A New Problem

His car bolted down the road, screeching at the turning corners. "Webs, any words from the guys?" Wolf asked.

"They're trying to keep everything under control but the reporters are already there," Webs sighed, "And the fact that it's in the Arcadia district-"

"Right," Wolf groaned, glancing at Luggins on the phone.

"Police are on the scene. They're trying to control the crowd but..."

"Misty?"

The officer gritted her teeth, glaring hard at the road. "The protestors are already there."

Wolf's eyes widened. He rested his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Luggins muttered.

"Don't let these guys get to you. If you need to stay away from them, let me know."

Luggins gave a small smirk. "I'm sure the media won't be eager to hear from a former crook. No matter how spotless your record is now."

"Ouch. True but ouch," Wolf sighed, "I'll get Foxington on the case."

"That'll be better," Luggins sighed. "I just... why now? Can't they see that-"

"They can't," Wolf interrupted. "That's why they're protesting. People are more ignorant than you think." She gave a quick look at Wolf and sighed again.

He spoke more from experience than observation.

Through the last palm-tree-lined road, the three screeched to a halt at the location. A massive blackened fire-warped van stood in smithereens as police officers pushed the crowds back. Wolf parked the car next to a kids' park nearby. "We'll try to sneak our way into the investigation circle," Wolf mentioned.

"Why?"

"I really don't trust you with the media right now. Especially with those protestors so close by," Wolf explained. The Chief rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, but agreed. They snuck their way through the back way. "At least the protestors don't have to worry about the dolphin anymore."

The Golden Dolphin's presence had generated some anger among the population. Many were calling for its destruction because the increasing number of people trying to steal it was constantly plaguing the city.

Wolf grunted under his teeth. Crooks, gangs, and even protestors were all likely suspects. Figuring out who caused this explosion would be difficult if not impossible. And with Luggins already worried about more important things than the political stance of an inanimate object, Wolf had to figure out how to play this whole thing out.

They wedged themselves into the investigation circle where Shark, Snake, and Piranha were helping the other officers. "Are you guys okay? What happened?" Were the first words out of Luggins's mouth.

"Some people said that they saw a rocket hit the truck," Snake informed.

"Are you guys hurt?" Wolf asked.

"We're fine. No one on the streets got hit. It's late so most people are already at home."

"Which means we don't have a lot of witnesses who may have seen the culprit," Misty muttered. "Where did it come from?"

Snake sighed, "The suburb side of the street." The street they were on had several lines of suburban houses on the right and a large park on the left. "And not many people are in the park during this time of day."

Luggins bit her lip and gave a long sigh. "Alright, enough dancing around the question. What happened to Officer Barnes?"

Snake sighed, bowing his head. "The... paramedics couldn't even recognize it was a body until they saw the... bone." Luggins shut her eyes, walking away from Snake. She drew her hands to her face, shivering. Wolf gently rested his hand on her back.

The Police Chief took her hat off and covered her face. So much of a cop's job is their image, whether they wanted it or not. She couldn't falter. Not now. "Can you take care of the press for me?" Luggins said with a raspy voice. Wolf saw the glint of water in her reddening eyes. The canine nodded as the ginger police officer walked over to the investigators.

In the horde of shouts, cameras, and lights blinding the night sky, Wolf made out the sound of a familiar fox. "Right now, our finest detectives are on the case. No civilians have been hurt, but Officer Hubert Barnes was killed in the explosion."

"What about the Golden Dolphin?" Asked one of the reporters.

"We're still looking into all the facts of this investigation. That'll be all for now. No more comments," Governor Foxington left the questioning mob and rubbed her eyes under her glasses.

"Seems like you have your work cut out for you," Mr. Wolf said with a small smile. Diane Foxington only lifted her eyes for a brief moment before giving a tired nod. "You okay?"

"I'm exhausted," She said, putting her glasses back on. "How is Luggins doing?"

"Trying her best to avoid the mob," Wolf said, pointing to where the shouts and picket signs were congregating. The signs said, 'Stop city violence. Destroy Golden Dolphin.' 'I don't pay for a golden idol.' The wolf shook his head. They were partially right. Tax dollars did pay for the safety of the Golden Dolphin. If the thing was eliminated, it would free up a lot of money.

But knowing how politics worked, according to Diane, it would just go to another thing that seemed 'pressing and demanded immediate attention', like war or technology.

"But how is she doing? Really?" Diane asked.

Wolf sighed, "She's pretty shaken up. I don't know if she'll go off on one of the protestors."

"GET BEHIND THE LINE RIGHT NOW!" Shouted a voice.

"She just might," Diane pointed over to a red-faced Luggins being held back by Shark and Snake. A couple of protestors were taking pictures of the crime scene over the investigation lines.

Wolf rushed over. "Alright, alright, break it up."

"Yo, we were just taking photos. Now that that thing is gone-"

"How do you know it's gone?" Wolf asked the protestor, narrowing his eyes. The young man's eyes widened.

"Do you know something about this attack?" Luggins grunted, calming down a bit.

"What? No! Man, that thing blows up and you start accusing us?" The protestor grumbled.

"You guys have the motive. It would make sense," Snake commented.

"What happened to innocent until proven guilty?"

"The same thing that happened to, 'you have the right to remain silent.' Now, unless you know the person that is responsible for the murder of an officer," Luggins snarled, "I suggest you leave the premises. Now!" The scared protestor shivered back to his friends before the chief could make any more promises.

Luggins sighed, scratching her hair when Webs came up to them. "Any word from the forensic unit?"

"Other than a rocket exploded everything?" Webs muttered. "The team's a little suspicious about the blast, though. They're not entirely sure if the Dolphin's gone."

"What about street cameras?" Wolf asked.

"This is one of the best suburbs in the area and strangely enough there aren't any cameras in this place," Snake grumbled. Luggins threw her hat to the ground.

"ARGH! How could this happen?! Everything was planned out and ready to go! How did they... ARGH!"

"Officer Luggins," Diane said in a stern enough voice to call her attention. "I know this is emotionally trying for you, but need I remind you that we're still in a public area."

"She's right, Lugs," Wolf spoke up, "I think we all need to put some rest in if we're going to do this with cool heads. Especially you. Let the investigators do their thing. Maybe we'll have some better luck in the morning. Besides, I think we all need to get away from the media for a while."

Luggins shut her eyes, sighing and picking up her hat. "I guess I should inform Rob about his brother."

"I'll go with you," Diane offered.

"No offense, Governor, but I think this is something between officers."

"I think she meant to make sure YOU'RE okay," Wolf interjected. Diane nodded. The Police Chief huffed, looking up at the night sky. "Luggins, you know this is going to take a lot out of you. Don't wear yourself out. Talk to Barnes and go to bed. I know I'm not a cop, but that's an order, okay?"

"I'm fine."

"I know, but you're not going to stay fine forever," Wolf said. "Don't make me call Lillia and tell her to keep you on house arrest."

Luggins's eyes narrowed. "You're bluffing." Wolf picked up his phone and started listing Lillia's number. "Alright, alright! I'll go."

"Thank you," Wolf smiled. Luggins rolled her eyes and walked over to Diane's car while Wolf stayed on the scene. The torched warped car still smelt of metallic smoke and diesel. It looked like a tiny house of burning blackened metal.

The canine took a breath. "Something's not right here."

"Whatcha mean?" Snake asked.

"The protestors aren't responsible for this. No one else knew about this transfer. Getting rid of the Golden Dolphin is one thing but blowing it up? Why the overkill?" Wolf questioned. The serpentine friend rubbed his chin with the tip of his tail.

"Hmm, you got a point. Hopefully, Webs can find something on the truck's cameras."

"Do we at least know where it came from? Like which house?"

Snake shook his head. "No. Although some guys said it looked like it came from above. Maybe a roof or something?"

"I'll have Luggins send a police sweep of the place," Wolf sighed, rubbing the side of his brain. "It's getting late. Why don't we call it quits and hit the bed?"

"I'll get the others," Snake hissed with a small smile. They were about to leave, but Wolf stopped. He looked down at the wreckage of the truck and saw something interesting. "Wolf, you coming?"

"Yeah, yeah," Wolf mumbled. He ambled over to the car while the others clambered inside. Wolf stared at the wreckage from the car's windshield.

"You okay, bud?"

"Webs? How tough are manholes?"

The arachnid raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"I just... never mind," Wolf brushed it aside and turned on the car. "I hope this whole case goes smoother than normal."

"Why?" Shark asked.

"I just... have a bad feeling about this," Wolf muttered as he sped back to the lair where they rested for the night. Everyone was asleep but Wolf who glared at the late-night TV news. He rubbed his chin as he sat on the couch.

He had thrown off his suit jacket and kicked off his shoes. The top button on his white shirt was undone, but he still spent a long time up at night.

Just then, his phone went off. "Hello?"

"Hey, did I wake you?"

"No, no, I've been up," Wolf yawned.

"Yeah, right?" Said a smug-sounding fox.

"Honest."

"I believe you."

"How did Officer Barnes take the news?"

Diane sighed loudly, "Much better than I thought. I'm actually more worried about Luggins. She nearly crushed him when she went for a hug."

"It makes sense. Luggins has a strong relationship with every officer in the county. Seeing one of them right next to her get..." Wolf paused, "How was she when you dropped her off?"

"I told Lillia the whole thing. She said she would keep a close eye on her. Something about putting her in the hole?" Wolf narrowed his eyes and stared at the phone. "I didn't ask."

"Hopefully we can get to the bottom of this soon," Wolf muttered.

"Yeah," Diane yawned.

"Looks like you need a rest just as much as me."

"How did you know?" Diane teased. "I'll see you later."

"You too. I'm going to swing by Luggins' place before going to the precinct."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Don't worry, I've got this. Luggins won't freak out."

"I'm more worried about you and Lillia," Diane said. "Last I remembered, she said she'd castrate you if you annoyed her again."

Wolf gave a sheepish laugh. "Well, I have a backup watch if things go south."

"Uh-huh."

"Goodnight, Diane."

"Goodnight Wolf."

The canine hung up and changed the TV to something boring and mundane. His surfing finally rested on an educational channel.

"We're learning about metals today," said the announcer of some show. It looked like a kids' show, but sometimes kids' shows were pushed to the late-night slot because no one would watch them. "Gold is my favorite. It never rusts, it's pretty, and it melts at around 1900 F. That's really hot!"

Wolf shook his head and turned the TV off.

He walked to his room where he entered a fitful sleep.

Continued...