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Chapter 8: Alway's Judys
Judy turned her head to the side, following the EMC’s guiding paw on her chin. She winced as disinfectant-soaked cotton swabs dabbed the gash behind her ear. She didn’t realize at the time, but that fall from the bike left a little road rash on the back of her head. Judy did not notice until the adrenaline from the chase began to subside.
The squirrel dressed in medics who tended to her wounds finished applying a grey bandage to her head and gave her work a quick double check.
“It won’t need stitches, which is good news since we don’t have to shave your fur,” said the medic, who packed away her tools. Judy thanked her luck that she would not be partially bald for the foreseeable future. “I want you to take it easy on your shoulder, though. If it continues to hurt, come in to the clinic at General, we’ll fix you up.”
“Thanks,” said Judy, trying her best to sound cheerful.
“Anything for our blues,” the medic added and then turned back towards the ambulance that was parked by the front steps of the Natural History Museum.
Police tape was drawn around the entrance, and a lingering crowd surveyed the scene, not that there was anything to see anymore. A few mammals were treated for mild scrapes or bruises sustained while clearing a path for the suspect on the motorcycle. Judy herself was likely the most injured mammal after the whole ordeal. Her shoulder ached, especially when she rolled her arm backwards, but no damage was permanent. She was more concerned about the pile of reporters snapping photos of the crime scene.
Up to that point, the investigation had been a complete secret from the public. While the greater details of the threat remained under wraps, thank heavens, a dramatic and loud chase in the busiest part of town was sure to catch the press’ attention. Anytime there was an ongoing search, the press would run headlines endlessly until they had more to go on. Before she could investigate out in the open, but now she had to worry about probing questions, since she was the one who watched the suspect ride away. She winced again, thinking about what kind of earful she would get from Chief Bogo.
“Not feeling too stricken I hope, Officer Hopps?” a voice asked her. She groaned, not bothering to stand to greet him. She recognized that uppity voice all too well.
“Thank you for your concern, Agent Savage,” she said, her voice dripping with disdain.
“Haven’t lost your bite, have you?” the striped bunny asked, folding his sunglasses into his coat pocket.
“Only my suspect,” she said before leaning her forearms on her knees in a slump.
“Yes, I’m aware,” Savage said. “I don’t suppose you have any idea where they went?”
“Just check the traffic cameras,” Judy suggested, though she suspected it was fruitless since he was asking her.
“We have. Traced the suspect to The Meadows, where they disappeared. The press is aware that the suspect got away and are now on a fox hunt with the description of the rider and vehicle, though it will do little more than make good television.”
“I’m not sure what other use I can be to you, Agent Savage,” Judy said with an exhausted shrug.
“As of now? You likely won’t be,” he stated coldly. “But knowing about the escape route through the subway would have helped a great deal. That was before you let the suspect disappear.”
Judy frowned and furrowed her brow at the goading remark. Agent Savage’s face sported the same vague indifference he usually wore. His paws were in his pockets and his suit was still neatly pressed.
“If you came over here to rub my face in failure, you’ll need to wait for me to wash the concrete off of it first,” she fired back at him with contempt.
“I know your type, Hopps,” he said, folding his arms over his chest. “I don’t need to rub your face in failure. You’ll likely take care of that for me.”
“Then why come over here?” she asked.
“Because I’m curious,” he said, and knelt down a little, resting his arms on his knees and looking her in the eye. “Where were you before this whole mess started?”
“Investigating a lead,” she replied honestly. “Down by the Docks.”
“Did you find anything?” he asked with an eyebrow raised. “Remember who you’re talking to when you answer.”
“No. We searched a vacant building and gave up right before I heard you call out for backup.”
“Hmm,” he pondered. “From the docks to downtown in less than 90 seconds. I could argue that as reckless.”
“Reckless? I jumped off a bridge in front of a speeding motorcycle and you’re commenting on my driving?”
Agent Savage relented and stood back up, apparently satisfied with her snark.
“I suppose I simply expected more from one of the ZPD’s best and brightest,” he said with a sigh.
“And I expected the ZBI to know how to set up a perimeter,” said Judy. “Are you going to tell me who we were chasing today?”
“No,” he said, and made a move to leave. Judy rose to her feet and stopped him.
“I’ve complied with your interrogations out of professional courtesy, Savage. The least you could do is show a little in return,” she growled.
Agent Savage stopped and turned on his heel, facing her with haughty annoyance.
“I am well aware of that badge you have on your chest, Officer. But the one I’ve got in my pocket means I get to ask the questions. I decide what you know and when you know it. So you will just have to keep offering your oh-so-gracious ‘professional courtesy’ until I decide you’re ready to know more.”
Judy held her back straight and her eyes focused. She was a statue depicting the ideal professional police officer. However, internally she was debating the number of ways she could mop the floor with this pompous rabbit in a physical altercation. She wished she could be like Nick and not care what kind of badge he had in his pocket. He always spoke his mind, and even if it got him into trouble, it seemed satisfying.
“Is there anything else I can help you with?” she said through gritted teeth.
“Leave the suspect to us, Hopps,” he said, resuming his scowl of disinterest.
“Of course,” she said, more as a remark of frustration than a reply to his statement. Agent Savage turned to leave again and waved a paw over his shoulder at her.
“Don’t worry, Hopps. We’ll get him soon enough,” he called out.
“Her,” she answered back.
Agent Savage froze. His shoulders softened their slump and his ears perked in the most subtle way. If she weren’t a bunny herself, she might have missed it. He took a moment to continue staring out towards town square, quietly digesting her statement, before facing her again.
“I beg your pardon?”
“The suspect,” she replied. “It was a vixen. White fur, blue eyes, mid-to-late twenties.” Judy was finally able to take a bit of satisfaction that something she said got to him. She was unsure of whether it was a good idea to share the information with him, as any advantage over Savage’s team was crucial. But in that moment, she enjoyed knowing something he didn’t.
After another moment of staring straight at her, Judy expected him to follow up with more questions. But he did not. Instead, he slowly turned and walked away from her again without another word. Judy was left standing on the steps to the Natural History Museum with a look of stark unease on her face. As much as she wanted to see Jack Savage flustered, something about it did not sit right with her.
Her phone rang before she could think any further on him. Judy quickly pulled it out and noticed it was Wolford. He and Fangmeyer had gone back to the Docks to take another look at the car outside the storage building they raided earlier that day.
“Did you find anything?” Judy said as soon as she answered.
“The car’s gone.”
“What?!” she barked into her phone.
“Yeah, Fangmeyer and I showed up a minute ago and it vanished. The storage unit is no different either. All I could pick up with my nose is a mammal I don’t recognize, fertilizer, and a damp rag on the floor.”
“Do you think they could have been close by and took advantage of how quickly we got out of there?”
“Could be. My guess is that they have a close watch on the traffic cameras and got spooked when we came into this part of town. In any case, we’re down a lead. Should we put out an amber alert for the car?” Wolford asked.
“No,” Judy said with a sigh. “We can’t do that without asking the chief first, and the ZBI would certainly know what we’re up to then.”
“So what’s the play?” he asked.
“The fertilizer and the new mammal might be important, so stay there and see what else you can find,” she said, making sure she was out of earshot from any ZBI agents at the scene.
“Gotcha,” he said confidently. Judy frowned, then quickly raised her phone back up to her ear.
“Wait, wait! Wolford?” she bumbled.
“What’s up?”
“The rag, you said it was damp?”
“Yes?” he said, seeming a little unsure of what she meant by it. “I already gave it a good sniff. Nothing odd about it.”
“Is it dirty? What does it smell like?” she asked quickly. A moment of silence went by as Wolford presumably gave the rag in question another good sniff.
“Doesn’t smell like soap or any chemicals. Just some dirt and a little tree pollen, like someone used it to wipe down a countertop or window.” Judy could hear the confusion in his voice so clearly she could practically see him waving the cloth around in frustration.
“Ok. Is there a kitchen in the storage house?” she asked.
“Hmm. Hold on,” he said, the phone going silent. She was in and out of that unit so quickly that she could not recall seeing one herself. In the back of her mind, a voice told her she was getting desperate, hoping to find a clue out of a rag. The other voice told her that even the most mundane detail has a story behind it.
“Huh,” Wolford said after another moment. “No kitchen, but I just tried the sink in the bathroom.”
“And?”
“Nothing! I doubt there is even water in the toilet, though I’m far too scared to open that thing up to check.”
“Then where did the water on the rag come from?” Judy wondered. “You said it smells like someone wiped off the window with it?”
“Yeah.”
“Could they have wiped off a car instead?” she asked. Judy was pacing now, walking in tight loops and recursively asking questions like an eager journalist.
“That would explain the pollen smell. Hopps, there are black marks on one side in straight lines like they used it to dry off the windshield wipers,” Wolford realized. “They definitely used this on a car.”
Judy stopped her pacing and looked out over the city. From the center of town, one could see down the lengths of the avenues that connected all the separate districts with Savannah Central as the heart of the city. Judy was looking straight down Amazon Avenue that led northwest.
“How does a car get wet?” she asked rhetorically.
“Rain,” Wolford followed along.
“And where is the only place it has rained in the past week?” Judy was looking at the answer from across town, where Amazon Avenue vanished into the thick undergrowth of giant trees and winding roads.
“The Rainforest District,” Wolford confirmed. “Hopps, that part of town is overflowing with traffic cameras!”
“Which means I am headed back to the precinct to start checking them. We have a time window and a license plate, so that’s all we’ll need.”
“Shit, Hopps, remind me never to try to hide something from you.”
Judy actually laughed and bid her coworker goodbye. With a few more swipes of her phone, she ordered a delivery of kale and beet salad, and a large fig and root bowl for Francine. They would need their spirits if they were going to watch cam footage for the rest of the night.
“Thanks so much for dinner, Judy!” Francine said cheerfully from her cubicle. Judy commandeered the cubicle beside her so they could search as a team. She needed to bring her smaller keyboard and mouse along with her, otherwise she would be dancing on the keys with her feet. Francine’s upbeat attitude was a welcome change of company from the conversation she had with Agent Savage several hours earlier.
The night dragged on with no luck thus far. The canopy in the Rainforest District was positively lousy with cameras. One would think that would be the last place Nick would decide to establish an emergency HQ. But in this case, the cameras were a double-edged sword. Even if they could find where the bad guys were hiding, they had access to the same camera network she did. If the police mobilized and stormed the place, they would be long gone by the time they got there.
At that moment, however, Judy would have been grateful to catch a single car just to save her from staring at her computer screen any longer. The black sedan they were after was so mundane it blended in all too well with the city traffic. The slightest loss of focus might mean she’d miss it. There were many entrance roads into the Rainforest District, and they had to watch each for a one-hour window. Even if Francine's help made it half the time, they still had twelve more cameras to check between them, and it was already very late.
“How about some coffee?” Judy asked as she tapped the pause button.
“We’ll need it,” Francine admitted, “but not quite yet. I don’t want to burn out before midnight.”
“Thanks for helping me with this, Francine,” Judy said with a smile.
“Oh, don’t mention it. I feel bad I wasn’t able to help out during all the fun this afternoon,” Francine jested, referring to the chase with the mysterious arctic fox.
“Fun,” Judy echoed, “is one word for it.” Without thinking, she began rubbing her shoulder gently.
“How’s it feel?” Francine asked, noticing her partner nursing her injury.
“My shoulder is still angry with me, but my head feels fine. I’m just thankful I won’t have to go bald on one side of my head to get stitches.”
“Hey,” Francine said with her arms crossed. “What’s so wrong with not having any fur?” That made Judy snicker. Her laughs soon bubbled louder as she began leaning over her knees and supporting herself. The joke was only mildly funny, but Judy’s laughter was full and genuine. After a few days of constant stress, it was a welcome respite.
She finally breathed and looked back up to her coworker, who was smiling down at her.
“Sorry,” Judy said after a moment spent collecting herself. “It’s been a long day.”
“No worries, Judy. I’m glad your shoulder’s okay. You said it was an arctic fox on the bike?”
Judy nodded and turned back to her screen, resuming watching the cars drift in and out of her monitor. “She was good, too.”
“Good?”
“She was capable. She outmaneuvered me, even when I had the drop on her. Not to mention she’s the only suspect to ever escape custody during a midcity 10-80. I feel like an idiot for ever thinking Nick could ride a motorcycle at all, let alone like that,” Judy confessed.
“It’s weird how we haven’t heard about this fox yet,” Francine said. “We know more about Pumar than we do about her.”
“What we know about Pumar so far came from Jack Savage, but he’s been unwilling to give me anything more,” Judy grumbled.
“Did Agent Savage know anything about the fox?”
Judy wondered that as well. She thought back to her conversation with Agent Savage in the interrogation room, after his colleague finished questioning her while strapped to a lie detector. He seemed like he knew everything about the case aside from where the suspects were. He was generous with the information he gave her, but that was likely because he wanted her on his team. Now he was worse than a spiteful sibling on the Hopps farm.
“He did seem a little weirded out when I told him about the vixen,” Judy remarked.
“I thought I remembered something about a white fox from a while back,” Francine wondered aloud.
“We get arrest reports on foxes all the time,” Judy sighed, resting her chin on her paw. “Chances are you saw a white fox or two when you filed them.”
“Yeah,” Francine agreed. “I see so many records and reports, it’s hard to keep track.”
Judy watched closely as more cars came and went from the tunnel between Sahara Square and the Rainforest District. She could not get the image of that vixen out of her head. Judy was exhausted from the chase and had run as fast as she could to try to catch the suspect. But when the vixen removed her helmet, she looked almost calm and not even out of breath. It was like the act of taking off her helmet was more annoying than being chased by police.
Whoever she was, she knew the city and she knew how to move. Most thieves and assailants thought they were ready for a fight, or that they were fast enough to outrun the police. But their vanity was always their downfall, especially when they underestimated Judy. She was always in tip-top shape and ready for anything the city threw at her. This was the first time she ever considered herself outmatched by a crook.
Judy shook her head, not daring to feel sorry for herself. That vixen pulled a cheap shot by hurling her helmet at her by surprise. She was not going to get away with a trick like that next time.
“Ok, that’s it for this cam. I’m going to stretch for a minute before I start the next one,” Francine said and rose from her seat. Judy felt the ground shudder a bit as the massive elephant placed her feet on the ground.
“Ok,” Judy called out as she turned back towards the screen.
Truth be told, Judy was spent as well. The previous day could be described as a long one, but today’s antics were beyond exhausting. She found it hard to believe that she chased down a dik-dik with Fangmeyer that same morning. But despite the pull on her eyelids, Judy was happy to be spending time getting slightly closer to finding Nick rather than going home. Her apartment felt foreign to her without him there.
Judy sighed as her thoughts drifted to Nick. She was glad he was not shot, but she was furious with him still for putting her and her coworkers through everything. Above all, though, she missed him. There were only a handful of cases she ever tackled without him, and even then she frequently called him up to bounce ideas off of his brain while he was still training at the police academy. His presence was always a reassurance that even when things got difficult, he would be there to help her. Ever since her first case, when Chief Bogo demanded her badge in front of most of the precinct, Nick was there to stand up for her. She had only ever seen the end of her rope a few times, and every time Nick was there to pick her back up.
She knew she loved him. She always heard the old phrase ‘you don’t know what you have until it’s gone’ and used it as a mantra for being thankful for the time she spent with him. She knew if they ever separated, it would be difficult for her not having him there. But to actually experience it was something more painful. Mammals talked about heartache all the time, especially in sappy music or romantic films. One thing she was not prepared for was the nausea. Thinking about him in danger with two, now three, dangerous criminals on all sides made her sick to her stomach. Thinking about being alone in their shared apartment made it even worse, and no sappy song ever started with ‘I feel like puking’.
The timestamp on Judy’s monitor finally pinged and signaled for her to move on to the next camera. She sighed and paused the screen, allowing herself the brief and beautiful moment of rest by propping her head up against the table and laying on her forearms. Fatigue could change even the most harsh of surfaces into the flocculent comfort of a familiar pillow. She worried for a moment that she might fall asleep. Even if she did, Francine would return soon and wake her up. All she needed was a quick breather.
Breathing in slowly, then out her nose calmly, unwelcome thoughts of Jack Savage’s tone seemed to flee from her mind as the air eased from her lungs. In again and out again, and the endless fight for details and clues stopped clamoring her brain. In once more and out once more, and the fearful thoughts of missing Nick and bombs going off began to ease their grip on her consciousness. She breathed in one more time, and she was out.
Chief Bogo stood by the window of his office with his hooves tucked behind his back. The early morning sun was still very yellow as it cascaded through the blinds and across the room. His face did not change expression as his guest waited for a response from him. The cape buffalo sighed, wanting anything but to be police chief in moments like this.
“There’s nothing else I can do for her,” the chief admitted.
“I know. I’m sorry, David,” his guest said softly. Bogo was grateful to hear his name from a familiar voice again.
“I don’t suppose we’ll get a reason out of her if we asked,” he pondered.
“Would you want it, even if she did?”
“No,” Bogo said softly. “I suppose not. But I need your best guess. When that little team started up, you promised to keep an eye on them for me. What do you think she was looking for?”
“I honestly don’t know, David,” she said. “Up till now, everything was more or less by the book.”
Bogo raised a hoof up and lifted one of the blinds. He peered through the opening out towards the parking lot where ZBI agents spat back and forth at each other. They were a group that did not like surprises, something Bogo shared in common with them. When they came into his office minutes earlier, neither party was in good moods.
“Things are different now,” Bogo said, turning away from the window. “The public is going to catch onto this investigation sooner or later. If the press learns of an impending bombing, it might spook the attackers into acting faster. We’ll need to find them before that happens.”
“And if Wilde continues to run?” she asked.
“Then catch him,” he said simply as he sat down at his desk. “He’s dug himself into the biggest hole I’ve ever seen. If we catch him now, perhaps he can use that sly tongue of his to only lose his job. But if he keeps running, we’ll need to assume the worst.”
“Please, David, you know that fox well enough to know he’s not a murderer. And he’s certainly not willing to kill for money of all things.”
“Hmf,” Bogo grunted. “I thought I knew all my officers before this week. Now I’m not sure what to think anymore.”
“David,” she started, folding her arms over her chest. “I know this is different than anything we’ve seen before, but you trust me, don’t you?”
“Of course I do, Kanya,” he said firmly.
“Well, I trust Hopps, and I also trust Wilde. No bombs are going off in this city on their watch,” she said confidently. “You just need to have a little faith.”
“This is more than ‘a little faith’, Kanya. We’re betting the lives of hundreds, if not thousands of innocent mammals, on a fox not being a con artist.”
“We’ve worked together for nearly 30 years now, and never once have you questioned the resolve of one of our own. Don’t tell me you’re starting now.”
“Ugh,” Bogo groaned again and rubbed his snout with his hoof. He pinched his brow and frowned. “You really believe Wilde is still our own?”
“No,” Kanya said and smiled a little. “He was never one of ours. He was always Judy’s.”
“What if you’re wrong?” Bogo said sternly.
“I’m not.”
Chief Bogo sighed and looked over the files on his desk. The ZBI left them for him to peruse, confident he wouldn’t find anything to help his officers out of the mess they’d dug themselves into. The evidence was solid, and Internal Affairs would know soon enough. He looked up to his coworker and friend with regretful eyes.
“Keep an eye on Hopps. She won’t take too kindly to what’s about to happen, and if we’re wrong about Wilde, she’ll probably do something stupid like get herself killed,” Bogo ordered.
“And the others?” she asked.
“They know what they’re getting into. The mistakes they make from here on out are on them.”
“Alright,” she said, turning to leave. Bogo watched as his old friend walked just as confidently as she ever did, despite things turning sideways. She was always the one who remained calm when things went south. He never had to remind himself that she was their first choice. It always made sense.
“Officer Fangmeyer,” he called out one more time. Kanya stopped and turned to look at her old friend again. He pointed a demanding finger at her and glared, trying his best to earn the stars on his collar.
“Catch that fox,” he said sternly.
“Yessir,” she said, and left.
“Hopps. Hey Hopps, wake up,” Wolford said as he lightly nudged Judy’s shoulder. She groaned and slowly opened her eyes, only to wince them shut as the daylight blasted her brain with its unwelcome brightness.
“Wolford?” she mumbled as she lifted her head up from her pillow. The crick in her neck reminded her that she spent the night asleep at her desk, and she noticed that her pillow was actually just a pile of papers arranged in a light tan folder that offered little in the way of comfort. She did, however, feel a nice pressure from her shoulders. She noticed a ZPD tundra coat draped over her shoulders like a thick duvet. The extra fabric spilled into the corners of her cubicle. It must have been Francine’s, Judy thought.
“What’s going on?” she asked, rubbing one eye. Wolford looked at her with a solemn expression.
“Francine has been placed on administrative leave,” Wolford said.
“What?” Judy whispered. Her eyes and ears were now at full attention, and any remaining drowsiness fled from her features. “Why?”
“I don’t know,” he confessed. “Higgins is escorting her out now.”
Judy wasted no time shuffling the warm coat off her shoulders and began running down the hallway towards the lobby. When she got there, she immediately noticed Clawhauser wearing a somber look on his face as well. Officer Higgins walked alongside Francine with a hoof on her back. He gently guided her along towards the exit, where he would drive her home in the back of his cruiser.
“Francine!” Judy called out as she leapt beside her elephant friend. “What’s going on?”
“Oh,” Francine said with a little jump in her eyebrows. “Hi, Officer Hopps. Sorry, but it’s personal business and I’ll be home for a little while.”
“Francine, please, tell me what happened,” Judy argued. Francine did not look down towards her. She simply continued walking under Officer Higgins’ guidance.
“Thanks for your concern, Officer Hopps, but you really shouldn’t trouble yourself with me. After all, we’ve never actually worked together,” Francine said with a slight shrug of her shoulders. Judy stopped with a puzzled look on her face as she watched Francine slowly make her way to the doors and out of sight.
Administrative leave usually sounded like free vacation to those outside of the department. An officer accused of brutality or excessive force was often placed on administrative leave, which usually got the public upset because they were being let off easy. The truth was that the only difference between being on house arrest and administrative leave was the ankle bracelet that sent the cops coming if you strayed too far. She couldn’t leave her house, she couldn’t communicate with friends or family, and she would stay there until whatever investigations underway were completed. The idea of Francine being punished for anything was ludicrous to Judy.
She noticed Chief Bogo standing beside her now, joining her gaze at the doors where Francine vanished into. She turned to the chief and shook her head.
“Why, Chief?” was all she could say.
“There is nothing I can do, Hopps,” Chief Bogo explained. “The ZBI have evidence of her accessing classified files on their server late last night. They have camera footage in the building of her loading unauthorized documents from one of the ZBI’s computers. We still don’t know what she was looking for, but it’s out of my hands now. Internal Affairs will take it from here.”
The ZBI’s temporary office was on the third floor of the building. They set up shop there with all kinds of secure servers and equipment to help them track Pumar. Judy turned and looked upwards towards the third floor offices where the ZBI were stationed.
Leaning up against the third-floor railing and looking out over the lobby was Jack Savage. He was wearing the same stoic look of indifference he usually did. His gaze was directed towards Judy, making it very clear that he was watching the scene unfold from his perch.
After staring at her for a lingering moment, he gave the railing a satisfied pat and turned away.
Judy turned her head to the side, following the EMC’s guiding paw on her chin. She winced as disinfectant-soaked cotton swabs dabbed the gash behind her ear. She didn’t realize at the time, but that fall from the bike left a little road rash on the back of her head. Judy did not notice until the adrenaline from the chase began to subside.
The squirrel dressed in medics who tended to her wounds finished applying a grey bandage to her head and gave her work a quick double check.
“It won’t need stitches, which is good news since we don’t have to shave your fur,” said the medic, who packed away her tools. Judy thanked her luck that she would not be partially bald for the foreseeable future. “I want you to take it easy on your shoulder, though. If it continues to hurt, come in to the clinic at General, we’ll fix you up.”
“Thanks,” said Judy, trying her best to sound cheerful.
“Anything for our blues,” the medic added and then turned back towards the ambulance that was parked by the front steps of the Natural History Museum.
Police tape was drawn around the entrance, and a lingering crowd surveyed the scene, not that there was anything to see anymore. A few mammals were treated for mild scrapes or bruises sustained while clearing a path for the suspect on the motorcycle. Judy herself was likely the most injured mammal after the whole ordeal. Her shoulder ached, especially when she rolled her arm backwards, but no damage was permanent. She was more concerned about the pile of reporters snapping photos of the crime scene.
Up to that point, the investigation had been a complete secret from the public. While the greater details of the threat remained under wraps, thank heavens, a dramatic and loud chase in the busiest part of town was sure to catch the press’ attention. Anytime there was an ongoing search, the press would run headlines endlessly until they had more to go on. Before she could investigate out in the open, but now she had to worry about probing questions, since she was the one who watched the suspect ride away. She winced again, thinking about what kind of earful she would get from Chief Bogo.
“Not feeling too stricken I hope, Officer Hopps?” a voice asked her. She groaned, not bothering to stand to greet him. She recognized that uppity voice all too well.
“Thank you for your concern, Agent Savage,” she said, her voice dripping with disdain.
“Haven’t lost your bite, have you?” the striped bunny asked, folding his sunglasses into his coat pocket.
“Only my suspect,” she said before leaning her forearms on her knees in a slump.
“Yes, I’m aware,” Savage said. “I don’t suppose you have any idea where they went?”
“Just check the traffic cameras,” Judy suggested, though she suspected it was fruitless since he was asking her.
“We have. Traced the suspect to The Meadows, where they disappeared. The press is aware that the suspect got away and are now on a fox hunt with the description of the rider and vehicle, though it will do little more than make good television.”
“I’m not sure what other use I can be to you, Agent Savage,” Judy said with an exhausted shrug.
“As of now? You likely won’t be,” he stated coldly. “But knowing about the escape route through the subway would have helped a great deal. That was before you let the suspect disappear.”
Judy frowned and furrowed her brow at the goading remark. Agent Savage’s face sported the same vague indifference he usually wore. His paws were in his pockets and his suit was still neatly pressed.
“If you came over here to rub my face in failure, you’ll need to wait for me to wash the concrete off of it first,” she fired back at him with contempt.
“I know your type, Hopps,” he said, folding his arms over his chest. “I don’t need to rub your face in failure. You’ll likely take care of that for me.”
“Then why come over here?” she asked.
“Because I’m curious,” he said, and knelt down a little, resting his arms on his knees and looking her in the eye. “Where were you before this whole mess started?”
“Investigating a lead,” she replied honestly. “Down by the Docks.”
“Did you find anything?” he asked with an eyebrow raised. “Remember who you’re talking to when you answer.”
“No. We searched a vacant building and gave up right before I heard you call out for backup.”
“Hmm,” he pondered. “From the docks to downtown in less than 90 seconds. I could argue that as reckless.”
“Reckless? I jumped off a bridge in front of a speeding motorcycle and you’re commenting on my driving?”
Agent Savage relented and stood back up, apparently satisfied with her snark.
“I suppose I simply expected more from one of the ZPD’s best and brightest,” he said with a sigh.
“And I expected the ZBI to know how to set up a perimeter,” said Judy. “Are you going to tell me who we were chasing today?”
“No,” he said, and made a move to leave. Judy rose to her feet and stopped him.
“I’ve complied with your interrogations out of professional courtesy, Savage. The least you could do is show a little in return,” she growled.
Agent Savage stopped and turned on his heel, facing her with haughty annoyance.
“I am well aware of that badge you have on your chest, Officer. But the one I’ve got in my pocket means I get to ask the questions. I decide what you know and when you know it. So you will just have to keep offering your oh-so-gracious ‘professional courtesy’ until I decide you’re ready to know more.”
Judy held her back straight and her eyes focused. She was a statue depicting the ideal professional police officer. However, internally she was debating the number of ways she could mop the floor with this pompous rabbit in a physical altercation. She wished she could be like Nick and not care what kind of badge he had in his pocket. He always spoke his mind, and even if it got him into trouble, it seemed satisfying.
“Is there anything else I can help you with?” she said through gritted teeth.
“Leave the suspect to us, Hopps,” he said, resuming his scowl of disinterest.
“Of course,” she said, more as a remark of frustration than a reply to his statement. Agent Savage turned to leave again and waved a paw over his shoulder at her.
“Don’t worry, Hopps. We’ll get him soon enough,” he called out.
“Her,” she answered back.
Agent Savage froze. His shoulders softened their slump and his ears perked in the most subtle way. If she weren’t a bunny herself, she might have missed it. He took a moment to continue staring out towards town square, quietly digesting her statement, before facing her again.
“I beg your pardon?”
“The suspect,” she replied. “It was a vixen. White fur, blue eyes, mid-to-late twenties.” Judy was finally able to take a bit of satisfaction that something she said got to him. She was unsure of whether it was a good idea to share the information with him, as any advantage over Savage’s team was crucial. But in that moment, she enjoyed knowing something he didn’t.
After another moment of staring straight at her, Judy expected him to follow up with more questions. But he did not. Instead, he slowly turned and walked away from her again without another word. Judy was left standing on the steps to the Natural History Museum with a look of stark unease on her face. As much as she wanted to see Jack Savage flustered, something about it did not sit right with her.
Her phone rang before she could think any further on him. Judy quickly pulled it out and noticed it was Wolford. He and Fangmeyer had gone back to the Docks to take another look at the car outside the storage building they raided earlier that day.
“Did you find anything?” Judy said as soon as she answered.
“The car’s gone.”
“What?!” she barked into her phone.
“Yeah, Fangmeyer and I showed up a minute ago and it vanished. The storage unit is no different either. All I could pick up with my nose is a mammal I don’t recognize, fertilizer, and a damp rag on the floor.”
“Do you think they could have been close by and took advantage of how quickly we got out of there?”
“Could be. My guess is that they have a close watch on the traffic cameras and got spooked when we came into this part of town. In any case, we’re down a lead. Should we put out an amber alert for the car?” Wolford asked.
“No,” Judy said with a sigh. “We can’t do that without asking the chief first, and the ZBI would certainly know what we’re up to then.”
“So what’s the play?” he asked.
“The fertilizer and the new mammal might be important, so stay there and see what else you can find,” she said, making sure she was out of earshot from any ZBI agents at the scene.
“Gotcha,” he said confidently. Judy frowned, then quickly raised her phone back up to her ear.
“Wait, wait! Wolford?” she bumbled.
“What’s up?”
“The rag, you said it was damp?”
“Yes?” he said, seeming a little unsure of what she meant by it. “I already gave it a good sniff. Nothing odd about it.”
“Is it dirty? What does it smell like?” she asked quickly. A moment of silence went by as Wolford presumably gave the rag in question another good sniff.
“Doesn’t smell like soap or any chemicals. Just some dirt and a little tree pollen, like someone used it to wipe down a countertop or window.” Judy could hear the confusion in his voice so clearly she could practically see him waving the cloth around in frustration.
“Ok. Is there a kitchen in the storage house?” she asked.
“Hmm. Hold on,” he said, the phone going silent. She was in and out of that unit so quickly that she could not recall seeing one herself. In the back of her mind, a voice told her she was getting desperate, hoping to find a clue out of a rag. The other voice told her that even the most mundane detail has a story behind it.
“Huh,” Wolford said after another moment. “No kitchen, but I just tried the sink in the bathroom.”
“And?”
“Nothing! I doubt there is even water in the toilet, though I’m far too scared to open that thing up to check.”
“Then where did the water on the rag come from?” Judy wondered. “You said it smells like someone wiped off the window with it?”
“Yeah.”
“Could they have wiped off a car instead?” she asked. Judy was pacing now, walking in tight loops and recursively asking questions like an eager journalist.
“That would explain the pollen smell. Hopps, there are black marks on one side in straight lines like they used it to dry off the windshield wipers,” Wolford realized. “They definitely used this on a car.”
Judy stopped her pacing and looked out over the city. From the center of town, one could see down the lengths of the avenues that connected all the separate districts with Savannah Central as the heart of the city. Judy was looking straight down Amazon Avenue that led northwest.
“How does a car get wet?” she asked rhetorically.
“Rain,” Wolford followed along.
“And where is the only place it has rained in the past week?” Judy was looking at the answer from across town, where Amazon Avenue vanished into the thick undergrowth of giant trees and winding roads.
“The Rainforest District,” Wolford confirmed. “Hopps, that part of town is overflowing with traffic cameras!”
“Which means I am headed back to the precinct to start checking them. We have a time window and a license plate, so that’s all we’ll need.”
“Shit, Hopps, remind me never to try to hide something from you.”
Judy actually laughed and bid her coworker goodbye. With a few more swipes of her phone, she ordered a delivery of kale and beet salad, and a large fig and root bowl for Francine. They would need their spirits if they were going to watch cam footage for the rest of the night.
“Thanks so much for dinner, Judy!” Francine said cheerfully from her cubicle. Judy commandeered the cubicle beside her so they could search as a team. She needed to bring her smaller keyboard and mouse along with her, otherwise she would be dancing on the keys with her feet. Francine’s upbeat attitude was a welcome change of company from the conversation she had with Agent Savage several hours earlier.
The night dragged on with no luck thus far. The canopy in the Rainforest District was positively lousy with cameras. One would think that would be the last place Nick would decide to establish an emergency HQ. But in this case, the cameras were a double-edged sword. Even if they could find where the bad guys were hiding, they had access to the same camera network she did. If the police mobilized and stormed the place, they would be long gone by the time they got there.
At that moment, however, Judy would have been grateful to catch a single car just to save her from staring at her computer screen any longer. The black sedan they were after was so mundane it blended in all too well with the city traffic. The slightest loss of focus might mean she’d miss it. There were many entrance roads into the Rainforest District, and they had to watch each for a one-hour window. Even if Francine's help made it half the time, they still had twelve more cameras to check between them, and it was already very late.
“How about some coffee?” Judy asked as she tapped the pause button.
“We’ll need it,” Francine admitted, “but not quite yet. I don’t want to burn out before midnight.”
“Thanks for helping me with this, Francine,” Judy said with a smile.
“Oh, don’t mention it. I feel bad I wasn’t able to help out during all the fun this afternoon,” Francine jested, referring to the chase with the mysterious arctic fox.
“Fun,” Judy echoed, “is one word for it.” Without thinking, she began rubbing her shoulder gently.
“How’s it feel?” Francine asked, noticing her partner nursing her injury.
“My shoulder is still angry with me, but my head feels fine. I’m just thankful I won’t have to go bald on one side of my head to get stitches.”
“Hey,” Francine said with her arms crossed. “What’s so wrong with not having any fur?” That made Judy snicker. Her laughs soon bubbled louder as she began leaning over her knees and supporting herself. The joke was only mildly funny, but Judy’s laughter was full and genuine. After a few days of constant stress, it was a welcome respite.
She finally breathed and looked back up to her coworker, who was smiling down at her.
“Sorry,” Judy said after a moment spent collecting herself. “It’s been a long day.”
“No worries, Judy. I’m glad your shoulder’s okay. You said it was an arctic fox on the bike?”
Judy nodded and turned back to her screen, resuming watching the cars drift in and out of her monitor. “She was good, too.”
“Good?”
“She was capable. She outmaneuvered me, even when I had the drop on her. Not to mention she’s the only suspect to ever escape custody during a midcity 10-80. I feel like an idiot for ever thinking Nick could ride a motorcycle at all, let alone like that,” Judy confessed.
“It’s weird how we haven’t heard about this fox yet,” Francine said. “We know more about Pumar than we do about her.”
“What we know about Pumar so far came from Jack Savage, but he’s been unwilling to give me anything more,” Judy grumbled.
“Did Agent Savage know anything about the fox?”
Judy wondered that as well. She thought back to her conversation with Agent Savage in the interrogation room, after his colleague finished questioning her while strapped to a lie detector. He seemed like he knew everything about the case aside from where the suspects were. He was generous with the information he gave her, but that was likely because he wanted her on his team. Now he was worse than a spiteful sibling on the Hopps farm.
“He did seem a little weirded out when I told him about the vixen,” Judy remarked.
“I thought I remembered something about a white fox from a while back,” Francine wondered aloud.
“We get arrest reports on foxes all the time,” Judy sighed, resting her chin on her paw. “Chances are you saw a white fox or two when you filed them.”
“Yeah,” Francine agreed. “I see so many records and reports, it’s hard to keep track.”
Judy watched closely as more cars came and went from the tunnel between Sahara Square and the Rainforest District. She could not get the image of that vixen out of her head. Judy was exhausted from the chase and had run as fast as she could to try to catch the suspect. But when the vixen removed her helmet, she looked almost calm and not even out of breath. It was like the act of taking off her helmet was more annoying than being chased by police.
Whoever she was, she knew the city and she knew how to move. Most thieves and assailants thought they were ready for a fight, or that they were fast enough to outrun the police. But their vanity was always their downfall, especially when they underestimated Judy. She was always in tip-top shape and ready for anything the city threw at her. This was the first time she ever considered herself outmatched by a crook.
Judy shook her head, not daring to feel sorry for herself. That vixen pulled a cheap shot by hurling her helmet at her by surprise. She was not going to get away with a trick like that next time.
“Ok, that’s it for this cam. I’m going to stretch for a minute before I start the next one,” Francine said and rose from her seat. Judy felt the ground shudder a bit as the massive elephant placed her feet on the ground.
“Ok,” Judy called out as she turned back towards the screen.
Truth be told, Judy was spent as well. The previous day could be described as a long one, but today’s antics were beyond exhausting. She found it hard to believe that she chased down a dik-dik with Fangmeyer that same morning. But despite the pull on her eyelids, Judy was happy to be spending time getting slightly closer to finding Nick rather than going home. Her apartment felt foreign to her without him there.
Judy sighed as her thoughts drifted to Nick. She was glad he was not shot, but she was furious with him still for putting her and her coworkers through everything. Above all, though, she missed him. There were only a handful of cases she ever tackled without him, and even then she frequently called him up to bounce ideas off of his brain while he was still training at the police academy. His presence was always a reassurance that even when things got difficult, he would be there to help her. Ever since her first case, when Chief Bogo demanded her badge in front of most of the precinct, Nick was there to stand up for her. She had only ever seen the end of her rope a few times, and every time Nick was there to pick her back up.
She knew she loved him. She always heard the old phrase ‘you don’t know what you have until it’s gone’ and used it as a mantra for being thankful for the time she spent with him. She knew if they ever separated, it would be difficult for her not having him there. But to actually experience it was something more painful. Mammals talked about heartache all the time, especially in sappy music or romantic films. One thing she was not prepared for was the nausea. Thinking about him in danger with two, now three, dangerous criminals on all sides made her sick to her stomach. Thinking about being alone in their shared apartment made it even worse, and no sappy song ever started with ‘I feel like puking’.
The timestamp on Judy’s monitor finally pinged and signaled for her to move on to the next camera. She sighed and paused the screen, allowing herself the brief and beautiful moment of rest by propping her head up against the table and laying on her forearms. Fatigue could change even the most harsh of surfaces into the flocculent comfort of a familiar pillow. She worried for a moment that she might fall asleep. Even if she did, Francine would return soon and wake her up. All she needed was a quick breather.
Breathing in slowly, then out her nose calmly, unwelcome thoughts of Jack Savage’s tone seemed to flee from her mind as the air eased from her lungs. In again and out again, and the endless fight for details and clues stopped clamoring her brain. In once more and out once more, and the fearful thoughts of missing Nick and bombs going off began to ease their grip on her consciousness. She breathed in one more time, and she was out.
Chief Bogo stood by the window of his office with his hooves tucked behind his back. The early morning sun was still very yellow as it cascaded through the blinds and across the room. His face did not change expression as his guest waited for a response from him. The cape buffalo sighed, wanting anything but to be police chief in moments like this.
“There’s nothing else I can do for her,” the chief admitted.
“I know. I’m sorry, David,” his guest said softly. Bogo was grateful to hear his name from a familiar voice again.
“I don’t suppose we’ll get a reason out of her if we asked,” he pondered.
“Would you want it, even if she did?”
“No,” Bogo said softly. “I suppose not. But I need your best guess. When that little team started up, you promised to keep an eye on them for me. What do you think she was looking for?”
“I honestly don’t know, David,” she said. “Up till now, everything was more or less by the book.”
Bogo raised a hoof up and lifted one of the blinds. He peered through the opening out towards the parking lot where ZBI agents spat back and forth at each other. They were a group that did not like surprises, something Bogo shared in common with them. When they came into his office minutes earlier, neither party was in good moods.
“Things are different now,” Bogo said, turning away from the window. “The public is going to catch onto this investigation sooner or later. If the press learns of an impending bombing, it might spook the attackers into acting faster. We’ll need to find them before that happens.”
“And if Wilde continues to run?” she asked.
“Then catch him,” he said simply as he sat down at his desk. “He’s dug himself into the biggest hole I’ve ever seen. If we catch him now, perhaps he can use that sly tongue of his to only lose his job. But if he keeps running, we’ll need to assume the worst.”
“Please, David, you know that fox well enough to know he’s not a murderer. And he’s certainly not willing to kill for money of all things.”
“Hmf,” Bogo grunted. “I thought I knew all my officers before this week. Now I’m not sure what to think anymore.”
“David,” she started, folding her arms over her chest. “I know this is different than anything we’ve seen before, but you trust me, don’t you?”
“Of course I do, Kanya,” he said firmly.
“Well, I trust Hopps, and I also trust Wilde. No bombs are going off in this city on their watch,” she said confidently. “You just need to have a little faith.”
“This is more than ‘a little faith’, Kanya. We’re betting the lives of hundreds, if not thousands of innocent mammals, on a fox not being a con artist.”
“We’ve worked together for nearly 30 years now, and never once have you questioned the resolve of one of our own. Don’t tell me you’re starting now.”
“Ugh,” Bogo groaned again and rubbed his snout with his hoof. He pinched his brow and frowned. “You really believe Wilde is still our own?”
“No,” Kanya said and smiled a little. “He was never one of ours. He was always Judy’s.”
“What if you’re wrong?” Bogo said sternly.
“I’m not.”
Chief Bogo sighed and looked over the files on his desk. The ZBI left them for him to peruse, confident he wouldn’t find anything to help his officers out of the mess they’d dug themselves into. The evidence was solid, and Internal Affairs would know soon enough. He looked up to his coworker and friend with regretful eyes.
“Keep an eye on Hopps. She won’t take too kindly to what’s about to happen, and if we’re wrong about Wilde, she’ll probably do something stupid like get herself killed,” Bogo ordered.
“And the others?” she asked.
“They know what they’re getting into. The mistakes they make from here on out are on them.”
“Alright,” she said, turning to leave. Bogo watched as his old friend walked just as confidently as she ever did, despite things turning sideways. She was always the one who remained calm when things went south. He never had to remind himself that she was their first choice. It always made sense.
“Officer Fangmeyer,” he called out one more time. Kanya stopped and turned to look at her old friend again. He pointed a demanding finger at her and glared, trying his best to earn the stars on his collar.
“Catch that fox,” he said sternly.
“Yessir,” she said, and left.
“Hopps. Hey Hopps, wake up,” Wolford said as he lightly nudged Judy’s shoulder. She groaned and slowly opened her eyes, only to wince them shut as the daylight blasted her brain with its unwelcome brightness.
“Wolford?” she mumbled as she lifted her head up from her pillow. The crick in her neck reminded her that she spent the night asleep at her desk, and she noticed that her pillow was actually just a pile of papers arranged in a light tan folder that offered little in the way of comfort. She did, however, feel a nice pressure from her shoulders. She noticed a ZPD tundra coat draped over her shoulders like a thick duvet. The extra fabric spilled into the corners of her cubicle. It must have been Francine’s, Judy thought.
“What’s going on?” she asked, rubbing one eye. Wolford looked at her with a solemn expression.
“Francine has been placed on administrative leave,” Wolford said.
“What?” Judy whispered. Her eyes and ears were now at full attention, and any remaining drowsiness fled from her features. “Why?”
“I don’t know,” he confessed. “Higgins is escorting her out now.”
Judy wasted no time shuffling the warm coat off her shoulders and began running down the hallway towards the lobby. When she got there, she immediately noticed Clawhauser wearing a somber look on his face as well. Officer Higgins walked alongside Francine with a hoof on her back. He gently guided her along towards the exit, where he would drive her home in the back of his cruiser.
“Francine!” Judy called out as she leapt beside her elephant friend. “What’s going on?”
“Oh,” Francine said with a little jump in her eyebrows. “Hi, Officer Hopps. Sorry, but it’s personal business and I’ll be home for a little while.”
“Francine, please, tell me what happened,” Judy argued. Francine did not look down towards her. She simply continued walking under Officer Higgins’ guidance.
“Thanks for your concern, Officer Hopps, but you really shouldn’t trouble yourself with me. After all, we’ve never actually worked together,” Francine said with a slight shrug of her shoulders. Judy stopped with a puzzled look on her face as she watched Francine slowly make her way to the doors and out of sight.
Administrative leave usually sounded like free vacation to those outside of the department. An officer accused of brutality or excessive force was often placed on administrative leave, which usually got the public upset because they were being let off easy. The truth was that the only difference between being on house arrest and administrative leave was the ankle bracelet that sent the cops coming if you strayed too far. She couldn’t leave her house, she couldn’t communicate with friends or family, and she would stay there until whatever investigations underway were completed. The idea of Francine being punished for anything was ludicrous to Judy.
She noticed Chief Bogo standing beside her now, joining her gaze at the doors where Francine vanished into. She turned to the chief and shook her head.
“Why, Chief?” was all she could say.
“There is nothing I can do, Hopps,” Chief Bogo explained. “The ZBI have evidence of her accessing classified files on their server late last night. They have camera footage in the building of her loading unauthorized documents from one of the ZBI’s computers. We still don’t know what she was looking for, but it’s out of my hands now. Internal Affairs will take it from here.”
The ZBI’s temporary office was on the third floor of the building. They set up shop there with all kinds of secure servers and equipment to help them track Pumar. Judy turned and looked upwards towards the third floor offices where the ZBI were stationed.
Leaning up against the third-floor railing and looking out over the lobby was Jack Savage. He was wearing the same stoic look of indifference he usually did. His gaze was directed towards Judy, making it very clear that he was watching the scene unfold from his perch.
After staring at her for a lingering moment, he gave the railing a satisfied pat and turned away.
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When comes the nect chapter? I absolutely like the story of yours.