Chapter 04 - Chasing Tales
A brightly colored box truck flew down the narrow street, bouncing through the air with every bump and pothole it hit. The truck was painted in so many different colors it looked like it had driven through a rainbow. Its headlights were painted a bright pink while the front bumper and lower trim were cabbage green. Around the top of the box-like truck, a wavy rainbow encircled the entire roof. All of the colors seemed to blend together as the truck sped past.
Directly above the driver's broad, flat windows, sat the words, "Ice Cream," written in a comically swirly script. On the roof of the vehicle, sat an elephant sized cone, filled with a heavy dose of what looked like pink soft-serve. An old fashioned shutter-style window was painted onto one side of the truck and each of the shutters displayed pictures of various frozen confections.
Behind the wheel, was a large warthog wearing a ridiculous clown suit. His entire muzzle was painted white with huge, purple circles drawn over his cheeks and black diamonds under his eyes. Covering his wide nose, was a red, rubber ball with a small light inside that blinked on and off. A huge, frizzy, orange wig covered his head, hiding his floppy ears.
The silly looking clownhog drove the ridiculous ice cream truck through the city streets like an entire pack of hungry hyenas was on his tail. He didn't even slow down when the street lights began to change color at the next intersection.
Nick calmly sipped at his coffee as he and his partner stepped out of a rustic old café. This shop was only a couple of blocks from the police station but it served some of the strongest stuff in the city. It was hardly the most popular java house in town, but after pulling several long nights in a row, the two diminutive cops could use as much extra energy as they could get in the morning. That reason alone was why they could be found here at least twice every day.
Without so much as blinking, the fox sipped at the hot cup while the colorful vehicle sailed past well above the speed limit for this area of the city. Judy, on the other paw yelled a very rabbity challenge and leapt over the hood of their tall police cruiser without spilling a single drop of her coffee. The car's engine roared to life before the rabbit had even buckled her seatbelt into place.
"Nick," she cried to the fox who slothfully slid into the seat next to her. "Get your lazy tail in gear, we've got criminals to chase!"
"Yes, mommy," he mumbled sleepily, his eyelids half closed while shutting the car door. "Just give me five more minutes."
"Har, Har. Hit the lights, Sleepyhead," the rabbit ordered as she roasted the tires and leapt into traffic.
At the next intersection, the ice cream truck blew through the red light, barely missing all of the cross traffic. A hippo in a black convertible spun out of control as she narrowly missed the speeding truck. From the other direction, a yellow cab swerved and hopped the curb taking out a vending box filled with yesterday's newspapers. Shredded paper filled the air to slowly drift to earth and covered the hood of the cab..
Judy approached the chaos in the intersection with caution. With her siren blaring she cautiously eased her way through the cluster of stopped cars and continued the pursuit.
"He is headed for the freeway," Nick pointed out as they watched the racing truck turn onto the next on-ramp.
"Call it in, Slick," the rabbit demanded excitedly.
Before the fox could lift the microphone from its hook, the radio crackled to life. Clawhauser's voice could be heard clearly over the persistent static, "Attention all units, 10-90 in progress at the Zootopia National Savings and Loan. Be advised, witnesses say the robbers may have left in an old ice cream truck."
"Roger that, Dispatch," the fox spoke into the mic, the drowsy tone in his voice had completely vanished. "Unit 240 responding, currently in pursuit of an ice cream truck on Riverside Drive. They just turned south onto Highway 4. Repeat suspect ice cream truck heading south on Highway 4 past Riverside."
The cheetah relayed the info to the other police units as Judy flew up the ramp and merged into the swiftly flowing freeway traffic. Luckily, rush hour had ended and only a moderate amount of traffic remained on the city's main freeway. She barely had to swerve around any other vehicles while closing in on her prey.
Roughly a quarter of a mile ahead, Judy could make out the gaudy ice cream truck swerving and weaving through the traffic while blaring the clown-like horn. A pair of family sized minivans would not get out of the way so the truck simply drove between them scratching the paint on all three vehicles. Several car lengths later, the truck slammed into the rear end of a large pickup truck causing it to swerve off to the side of the elevated freeway.
Judy continued to pursue the truck at speed while the other drivers slowed and made room for her to pass. "They aren't getting away very fast," she commented, almost slightly bored. "They are barely going ninety."
"I will make sure to remind the next bank robbers we come across, to use a Bugatti instead of an ice cream truck," Nick replied with thick layers of snark dripping from every word. He leaned into the next turn and added, "Just so my favorite bunny can have someone worth chasing every once in a while."
As Judy was about to reply to the snide fox, a new voice spit and crackled over the radio, "Unit 240, this is Unit 157 on your tail." Looking over his shoulder, Nick saw Fangmeyer pull alongside their cruiser. Beside the large tiger driving the police car, sat Officer Wolfard who waved cheerfully back at them.
Another car also slid in on Judy's left, "Unit 221 here to assist."
"Oh, look, it's Trunkaby," Nick added with surprise as the elephant sized police car took up the entire left lane.
With the extra cop cars on her flanks, Judy pulled forward until she nearly collided with the fleeing ice cream truck. Moments before she connected with the vehicle, the rear window of the colorful truck smashed outward, spraying glass all over the hood of her cruiser. The barrel of an automatic weapon followed the glass shards as did the thinly-maned head of a juvenile lion.
Like the driver, this lion was also dressed up as a clown. His mane was painted in a rainbow of colors and a giant red smile was spread across his lips. On top of his head, was a large, floppy hat that seemed to be made from a patchwork of different colored materials. A bright, yellow flower bobbled around on top of the lion's hat.
As silly as the lion clown looked, his weapon was all too real and he opened fire on the cruiser. Judy slammed on the breaks as soon as she saw the weapon poking through the truck's rear window, and the bullets only glanced harmlessly off her hood. The lion continued to shoot wildly while the warthog swerved the truck to miss a small electric car with a shiny, silver coat.
Judy turned her wheel the other direction to avoid the smaller vehicle and caught a glimpse of a third mammal hanging out the vending window of the get-away-truck. This additional criminal was a meerkat who was once again dressed as a clown, only his outfit was much less comical and actually terrifying instead. He had blood red stars over his eyes and an evil grin across his baggy, red and while striped outfit along with the conical paper hat on his head reminded the rabbit of a serial killer movie she had seen recently.
The meerkat yelled something unintelligible and fired his own weapon on the electric car as the truck swerved around it. Several holes punctured the length of the small vehicle while it spun out of control and crashed into the high wall lining the freeway. Trunkaby pulled over to assist, and paramedics were immediately called to the scene.
Continuing the chase, Nick, Judy, Fangmeyer and Wolfard watched as the crazy truck driver began to deliberately cause more accidents as they passed. At first, the clownhog simply cut off a few vehicles hoping they would swerve and crash into the cops, but then he deliberately sideswiped a few more, causing them to spin out of control. When that didn't deter the pursuit, his accomplices began shooting at the tires of larger cars and SUVs.
Both Judy, and Fangmeyer easily dodged the out of control vehicles while closely following the fleeing rainbow-colored truck. "We need to do something before these idiots kill someone," the tiger's voice echoed loudly across the radio.
"What do you suggest," Judy yelled into the mic.
"How about a blockade," Nick added. "We're coming up on the Lion's Tail bay, the next exit after that will be at Baobab Boulevard, so what about there."
"Agreed," Fangmeyer's voice affirmed.
Wolfard called in the request, "Dispatch we need a 10-53 ASAP on Highway 4 at the Baobab exit for a 10-32. Be advised, shots have been fired."
"Rodger, unit 157, will be set and ready for your arrival," Clawhauser spoke through the static.
"You wanted excitement, Fluff," Nick chided as he checked his seatbelt. "Well, get ready for a sudden stop in about 3 minutes.
"You got it slick," Judy declared. Her ears were laid flat against her head and she leaned forward with a predatory glare. Paws clenched tightly on the steering wheel, she pushed hard on the gas pedal causing the police car to lurch forward.
Seeing the black and white rapidly approaching his truck again, the lion pointed the rifle roughly in their direction and pulled on the trigger. He was not very skilled at the use of automatic weapons and bullets began to spray widely through the air. After a few seconds of continuous fire, the gun jammed and the lion began to furiously smack it against the side of the truck.
In view of the lion's frustration, Judy made her move and rammed the cruiser into the back of the gaudy truck. The sudden jolt caused the lion to drop his weapon and fall back through the window. He disappeared inside the truck with a curse that no one heard.
Moments later, the lion returned to the window. In his paws, was a large, paper wrapped tub that held several gallons of ice cream. He pulled the lid free and threw the open container out the window. With Judy's car directly behind the truck a rounded block of strawberry ice cream easily slammed into her hood with a loud thunk that left a large divot. This frozen dairy treat caused more damage to her car than all of the earlier bullets combined.
Soft ice cream and frozen berries splashed across her car, partially obscuring her windshield. A second tub of mint chocolate chip careened off the hood and spilled across the window like a slimy, green blob. The vanilla tub that followed, created yet another dent but flew off to the side of the car where it eventually melted into a sticky, white puddle in the middle of the road.
Unable to see in front of her, Judy took quick action turning on her windshield wipers along with the liquid soap sprayer. After a few swipes of the squeaky, rubber blades, she was eventually able to see a small sliver of light through the thick, green and pink mess.
Nick, on the other paw, rolled down his window and stuck his head out. He immediately changed his mind as the meerkat fired a few shots wildly in his direction. "Your idea was much better, Carrots," he remarked, rolling the window back up, in case any ice cream happened to find its way inside the car.
The rainbow colored lion continued to throw tubs of ice cream and other frozen treats at Judy's car, but her wipers were eventually able to power through the onslaught of sticky sludge, giving her a clear view of the truck and its criminally insane passengers.
A long curve appeared in the freeway ahead and the three racing vehicles passed under a large sign that read, "Baobab Blvd. Next Exit."
"This chase is almost over, Carrots," Nick reminded the rabbit with a wink.
Passing under the next road sign, the fleeing ice cream truck pulled alongside a large tanker truck. When the clownhog spotted a line of flashing red and blue lights far ahead around the wide curve, he turned to slam into the side of the semi's cab. The much larger vehicle hardly moved an inch as the two trucks collided.
The clownhog pulled ahead and attempted to cut off the big truck, but the meerkat had other ideas. After swapping out a fresh clip in his gun he began to unload the weapon into the tanker's driver side door.
Glass shattered and dozens of holes suddenly appeared in the semi truck's door and along it's flanks. Several stray bullets also punctured the giant, white tank that was hitched to the back of the truck and a transparent, tan liquid began to gush through the holes. A large, grey hoof flopped from the driver's window and the truck began to slowly drift for the concrete wall on the opposite edge of the freeway.
Continuing it's motion, the ice cream truck swerved across the path of the out of control semi clipping the larger vehicle's bumper. The crazy vending truck slid far to the right and tilted up on two wheels, but the warthog driver was able to regain limited control and aimed for the nearest offramp.
Tires squealing, the large semi truck and trailer jackknifed and began to slide sideways along the highway. The vehicle was so large that it took up three whole lanes while drifting along at a high rate of speed. Completely out of control, the truck slowly spun before bouncing off the retaining wall and slid back towards the same offramp where the ice cream truck had gone. Shiny liquid glinted in the morning sun as it continued to spill from the many holes in the huge tank. The fuel left a wide trail across the breadth of the freeway where the truck had passed.
With a huge splash, the large truck smashed into the water barrels that lined the divider between the main highway and the offramp. The truck rolled over the cement divider and it's silver tank split in half spilling its golden contents across the entire freeway. Moments before the truck came to a screeching halt, all of the liquid that flowed forth instantly burst into flames.
The giant ball of fire that exploded over the freeway was larger than anything either the fox or the rabbit had ever seen before. Judy had started to slam on her breaks when the semi began to swerve out of control, but the huge shockwave that erupted from the explosion pushed her car backwards and onto the shoulder.
Halfway down the offramp, the ice cream truck slid and swerved, barely in control of its path until the explosion hit. Flames scorched the back of the truck and singed most of the lion's rainbow-colored mane. The explosive force flipped the already top heavy truck on it's side and slammed it into the tall dividing wall with an echoing crunch. All of it's windows had been completely shattered and sharp shards of glass covered the road where it had passed.
With two giant, gaping holes where the front windows used to be, the warthog easily climbed through them and stumbled into the street. Bits of broken glass stuck out of his curly wig and his red nose was smashed and torn, but the small bulb inside continued to blink. He met up with the lion who had broken open the truck's back door to escape and they ran for the edge of the off ramp.
The mismatched pair of clowns stumbled drunkenly across the street, but they didn't get very far. A small line of police cars had blocked off the bottom of the offramp and several officers were waiting to apprehend the fugitives as they fled the accident.
While two of the robber clowns managed to climb free of the broken ice cream truck, the meerkat had been hanging out the side window where the truck had flipped over. No one ever saw him again and the police report on the incident only listed the body as, "Never Recovered."
Most of the stolen money was returned to the bank, but the freeway was a mess and took hours to clean up. The rhino driving the tanker was rushed to the hospital with only minor lacerations and second degree burns over most of his body. Overall, it seemed like a fairly successful arrest, yet both Nick and Judy found themselves sitting together in the same ice cold, steel chair before the furious glare of a two thousand pound water buffalo.
"What do the two of you think you were doing?!" Bellowed the Chief of Police at his two smallest officers.
Nick lifted a small red paw to speak but Bogo slammed both hooves on his desk causing the gargantuan piece of furniture to jump several inches, "The entire city is in an uproar! Highway Four is still closed for clean up. Forty gallons of ice cream litter three miles of it, along with dozens of private vehicles that were damaged in that chase."
With her paws folded in her lap, Judy stared at the floor like she could burrow through the green carpet and escape her boss's tirade, but his voice only got louder with each word, "The Baobab exit is now covered in ten thousand gallons of jet fuel and steel shrapnel. Thousands of windows were broken in that explosion and hundreds of citizens were injured. Luckily, no one was killed."
Bogo paced back and forth behind his desk. Each hoof fall echoed like a death knell in the large, yet cramped office. He stopped near one edge of the desk and looked down at his newest officers, "And the worst part is that the mayor wants to know why the city has to pay for millions in damages when the money stolen was less than two hundred thousand. Not even a quarter of a million!" He slammed his fist on the desk again, "This clean up is costing ten times what these clowns stole."
The large buffalo rubbed the tips of his bony fingers along the bridge of his nose, "Why can't the two of you do anything without blowing something up."
"Um, Chief," Nick interjected quickly, "We didn't cause the ..."
"Shove it, Wilde," Bogo bellowed at the fox who looked up at his boss in a stunned silence. "I am just sick and tired of your sly, snarky attitude, your crude pranks, and your poor taste in jokes. So keep your trap shut for once." He turned and glared at the rabbit sitting calm and ashamed beside the fox, "And you, don't even think of covering for him this time."
Shrugging, Judy looked up at her boss, perplexed, "What did I do?"
"Don't make me dig up all those reckless driving and excessive force violations, Hopps." He waved a hoof through the air over his desk, "The two of you were supposed to be looking into this mammal trafficking case today, and not blowing up half the damn freeway." Stomping over to his giant office door he held it open and pointed into the hallway, "I want the both of you back on your case and out of my office, now! Before I decide they need the extra paws on the freeway cleanup."
They both saluted the Chief of Police and leapt out of their shared chair. As they bolted through the huge door, Bogo called for Wolfard and Fangmeyer. A dejected wolf and tiger shuffled into the office as the smaller pair fled.
Once the door was closed, Nick turned to his smaller partner, "I don't know why he is blaming us for this mess. It's those three clowns who decided to tear up the freeway and dump ice cream all over our car."
"Hush, Nick," she patted him on the lower half of his back. "Let the big guy rant. We probably could have done a better job to control the situation or something."
"It's not fair, is all I'm saying, Carrots," the fox threw his paws over his head. "We followed procedure and pursued the robbers. How is it our fault that they crashed into other drivers and shot at us?"
While Nick was ranting about being chewed out by his boss, a very rotund cheetah strolled up to him and Judy. "Hey, I have been looking all over for you two. Oh, my, why so glum?"
"Hey, Spots," Nick said with an obviously fake smile.
"We just spent the last half hour in Bogo's office," Judy added. While trying to sound a bit more cheerful than her partner, she asked, "Why were you looking for us, Ben?:"
"Well, you see," Clawhauser began to stumble over his own explanation. "You remember that panda hybrid that you guys found the other day? The one they had to check into the hospital?"
"Yes, Claws, we remember her," Nick said, emphasizing that the big cop get to the point.
"Um, well, um, she's gone missing," he blurted out suddenly.
"She what?" Both the fox and rabbit asked at the same time.
"They said she checked out some time in the middle of the night and no one has seen her since."
Without waiting for the cheetah to finish, Judy grabbed Nick's paw and sprinted across the lobby towards the garage, "Thanks Clawhauser."
Nick turned back while he was being dragged across the shiny marble floor by his overly eager partner, "What hospital did you say that was again, Spots?"
"Hopson's Medical Center, it's in Sahara Square," Clawhauser called across the lobby to the pair of retreating cops.
The busy hospital walls were painted a pale, calming blue. Nurses of all shapes and sizes ran or scurried back and forth along the wide corridor. This hospital wasn't as large as the huge Zootopia General tower, but it was still the main one for Sahara Square. It's small size combined with the location created a sense of overcrowding at certain times of the year.
Nick and Judy happened to walk into the Hopson's Medical Center during one of those busy times. It wasn't that there was a major emergency going on, but the desert resort district had been bustling recently. Vacationers and gamblers seemed to migrate there in herds as the weather got cooler.
The other influx of patients came from the many construction crews in the area. Large construction sites were always dangerous. Someone would step on a nail, or slip and get cut on something sharp and need to get stitches. Everyday it seemed like there were always new mammals that had to go to the hospital for a papercut or a runny nose.
Add the large, migrating herds, the extra workers, plus all the regular mammal check ups and the small district facility was easily overrun. The administrators had frequently requested funds to expand the building but had so far been denied, since the hospital was usually slow for half the year. The extra business during the other half was not enough to cover the cost of an addition, so the building remained small and crowded.
Thus, the fox and rabbit were nearly run over by a giraffe in a wheelchair being pushed by a hippo in flowery scrubs. The giraffe had a long, plaster cast over her leg and an uncomfortable brace holding up her long neck. When they jumped out of the way they bumped into a brown bear who looked down at them in concern, "Can I help you officers?"
"Yes ma'am," Judy said, stepping back to look up at the much taller nurse. "We are looking for the maternity ward."
"Of course, you're almost there," the bear replied warmly while pointing to her right. "If you continue in that direction it will be the second desk on the left. There should be a sign above the desk so you can't miss it."
"Thank you ma'am," the rabbit nodded and grabbed her fox's paw as they headed down the long hall again.
Unlike the rest of the hospital, the desk at the maternity ward was fairly quiet today. The sign hanging from the ceiling wasn't quite as obvious for the two small cops as the large nurse had suggested. Both small cops had to climb onto a large stool before they could speak to the nurse behind the counter. Once they presented their request, the caribou was able to quickly ring for the doctor to see them.
A tall musk ox with well braided dreads led them down a side passage to an empty room, "As you can see officers, the room was cleaned out this morning when I came on shift." The room looked like it had recently been occupied only moments before. An unmade bed sat in the middle of the room while the health monitor beeped happily every few seconds.
"That's odd," Nick noted, pointing to the machine on the wall. "Don't those things usually throw a fit when their patient is unplugged?"
"Yes, you are quite right." The doctor stepped over to the bed and examined the monitor's controls. "It looks like someone set this into test mode. That is very unusual."
After briefly looking around the room, Judy turned to the doctor, "Did anyone see anything last night, or report anything strange."
"None of the nurses on duty reported anything strange from this room, but I did find a release form on my desk when I clocked in," She held up a large clipboard that fit comfortably in her broad hooves.
"Can we see it?" Judy asked, paw held out to the doctor.
Looking over the rabbit's shoulder, Nick examined the signature at the bottom, "That looks like a female's hand writing."
"A Dr. C. Walia?" The small rabbit said, tapping her chin with a finger.
"There is no doctor by that name working in this building," the shaggy doctor replied. "I checked the records to try and figure out who took off with my patient but only ran into dead ends."
"How so?" queried the fox.
"The only female doctor on record that goes by the name, Walia, died over five years ago."
North of the Rainforest District, was a large, grassy plain that stretched for miles between the Zootopian mountain range and the western branch of the river. Small settlements dotted this plain with adobe and wooden structures. Few paved roads split the plains while small trails snaked through the tall grasses. The entire district felt like a huge, untended wilderness park.
The lush green grass was so tall that a rabbit could easily disappear among the wind blown blades, even while standing with her ears fully erect. Standing on the tips of her toes, Judy still could not see over the high blades that surrounded her. A fox could also have thoroughly hidden after taking only a few steps into that immense field of green.
It reminded her of the wilderness behind her family's farm back in bunny burrow. If left alone the wild grass and bushes could easily swallow an old, bunny-sized tractor in a single season. Her siblings would often play hide and seek in the empty fields until the sun went down or Bonnie rang the dinner bell. Then hundreds of hungry bunnies would suddenly come rushing out of the tall grass like an invading army of savages.
This grass was actually watered and well cared for by the city like a large, endless lawn. Only once a year, in the autumn, would it get trimmed and then sold in the Haymarket downtown. Standing on the tips of her toes, Judy tried looking out over the tall expanse of wild grass hoping to catch a glimpse of one of those giant mowers. Even stretched to her full height, the grass was like a thick green wall that waved gracefully in the wind, blocking her view.
"What are you looking at?" Nick asked the rabbit, who was attempting to see around the long blades with a soft paw held flat to her brow. He stepped around a medium sized, white, family car that had a flat tire and was missing half of its front fender.
Straining, the rabbit took one last look out across the expanse of giant grass before turning to face the red fox, "I haven't spent much time in the Meadowlands. All this open space really reminds me of Bunny Burrow."
Nick shrugged, "I have never been interested in the place myself." When she gave him a puzzled look he replied, "Grass and sheep don't usually buy pawpsicles from a pair of foxes."
The serious expression on his muzzle made her chuckle, "No, I guess not."
He held out his paw and jerked his head back the way they had come, "Come on, Carrots. We still have to find out what this mammal knows about that shipment of pandas."
Judy looked down at the fox's paw for a brief moment before relaxing her hind paws until they rested on the heels and she let her ears fall behind her head. As the rabbit dropped, she placed her forepaw into his and grasped it with a firm assurance. Paw in paw with her partner, she skipped around the wreck and into an open lot.
The parking lot was filled with vehicles of all shapes and sizes. Some were the size of children's toys while others were so large, they could fit her own police cruiser in the trunk twice over. Other than their current location, every vehicle in the lot had something in common. Every single one had a scratch, dent, broken window or was missing several parts. Judy even recognized a few from the various fender benders she had been regularly called to assist with.
Sitting next to the lot was a long building with a dozen garage doors opened along its length. Most of the bays had one kind of vehicle or another parked inside, while a few were even raised up on huge, hydraulic lifts. Various predators scrambled under and over the vehicles with wrenches or blow torches.
Work inside those mechanical bays commenced at a frantic pace. Parts seemed to fly off of some of the cars while others almost magically repaired themselves. Bumpers were straightened and fenders quickly popped into place, while the spiderwebs that covered cracked windshields appeared to simply melt away at the touch of large and tiny paws alike.
Looking around the auto shop, Judy felt an odd sensation, something didn't quite fit and the curiosity was causing her nose to itch. The large building was situated on the edge of one of the largest communities in the Meadowlands. It was practically the bustling center of the district, yet she could not spot a single prey mammal anywhere on site. Ungulates and other large grazers were the most common type of animals living in the district, but all the mechanics working here were either from the feline or mustelid families. The lack in employment diversity reminded her of another place on the opposite side of the city, where snow filled the streets permanently, and giant predators buttled for vicious rodents.
Subconsciously the rabbit let go of the fox's paw as they wound their way through the broken cars, "So what do we know about this mammal?"
Recalling what he had found in the police database and the recent word on the streets, Nick replied confidently, "Lewis Gatolli, alias Greasy Luey is a bobcat with a disturbingly long record. Multiple rounds in the city pen, but has always managed to earn an early release. He recently acquired the largest machine shop in the Meadowlands after the previous owner had a fatal accident in jail. Now the word around town is that he and his gang of felines are looking to take over the entire district."
"Take over," Judy asked curiously. "You mean like a mob boss?"
"Yes, exactly," Nick noted. "Freddy The Ram used to be the big name around here but I have heard that he is slowly losing ground to Gatolli. The sheep is getting too old and his heir is young and reckless. It's only a matter of time before the sheep kicks the bucket. That's when the bobcat will pounce."
Thoughtfully, Judy paused for a second, "What have we got on this guy to convince him to tell us what he knows?"
"Not much," the fox stated, shaking his head. "So far all we have is Lefty's testimony that Gatolli gave him the time and date of the shipment."
"As much as I am pissed off at that dirty skunk right now, I would rather not mention his name to this bobcat if we can help it."
"Wait, we're just going to walk up to the second biggest crime boss in the Meadowlands, wave our badges around and start asking questions?," Nick nearly tripped over a small tire that had been carelessly left in the middle of the lot.
"Yep, that's the plan, Slick," Judy declared with a fierce determination. "Do you have a better plan?"
Kicking the offensive tire out of his way, he caught up with his small, gray partner, "As a matter of fact I do. The paperwork for an unsolved robbery crossed my desk while I was still recovering and I am certain that it had Gatolli's name all over it."
The rabbit smirked up at him, "Convenient that you just happened to remember this now, Dumb Fox."
"You know you couldn't live without me," He taunted while adjusting his tie with a jerky sway. The shake also caused his tail to swish happily behind him.
Judy's only response was a swift punch to his shoulder.
Without flinching at the rabbit's assault, the fox continued his explanation, "The security footage clearly showed two of his rightpaw mammals staking out the bank a few days prior, and then again shortly before the heist."
"That's something pretty solid to lean on," the rabbit affirmed with a slight hop. "Did the cameras get a good shot of the actual thieves?"
Shaking his head sadly, Nick rebuffed her idea, "No. The cameras never caught a good view of the crooks. What they did get, were two, or maybe three mammals about the same height, fully hooded and masked."
"That's a shame," Judy drove a hind paw into the hard pavement. "I was hoping we had something more concrete to go on."
"What is really odd about the heist, is that the crooks were in and out in less than 2 minutes," Nick stated in hushed tones. "It was like they knew what they were doing and didn't waste any time. Plus, they didn't draw any weapons."
Suddenly stopping, Judy turned and placed her paw in the center of the fox's uniformed chest, "It sounds like an inside job. Banks are all insured so theft or fire almost never harms their customers." That thought brought a deep frown to her muzzle, "That was why Bogo was so angry at us this morning."
With a firm rabbit paw halting his forward momentum, Nick stared down at his partner, "I was also thinking it was an inside job at first, but the bank manager at the time was a ram, and all the tellers working that day were local prey."
"Let's try to use that and see if we can make him blink," she took her paw from his chest and started to walk towards the shop's office door.
The front office looked like most automotive repair and parts stores. Large windows lined the wall by the front door and also separated the office from the repair bays. Various quick fix parts sat for sale on cheap, cardboard displays and a stack of brand new truck tires was stacked in one corner. A little bell chimed as Judy opened the door.
A hefty and extremely overweight lynx, with a fancy shirt that seemed to shift colors as the light moved, stepped around the counter and directly blocked the two police officers' path. He had a fierce and shifty glare to his eyes and his muzzle seemed to be dented in several places like he had taken several blows to the head. The tufts on both of his ears also appeared to have been viciously chewed off.
Behind the counter, was a middle-aged ferret who seemed to be talking to a customer over the phone. She was describing a list of damages and the cost of repairing each one to the mammal on the other end of the line. While she spoke, she kept wrapping the curly cord around her paw and tapped a pencil on the counter.
Paws folded across his chest, the burly feline towered over the two cops. "What you coppas want?" he asked in a gruff, old world accent. It was clear that the lynx barely knew any Zootopian and was struggling with the language.
Nick stepped forward and flashed his badge at the large cat and spoke politely, "We would like to speak with Mr. Gatolli."
Glaring down at the red fox that was only half his height, the thug grunted, "Boss not here."
Unperturbed by the lynx's refusal, Nick continued cheerfully, "We had a couple of questions for your boss, and we were hoping he could help us out."
Unmoving, the lynx's glare seemed to darken, "Boss not here."
"I know, you said that already," the fox wasn't going to let this thick clod keep him from the answers he sought. "If he isn't here, then where would I find him?"
The thug shook his head, "Boss busy. Not here." He unfolded one paw and pointed at the door, "You go."
"Fine, I'll go," the sly smirk crossed his muzzle and he winked at Judy. "I will go, but only after you tell me where Mr. Gatolli went."
"Coppa no belong here, you go," the larger predator declared.
"Where?" Nick asked, "where should I go?"
"River."
"To the river?" Nick smiled, thinking he had finally gotten something from this dense brute, "Gatolli went to the river?"
"You, river," the lynx was struggling to find the right words to tell the fox where he could go. "You jump in river. Go now, or you learn how swim." He chuckled at the last bit and planted one fist into his paw aggressively.
While Nick was struggling to communicate with the burly, feline thug, Judy kept her eyes on the shop floor. Few of the mechanics could be seen from this angle, after the fourth car, the rest of the bays were obscured by a large mammal's truck that was missing it's hood, half the front fender and the driver's side door.
One of the workers kept glancing at the office suspiciously. He was a short wolverine, wearing a dark pair of overalls that seemed just a bit too clean and wrinkle free. On top of his head was a tuskball hat with an emblem that she didn't recognize. Probably one of the local Meadowland teams and she paid it little mind.
What really got her ears up was that he did not appear to be working on fixing anything. The strange wolverine seemed to be wandering around and shoving various pieces of equipment into his pockets while frequently glancing towards the office.
As she watched, he shuffled up to a smaller, compact car that had annoyingly been named after her species. He pulled a knife from his pocket, opened the driver's side door and began slicing into the seat cushions. To the rabbit's eyes, it seemed like he was carefully dissecting the chair. His blade delicately followed the edge of the cushion as if he was trying not to puncture the stuffing inside.
Once the wolverine had a sufficiently large hole cut into the woven fabric, he pulled out the knife and shoved his paw inside. After a few moments of rifling around inside the seat he pulled out a paw sized package that had been wrapped in duct tape. He turned the package over in his paws and then shoved it deep into pockets.
A second dive into the cushions and a black, metallic device slipped into the suspicious mammal's clothes.
Judy immediately responded. Her ears flew forward and her nose shifted into high gear. "He's got a weapon," she shouted as she charged around the stoutly unmoving lynx.
Before the rabbit could push open the large glass door into the repair bay, the wolverine caught a glimpse of the diminutive cop and bolted for the back door.
"Wait, Carrots," Nick cried as he watched his partner fly past and through the door marked "Employees Only." He barreled past the larger predator with barely an apology.
The fox quickly caught up to the rabbit as she flew through the large, steel door in the back of the shop. In the alley behind the building, he yelled at her, "Remember what happened the last time we chased someone through the back alleys?"
"Of course," she called out, sprinting ahead of him. "That's why I'm keeping you in sight this time."
Nick rolled his eyes at her comment, "I didn't realize she had eyes in the back of her head."
The wolverine was quickly escaping down the alley while they argued. Before reaching the mouth of the backstreet, he dodged behind a dumpster and turned the corner into another passage.
Several steps behind, Judy was easily gaining on the fleeing mammal, with Nick close on her heels. She turned the corner and spotted the wolverine begin to slow in this second alley.
He seemed to be quickly losing his breath as he passed a freshly washed, white van in the dirty backstreet. Several feet beyond the van he stumbled and bent over, reaching a paw into his pocket where she had seen him stash the weapon.
"Careful, Carrots," the fox's breath ruffled the fur behind her ears.
Her own gun flew into her paws and she pointed it directly at the slumped mammal. "Freeze, ZPD!" She cried.
"ZBI! You freeze," the wolverine stood and pointed his pistol directly between the rabbit's eyes in one smooth motion. His breathing was calm and steady while his gaze did not waver as he emotionlessly stared back at the two cops.
"What?" Nick blinked seconds before he heard a loud click behind his own head and the distinct ka-thunk of a pump action shotgun to his left.
"You heard him, cop," a female voice stated flatly. "He said ZBI. Drop your weapons."
The voice sounded like it was slightly to his right and far enough behind to be out of reach. He was flanked and out gunned. Unholstering his gun, he dropped it to the ground. Before the weapon left his paw, he saw a small, white-furred paw grab for it. With his paws empty he raised them over his head.
"You too, rabbit," the female spoke again. "Drop it."
Judy glared down the sights of her police issued pistol, her mind frantically tried to come up with a solution that would bring down these strange assailants as well as get her and Nick out of the alley unharmed. She gritted her bucked teeth and the muscles in her paw flinched, ready to shoot the mammal that continued to point a gun at her.
"Do it, Carrots," Nick advised calmly.
"Yes," the wolverine recommended with a curiously posh accent, "Carrots?" Even though he wore a thick pair of dirty overalls, he stood before the rabbit like he was clad in a rich suit made of the finest desert cotton. The gun sat in his paw like it was a natural extension of his own arm.
Even with her gun pointed at his head, there was no fear or malice in his eyes. She only saw patience in their brown depths, like what would happen next was inevitable. He seemed only to be waiting for her to make the right decision.
Letting out a defeated huff she did not drop her weapon, but rolled it over in her paw and presented the handle to him with the barrel facing down. "Fine," she declared, "You win, for now."
"Very well," he said, like he was almost bored with the situation, and took the weapon from her paw. Stuffing her weapon into one of his many pockets, he lowered his own gun, but held it casually in his paw.
Relieved of her gun the rabbit remained in an aggressive stance, "What is the ZBI doing in this part of town? Don't you have some high profile mammals to protect or something?"
"We could ask the same of the ZPD. And I think you're referring to the secret service, Cottontail," a pure white fox with bright, blue eyes stepped into view. She wore a dark suit with a slightly feminine cut, but she held herself like a loaded spring, ready to pounce at any moment. The gun she pointed at the red todd's head twitched as if challenging him to make a move.
"Easy, Agent Feldon," the wolverine cautioned, raising his free paw. "We are all friends here. Isn't that right, officers?" With a warm smile, he turned a friendly, calming gaze on Officer Hopps.
Somehow, his easy going charm reassured the anxious rabbit. Her heart rate slowed considerably, the twitching nose ceased and her ears slowly fell. Those soft brown eyes and his friendly words seemed to wash away her aggressions. "Yes, yeah, friends," she nodded and replied sleepily.
Paws still held above his head, Nick inquired of the two agents, "So what does the ZBI want with Gatolli? I am guessing that is why the two of you are staking out his shop."
Nick's voice was like a bright sunrise, clearing away the fog from the rabbit's mind. She shook her head and the fierce glare returned, "Right, so why are you dressed as a mechanic working for that mob boss?"
The suave agent glanced around the alley before speaking, "Why don't we take this conversation into my office?" He gestured to the freshly washed, white van that was parked back in the direction they had come.
Leaning out of the sliding door in the side of the large van was a sloth wearing a striped blue shirt and tie. In his paws he held a large shotgun that was still pointed roughly in Nick's direction.
Taking a step past the rabbit and towards the van, the wolverine made a lowering motion with his paw, "You can put the gun down now, Agent Bolt. These are our guests for the evening."
With an incredibly slow pace, the shotgun began to lower and the sloth's jaws began to widen, "Right ... ok ... will ... do ... boss. Come ... on ... in ... friends." He slotfully slid aside, eventually giving Nick and Judy access to the van's interior.
Inside the van, both walls were lined with computer and surveillance equipment. On the monitors were several scenes of the mechanic shop, both exterior and interior. The largest screen, in front of the sloth's chair, showed the image of Judy flying through the office door and chasing after the wolverine agent. It was set on repeat and she got to see the scene play out over and over again.
Nick and Judy climbed into the large van once the sloth had moved out of the way. They each took a swivel chair near the back. The suave wolverine followed them and sat near the front, while Agent Feldon brought up the rear and quietly closed the sliding door.
"I am Special Agent Adams." He waved a paw towards the white vixen standing near the door with her paws crossed. "This is Special Agent Feldon, and our technician is Agent Bolt."
The technical agent slowly began to lift his paw and smile at the small pair of cops.
"Officer Hopps," Judy patted her uniformed chest and then motioned to the red fox beside her. "And Officer Wilde."
Oblivious to the other four mammals in the van while they continued their conversation, the sloth continued to wave his paw in a friendly greeting.
"For the last several months I have been working undercover at the Gatolli auto repair shop," Agent Adams continued. "That is until the two of you almost blew my cover. Luckily Curly is too dumb to know what actually happened and I should be able to convince the others that I got away."
"Curly," Judy asked with the tilt of her head.
"Big blob of a lynx with two missing ears," the arctic fox replied in disgust, while pulling on her own ears.
"Curly used to be a cage fighter until Greasy Luey brought him on as his own personal bodyguard."
"That explains a lot," Nick said thoughtfully.
Agent Feldon stepped towards the two cops, "Whatever you two are doing here, you need to leave before you ruin any more of this operation."
"We're just following a lead in our own investigation," Judy added, expecting that simple statement to resolve everything.
"And what exactly are you investigating?" Feldon glared down at the rabbit and her partner.
"You go first," Nick declared slyly.
Baring her teeth, the vixen unfolded her paws and placed them on her hips, near the weapon that was holstered there.
"Easy there, Agent," Adams advised. He turned back to the pair of cops and replied, "We are not at liberty to reveal the objective of our mission at this time. So why don't you instead explain why the ZPD is interfering with a federal investigation?"
Leaning back in her uncomfortable office chair, Judy began to explain the drug case they had been following for the last several months, "So, when we got a tip that a large shipment of drugs was arriving at the docks, we obviously went to check it out."
"When we opened the crate," Nick added. "There weren't any drugs. All that was inside was a sky blue sports car, and three female, panda-like mammals."
"Right," the rabbit's ears flew forward. "And one of them was even pregnant."
"A sports car?" Agent Feldon asked with renewed interest.
"Yes," the todd nodded. "It was a foreign classic. Painted sky blue and seemed to have all of its original parts."
"Was the car what led you here?" The vixen asked, almost annoyed.
"No, it was the informant," Judy replied to the agent's question. "Lefty, the skunk who told us about the drug shipment said that he overheard Greasy Luey talking about it before he passed the info on to us."
With a nod, Nick sat forward in his own chair, "Our chief asked us to find out what Gatolli knew about the three stowaways. The car was never mentioned."
Deep concern crossed the vixen's muzzle and she turned to the wolverine, "Mammal trafficking? Now that's four federal offenses, when are we going to just bust this scumbag?"
"And none of it is provable yet, Agent Feldon."
"What about the package and the weapon you found in that car?" The annoyance thick in the vixen's voice.
"Circumstantial," the wolverine replied, shaking his head. "Until we catch Gatolli handling the stuff personally we can't make any moves."
The fox and rabbit officers looked at each other puzzled while the two agents argued over how to deal with the mob boss. Judy finally spoke up as the conversation only got more confusing with each word, "What exactly is going on here?"
Agent Adams looked up at the two cops like he had suddenly discovered that they had been eavesdropping on a private conversation. He nodded to the arctic fox, "I guess we could follow this lead and see how it pans out."
"It's your call," she folded her arms across her breasts and leaned back against the sliding door.
"I guess we don't have much choice now," Adams explained to the small cops. "You see, Greasy Luey has been slowly taking over the organized crime racket in the Meadowlands and the ZBI has brought us in to keep an eye on him. And to bring him down once we have enough evidence to take him to court, and make it stick."
Both cops nodded in understanding. They were well versed in the rules of evidence and could understand why the federal agents were reluctant to simply arrest the mob boss out of paw.
"Gatolli has his claws in so many pies that it's hard to pin him with any one crime," the wolverine continued. "Most of the time, it's his lackeys that are involved with the dirty work and not the big mammal himself. So, more often than not, he gets off scott free."
A cough escaped from the muzzle of the arctic fox, and Agent Adams nodded, "Right, so as my partner pointed out, we have been working on three different angles so far. We have strong reason to believe that our crime boss is not only smuggling drugs and weapons, but also using this shop as a front to chop stolen vehicles and sell the parts to the highest bidders."
"That's why the interest in the classic sport's car," Nick interjected.
"Exactly," Adams replied with the snap of a finger. "Now you two waltz in with the possibility that he is also engaged in Mammal Trafficking. That gives us a fourth angle to follow."
"What are you suggesting?" Judy asked, intrigued.
"Greasy Luey may already suspect that his shop is being watched," the wolverine said, scooting his chair forwards. "But he may not realize that we know about this new crime. So we can switch our efforts to take advantage of that. He won't speak to the cops no matter how hard you lean on him. Don't waste your time on the effort."
"Having the cops here will already set us back months," the arctic fox added with a snarl.
"Sorry about that," Judy replied as her ears fell behind her head.
"Don't worry about it," the wolverine said in consolation. "I think I can take advantage of the situation."
"How is that?" Nick asked.
"Well," Agent Adams explained. "As luck would have it, Gatolli is at the casinos in Sahara Square for the next few days, and he left Curly to watch the shop. It's quite possible that word of your appearance hasn't reached the bobcat's ears yet, so now is our chance to make a move."
"What's your plan?" the rabbit also queried.
"Meet us back here after dark tonight and I will fill you in on the details."
Agent Feldon opened the sliding door and gestured for the cops to exit the surveillance vehicle.
As the red fox and gray rabbit climbed out of the van, they could make out the sound of the sloth's voice while he was still, slowly waving to them in greeting, "So ... Nice ... To ... Make ... Your ... Acquaintance."
The wolverine stood at the door to give them a word of caution before they left, "Whatever you do, don't wear those uniforms, or bring that obvious police car either." The door slammed shut, leaving the cops standing alone in the filthy alley.
It was a couple of hours past sunset when Nick and Judy returned to the mechanic shop on the edge of the Meadowlands. All the bay doors were closed and the building was dark except for a dim light that glowed through the windows of a single bay. Nothing moved and it appeared like the whole shop slept soundly.
At this late hour, the two cops were forced to take a cab instead of their usual public transport so Nick called up an old friend for the late night lift. The echidna driver had dropped them off three blocks away without asking any questions and they jogged to the repair shop in the dark.
Nick wore an old Guns & Rodents t-shirt and a pair of dark jeans. The outfit blended well with his dark fur and he nearly disappeared in the shadows. Judy on the other paw, was dressed in her pink, plaid, farmer girl outfit. Her torn jeans had been replaced, but it was nearly identical to what she wore when her and Nick had finally apprehended that crazy sheep last year. It wasn't great for sneaking through dark buildings at night, but it was sturdy and warm for a fall evening raid.
The evening breeze that blew across the tall, meadow grass, ruffled their fur as the couple walked around the back of the building. Paw in paw, they strolled down the back alley where they had chased the undercover wolverine earlier that day.
"Isn't that so cute," a harsh voice greeted them from the dark.
Shocked, they both looked around trying to identify the source of the voice. A pure white vixen seemed to melt out of the light from a single lamp that hung above the shop's back door.
"Agent Feldon," Judy addressed the arctic fox. "What are you doing here?"
"Special Agent Adams is going to have enough trouble rebuilding his cover," the vixen explained. "So he won't be joining us tonight."
Shaking his head, Nick replied with apprehension, "He was supposed to explain this plan of his to us once we arrived. We're here now, and where is he? Trying to protect his precious cover?"
A sharp elbow jabbed him firmly in the gut. "Cool it, Slick," Judy ordered her partner. "Let's hear what the special agent has to say first. Then we will see how she plans to help us get the information on our stowaways." She wrapped her paws around his arm and gave it a gentle squeeze.
With his free arm he patted her paws, "Fine." Teeth still visible, he turned back to the white vixen, "So what is this plan?"
Ignoring the todd's rude behavior, the arctic vixen casually opened the door behind her and gestured for the cops to enter, "Tonight, we are going to search the place for any incriminating documents."
Slipping inside, Judy asked the agent, "What exactly are we looking for?"
"Any written proof that they are smuggling drugs and weapons, or chopping up stolen cars."
"Or anything that can link Gatolli to the Huang Guo and our three pandas," Nick added as he strolled into the huge auto shop.
Judy's gaze spread across the interior of the giant building, "Where do you suggest we start?"
The vixen closed and locked the door behind her, "I will start in the main office so you guys can look around the shop floor." She waved a paw through the air indicating the numerous cars and trucks that sat in various states of repair.
With a sigh, Judy watched the white fox head towards the front. The rabbit began to explore the shop, wondering how long it would take before she found anything. It was only a few seconds before the rabbit found a greasy note sitting on a desk. Unfortunately the note only contained repair instructions and a list of parts for the vehicle that currently sat in the bay. "This is going to take hours to go through all of this stuff," she whispered under her breath.
Hours passed while the rabbit and the two foxes searched the building. Nothing obviously illegal made an appearance during their search. They started at one end of the building and meticulously opened glove boxes and dug through cabinets until they reached the other end.
"What is this?" Judy asked, pointing to an old fashioned spiral staircase made of rusty, iron bars. The stairs were located at the opposite end of the building from the main office and had been completely obscured by the plastic tarp used to enclose the painting bay.
Lifting her muzzle out of a large tool chest, Agent Feldon looked where the rabbit was pointing, "That leads up to Greasy Luey's private office."
"If we're looking for incriminating evidence then it's most likely up there," the pink, country rabbit exclaimed as she bolted up the steps with Nick close on her tail.
At the top of the rickety old steps, a thick oak door waited for the trio. Judy wiggled the knob but it didn't even budge in her small paws.
"Let me try," the white fox called as she stepped forward. A quick flash of steel and a solid click later and the door creaked ominously in her paws.
"How did you do that?" Nick asked.
"Does the ZBI teach it's agents those kinds of skills?" The rabbit added.
Stepping through the door with a whistle, Feldon replied, "Naw, it's just a special talent I picked up as a small kit." Her jaw dropped as she walked into the second floor office, "Adams never made it up here. These stairs are always watched during business hours."
Looking around the room, Judy was reminded of another mob boss's office. A rich oak table dominated the center of the room and a tall liquor cabinet sat against the far wall with dozens of delicate bottles. Behind the desk, was a large chair with a smooth and shiny black cushion that seemed to send a chill up her spine. In front of the desk were two similarly covered chairs.
Laying across the floor sat a couple of wool rugs. The rug nearest to the liquor cabinet was oddly bear shaped and seemed to be made from the thick white fur of a polar bear.
Judy stepped up to the desk and ran her paw across the shiny arm of one of the large chairs. The material it was made from felt oddly warm, yet it made her shiver. "Nick?" she asked cautiously, "I think these chairs are made from leather."
"Try not to think about it, Carrots," he replied reassuringly.
She slammed one paw hard into the wool rug below her, "It's kind of hard not to when we are surrounded by the tanned skins of dead mammals."
"They are probably antiques," the vixen replied as she lifted an old painting and ran her paws across the wall paneling behind it.
"Like that is supposed to make this any easier," Judy nearly shouted. "I thought all the leather antiques were destroyed years ago."
Feldon shook her head and lowered the painting again, "You would be surprised by how much still remains in the homes of the rich and powerful."
"That's truly disgusting!"
"Indeed," agreed Nick with the shake of his head.
A loud click echoed around the room and the arctic fox called out to the pair of cops, "I think I found something." She had managed to open one of the locked cabinets to reveal a series of metal drawers that were filled with thousands of files and documents.
Nick whistled at the sight, "We hit the jackpot ladies!"
"You could say that again," Judy cheered, hopping over to the vixen.
Going through the files they found in the drawers took several more hours even with three sets of paws. The files seemed to be deliberately unorganized. Nothing was in alphabetical or even numerical order. Records describing the acquisition and sale of a single car were almost deliberately spread across three different drawers.
Nick managed to find copies of the Huang Guo's shipping manifest while Judy eventually found the deed for a piece of property in Bunny Burrow with matching signatures. Agent Feldon found stacks of transparent paper that held dozens of other signatures. Each sheet had multiple versions of the same signature, like someone was practicing writing different mammal's names.
"I think we have what we were looking for," Judy noted, pulling the various documents together. "Look at this. We have the shipping manifest, and this sale of property, both signed by one Olivia Hogenshaw. And here are multiple transfers to an offshore account."
"An accomplice or possible benefactor?" Nick asked, he held up an order for cases of motor oil and spark plugs. "That name appears on a lot of random documents over the last three months. Whoever she is, she appears to be deeply involved with this smuggling organization."
"We need to speak with this Hogenshaw," the rabbit said, lifting a fourth sheet of paper. "She also seems to have signed over the title of this sports car." Judy pulled all the documents together, "Her name seems to appear in these files around the same time we started working on that drug case. Coincidence or not, we need to find out what she knows."
Pulling a separate stack of files from the drawers, Agent Feldon looked at the pair of cops, "So you got what you needed?"
"Yep," Judy nodded as she tapped the loose papers on the edge of the desk in order to line them up together.
"Good. It will be getting light here soon," the arctic fox closed up the drawers and relocked the cabinet again. She held up a few documents, folded them together and stuffed them into a pocket, "It looks like Gatolli sold the same car three times. A car that was reported stolen 6 months ago. Even with his signature on these papers, it's not very strong evidence. And could easily fall apart in court, just like the last three attempts."
With the tilt of her head, Judy asked the agent, "Have you tried tax evasion?"
"Tax evasion?" The snow white vixen asked. "That is an angle we hadn't considered. We would have to get some accountants to go through these files but it is definitely a possibility."
"It works every time," the doe replied.
Nick rolled his eyes and snorted at the rabbit's comment before quickly walking towards the stairs.
[A/N] I has been over four years since I started writing this Zootopia fan fiction and now I finally have cover art for this story! RandomChibiGirl did a great job drawing the cover art so go check out the original over on her DeviantArt page.
This chapter did not turn out at all like I had hoped. There were so many conflicting ideas running around for this one it felt like it ended up being a garbled mess. I blame myself for taking a three week break after finishing the first scene and starting the second part. I was struggling with how to have them deal with the ruthless Gatolli and meet the ZBI agents, so I ended up leaving the mob boss out of this chapter. If you would like to see him in more details check out the short story titled Shakedown over in my compilation story called Extra Fluffy.
In the next chapter we find out what is going on with Hogenshaw and our dynamic duo might have another fluffy date. I should be able to get chapter five out on the 25th. Publishing once a month seems to be just the right pace for me. I had hoped I could get ahead of things but with work being busy this spring I have had a few weeks where I havent been able to write at all. We will have to see how the summer and fall go and if I can continue to keep writing. There is alot more fluff coming over the next several chapters so we will see if I can hold on and stay positive.
Many thanks to everyone who leaves such awesome comments on this story. You guys really inspire me to keep writing. I am no professional and this is by far the most I have ever written on a single subject. At work I do write technical documents and the occasional instruction manual, but creatively I never wrote more than a page or two, so this project is is huge in comparison. If your wondering how I do it, I have a very large playlist of Zootopia music videos on YouTube and thousands of fanart pics and comics to swim through. I grab a few ideas off the internet, then make a few notes about how an idea would fit into the story, and then expand it as much as I can. It has been four years with lots of breaks and tons of writer's block, but I try to keep pushing. Luckily I keep getting new ideas and have lots of plot bunnies still waiting for me along the side of the road.