just came by to ask Charles a few more questions."
The badger's mood darkened and he looked down at the rabbit officer, "Unfortunately, Mr. Rayahs has not spoken to anyone since he was brought in last week. Not to me, nor the two lawyers that came to see him or even that nice officer stationed outside his door. The only mammal he will speak with is one of the nurses that works the night shift. Other than that, he hasn't said two words to anyone."
With a grin, Judy almost seemed to bounce in her chair, "I am sure we can get him to talk to us."
Glaring at the rabbit, his response was anything but friendly, "I won't allow you to torture and interrogate one of my patients."
Wolfard sat up straight in his chair and replied calmly, "Trust us, doctor, we will not harm or harass your patient in any way. In fact, you are more than welcome to join us and ensure his safety if you wish."
Standing up, and placing the report back on his desk, the badger doctor ushered the two ZPD officers out of his office. "All right then. Let's go see if your tiger is awake."
Waddling on his short legs, the doctor led the odd couple down the hall and around a corner. Halfway along the corridor's length, Rhinowitz stood in front of an open door. "Wolfard, Hopps," he greeted his fellow officers gruffly.
The doctor calmly stepped through the large, rectangular portal next to the uniformed rhino and greeted his patient, "Good morning Mr. Rayahs. How are we feeling today?"
A deep rumble came from a large tiger lounging on a hospital bed meant for a mammal of his size. The tiger barely opened his eyes before rolling over and ignored the much smaller doctor.
"These two nice officers have come to speak with you this morning, and for your sake I hope you are willing to cooperate with them." The badger lifted the clipboard hanging at the end of the bed and inspected several monitors on the wall as Hopps and Wolfard followed him into the room.
"Hello again, Charles," Judy greeted warmly while trying to hide the sadness in her voice.
Rolling over again, the large predator sat up in his bed with his eyes open wide. "Bunny Cop!" he exclaimed with a hoarse early morning voice. "I wasn't sure I would see you again."
Judy hopped up beside the tiger and shook his tremendous paw, "Why would you think that?"
"Because," he lowered his head slightly. "I asked around here about you, but no one seemed to know who you were. And even your fellow officers would not say anything."
Patting the large mammal's orange paw, she stated warmly lifting her ears into the air, "We actually came by to see you, so if you want to talk, then I am all ears."
Charles chuckled at her pun, "I am glad you're here." He paused for a moment seeing the hint of sorrow in the rabbit's eyes. "Something is different, about you. What's wrong?"
Pushing the large paw away, Judy smiled up at the much larger predator, "It's nothing really."
The tiger leaned forward and looked directly at the rabbit sitting on the edge of his bed, "No, that look on your muzzle reminds me of how I have been feeling. So please, tell me what's bothering you."
Having finished his inspection of the tiger's vitals, the badger turned to the two officers, "Everything looks fine here, so if you need anything else I will be in my office down the hall."
"Thanks, Doctor," Wolfard nodded to the smaller predator.
Ignoring the doctor as he left the room, Charles continued insisting that Judy explain the sad look in her eyes. "I can see that you're excited about something, but there is also something holding you back."
Taking a deep breath, Judy looked right back into the tiger's intense glare, "My bo, um, my partner is missing. He never showed up for work this morning and isn't answering my calls."
"I understand," the tiger said with a tear rolling down his cheek. "That's exactly how I feel."
"You do?" Judy asked sadly. She reached out to place her tiny paw on his much larger one as he continued.
"I miss Tiffany so much. Sometimes at night I can still see her. With all these drugs still in my system, I can't tell what's real or not. I will see her wandering the halls or even come in and check on me while I'm sleeping."
Wolfard stepped up beside the bed, "About those drugs. That's actually the reason we came to see you."
"Oh, that's right," Judy declared, hopping in place.
"The d-drugs?" Charles stammered. "What about them?"
Pulling out her pen and notepad, Judy's serious professionalism had returned, "We found a bag of pills on your night stand."
"Yes, I think that's where she left them."
"Where did you get them?" the rabbit asked flatly.
"I don't know," he lowered his head with a shake. "I'm not really sure. Tiffany got them I think."
"Ok, didn't you say she was looking to try something new to spice up your relationship?"
Raising his head again, his eyes seemed to focus on the wall behind the small rabbit, "That's right. I remember that she showed them to me at dinner."
Scratching her pen across the yellow pad, Judy urged the tiger to continue, "Can you think back? Did she say where she got the bag?"
"No," he shook his head again. "She never said where, but I can only guess that it was at the club."
"The club? Like a nightclub?" Judy tilted her head curiously.
"We went to the club earlier that evening. It's one of the few places where mammals like us can let loose and not have to hide our feelings." He pointed to himself and then to her, like the small rabbit was somehow the same as the huge predator.
"Which club are we talking about here?"
"Oh, you know. The one with that giant sea mammal on the sign out front."
"The Velvet Orca," Wolfard uttered flatly.
"Yeah," the tiger nodded, looking over at the wolf in surprise like he hadn't realized that the other predator had been standing there the whole time, or had forgotten. "That's what it's called. Tiffany really likes that place. She says I'm such a great dancer and loves to join me out on the floor."
Nose twitching and pen scratching, Judy continued, "Do you know who she got the drugs from?"
"No, sorry. I really don't know very much."
"A name or description, anything at all could really help."
"Well there was this guy she was talking to while I was in the toilet."
"What can you tell us about this guy?" the rabbit coaxed.
"Um, let me think," he lifted the paw that Judy had been gently patting earlier and rubbed his chin in thought. "I think he was tall. Taller than Tiffany, and his horns were very long, and he had a thin beard."
"Like a goat?" the wolf asked.
"Yeah, I think. One of those snooty mountain goats that are always looking down their nose at you."
"Doc!" Judy uttered a little too loudly.
"Who?" Both predators asked.
"Was the goat's name, Doc?" She asked the tiger.
"No, I never heard his name. But that name does sound familiar."
"It should, if you spent any time at that club," the rabbit added.
"Why is that?" Charles tilted his head curiously.
"One of the DJ's uses that name."
"Um, I guess." The tiger half nodded half shook his head and looked even more confused. "Sorry, can't seem to place them."
Ears standing straight up and nose twitching, she asked, "Is there anything you can tell us about the goat?"
"Now that you mentioned it, he smelled more like a female predator than male goat. But in that club, with so many mixed mammals, I really didn't think anything of it." He shrugged his huge, black and orange shoulders. "He could have been dancing with someone and got her scent all over him."
"Wow, this is some really good info," she jumped at the tiger and gave him a big hug around the neck. "I hope you're feeling better soon."
"Thanks, I think." He placed a giant paw on her back and gave her a little pat. "You're the toughest mammal I have ever met. I hope you also find your partner soon. Mine is waiting for me and I'm sure she would have really liked you."
With a last squeeze, the rabbit leapt off of the tiger heading for the door, "Are you coming, Wolfard?"
Sighing, the wolf raced after the enthusiastic ball of fluff, "Hopps, wait! The club won't be open til later this evening."
The summer sun still shone over the city and many mammals were still out on the streets as the two officers arrived at the nightclub. A large sign hung above the door with a stylized whale jumping into the neon blue letters. Flashing their badges at the well dressed brown bear standing at the door, the officers were quickly let inside.
A loud, thumping sound assaulted them as they opened the door and stepped inside. The smaller of the two had to cover her ears with her paws and shout at the taller one. "We should check with the owner first. She should be behind the bar."
Wolfard nodded and followed the rabbit across the large room to where a small crowd was gathered. The club was dimly lit and it took the wolf several moments for his eyes to adjust. Artfully molded lamps hanging from the ceiling did little to brighten the room, but he could still see that the place was not very crowded. He was grateful that it was early in the week and early in the evening, since loud, packed places made him nervous. He preferred the outdoors with wide open spaces and the sun on his back. Remembering his police training, he took a deep breath and followed the smaller officer through the groups of clustered mammals to the bar.
As Officer Hopps approached the bar, a small kit fox turned around with a pair of drinks in her paws and nearly stepped on the rabbit. "Oh my god! I'm so sorry," the fox stepped back in apology. "Wait, is that you Judy? I didn't recognize you in your, oh wow!" the fox exclaimed, admiring the rabbit's uniform.
"Hi, Tabby," Judy greeted the fox.
Smiling affectionately, Tabby set down her drinks and gave the rabbit a tight hug. "I was right, you do look amazing in blue."
"Thanks," the rabbit blushed. "But we're on duty right now."
Looking up, the kit fox noticed the uniformed wolf behind her friend and took a step back. "Oh, um, I'm sorry. Where is your foxy friend by the way?"
With a quick reply, Judy tried to cover her earlier sadness, "He couldn't be here today."
"Well that's too bad. He was kind of fun." She took a sip of her drink, turned around and handed the other one to a large, female rabbit that had made her way through the crowd. The other rabbit wore a black, button up shirt that looked fairly masculine, with her large biceps bulging through the sleeves. "Hey, Jo, you remember Judy, right?"
Jo nodded and took a chug of her drink before coughing as the alcohol burnt the back of her throat. "Yeah," she grunted towards the two cops that were chatting with her girlfriend.
Ignoring the large doe's brash reply, Tabby leaned over to yell in Judy's ear, "Hey, how did that dress you ordered turn out?"
A hint of sadness crept into the grey rabbit's amethyst eyes as she dwelled on the missing fox, "Yes, it showed up yesterday, and it fit perfectly."
Tabby took a hold of Judy's arms and looked her in the eyes, "Hey, what's wrong? Didn't your friend like the dress?"
"Yeah, he did, I think, but we'll have to talk about this later. My partner and I need to speak with the club's owner first."
"Oh, all right. It looks like Jo wants to get back on the dance floor, so we can chat later. Or you can always stop by the store anytime." With that, the small, brown fox was dragged away by her buff girlfriend. She quickly waved back at the two cops before disappearing behind a group of larger mammals.
After the couple left, Wolfard leaned down to whisper in his partner's ear, "I get the sense that rabbit was jealous of you."
"I can't imagine why," Judy said puzzled.
A nearly silent snort escaped the wolf's nostrils, "Let's see if we can find the owner."
"I thought I saw her over there," the rabbit pointed to the other end of the bar where a meerkat was serving drinks in a very tight and revealing blue t-shirt. Judy noticed how much the wolf's eyes seemed to bulge at the large amount of bare fur that was exposed in the group hanging around the bar.
It wasn't entirely legal for mammals in the city to walk around topless in public areas, but some of what the club goers wore was very revealing while a few were quite see through. The club was inside a private building, with no windows, so it skirted the line of what was technically legal.
The bartender spotted the taller officer first as the wolf moved along the sparsely crowded bar, "What do you want?"
"Hey, Sandra," Judy waved to the meerkat.
"Oh, hey, it's you," the bartender said once she spotted the uniformed rabbit. "Nice uniform, but I think I preferred the dress you had on the last time. What can I do for ya?"
"We're not here for fun this time," the rabbit stated flatly.
"I guessed as much. So spill it."
A gruff voice above the rabbit answered the question, "We're looking for a mammal that we were told has been here recently."
"Let me guess, an ibex?" Sandra leaned on the bar with both paws. "As I told you before, they rarely come in here."
"Except that freelance DJ?" Judy interjected. "Have you seen her? We would really like to talk to her."
"Not since the last time you were here. What is going on with her? She took off out of here like the devil was on her tail and I've not seen her since," the meerkat stated, folding her paws across her chest. "I don't appreciate cops running off my best talent."
"Ma'am," the wolf leaned on the bar. "We have received several reports that an ibex, who is dressed like a college professor, has been selling homemade drugs in your establishment. And we think your DJ may somehow be involved."
"Dang!" the bartender exclaimed, slapping a small paw on the counter. "I had hoped to keep that kind of dung out of here. I even went and hired a bouncer to keep out any riff raff, but it seems that hasn't helped enough. I never trusted those mountain goats anyway. But Doc always seemed different, when she wasn't on the stage, I would see her dancing and flirting with just about anyone. Pred, prey, male or female, she seemed to have an open mind, unlike those other stuck up mountain goats." She stuck out her tongue at the word goats. "I'd be happy to help you, especially if it will keep my club clean and safe for mammals who just want to have fun without being judged."
Judy pulled out her phone and flipped through a few photos that were related to the drug case that her and Nick had been following. "Would you be willing to look at a few photos?"
"Uh, sure. Let me fill this order first," she stepped to the left and quickly poured a couple of drinks before returning to the two mismatched cops. The rabbit handed the meerkat her phone and let her flip through the images she had of a few ibex. "I don't recognize this arm at all," she snickered at the scene of the back alley where Judy had snapped a picture of a deal going down.
Sandra flipped back and forth through several pictures, but paused when she came to the end of the list. "Wait," she cried, pointing to the picture the rabbit officer had taken of the pieces of a torn up photo. In the photo was a happily married pair of ibex enjoying a summer's day on the beach. "That's Doc."
"What!?" the rabbit exclaimed. "Are you sure?
"Yes, I am certain that is her. I have seen and talked to her enough to recognize those subtle marks on her muzzle and those horns. It's definitely her." She handed the phone back to the small police officer.
"That is Mrs. Walia." Judy declared as if she was stating that the sun rose in the east.
"Who?" Wolfard asked.
"Now that's a name I have never heard before. Who is she?"
"Dr. Walia's wife, who died a few years ago," the grey rabbit held up the phone again. "What about this ibex beside her? Have you seen him around here before?"
"Nope, sorry. Doesn't look familiar at all," Sandra said looking closely at the image on the phone.
A glint returned to the rabbit's eye as she listened to the meerkat's responses. Something didn't fit quite right, but Judy suspected she knew where to find the answers. Thanking the bartender for her help, she turned to leave. She pulled on Wolfard's sleeve as she headed for the door.
Before taking two steps, a skinny, female beaver stopped her in her tracks. "Officer Hopps?" the familiar beaver asked. The middle aged mammal was several inches taller than Judy without her ears, and wore a skimpy outfit that looked like it belonged in a teenager's wardrobe. Her cheeks seemed to shine and glow in the dim lamps that hung overhead as she smiled warmly at the rabbit officer.
"Oh, hey," Judy cried in excitement, letting the beaver give her a warm hug. "It's nice to see you again, um, ah, Mrs. oh..." The rabbit stuttered trying to remember the thin mammal's name.
"Fisher," she declared softly looking over her shoulder and a short bobcat who stepped up beside her and put his arm around her waist. His broad smile matched her own as he looked into her eyes. "When I saw you at the bar I knew I just had to come over and tell you the good news."
"The good news? What news is that? Did you finally get your house cleaned up?"
The couple's smile fell slightly before returning full force, "No not yet. We're actually thinking about selling, but that's not what we wanted to tell you."
"Well, don't keep me in suspense. I would love to hear some good news about now." the sad rabbit said hopefully.
Mrs. Fisher held her breath for a few heartbeats and squeezed the bobcat's paw before blurting out the words, "We're pregnant!" She then leaned over and gave her husband a very wet kiss.
"Oh, my. This is wonderful," Judy exclaimed, hopping up and down in joy. She leapt at the couple giving them both a big hug. "When did this happen?"
"We only found out a week ago," Mr. Fisher explained.
Wolfard looked back and forth at the mixed couple, confusion and puzzlement filled his muzzle. She was a beaver, who seemed to have had a lot of plastic surgery done and he was a bobcat. They were a pred-prey couple. That alone wasn't so strange in a place like this, but she was pregnant. She had somehow conceived a child, with a bobcat. "How is this possible?" he asked.
"Oh, hello Officer, um," the bobcat held out his paw towards Wolfard.
"Officer Wolfard," the wolf declared, shaking the proffered paw.
Taking a short look into his wife's eyes, Mr. Fisher tried to explain, "Well, Officer Wolfard. We were able to acquire medical assistance to help us with our little dream. And after two years of trying, we are about to have a family of our own."
"That's really great," the large smile on the wolf's muzzle was genuine and he shook the bobcat's paw again. "Congratulations!"
"Come on dear, we should let these fine officers get back to work," Mrs. Fisher chided her husband and pulled him towards the bar. "I feel like I could use another daiquiri."
Judy gave the couple another hug before they left, "Better be careful with the alcohol though."
"Oh, it's all virgin for me of course," the pregnant beaver said with a wink.
Back in the wolf's cruiser he turned to the rabbit, still puzzled about the mixed couple's announcement, "I have never heard of anything like that before."
"Me either," Judy stated. "Well not in person."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Well, when Nick and I were investigating a break in at this clinic the director told us about an experimental treatment that could make something like that possible," the rabbit admitted.
"Are you serious?"
"Honestly, I never actually believed it myself until just now."
"Wait," the wolf cried, almost slamming on the breaks. "Didn't Dr. Phill say that our murder victim was also pregnant? Do you think it might have actually belonged to that tiger?"
"Yeah, I do remember Charles saying that they were getting help from some doctors, but he sounded like he didn't trust them."
"I thought it was all just in his drug-addled mind, but now it's starting to sound like a lot of what he said may have actually been true." Wolfard pushed the gas pedal down further, "We need to get back to the office and re-examine his confession."
"Good idea," the rabbit affirmed. "And while you're doing that, I am going to dig into the death of Mrs. Walia."
The hour was late in the main offices of Precinct One. The sun had set hours ago, but the lights were still on and several mammals were hard at work behind their desks.
A small, grey rabbit typed away on her keyboard. She was skimming through old newspaper clippings that the police department kept on file in their massive database. After hours of searching, she had finally found a small article from five years ago about a female goat that had fallen in the mountains and hit her head.
The goat had been declared dead when the police arrived and the report claimed that no foul play was suspected. She also didn't recognize the name of the coroner on the report. No autopsy was performed before the body was laid to rest in accordance with the family's wishes. The case was quietly closed and shoved into an archive downstairs.
"Hey Wolfard," the rabbit cried. "Would you come look at this?"
A tall wolf stood up from his own desk and slowly trudged over to see what had the small officer so excited. It had been a long day and his last cup of coffee had gone cold shortly after sundown. Even though he was tired, he was still determined to go through every little detail of the murder investigation before he would call it a night.
Walking up to Judy's desk, he saw that she was pointing to something on her screen curiously. "What is it, Hopps?" he asked.
"Take a look at the name of this funeral home. Lucky Pete's Funerary Services," she read the name aloud like it was some kind of funny television commercial. "Have you ever heard of a place like that?"
"Lucky Pete's?" The wolf's eyes grew wide and the tiredness was washed from his muzzle. "Where did you see that name?"
Pointing at her screen, Judy showed the detective the old police report, "It's right here, on Mrs. Walia's report, under where you put who handles the interment." Highlighting the name, she read it again, this time rolling her tongue around like she was tasting the words, "Such a weird name."
"That's not a good sign." Wolfard declared nervously.
"Why? What's wrong?"
Wolfard leaned closer to the rabbit after carefully looking around the room, "It's a funeral home down on the strip in Sahara Square, and that guy, Pete, is about as shifty as they come."
"Really?" Judy's nose began to twitch apprehensively.
"Yeah, he would bury almost anything for the right price."
Her nose scrunched up and her ears fell flat, "Eww, that is just disgusting."
"Trust me, I once saw him bury a casket full of bowling balls," the wolf shook his head with a paw over his eyes. "With a full sermon and a grieving widow to boot."
Judy tilted her head curiously letting her ears flop to the side, "How do you know so much about this guy."
"Sorry, Hopps. I can't talk about that," the wolf declared quickly standing up and walking out of her cubicle. After taking two steps he stopped, turned around and whispered low enough that he knew only the rabbit's large ears could hear him, "All I can say is that I lost my best ball and an autographed jersey in the deal."
[A/N] So I looked back over some of my earlier chapters and noticed that they writing style has changed quite a bit. I am wondering what everyone thinks of my current style. The big difference I see is that now I am addling a lot more details and making the characters more expressive. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think.
I also started a new project where I will be uploading some extra bits of fluff I ran across while doing some character development or just random Ideas I had while writing the last couple of chapters. It will be fairly raw and unedited drabbles, so if you enjoy this story go check out my new story which I have dubbed Extra Fluffy.
Thank you so much to everyone who commented on the last chapter, I really look forward to reading more :)