Chapter 2: The Ultimate Con

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Judy sat quietly in the cold steel chair in the interrogation room running her thumb over the picture of Nick with the wanted criminal. It still felt unreal somehow, as if she were watching a film or a performance contained into one picture. Nick's shirt was unbuttoned, revealing a graphic t-shirt he wore underneath with a faded but colorful logo on it. He was looking up towards the canopy with his paw on the sliding door, as if concerned about being spotted. Judy's other arm remained strapped to a machine showing variations in her heart rate and blood pressure as one of the ZBI agents threw more questions at her.

"Have you any knowledge about Officer Wilde's connection with Victor Pumar?" the moose asked.

"I told you already that I had no idea who that mammal was until a few minutes ago," she said bitterly.

"Please, yes or no answers only," he reminded her.

"No," she said sternly. The moose looked over the readout on the machine before continuing.

"Is it true that you are romantically involved with Officer Wilde?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered. Their relationship was no secret amongst the officers of the precinct, nor did she see any reason to keep it from the investigation. Though his asking left a bad taste in her mouth.

"Last question: did you have any reason to believe Nicholas Wilde would disappear today?"

"No," she answered sternly, tearing her gaze away from the photograph and looking up at Jack Savage, who was leaning up against the wall keeping his eyes on her the whole time. The moose flipped through the readings for each of his questions, turning page after page before looking up towards Savage and nodding.

"A-plus, as far as I'm concerned," the moose said.

"Thank you Agent Maple. Give us a minute," he said and the Moose nodded before leaving the room. Judy removed the lie detector from her arm and looked at Agent Savage, who flipped through a beige file on the polished steel table. He looked over the pages and shot her a glance every now and then.

"Officer Nicholas P. Wilde," he read out loud. "First joined the force about a year after yourself. Graduated towards the top of his class, an expert on coercion and highly connected within the city, both above and underground. One of the best shots on the force, but I suppose that's not surprising with the eyes of a fox. He's kept his nose clean since joining the force, however it looks like he has a pretty shady history."

"Nick use to hustle popsicles for a living. Hardly terrorist material," she commented.

"Valid point," he said with a nod. "I, however, find it difficult to believe that his partner and lover had no idea about his connections with Pumar."

"A lie-detector not good enough for you?" she asked sternly. She smirked to herself, noting that it was something Nick would say.

"No no, I believe you're an honest cop, Hopps. I suppose I am sorry things turned out this way."

"You promised you'd fill me in, Agent Savage. Why is my partner with an international criminal?" she asked and sat towards the edge of her seat. Savage sighed and crossed a leg over his knee.

"Honestly, I was hoping you could tell me. But you're right, I did promise. So here's what you need to know," he started. "What we know so far is that Pumar is connected with a terrorist organization called the 'Dravec', which means 'predator'. They are very well funded and have a fanatic agenda that wishes to place predators as the ruling class over all mammal kind, thus they have a distaste for developed nations and places like Zootopia."

"I've heard of them," she interrupted. She was in fact reading about the very same organization the night before. "Their most recent attack was in Griño."

"Correct. Last week, they caused the deaths of 37 prey and 4 predators with a new weapon we haven't seen before," he explained.

"I thought it was a bomb?" she asked.

"It was, but instead of spreading shrapnel or fire, the explosion spread a gas," he continued sternly. "The news organizations do not have this information yet, but the gas used in the explosion was a variation of the same poison used by Mayor Bellweather in your first case."

"A Nighthowler bomb?" she asked, rising to her feet. The very concept of causing instantaneous panic and carnage with Nighthowler poison made her fur stand on edge. The flower itself was relatively harmless, but when concentrated and weaponized, a small dose could turn any mammal savage in seconds. A mammal could attack his best friend and have no control to stop himself.

"Midnicampum Holicithias," agent Savage annunciated slowly. "The explosion affected every mammal within a 30 meter radius. The resulting carnage took hours to get under control."

"But if that's the case, then it would have turned the nearby prey savage as well," she said, remembering how she discovered how her uncle went savage after eating the flower whole when her mother was young.

"True, but if two savage mammals were to fight to the death, who would emerge? The predator or the prey?" Judy's eyes widened as she realized that predator's natural ability would undoubtedly win in most circumstances, say for perhaps a weasel who picked a fight with an elephant. If they wanted to assert dominance by fear, then savage predators would do just that.

"The predators who died were savages that happen to pick a fight with a bigger predator," he noted calmly. Something about his nonchalant attitude bothered her immensely.

"How could this happen?" she muttered to herself.

"We've spent the past few days trying to figure that out, Officer Hopps," Savage reassured her. "We know that Pumar sold them the weapon, but we don't know where he got it from. All of Dawn Bellweather's accomplices were arrested along with her, and you personally saw to the destruction of their lab, so we do not believe they are involved."

"But someone else figured out how to weaponize the flowers," she concluded.

"Exactly. Pumar found himself a supplier, and now that he's in Zootopia we have to assume his buyers have the city as their next target. It's possible that Griño was just a test, and now that they know the product works, they'll want to use it."

Judy sat back down as she began to digest what agent Savage was telling her. Terrorist bombings were always a threat, but they always seemed to be removed from her reality in an odd way. It was normally the kind of thing she'd see on TV, or read about from a foreign newspaper. The threat of that kind of carnage happening down the street did not pop into her brain until it was imminent.

"What does this have to do with Nick? He was a hustler, but never a real criminal. This guy Pumar and his buyers, they're monsters and Nick is nothing like them." Agent Savage scowled and folded his arms across his torso.

"In order to avoid capture in Griño, Pumar somehow got access to the city's traffic cameras. Every time the police tried to grab him, he saw them coming. He knew exactly where and when to place the bomb so that there was minimal security to handle the savage mammals," he explained.

"Yes, but Zootopia's network is impossible to hack into. The only way to get access to it is with credentials and a drive-key," Judy explained. She was no expert on cyber-security, but she knew there was no way any criminal could gain remote access to the system. The background checks and approval process could take months. She remembered how long it took for her to receive credentials for access to the cameras at the office. Her parents were questioned, her landlady was questioned, and any access to the system was monitored. The drive-key, which was a small USB flash drive, took even longer to get. During her first case in Zootopia, she actually used the assistant-mayor's credentials and key to access the cameras to track a savage jaguar.

"A drive-key like the one your partner took from his desk last Friday?" the bunny asked with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" she said. She froze, unable to process what the agent was telling her. The confused feeling was starting to feel sickly familiar that day.

"Security cameras in the building confirmed he slipped the drive-key into his pocket before leaving work for the weekend," Savage continued.

"No," she denied. "He was with me all weekend."

"He was with you for years, officer, and no one was the wiser," he said coldly. Judy looked up at him with a rising sense of unease. "Think about it: a fox who's petty scams have only gotten him enough to live under a bridge for most of his life finds an extremely well funded dealer who needs a dirty cop on his side. Then a promising young bunny on the force vouches for him and his application gets fast-tracked with almost no background checks."

Panic began to well up again in her stomach again as he spoke. Her eyes darted around, not looking at anything in particular yet furiously focused. She thought back to meeting him and how bitter he was towards cops. She spent a good amount of time away from him between the press conference and the day they solved the missing mammal case together. That could have been when he connected with Pumar. She felt woozy.

"Then he joins the force, biding his time and learning more and more about the inside of the ZPD. Somehow, he earned the trust of Victor Pumar and played the rest of the world for fools. When the supplier perfected his weapon, and the buyer is ready to go, then it's time to deliver. I bet he'll make enough money to skip town for good after the attack," Savage wondered aloud. His words were hurting her physically. She could feel each one like a bullet rip through her center with a haunting sense of disorientation.

"That's not . . ." she began. Savage did not let her have a moment's peace. He got louder and stood to drive his point home.

"Now Pumar has an expert con-artist with access to the cities traffic cameras and a lifetime of street-smarts in this very city. He'll know exactly how to avoid the police and who to turn to for help. All he had to do was play nice for a few years and become filthy rich when the time came. It's actually kind of amazing. It's the ultimate con," Agent Savage finished and buttoned his jacket.

Judy placed a paw on the arm of her chair to keep herself from falling. Her insides felt like they were on fire, and her breathing was short and sporadic. She shook her head softly, as if to shuffle the thoughts from her head, but they remained. Despite wanting everything to be a lie, everything she heard from Savage was indeed possible. It all felt unreal, yet it made sense, and it made her sick.

"I'm sorry, officer," he said with a frown as he approached her. "Given the evidence, we need to assume he is in league with Pumar."

"This isn't right," she nearly whispered.

"Officer, I know this is difficult for you, but we need your help. We need to track them down before Pumar is able to deliver the devices to his buyers. No one knows Nick Wilde like you do. Can you help us find him?" he offered softly. Judy looked up at him with a furrowed brow.

"I need you to guarantee Nick's safety," she demanded. "Tasers or darts, but no firearms."

"Absolutely not," he replied. "Pumar has killed mammals in the past, so we have to assume he's armed and extremely dangerous. If he is, we need to be ready."

"I know how this works," she said and leered at him. "A hunt for a kidnapper or a thief usually ends in an arrest. But when terrorists are involved, you go in shooting."

"That's because terrorists are known to shoot back," he said harshly. Judy's eyes widened.

"You have no intention of giving Nick special treatment," she realized.

"The innocent mammals of this city have to come first, officer. I won't risk a single one of their lives or the lives of my agents on behalf of a crooked cop."

"You might as well condemn him to death right now!" she shouted. "You can find him and stop the bombs from going off without killing him."

"The predicament that Nick is in is entirely his own doing. If he turns himself in, he will be treated like any other criminal. But if he refuses, then we have no choice but to operate like we always do." Agent Savage's voice was still infuriatingly calm throughout the exchange. Judy's voice was about to crack.

"You mean guns a-blazing?!" she spat.

"Calm down, Officer Hopps."

"You don't care at all! You've already made your mind up on killing him. If you want my help hunting Nick down, we go in with non-lethals or you get nothing," she finished and slammed her paw down on the table. Finally, Agent Savage frowned and furrowed his brow. His annoyance was not reassuring, but it was better than his previous indifference.

"Fine," he scoffed. "Officer Hopps, given your history with officer Wilde, you will not be involved in the investigation. You'll be on standard patrols only. If you so much as think about interfering with our investigation, you'll be placed on suspension until the investigation is over," he added. She curled her paws up into fists and dropped her ears over her back.

"Only the chief can make direct orders to officers like that," she defended herself.

"I know. Keeping you out was the chief's idea. Don't believe me? Go ask him," he spat and opened the door to leave. Judy's shoulders slumped as she watched him. Her anger did not leave her face, her rage boiling so hot she fought back a tear teasing one eye.

"You pompous . . ." she growled.

"Get over it, Hopps," he growled back. The two bunnies stared at each other angrily for a moment before he muttered one more closing remark.

"You're not the only one who got hustled." With that, he turned on his heel and walked towards the lobby where the other agents were waiting for him.

She was left alone in the interrogation room where she felt like throwing something against the wall. Her foot angrily thumped against the floor on it's own accord. Soon, however, her anger quickly began to transform. It happened slowly at first and then all at once. She wiped a tear away from her cheek and placed her paws onto the table supporting her weight. She shook her head, denying the conversation ever took place, denying the evidence, and denying that Nick was anything but innocent.

What made her the most infuriated was that he was right. The evidence did stack up against Nick, and they could not afford to jeopardize the lives of hundreds of citizens for the sake of one officer. Nick's double-life, the plan to hoodwink the ZPD, all of it was plausible and it made her heart wretch. She brought herself back to the previous night, feeling warm and safe in his arms. The memory began to sting, and she wiped another tear from her face.

Her phone buzzed. She looked down at it and saw her alarm warning her that roll-call was in two minutes. She sighed and steeled herself to make her way to the bullpin. As much as she wanted to stay and let the conversation fester, she knew chief Bogo would have something to say about the investigation, and she needed to be there for it.

She made her way to the bullpin, which for the first time ever was standing room only. The room was packed with officers, many of whom were not even on duty. Even Clawhauser was there. She wandered forward towards her usual spot, which somehow remained unoccupied. Perhaps no one wanted to tread on what was suddenly sacred ground. Or perhaps they all wanted to see if she would be there. She made her way up to her seat and laid her arms onto the table. She still had the photo in her paw, looking at it closely.

When Bogo walked in, instead of the usual hoots and hollers, there was a cold silence. He made his way to the podium and looked not the least bit surprised at the number of officers in the room. He sighed and donned his reading glasses.

"I'm sure all of you are aware that we have some guests with us in the precinct today," he began. "I am also sure you have heard certain rumors revolving around Officer Wilde. At this point, all you need to know is that the extent of Wilde's involvement in this case is not yet confirmed. But while we hope for the best, we need to prepare for the worst. If anyone has any knowledge of the whereabouts of Officer Wilde, you are to report it immediately to myself and the ZBI. If you spot him, bring him in for immediate questioning." Whispers and murmurs started to circulate around the room as Bogo paused. He raised a paw to silence his officers and continued.

"He was last seen this morning in the Rainforest District with a mammal who is on the ZBI's most wanted list for international arms dealing," he said and gestured to the photo on the wall behind him. It was Pumar's face from the photo in her paw blown up and focused on him. "Victor Pumar is considered armed and dangerous so I want all eyes and ears out for either of them. If you discover anything, you will call it in and hold for backup."

"Is the public aware?" someone called out.

"No, and for now we need to keep it that way. If we need to go public with this, we will, but for now I want all eyes out there for signs of trouble and under no circumstances will anyone talk to the press. Am I clear?" he asked.

"Sir!" the officers replied. The room rang out with all of their voices, except for Judy's. She was hardly even listening to what Bogo was saying. Instead she focused on the photograph in her paw. Something about it felt odd, and not only because her partner was standing next to a wanted criminal. There was something about Nick that was bothering her.

In all the time I've known him, she thought, he's never once worn his shirt unbuttoned.

She took a closer look at the t-shirt he wore underneath it, and realized she had never seen it before. She had done the lazy fox's laundry for nearly a year and never once did she see a shirt with that colorful logo. She furrowed her brow as she looked at the surroundings of the van as well. The platform behind him was the same one where they narrowly escaped a savage Mr. Manchas years earlier. Her eyes focused harder as the photo looked more and more odd to her with every passing second.

She did not excuse herself. Instead, she simply came down from her chair and made her way out of the room with her eyes focused on the photograph. Some officers gave her sorrowful looks, assuming she was unable to handle the situation. Bogo did nothing to stop her either. She made her way up the stairs and down the hallway to her desk and logged into her computer.

"He knew there would be cameras there," she wondered aloud. That was the very same camera they used to find the pair of timberwolves that took Mr. Manchas during the missing mammals case. The door to the van was open wide to the camera and if he was trying to avoid cameras he would have either picked a different spot, or at least opened the door on the other side to avoid showing their faces. Nick was smart enough to know better.

She reached into her desk drawer and pulled out a magnifying glass, too impatient to scan the photo. She looked at the logo on Nick's shirt closer and through the relatively blurry image she could make out one word.

"Sweet," she whispered. She remembered their conversation the previous night as she was drifting off to sleep. He was humming some song to himself and mentioned something about her music taste. She quickly brought up her browser and typed the name 'Sweet' into Zoogle and began running through the links.

"Definition of 'sweet' . . . cupcake company . . . tech startup . . . Glam rock band Sweet," she mumbled aloud and

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