"Mmmm..."
Judy cringed, watching Nick fork in a third slice of pancake into his jaws, which dripped with syrup, his muzzle covered in crumbs. Judy, seated in booth across from him, paperwork neatly arranged away from Nick's plate, pointed at him with her pen.
"Are you going to make that sound with every bite-"
"Mmmm...!" In went another slice.
Judy looked away, ear drooping. When was her meal arriving? And what ever happened to waiting to eat until everyone had their plate? She packed her papers back into the folder and set it down beside her. She decided to mentally scan the room.
The restaurant was quite empty. Most animals sat abreast at the front counter, drinking coffee and dipping french toast into synthetic egg yolks. Others read newspapers, sucking the life out of a complimentary after-meal mint. Several tables were occupied by the elderly. Some were reptilian, sitting by the windows to bask in the sun. Others were mammal. She only saw one family in the middle of the restaurant, a family of ducks drinking from bowls, two ducklings peeping softly to one another. The music in the establishment played soothing jazz. Somewhere, a fork dropped, followed by a mumbled apology. Waiters and waitresses appeared like snow: here one moment, gone the next.
Judy sat back in her booth. She would just have to keep waiting. She couldn't allow herself to be anxious. But it didn't seem fair. The fox across from her eating like it's his last meal on Earth ("Mmmm!") while Judy slowly starved, feeling like it was going to be her last moments... She gritted her teeth.
"Here you are, Officer!" a large plate of carrot fries, mashed kale and spinach pudding, peeled and sliced radishes, and baked purple potatoes was placed in front of her, the steam rising up to greet her.
"Oh! Wow, um." Judy blinked. Was it tears of gratitude or was it the steam making her eyes burn so suddenly? The meal was clearly a double portion.
"Sorry about the wait." said the waitress. Judy looked up at her. She was an aardvark, and wore a long white apron and matching cap. Her long narrow snout ended in a smile. "I know it's not easy, having to wait," she said with a knowing glance towards Nick. "But now you can have extras if you get hungry later. Anyway, you know the drill; it's on the house. You just let me know if you need anything else. The name's Allie."
Judy smiled. "Thank you so much, Allie!"
Allie the aardvark? Nick looked up. The scent of all the vegetables made him quickly look back down, burrowing his nose back in the smell of his artificial beef pancakes.
"Need any more coffee, Officers?" asked Allie. Judy nodded politely and picked up her mug for a refill. "We also had two people quit last night." said the aardvark, the dark brew pouring out of a silver spouted pot. "After the incident across the street, they decided this wasn't the job for them. You know?"
Judy's heart skipped a beat. She thought of the hippo crossing the street. The light green-- no...red. "What incident?" she asked. Nick put his fork down, pushing his empty plate away. He looked up, listening.
Allie leaned towards the table. "Someone was murdered," she said softly.
...