The Fire Triangle, A Zootopia Fanfiction -- Part One: Fuel - 58

Disclaimer: Zootopia stories, characters, settings, and properties belong to the Walt Disney Co. This story is written under Fair Use Copyright laws.

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The Fire Triangle-A Zootopia Fanfiction

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Part One:

Fuel

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Chapter 6-Nick's Story

(Continued...Pt. 8)

Judy Hopps could have stopped Nick Wilde right there; part of her wanted him to stop. The red fox's tale was pounding towards a heart-wrenching conclusion and she didn't need to hear any more; she already knew the ending, no spoilers required.

She could do it, she could hold up her paw and tell him, "All right Nick, I understand, you don't need to say any more."

Except...HE needed to keep going; he needed to get the weight off his shoulders, even if that was something she didn't need.

Or...did she? Nick seemed to think so; all at once his ears were standing sharply erect and swiveling in her direction-like a pair of antennae, tuning in to her thoughts.

"I know what you're thinking, Carrots," he said, "that I broke my promise to Robyn and went back to hustling. And you're right, I did, but THAT wasn't my horrible mistake-although that is what led to it."

Judy half grumbled, half sighed. If Nick felt the need to tell her everything, fine...but did he have to take the SCENIC route?

She began to thump her foot.

"Nick, will you please stow the drama and just get on with it? Seriously, you sound like you're talking in riddles right now."

His expression became instantly contrite more appropriate to a sheep than a fox.

"O-Okay Carrots."

Closing his eyes and gripping the sides of his chair, Nick took in a long, slow breath, as if gathering his strength for what was to come. Judy waited; she knew this was going to be the hardest place for him to revisit ...and she also knew that he was going to go there.

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"It started out small Carrots, the way these things always do; it began with the Graffiti Hustle, a scam I'd heard about while I was in Lemmingworth."

"It works like this: Take some watercolor paint, mix it up in sprayer and then go find your mark; you need a business, preferably upscale, with an empty store-front next door. What you do is spray both places with graffiti, and then sit back and wait for the business owner to arrive. When he does, he finds a graffiti-removal service-you-at work on the space next to his, and then this is how it goes from there:"

"'Hey, can you take care of my place too, while you're at it?'"

"'Awww, I'd love to help you out friend, but we're on a schedule here.'"

"'Oh, come on...please? I'll make it worth your while, 50 bucks, cash.'"

"'Oh gee...I-I don't know...'"

"'All right, a HUNDRED dollars!' You get the idea, Carrots. And since we'd made the 'decorations' using water-color paint, all it took was one quick spray and voila, the graffiti, she is gone! Some of the marks were so pleased by the job we did, they even paid us a bonus."

"As hustles go, it was strictly penny-ante; you could only run it on one storefront per day and you had to keep moving around to avoid any suspicion...AND you were strictly limited in the areas you where you could work that hustle. It was fine for Savanna Central and Sahara Square, but not the Rainforest District, and especially Tundratown, not only because of the climate but because that was Mr. Big's territory. He never did care much for 'unauthorized artwork' in his district, it was bad for business."

"I can't remember if it was Finnick or me that first suggested the running the graffiti hustle, but I do remember promising myself that this was as far as I'd go; one last, little con to get me back on my feet, and then never again, cross my heart."

"Yeah, riiiight! Less than two weeks after I made myself that promise, Finnick and I were running the rain-dance hustle, collecting rainwater in the Rainforest District and selling it as bottled water in the Sahara Square and Savanna Central metro stations; you knew about that one already. And again, I told myself that this was only temporary, a stop-gap measure to build up my bank account and then no more. I don't know, maybe that really would have happened if the word hadn't hit the streets, 'Heads up, Nick Wilde is back!' Before Finnick and I knew what was happening, we had offers coming in left and right: 'We've got everything set, but we still need someone to run the hustle. How about it guys? We'll cut you in for half the score.' That's when I should have walked away, Carrots...but I didn't, I couldn't. After living with my mother and barely scraping by, the payoff on some of those deals was just too good to resist."

"I-I think you can guess how it went from there, Carrots. I would tell myself, 'I just need X-amount-of-dollars and then I can quit.' And then as soon as I'd reach that goal, I'd decide that no, maybe it wasn't quite enough after all; just a little more and then I could stop...and then a little more, and a little more, and a little more. I know now what was going on with me. I wasn't going to quit until I made back every penny I'd lost when Wild Times burned down; life owed it to me."

"Yes, I know, and you're right, Judy...but that wasn't how I saw it at the time. And oh God, how I wish I had."

"It wasn't long before Finnick and I ditched the idea of working with outside partners and struck out on completely on our own. In practically no time at all...well, we'd end up missing work if I took the time to list all of our hustles, so let me tell you about just one of them, the vitamin scam."

"There was a company selling vitamin supplements back in those days, a trendy outfit called Rhi-Chee Performance Supplements. Maybe you remember them?"

"That's right, 'Rhino-Strong and Cheetah Fast' that same company the Zootopia Health Department closed down two years ago. By then they were almost bankrupt anyway...but back in the day, they had the hottest performance supplements on the market. This was when everyone thought carbohydrates were low-grade poison, and that was Rhi-Chee's big selling point, energy without carbs. Fursonally, I thought their products were snake oil by any other name; Red Bison, in pill form, with a jacked-up price tag...and I saw no harm in ripping off an outfit like that, sooo..."

"One of the foxes I'd done time with at Lemmingworth had been partners in a bootleg pharmaceutical operation before he went away. His guys could make counterfeit copies of almost any drug you wanted...but that wasn't what I wanted. What I did was have them run off 1000 K of plain, old sugar pills-in the exact same color and shape as Rhi-Chee's two most popular supplements. Finding the right-size bottles and getting someone to print up the labels was even easier; I'd known who to see about those things even before I went to prison."

"We sold them all over town, never in lots smaller than 500 bottles. Whenever I approached a pharmacy or store owner, I would always make the same pitch. 'I've got some Rhi-Chee Supplements to move that are slightly hot; because of that, I'm prepared to let you have them for half the wholesale cost.' Even at that price, Finnick and I were pulling in something like a 500% profit. And even if the mark suspected that the supplements we'd sold him weren't quite right, he still wouldn't go to the cops; he had purchased what he'd thought was stolen property and paid for it under the table...cash only, no receipts and no sales records; how was he supposed to explain that to the ZPD?"

"But it wasn't the hustling that turned out to be the biggest regret of my life, Carrots. It was...please, don't hate me but the whole time this was going on, Robyn thought I was working an honest job...yes I know, and you're right. You can't begin to imagine all the nights I spent lying awake because of it."

"How did I...? I had told her I was working in sales, and being paid on commission. That gave me a nice, neat explanation for everything, my erratic work schedule, why she'd call me and get voice-mail half the time, why I might get a paycheck one week and practically nothing the next."

"At first I just kept quiet about my hustling activities. In the beginning, that was all it took to keep Robyn from getting suspicious; to look at me, you'd never have guessed that I was back in the hustling game. I certainly wasn't living large, staying at home with my mother and wearing the same outfit day after day. My idea of splurging back then was to send out for a pizza. Later, even after I started raking it in, I continued to pinch my pennies. The less I spent now, the sooner I'd have enough cash reserves to finally quit hustling for good; that's what I kept telling myself. When I moved out of my mother's house-I just couldn't take being pestered about grandkids any more-I took a one-room, basement flat in the Otterdam neighborhood, only a little bit bigger than my old prison cell. No frills for this fox; every extra nickel that I made went straight into my Walk-Away-From-Hustling-For-Good fund."

"Of course, eventually Robyn began to ask questions, and that was when I told her my first lie. One morning when she came by to see me, she found a case of bootleg Rhi-Chee supplements in the back of Finnick's van. (The little guy had forgotten and left the back door wide open.)

"What the heck were we doing with a whole pallet-load of vitamin supplements, she wanted to know. Thinking fast, I told her they were samples I was holding for distribution to the other sales-animals...and she believed me. After she left, I wanted to nail my tongue to a tree, but that would be the last lie I'd ever tell her, I swore to myself...and if you believe THAT Carrots, I have a bridge to sell you."

"You know how it goes with these things; one lie becomes another lie-and then another and another, and then every lie that you tell is just a little bit bigger than the last one. Before I realized it, I wasn't just lying to Robyn, I was hustling her; the most beautiful, wonderful thing ever to come into my life, and I...and I...Oh, God, how could I ever have done that?"

"No Carrots...I-I'll be all right; just give me a minute, okay?"

"Okay...After Robyn found those supplements; Finnick and I decided that we needed a better, more permanent place to store our goods; stashing them in his van overnight and hiding them in my mother's basement just wasn't working any more. So I rented a storage unit under an assumed name, and put everything in there. Heh, that unit cost more to rent than the place where I was living, but it was worth every penny; thanks to all that extra storage space, we were able to triple our operations. Pretty soon, we were not only hustling counterfeit vitamins, but running a half a dozen other schemes, too. That was when I first started running the pawpsicle hustle, only back then it worked a little bit differently than what you saw when we first met. We used to get our Jumbo Pops directly from the warehouse instead of having to wheedle them out of retailers like Jerry Jumbeaux."

"No, you're right Carrots...the warehouse managers didn't like selling to a fox any more than that elephant did. But as far as they knew, Finnick and I weren't the buyers, we were only the drivers, the animals who'd been hired to pick up the jumbo pops and then deliver them-by a certain artic shrew, although we never mentioned him by name. That always worked, and if we sometimes had to wait a while to get served, we were never turned away empty pawed."

"What? Oh no, you better believe we made sure to ask Mr. Big's permission first, (and we always cut him in for a slice of the profits.) Even in my worst moments back then, I could never be THAT reckless. Pretty soon, we were making money paw over fist, even better than before I'd quit the streets to start Wild Times...and I was finally beginning to see the day when I'd have enough to quit them once and for all. The trouble was, like I said before, that day never seemed to get any closer. But when it did arrive, I'd be able to tell Robyn the truth at long last. She'd understand, I knew she would; and then at long last, we'd be able to get married and start a family."

"No, Robyn still wanted us to get married right away but she never pestered me about it. I had told her I didn't want to tie the knot until I was promoted to sales manager. When that happened, I said, I'd have a steady income and wouldn't have to work on such a cockamamie schedule-and she accepted it. (That was likely the only promise I made to myself back then that I ever kept. I'd lie through my fangs to Robyn about not being back in the hustling game, but no way would I marry her on that lie. Even with all of my other deceptions, there was one line I still wouldn't cross.")

"And then...one morning while I was getting ready to go pick up a load of vitamins at the storage unit, I got a phone-call from Tundratown."

"'The Big Shrew wants to see you, Nick...he's at Koslov's Drop everything and get over here right away.'"

"It's amazing how the tiniest oversight can come back to haunt you forever Carrots. I was in such a hurry to answer Mr. Big's summons that I forgot and left the keys to the storage-unit on my kitchen table. I knew from the tone of that phone call that the Big Shrew wasn't angry with me; if that had been the case, I would have been told 'get over here NOW, fox!' But even so, for him to call me that early in the day... whatever was going on, it had to be something serious."

"'Koslov's' was Koslov's Suit Factory. Mr. Big's always had a large interest in the Tundratown Fashion District; that's where he opened his first legitimate business. Ever heard of the Tux-On Tuxedo shops? Right, that's where it all began for him. As for Koslov's it may have had that polar bear's name on the front, but Mr. Big was the one who'd put up the cash to start the place and he always got a piece of the profits. I found him in the sales office, parked on top of Koslov's desk and talking on the phone; Kevin and Raymond were also there."

"As soon he hung up the phone, (and Raymond destroyed it,) Mr. Big was all smiles; you never would have guessed that his call to me had been anything close to urgent. After the usual round of greetings, he started asking after my recent activities; it was driving me crazy, WHY had I been summoned here? Finally, I just blurted it out. 'Mr. Big, sir, if I've done anything to offend you or hurt your business, please tell me and I'll make it right.'"

"All at once, he got very serious. 'You're not causing me any problems right now Nick, but YOU have a problem-something you need to take care of right now. You know this koala bear out of Outback Island, named Hugh Vicks?'"

"I shook my head, slowly. Of all the districts in Zootopia, Outback Island was the one with which I was least familiar. "I know one or two koala bears, but no one by that name," I told him.

"He leaned forward on the arms of his chair, showing all his teeth. 'Well, he knows YOUR name Nick, and he's been trading off it behind your back, telling animals that you're partners with him in this debt relief scam he's been running.'"

"'WHAT?!' Now my teeth were showing. 'Why that little jerk! Of all the dirty, lowdown...'"

"Hold it, wait...I'd better explain, Carrots. Even as a fox and street hustler, I had certain rules to live by...and one of the first and most important was never to pull a hustle on anyone who was already down and out-and that's exactly how a debt relief scam works; it's basically a boiler-room operation that contacts folks with credit problems and offers to help them settle their debts. 'In return for a small monthly fee, we will negotiate with your lender on your behalf...yakitty-yak, blah, blah, blah...' That's what they promise, but what they really do is take the money and run, leaving their victims bankrupt and facing lawsuits by their creditors. And this stinking, little koala had had the nerve to bring my name into a debt-relief scheme...behind my BACK!"

"It made my blood boil, Judy. These kinds of scammers are the lowest of the low. Sometimes, they'll even register as a non-profit organization, just to boost their legitimacy, (and avoid any tax questions.) But there was still one thing I didn't understand."

"'Why is he using MY name?' I asked, "Animals aren't exactly going to be rushing to sign up with this koala bear if they hear Nick Wilde is part of the deal.' I was still feeling the aftershocks of Wild Times right then."

"Mr. Big nodded, looking both very sage and very grim. 'No you're right Nicky, it's the animals that work for him he's been telling that you're involved; everyone knows you've never stiffed a partner in your life."

"'Sounds to me like these animals are still waiting for their first payday.' I said, getting angry all over again. Bad enough that this Hugh Vicks was sticking it to some animals with problems enough already, but if he was ripping off his employees as well...well, then I could imagine a couple of koala ears that might also need ripping off."

"'You would be correct, Nick,' Mr. Big told me, and that, as they say, was all she wrote."

"'Where can I find this jerk?' I asked, showing my fangs again, "I think we need to have us a little talk.'"

"Mr. Big worked his lips for a minute and then sat back in his chair. That was his way of telling me I'd said exactly what he wanted to hear."

"'He works out of a third-story office in Acorn Heights. Take Kevin and Raymond with you, you'll need them. This koala has some muscle of his own on the payroll; nothing they can't handle, a couple of Tasmanian Tigers.'"

"Kevin and Raymond both liked that idea, growling and flashing toothy grins at each other ."

"We caught up with Hugh Vicks in his office-building's parking garage, just as he was getting out of his car. He was skinny for a koala bear, and dressed like a bad parody of an oil baron, tan suit, string tie, and matching diamond cufflinks. And just as Mr. Big had warned me, he had a pair of Tasmanian tigers with him. I told Kevin and Raymond to stay in the limo and wait for my signal, and then got out and went hurrying over with my arms wide open."

"'Hugh, old buddy, old friend, old pal, it IS you! Small world, huh? Come here!'"

"I threw myself around him and gave him a big hug...hard enough to make his eyeballs bulge. He immediately pushed me off, and started brushing down his suit jacket as if it was covered in lint. (Well, it [i]was[/i] the shedding season.)"

"'Hang on then, do I know you, fox?' he said, taking a quick step backwards and away from me. From the tone of his voice and the look on his face, I could tell he was not a particular fan of foxes. But then that was hardly surprising Carrots. After all, we're considered an invasive species Down Under. Wha..? Oh right, so are bunnies."

"Anyway I gave Hugh Vicks my best fox-cub-with-hurt-feewwings look. "Awww come on Hughie, surely you remember your old pal, Nick Wilde.' And then I dropped the jolly-good-fellow act and let him see one of my fangs, 'You ought to know me cuddy-bear, after the way you've been telling everybody I'm your partner!'"

"THAT got his attention, Carrots; calling a koala 'cuddly' is even worse than calling a bunny 'cute'. He immediately signaled to his bodyguards. "Here mates, this fox was just leaving, wan' he?' They snarled and began to move towards me with their mouths open and their teeth showing. Scary sight; Tasmanian Tigers can drop their jaws so wide, they can almost touch their collar-bones."

"I backed off and raised my paws in a gesture of 'I don't want trouble'-which, of course, was my signal to Kevin and Raymond. For couple of such large animals, they sure know how to move quickly and quietly, remember how they snuck up on us in the back of Mr. Big's limousine? Before those Tasmanian tigers could take even another step, Kevin and Raymond had them both in a headlock."

"Once again, I was Mr. Cheerful Fox. 'Guys,' I said to the polar bears, 'why don't you take our new little friends around the corner for some coffee or something?' I poked a thumb at the elevator. 'Me and my old buddy Hugh here have some private business to discuss...upstairs.' To emphasize the point, I threw an arm around his shoulder, pulling him close. I could feel him quivering; not such a tough koala without his muscle-boys. He tried to protest. 'Listen mate, I really can't...'"

"'Sure, you can!' I interrupted, digging in with my claws and making him grimace. I turned him around and began to whisk him towards the elevator, ushering him inside with a hearty slap on the back...hard enough to make him stumble into the back wall. As the door closed, I could hear Kevin and Raymond, grunting in amusement..."

"I know, Carrots...that doesn't sound like the Nick Wilde you know, does it? No, you're right, it's not in my nature to play the bullying predator, but I was just that mad. Not only was Hugh Vicks ruining my reputation by dragging my name into a scheme I wouldn't have touched with asbestos gloves...Dangit, I hadn't come out of prison just to get thrown right back inside on the word of some sleazebag koala bear I didn't even know. Besides, I needed to make an example out of him, a warning to anyone else who might be tempted to pull a similar stunt. That was another thing I'd learned while I was in Lemmingworth."

"All the way upstairs, Vicks tried to fast-talk me. 'Lissen sport, there's no need for any of this; we can...'"

"'Shut up!'"

"When we got to his office, it was pretty much what I had expected, workstations lined up against dingy walls, with animals of differing species seated at each one; bad lighting, creaking chairs, practically no ventilation, and a carpet so badly worn, I was almost afraid to walk on it for fear I might catch the mange; in other words, it was a typical boiler-room operation."

'Two of the animals at the workstations, a goat and a hyrax gave us curious looks as we passed, but by now, Vicks had finally gotten the message and signaled for them to get back to work. Just past the boiler-room was another koala, sitting at a somewhat nicer desk than the other employees-Hugh Vicks' secretary; he told her to hold all his calls. When we got to his private office, I all but bowled him through the door before closing and locking it behind us."

"'Sit down,' I said, nodding at the chair behind the desk. And you know, for a supposedly slow moving species that koala could really hit the gas when he felt the need."

"All right, all right...take it easy, mate. There's no need to...'"

"'...and shut up!'"

"While Vicks seated himself, I took a moment to survey my surroundings...and I didn't like what I saw. While his employees were laboring in what was basically a cyber-sweatshop, he was sitting in the lap of luxury. No kidding Carrots. that office would have done a hedge-fund manager proud; oak paneling, a blackwood desk with a Furman Meowler chair, a big screen TV with a CATMOS sound system, a (presumably) fully stocked refrigerator, and-get this-even a massage table. I could have bitten that stupid koala's head off; his whole setup was disaster waiting to happen. It was lucky for me I'd found out about it when I did."

"I took the seat opposite Vicks and leaned back, putting my feet up on the desktop to show him what I thought of his little inner sanctum. Then I looked him straight in the eye. "You saw my two friends downstairs; do you know who they're with?"

"Yes, but you don't...'"

'"Skip the speech, just yes or no. Okay, then you should also know there's plenty more where they came from, right? This time just nod or shake your head."

"He nodded."

"All right,' I said, 'Now I'm going to talk, and you're going to listen. If you say one word before I'm done...well, I'll just let you guess what's going to happen. Now...how shall I put this?"

"I sat up and put my elbows on the desktop."

"You loudmouth, little jerk, telling your animals I'm partners with you.' I waved a paw around the room, 'I wouldn't get involved with a dirty scam like this if you put gun to my head and a million dollars in my paw...and I said keep your mouth shut!"

"He had started to speak and I had responded by flashing my claws."

"'And another thing,' I was snarling now, 'I just got out of the joint for a crime I didn't commit ...and I am not going back inside for something ELSE I didn't do, understand? Nod if you understand me."

"He nodded....and I decided to make him squirm a little. Though I had no way of knowing it, that was the smarted and wisest thing I could have done right then."

"'Do you want to know what really bothers me cuddy-bear?' I said, tapping the desktop as I spoke, 'When we met downstairs just now, you treated me like I was pond scum, and why, because I'm a fox. Meanwhile here YOU are, running a scam that preys on animals that least deserved to get shafted and cheating your employees...and bringing MY name into it without my knowledge or permission.' I was really steamed now. 'Why would you do that, Vicks? Was it another species thing? Okay, you can talk now."

"Whoa, it was like throwing open a floodgate, Judy. Vicks started waving his arms like a revival preacher and answering all of the questions he WISHED I'd asked him."

"All right, all right...I brought your name into it without telling yer-an' I'm sorry, o-kay? But if I'd known yer'd be so upset, I never would have done it, would I? Look, I'll make it up to yer, fox...mate; I'll cut yer in for a full 15 percent, Hugh's word on it. What d'yer say?"

"It was just a good thing he didn't offer to shake on it, Carrots. I swear, he never would have gotten that paw back."

"I got up from my chair and leaned over him with my paws on the desktop. 'What I say, you cuddly, little jerk, is that I wouldn't take anything from this scheme if it was the last money I was EVER going to make. No, let me tell YOU what's going to happen. We're going to walk outside and you're going to call everyone together, and then you're going to tell them that there's been a dreadful mistake; I'm not partners with you and I never was.'"

"Whoof, you should have seen him, Carrots, for a second there, I thought I was going to have to administer CPR, (much as I would have hated to.) And then, what do you know? I never knew koala-bears could whine."

"'Oi, I can't do that mate, they'll down headsets and walk.'"

"I leaned even further across the desk, showing my fangs again."

"'That's your problem cuddy-bear, or do you want an even bigger prob...?'"

Right then, three things happened. I saw Vick's ears prick up and felt a buzzing in my pocket; someone was texting me. A half second later, I heard a commotion outside the door; by the time I got my cell out, Kevin was telling me what I already knew. Vick knew it too, and he tried to give me an angry look."

"'You bushytailed bludger; you've grassed on me!'"

"It was the closest I ever came that day to biting him; I didn't have to know what those words meant to understand what HE meant. 'Did you just call me a snitch, you little jerk?' I had a lot more to say to that koala-as IF I'd drop a dime on him and then walk right into the middle of it-but just then someone started pounding on his office door and that put the brakes on it; we put up our paws just as the cops kicked it open."

"By then, I knew better than to expect that the police would simply let me go; 'Move along sir, nothing to see here.' They cuffed me, read me my rights, and put Vicks and me in separate police cruisers, the two of us trading insults all the way downstairs. And in all modesty Carrots, I must say that I gave a lot better than I got. When we made it down to the parking garage, there was no sign of Kevin and Raymond."

"What...? No, I wasn't angry Carrots; just the opposite; there wasn't anything they could have done for me right then anyway, and besides...the last thing I wanted was to drag Mr. Big into it, even though I had brought along those polar bears at his insistence. I also knew they'd get word of what had happened back to the Big Shrew, although I didn't know if that would do me any good; he hadn't been able to offer me work or a loan, so how could he help me now?"

"The police took us to Precinct One for booking. All during the ride, I was as cool as an air-conditioner-never let them see that they get to you-but on the inside I was praying hard that the ZPD had had Vicks' office wired, and that they'd been listening in on our conversation."

"Yes, Carrots, I know that now, of course they would have been listening in; it's standard police procedure. But I didn't know it then, and I had another, bigger concern. I had never been Hugh Vicks' partner in that debt-relief scam, but how much did he know about my other activities? He must have known something or else he'd never have been using my name like that. Was there any chance he might offer to give me up in exchange for some leniency? He had loudly accused me of snitching on HIM, after all; it didn't look good."

"I made my one phone call to Finnick; I knew that by then Mr. Big must have been aware of what had happened. (And anyway, I'd have had to be an idiot to call him directly from jail.) When I told Finnick the story, he was so mad he wanted to come down and bite Vicks' face off...and my only objection was, 'forget it, he's mine', (though of course I never said so out loud; I had already, nearly gotten muzzled again over some of the things I'd said to that koala on the way through the precinct doors.) Finnick asked me what I wanted him to do and I told him just sit tight; I was waiting for Mr. Big's reaction before I made my next move. He understood, but then he asked me, 'Do you want me to call Robyn?'"

"Robyn! Holy foxtrot, I'd forgotten all about her. I told him, "yes, but for fox's sake, make sure she understands that I've been arrested for something else I didn't do.'"

"While that may have seemed like a wise precaution Carrots, it was actually my first mistake. Robyn wasn't stupid and she'd have to wonder, WHY had that koala have been using my name in his debt-relief hustle? What good would do him to bring Nick Wilde's name into it; I had given up hustling and was playing it straight...wasn't I? If I hadn't had so much else on my mind right then, I might have thought things through a little more clearly."

"They put me in a holding cell, and I barely had time to sit down before things (finally) started looking up; someone rapped on the door and I heard a guard telling me, "Wilde, your lawyer's here.'"

"Lawyer? I hadn't called for any...and then I realized, he could only have come by way of Mr. Big; so the Big Shrew was going to help me, despite the risk. Later, much later, I learned that he'd felt he had no choice; HE was the one who'd put me on to Hugh Vicks in the first place and as such he should have been aware that a police raid was in the cards. He hadn't seen it coming and so now he felt an obligation to take care of me, ever the old-school boss."

"When the door to the holding cell slid back, there was the guard; hard to miss him since he was a water-buffalo, but there was no one else with him. What the...? Was someone pulling my tail? That was when I heard a wee voice, speaking up from below."

"'Down here, fox.'"

"I looked, and saw a grey rat in natty suit, carrying what looked like a newly-minted briefcase. When he introduced himself, I almost fell over backwards. The attorney who'd been sent to represent me was none other than Vern Rodenberg... "

"Yes Carrots, that Vern Rodenberg, the one whose name makes steam come out of Big Chief Buffalo Nickel's ears whenever he hears it."

"He was less than a year out of law school back then; the Zootopia Attorney General's office had barely even heard of him, but he was already a legend in the prison community, the most famous jailhouse lawyer of all time. There wasn't a mammal in Lemmingworth, his old alma mater, who hadn't heard his story; how he'd come into the joint on a murder rap as almost a functional illiterate and taught himself the law via correspondence courses, eventually earning not one, but TWO law degrees. Later on, he had used his skills to get his guilty verdict overturned and then been acquitted on retrial...but not before filing, and winning, a whole stack of motions on behalf of other prisoners."

"After getting out, he'd enrolled in the U of Z law school and picked up a third law degree, 'from a brick and mortar school, so's no one can say I ain't a real lawyer,' was how he put it to me."

"Yes Carrots, I was happy to see him. Look, I know he's not the most popular animal with the ZPD these days, and I'd sooner have my tail shaved than have to face that rat as a hostile witness, but right then I couldn't afford to be picky; if I'd had him as my attorney for the Wilde Times fire, they'd have thrown out my case on the first day."

"As soon as the guard left, Rodenberg had me lift him up on the bunk-bed and sit down beside him. I liked him right away, no phony assurances from this rat, he gave it to me straight, but at the same time he managed to keep his sense of humor. The first thing he told me was that I'd been right, the police had been monitoring my conversation with Hugh Vicks."

"'Then the heck am I doing in here?' I demanded, spreading my arms for show."

"Easy, Booby," Rodenberg snickered; (he called everybody Booby.) "The cops are about 90% sure that conversation was legit,' he flipped a paw back and forth, "But that other little 10% thinks maybe you and that koala were playacting, that you knew a bust was coming down and were trying to cover your tail.'"

"I was flabbergasted. 'What? I wouldn't have walked into that office for any reason if I'd known a raid was about to happen.'"

"He winked and cocked a finger at me, 'Exactly Booby, but you leave it to me to point that out, okay?'"

"I nodded, and then he narrowed his eyes. 'All right Nick, I can tell you got something else bothering you; you been fidgeting like a like a squirrel on espresso beans ever since we sat down here. Wanna tell me about it?' He sounded almost more like a shrink than a lawyer.'"

"I looked around the cell for a second; Rodenberg nodded as if I were sending a message, and raised his voice."

"'No sweat Booby, if the cops are listening in right now, there's this little thing called attorney-client privilege," he raised his voice even higher, 'which would be good for not only a dismissal of all charges, but also a lawsuit that'll leave the ZPD so deep in the hole, you bums won't get out until the phone companies go back to rotary dials!' Heh, love him or hate him Carrots, you had to admit that rat had a way with the words. Yes, I know, the ZPD would never pull a stupid stunt like that, but YOU try getting being busted twice for crimes you didn't commit and see if it doesn't make you a little paranoid. I relaxed and told him about my other activities...and also about my worry that Vicks' might give me away to save his own skin. He immediately waved a paw."

"'Don't worry yourself about that Booby; that's one line even he won't cross-and besides, it would make a lot of animals very upset if he did.' By 'a lot of animals', he meant one animal in particular of course, a certain arctic shrew who hated informers more than anything. 'In fact,' Rodenberg narrowed his eyes again, and his whiskers started to quiver; it gave him a wicked appearance. Then his face seemed to fall and his ears wilted; now he looked almost sorrowful, 'In fact, it was none too wise of that cuddly-bear to accuse you of snitching when he knew it was bunk, none too wise at all, Booby.'"

"And finally, I relaxed completely. To Mr. Big's way of thinking, falsely accusing someone of snitching was almost as bad as being a snitch. I would hear no more from Hugh Vicks...not if he liked his face the way it was. Of course we both knew who had really dropped a dime on his operation; cheat your employees out of what you owe them while you live like the Sultan of Tigraba and it's only matter of time. Mr. Big later told me, 'If I'd known this was how that koala did his business, I'd never have let you anywhere near his office.'"

"When we got into the interrogation room, I never said one word; on the advice of my attorney, I let him do all the talking...and I can only describe it as a lovely fuss. Among other things he accused the cops of trying to frame me, 'as revenge for your humiliation over the Wild Times fire fiasco!' It was an unsubtle way of sending a subtle message...not to the ZPD, but to the Zootopia Attorney General's office. They had already suffered a major embarrassment once because of me; did they want to try double or nothing?"

"They didn't; by that afternoon, I was free to go, no charges filed. They didn't even want me as a material witness. When I got my cell phone back the first thing I did was call Finnick. When I told him the cops were letting me go he fennec-screamed so loud that Vern Rodenberg, who'd been sitting on my shoulder, nearly fell off onto the floor."

"Tell ya friend from the sandbox that if he ever needs a lawyer...go look somewhere else!" He squeaked sourly. Finnick had other news for me too, he'd gotten ahold of Robyn; she'd been furious but at the same time confident that I wasn't going to prison again, (that was my cross-fox vixen.) He also advised not to go home. 'I tried to get the storage unit key right after you called the first time Nick, but I couldn't get anywhere near your place, there was reporters all up and down the block.'"

"Dangit, the press! There was something else I'd forgotten about. They'd have dispersed by now, but once they heard I'd been released from jail, they'd be back again and in droves. And that reminded me; if the press was staking out my flat, what would it be like in the precinct lobby? I decided not to find out and told the cops escorting me that I wanted to leave through the side door exit. They were more than happy to oblige; they didn't want a media circus any more than I did. Next, I called Robyn, making sure to hit the 'mute' button as soon as I gave her the news. (If Vern Rodenberg had thought Finnick's scream was loud...) She wanted to come and pick me up, but I told her no, I was already good. (Whoof, that was all I needed right then, a reporter bugging Robyn with questions and then me having to bail HER out of jail after she slugged him.) 'There's already a ride waiting for me and I want to get out of here now,' I said."

She understood, "We've got a gig tonight at Barramundi, Red. You want to come?'"

"I almost said yes, but then I remembered. 'Oh, I'd love to Robyn, but Outback Island is Hugh Vicks' home turf; that's probably the worst spot for me to show my face right now.'"

"I heard her let out a small groan, and then a whine. "Ohhh, right...maybe we should cancel, do you think?'"

"Oooo, why couldn't she have asked me something easy, Carrots...like 'does this dress make me look fat?' Outback Island might not have been the best place for her either that night, but on the other paw, canceling a gig at the last minute wouldn't be a good move, not for her career, OR her reputation; it might even be worth some legal action. I finally did what any wise fox would have done in that situation-I punted."

"'I'd take it up with Meffy, if I were you,' I said, 'that's her area, not mine.'"

"'Yeahhhh,' she answered in kind of a slow drawl, 'Yeah, I should at least let her know what's going on with you anyway.'"

"Good, thought,' I said. I was pleased that she hadn't told her manager anything yet. I said, "Okay, I'm going to get out of here. I...d'ohhhh, right. Sorry Robyn, I almost forgot to tell you something.'"

"'What?' I could hear the note of alarm in her voice."

"'I love you,' I said. There was silence on the line for a second or two, and then..."

"'I love you too, Red,' she answered, her voice cracking just a tiny bit, "and you better not ever forget that."

"'Never in a million years Robyn,' I said to her, 'never in a million years.'"

"They took me out through the exit to the police parking lot. When I got there, instead of a limo or a taxi, I found a medical-transport van pulled up to the curb. Clever; except for an ambulance, that was the last vehicle the press would have expected to come for me...that is, if it was my ride. Oops. wait, yes it was, I could see Kevin's face in the passenger-side mirror."

"It was here that I parted company from Vern Rodenberg, attorney at law. He had done his job and wanted to keep his distance from Mr. Big's soldiers. In fact, to this day, I'm still not 100% sure if it was the Big Shrew that sent him to me; he never said, and I never asked."

"When the door closed, the driver, a nervous-looking aardvark, glanced over his shoulder and asked 'where to?' I immediately face-pawlmed myself-much to Kevin's amusement-dumb fox, I had no idea where I wanted to go. Finally, I just gave him then address of my mother's house-though, of course I didn't SAY it was my mom's place he was taking me to, not in front of that polar bear. When my mother opened the door and I told her where I'd been and what had happened...Ahh, you would have thought I was seven years old and coming home from school with the sniffles, Carrots. She insisted on feeding me a bowl of hot soup and then putting me to bed. I remember telling her that I wasn't tired and didn't feel like sleeping. Instead, I was out like a light as soon as my head hit the pillow."

"And then while I was sleeping, my whole world tore itself apart."