Judy was still making notes when Rattigan showed up. He came in quietly, and he wasn't alone. Another voice spoke when they reached Tom and Sylvester.

"You got the goods?"

"Yeah, Felix," Tom said. "We got them right here."

"Let me count them then," Rattigan said. "No, Felix, I'll do it myself. Figaro is keeping guard and will let us know if they patrol early. Now, how many vials should I find?"

"The boss lady says there should be fifty," Sylvester said. "But we didn't open it to count ourselves."

There was the clink of glass and Rattigan's reedy voice began to count. Judy was struggling to focus enough to continue her notes. She had a full page so far and was working on the second sheet, but now that the deal was on, she had bigger things to worry about. Judy was pretty sure those were cats with Rattigan. Cats were fast and could climb very well. They also were predators for rabbits at one point in their history. It was only because of the rich, heavy fragrances of the plants that Judy's scent hadn't been picked up. She glanced around to see what her exit options were. There was the door she'd come through, and there was another door about thirty feet away. The only problem with that was that there were obstacles in the way. Would she be able to make it if they caught her? What would they do to her? Mr. Big would know what's going on, right? And he would help if she was in trouble, surely. But she wasn't so sure. Mr. Big wasn't supposed to be involved in any way besides hosting.

Judy kept her breathing steady and deep, giving herself plenty of oxygen if she needed to make a run for it. She focused back on Rattigan as he finished counting.

"Very well, this all seems to be in order."

"What are you gonna do with all this Trully's Syrum?" Sylvester asked.

Rattigan let out a reedy laugh. "Oh, I have some big plans. That shrew has interfered in my business far too much. So I'm going to remove the whole problem."

Judy nearly gasped. Trully's Syrum? No wonder this would put him away for as long as Mr. Big hinted it would. Trully's Syrum was an old-fashioned drug that was initially designed for stimulation of the nervous system. Unfortunately, it had a chemical affect similar to rabies. The difference was that Trully's Syrum was temporary and had to be re-administered for continued effects. Rabies was a death sentence. Because the symptoms were so similar, it was hard to tell if it was genuine rabies or the synthetic substitute. Trully's Syrum had the highest death rate of any drug in Zootopia, but not because it killed it's host. It was deadly because most animals shot to kill the host just in case it was rabies.

"That's a lot of Syrum for that," Tom said.

"Oh, it's not just for the shrew," Rattigan said. "I'm going to dose everybody he knows. I have plans to drug his next catering order. He always uses the same restaurant, and I have operatives who can drug all the food. A few drops in everything, and the cops will be shooting down his whole operation."

Judy's stomach tightened as the cats laughed.

"Oh, that'll do the trick," Tom said. "Good luck, but we need our compensation. The boss lady wants the usual per vial plus a ten percent fee."

"Ten percent?" Rattigan asked. "Well, she was so prompt and accommodating at such short notice, I suppose I can't object. What would that amount to?"

Judy listened as the amount was stated. Trully's Syrum must have been a lucrative business because it staggered her. She focused on her notes again as the money was counted. It took even longer than the vials, and by that time, Judy was ready to get out of there. She felt that her luck was bound to run out if they stayed much longer.

There was the sound of a briefcase snapping shut, and the clicks of the clasps. Judy wrote steadily about the blueberry plants in front of her, noting suggestions for improved growth and fruit production as the cats finished up their business with the rat. She was just about to rejoice that they were leaving when a snarling yowl came from right behind her.

"What are you doing here, lady?"

She jumped a mile and let out a scream, her clipboard and notes tumbling from her paws. It hit the floor with a clatter, and Judy lunged forward to try and escape. The earbuds popped out of her ears, and the mp3 player skidded to the end of the aisle as the cat snagged her dress by the loose material flowing from the shoulders and yanked her back.

"What the hell are you doin'?" Judy shrieked, remembering at the last second to use her Jru Jru voice. "Let me go! Let me go!"

The other cats dashed into the aisle, and Judy couldn't help but focus on their sharp teeth as they bared them at her.

"What is going on here?" Rattigan asked, coming around the corner.

"I dunno!" Judy said, her voice high and wild. "I was just doin' the plants for Fru. She asked me to help improve the fruit. That's all I know! Please!"

Judy's entire fate rested on the lie she'd built up around herself. Rattigan glanced at the mp3 player. It was playing Gazelle music through the earbuds. Judy realized she must have played it by accident when she'd tried to get away. Rattigan picked up the mp3 player and pressed the buds into his ears. Then he pulled them out and paused the song. He handed the player to a grey cat with white markings, and a black cat with white markings stood beside him, watching her.

"What is that?" Rattigan asked, pointing at the clipboard and the papers that were spread everywhere.

"My notes for Fru," Judy said, her voice quivering as she struggled to stay in character.

"Sylvester? Pick them up for me."

The black and white cat did. The black cat that held her kept a firm grip on her shoulders as the papers were handed to Rattigan. He looked at the pages and unmistakable surprise crossed his features. He paged through the three sheets, only two of which were filled in, then he glanced up at the black cat.

"Felix, why are you hurting the lady? She was simply doing something for the birthday shrew."

Felix immediately released her and stepped back. "My apologies, miss," he said. "I was wrong to accost you like that."

Judy swallowed. "I just wanna finish my notes for Fru Fru," she whispered. "I didn't even know anybody else was in here. Kevin said I could have time alone so I could concentrate. Are you a patrol? Kevin mentioned they'd come by. I'm sorry if he didn't tell you."

Rattigan's eyes flashed with relief as she gave him the perfect opportunity to leave without drawing attention to what he and his cats were doing in a restricted area.

"No, my dear. I am sorry," Rattigan said. "I was not aware Kevin brought you here for Ms. Frubelina. Nobody is supposed to be here, and I was under the impression that you were here uninvited. Ms. Frubelina will be glad to have your expertise, I'm sure. But tell me, what would you recommend for the beans?"

Judy turned her eyes to the bean plants and noticed at once that though they were flourishing, there were few pods. She tilted her head and pretended to consider it. "Too much fertilizer," she said.

Rattigan frowned. "I don't understand. Fertilizer is very good for plants."

"Sweetie, too much of anythin' ain't good," Judy said. "Yeah, it looks full and lush, but notice how there ain't enough bean pods? Too much fertilizer stops the pods from forming but makes the plants look amazin'. It's deceptive."

Rattigan raised his brows then nodded. "That is good to know, actually. Might help my sister with her garden. We must be going, Ms. Fields. I do apologize again for any fright we gave you."

"I get it. Fru's daddy doesn't like animals to wander around," Judy said. "If I hadn't been escorted here, I'd still be at the party. I'm about ready to get back, but I need to finish up. I'll wait for my escort."

"Of course," Rattigan said. "And don't mention this to him. I'll tell him later."

"Sure thing," Judy said.

Rattigan handed her the notes, and Judy placed them back on the clipboard. Tom handed her the mp3 player, which she set aside before picking up her pen. She scanned her notes, found the spot for beans, and began to write. Rattigan watched her for a moment before he and the cats left. When the door closed, Judy didn't dare to stop writing. She made notes on the rest of the plants until the door opened again and heavy footsteps sounded out. The door closed.

"Ms. Fields?" Kevin's deep voice asked.

"Over here, doll. I'm almost done," she called.

Kevin came over and paused when he saw her writing. "Did everything go well?"

"Not really," Judy said casually. "But I need to finish these notes for Fru. Then I'm goin' back to the party."

"Notes?"

"On the plants," Judy said, keeping her voice light and teasing. "That's what I was asked to do. You know that. Don't worry, I'm almost done. I just gotta look at the blackberries. If you can wait for me?"

"Of course, Ms. Fields."

Kevin stood back and watched as Judy finished making her notes. She scanned them then, on a whim, decided to sign her name on each page, making her script fancy as she wrote in 'Jru Fields' several times. That done, Judy handed Kevin the notes.

"Okay, give this to Fru Fru. She can show whoever is in charge of the plants these notes, and it should improve things all around."

Kevin's lips twitched. "You take your job quite seriously, Ms. Fields."

"It can be dangerous work," Judy replied. She met his eyes and tried to convey just what had happened. "And taking it seriously saved my life."

Kevin's expression didn't change, but his eyes flashed and he nodded once in understanding. "Thank you for the notes. I'm sure Ms. Fru Fru will be delighted to receive them. Now, are you ready to get back to the party?"

"More than you know," Judy said.

She followed Kevin back out to the party, and she saw Rattigan raise a glass to her in acknowledgment. She nodded at him then spotted Beatrice talking with Genevieve. Beatrice raised her eyes to meet Judy's, and Judy lowered her ear and stroked it. Beatrice immediately called for her.

"Jru Jru! Over here, darling!"

"Enjoy the rest of the party, Ms. Fields," Kevin said. "I'd say you've earned it."

Judy waved at him then headed for Beatrice and Genevieve. She felt ravenous, but she wanted to talk with them first. Her two friends looked her over, and Beatrice snarled.

"What happened to your dress?" she asked, reaching out to touch the shredded cape-like material.

"A misunderstandin'," Judy said. "Don't worry about it. I'll tell ya later. Now, I don't know about you, but I want some food and I wanna dance."

"I could eat more, too," Genevieve said.

So they headed for the table and filled their plates. Judy was enjoying herself immensely, but her job wasn't quite over yet. It wouldn't be over until either she or Rattigan left the party. As long as he and his cats were watching her, she would have to continue to be Jru Jru Fields. She didn't mind too much, actually. She liked the confidence of her persona. Yeah, she had confidence, but it wasn't like Jru's. She was at ease at expensive parties, which was something Judy wasn't. Even after being friends with Fru Fru for so long, she wasn't used to extravagance. Maybe, she thought to herself, incorporating a little bit of Jru Jru into her own experience would help her. It seemed to help get her out of the scrape with Rattigan at least.

Pushing away those thoughts for later, she focused on having fun with her friends now that the tricky part was over. It was all a matter of waiting until after the party. Then she could go meet Bogo at the station and hand over her evidence. In the meantime, she threw herself into enjoying the party as much as Jru Jru would. To her surprise, it was not only a rousing success, it was easier than before.