The Fire Triangle, A Zootopia Fanfiction -- Part One: Fuel - 65

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 7—Tying Up Loose Ends

(Pt. 6...Continued)

"Blast it Hopps, I said I wanted those two young miscreant brought in ASAP; I never said I wanted it 'Hold my carrot juice' fast!"

Under different circumstances, that line would have been good for a laugh, or at least as smile—except that Chief Bogo's expression was anything but amused. "What d'you think, you need to bring in EVERY case you're assigned within 48 hours?" he said, harking back to his deal with Judy over the missing Emmitt Otterton, and also hovering over her like a wasp searching for the proper location to insert its stinger.

"No sir," Judy answered, following up with a small swallow. In the next chair over, Nick Wilde's paw began to move towards hers. But then the fox realized what was happening and wisely pulled it back again. He had promised to back her up if this happened, but she had insisted upon carrying the burden herself.

As either one of them could have predicted, the Chief saw things pretty much the same way as Nick had; luckily for Judy, he also saw something of himself in her.

"You're not the first officer I've had in here that looked before leaping, Hopps," he said, softening his manner just a hair, "Truth be told, I did it meself, once or twice, when I was younger."

He got up from his desk and went to the window, leaning an elbow on the sill and gazing through the blinds. Judy recognized instantly what was happening, he was revisiting his early days with the ZPD, he was back there on the streets once more.

"Happened my third year on the force," he said, turning to face her again. "Should have known better by then, but I didn't. I'd chased a robbery suspect into one of the subway tunnels, and then the next thing I knew, there were lights coming up behind me." His face twisted in a rueful smile. "It was only then I realized I'd gone too far, I'd got into the narrowest part of the tunnel; enough space for my suspect to dodge the train, he was a wallaby, but not for a Cape buffalo. If there hadn't happened to be an alcove nearby, they'd have been scraping what was left of me off of the walls. Anyways, I got off with a torn shirt and a scuff on one horn and my suspect got away...from me, but not from the ZPD. He was captured on the Lion's Gate station platform an hour later. It was only then that I realized my mistake Hopps, and d'you know what that mistake was?"

Judy wasn't certain if the question was rhetorical, but then Bogo's gaze hardened into bits of volcanic glass, and she knew she'd better say something, pronto.

"Um..." she tried to answer, but once again words failed her.

Bogo sat back down hard in his chair again, with a thump that made the springs creak; his eyes never left her face.

"My mistake was that I'd forgot I was part of a TEAM, Hopps. I was thinkin' 'me', not 'we'; I'd run off after that wallaby without even so much as a word to my partner." Here, he nodded at Nick Wilde. "It wasn't that I didn't want my suspect to escape, it was that I didn't want him to get away from ME...and I spent more than a few nights afterwards thinking on it, I can tell you."

"Yes sir," Judy answered, this time with a little nod. It felt like those were the only two words left in her vocabulary, but what else could she say? She too had abandoned her partner to chase down a suspect and with what could have been disastrous results.

An unhappy thought reared up in her head just then; could she possibly have been motivated by...envy? All those accolades Nick was getting for stopping Jerry Guilford's chemical attack on the Carrot Days Festival; had she been hoping to grab a few for herself by single-pawedly apprehending his errant son? The idea seemed utterly ridiculous...and yet it wouldn't let her go.

Then a snort from the Chief brought her back to the present.

"I said you weren't the first officer I've had in here who acted without thinking, Hopps; well, it also happens I've had to preside at the memorial services for a few such officers," he pounded his fist on the desk and leaned over her again, "And I've NO desire to go through that again. Perhaps you remember what happened to Officer Tiguan?"

Judy swallowed and nodded again, this time hard and slowly. Of course she remembered; every cop on the force knew the story. A year previously Albertina Tiguan, a jaguar out of the Rainforest precinct had gotten into high speed chase with a carjacker, who had then tried to get away by detouring through the Twin Falls tunnel and into the Tundratown District. According to the ZPD procedural rules, Officer Tiguan should have stopped her pursuit as soon as she crossed the border and let the Tundratown cops take over—her vehicle had not been equipped with snow tires. Instead, she had insisted on continuing the chase, and as result, both vehicles had lost control. The only survivor of the crash had been Officer Tiguan's partner, a hippo named George Kiboko, who had walked away uninjured.

That is...physically. Shortly thereafter, he'd resigned from the force, and according to the ZPD grapevine, he'd been unable to hold a steady job ever since.

"That's two good officers lost Hopps," Bogo seemed to have anticipated her thoughts, "And all because one of them couldn't follow procedure." He leaned over her again, "It's one thing if you want to play chicken with your own life, but you've NO right to take Officer Wilde down with you. Do I make myself clear?"

Okay, that pushed Judy's buttons; Nick had never been at risk, only her. She stood up to raise a protest...but then the fox's words from earlier that day came back to her, "That's something I KNOW I'd never get over."

She immediately sat herself down again.

"Perfectly clear, sir," she said.

"Right...so what do you think you're going to do about this?" Bogo concluded by folding his arms, the way he always did when coming to the point.

Judy didn't hesitate; an hour ago she might have, but not now.

"I think I need to make an appointment with Dr. Hindly, sir." She said, glancing sideways at her partner for just a second. Dr. Robert Hindly, a red deer was the ZPD's consulting psychologist.

Chief Bogo nodded approvingly, "I'm glad to hear you say that Hopps, the ZPD needs you, not another throw-rug; that was some excellent police work on your part, trackin' down Craig Guilford and his girlfriend so quickly—regardless of what may have happened later on."

"Thanks Chief," Judy answered, glancing over at Nick again. It had never ceased to amaze her the way Bogo could transition from one subject to another so effortlessly ...and wasn't it just like him to tack a caveat onto a compliment?

"So where do we stand with our young Mr. Guilford right now?" he asked, folding his hooves on his desk, "has he said anything of interest yet?"

"Errrr, nothing that's...safe for work if you know what I mean, Chief." Judy answered, offering up a lopsided smile.

"Kid's a regular little cell gangster," Nick Wilde added, "Keeps threatening to bite the face off of anyone who comes near him." He let out a short yip of laughter, "Of course no one CAN get near him where he is right now, so no one's paying too much attention." They had moved the young coyote straight into an isolation cell upon his arrival at the precinct.

"Mmm, hmmm," Bogo nodded, unsurprised, "and what about the girl...Amanda Hill is it...what's her story?"

"Just the opposite," Judy said, "She hasn't stopped talking since we put her in the police car, told us pretty much everything." She allowed herself a snicker, "As a matter of fact, if what she says is true, it's thanks to her that we were able to catch up with her and her boyfriend before they got away.

Bogo's eyebrows went up and his mouth compressed inwards.

"Eh...? How's that, then?"

Judy let Nick explain it.

"She got cold feet about getting in that airplane and Craig had to spend more than an hour and a half trying to talk her into coming with him. If it hadn't been for that, those two kids would have been halfway to Podunk by the time Officer Hopps and I arrived on the scene." (THAT was why Craig and Amanda stayed on in the guest bunker, even after running out of supplies.)

"Ah, I see," the Chief answered, nodding sagely, "Have you notified the parents, then?"

"No, the Burrow County Sheriff's Office asked us to let them make the call," Judy Hopps said. She had no idea why, but had been perfectly willing to accommodate the request.

"Hm, well that answers my next question." The Chief said, "You've also notified the BCSD, then?"

"Yes, we have Chief," Judy told him, "They'll be sending a couple of deputies up from Bunnyburrow tomorrow to interview our suspects. But in the meantime, they have a request. They want to know if we can keep Craig Guilford in custody here in Zootopia for a while."

Bogo's brows shot upwards a second time, "Really? What for?"

Once again, it was Nick who answered him.

"To keep him as far away from his dad as possible," he said.

"Ahhh yes," the Chief nodded, sitting back in his chair with the expression of someone who has just completed a particularly difficult jigsaw puzzle. "Yes, the old 'yote has been threatening to do his boy, hasn't he?"

"Well, that's part of it, Chief." Judy said, "But there's another reason; the Burrow County Prosecutor thinks that if they keep those two separated, there's a good chance Craig can be persuaded to take the stand against his father." It brought the Chief back up to full attention with a snort.

"Cor, what do they need that for? They've got his old dad dead to rights, I shouldn't wonder."

Judy stepped aside for Nick once more.

"You know that sir, and I know that...but just try telling it to Jerry Guilford; were you aware that he entered a plea of not guilty?"

The Cape buffalo's brow dropped down again, forming a thick, hard line.

"No, I did NOT know that," he rumbled, and then, apparently to himself, he added, "stupid git."

"Not stupid sir, crazy," the red fox corrected, "Anyway, the Burrow County Sheriff's office thinks if they can get Craig to flip, it'll give them enough leverage to get daddy to change his plea; it'll for sure bring the kid's Uncle Dean around; he's already sitting on the fence, according to the deputy I talked to."

"In that case, you tell the BCSD we'll be more than happy to co-operate," Bogo nodded and pointed, but then snorted and stopped short. "Errr, we have got proper cause to hold Craig Guilford for longer than 48 hours, yes?"

Nick's muzzle unzipped in a sly, foxy grin, "When we busted him, he was trying to steal an airplane worth almost six figures; I'd say that counts as a felony." And then his expression became immediately serious, "To say nothing of endangering Officer Hopps' life."

"Oh yes, THAT," The Chief rumbled, features darkening into a volcanic cloud. Neither Judy nor Nick were surprised by this; Chief Bogo was known to take a very dim view of anyone who raised a paw or hoof against one of his officers. "I'll be having a few choice words with Captain Brierly soon enough," he said, changing topics once again. (Nate Brierly, a Barbary Sheep, was head of the Meadowlands Precinct.) "However rashly you may have acted Hopps, it still doesn't excuse his officers taking as long as they did to reach the crime scene."

"Yes sir," Judy answered once more, trying not to frown. She didn't like the idea of trouble between the Central and Meadowlands precincts and was even less enthralled by the prospect of her being at the center of it. Still, it was the Chief's call, not hers.

"When are those deputies from Bunnyburrows supposed to be here?" Bogo was asking, shifting topics yet again.

"About 10:30," Judy answered, drawing yet another surprised look from the Cape buffalo.

"Huh, they'll have to be up at the crack of dawn to make it here by then, won't they?"

"Well what can I say, sir?" Judy allowed herself a grin, "That how we roll in the Burrow; it IS a farming community after all."

Bogo's face crinkled up in amusement, a rare spectacle where he was concerned.

"Riiiight."

But then Judy felt the corners of her mouth turning downwards.

"Seriously Chief, they want to get their paws on that kid real bad; they'd have had someone up here already if they could."

"That I can well understand," Bogo nodded, his face becoming equally grave, "Right, when the Burrow County deputies get here, I want you two to assist them. " He lifted an eyebrow adding, "And I think I needn't remind you to show them all proper courtesy, yes?" The Chief was known to be stickler for protocol where other law enforcement agencies were concerned. "Never know when WE might be the one that needs a favour," he always said.

"Of course we will Chief," Judy answered, only dimly aware that her ears aware starting to turn backwards. "That's my hometown, after all." She couldn't help feeling just a little bit offended; as IF she'd be rude to one of the Burrow County deputies. Bogo however seemed to take no notice of her change of expression.

"Right then, I think we're done here. Go and finish up your reports and then I'll see you at roll call, tomorrow morning; off you go then."

The rest of the day went by at an uneven pace. While Nick and Judy completed their reports, other officers kept stopping by their workspace, either to offer their congratulations on the takedown, or see how she was doing. (And of course, the Burrow County Sheriff's Office needed to be notified that Chief Bogo had agreed to their request.)

Surprisingly, none of the visitors had any criticism for Judy Hopps...or perhaps it wasn't so surprising; there was nothing they could have said that either the Chief or her partner hadn't said already—or that Judy hadn't already said to herself—and all of them seemed to know it One of the visiting officers however, a cheetah named Kii Catano, had a curious question for the bunny-cop.

"I know a little bit about vintage airplanes," she said, "My grand-dad used to own one, and those old Stearmink's are supposed to have the pilot's compartment in the rear, not up front."

"Wish this one had," Judy grumbled, almost to herself, "If that had been the case, I wouldn't have missed my jump." Other than that, she had no answer for Officer Catano—but Nick Wilde did.

"According to what Mr. Guilford told us—that's the kid's uncle, not his dad—he said he bought that plane after the previous own cracked it up and ordered some modifications done when he had it rebuilt. He never said exactly what they were, but I'll bet you anything that one of them was having those cockpits switched around."

"Hrm, why would he do a thing like that?' Catano asked, the tip of her tail ticking back and forth on the carpet.

"Beats me, you'd have to take that up with Jake Guilford," Nick shrugged, and the cheetah walked walked away only partially satisfied. That turned out to be their last interruption for the day and things proceeded smoothly from there. Even so, by the time they hit the 'send' button on their respective reports and headed for the locker-rooms, the sun was down and the stars were out.

On the steps outside the precinct, they were just about to say their goodbyes for the evening when Nick Wilde's ears stood up, and he poked a thumb off into the middle distance.

"Want to hit The Lodge before we all it a wrap, Carrots? I'm buying."

"You're on!' Judy answered eagerly; that sounded like just the ticket right now.

The Raccoon Lodge, (known simply as 'The Lodge' to the officers of the ZPD) was Savanna Central's cop shop. Located at the corner of Veldt and Bermuda, about a block behind the Natural History Museum it was a three-story affair, painted in lichen-green. Nick always said it looked more like safari hotel than a waterhole and grill, with its high-peaked roof and cross-timber construction. It had been the retreat of choice for the Precinct-1 officers ever since the day it first opened.

As soon as they walked through the door however, Judy began to question the wisdom of accepting her partner's invitation. The Lodge was packed, mostly with patrons clad in blue serge, and even before the door closed behind the bunny-cop, a whole slew of them were raising glasses in her general direction, "Hold my Carrot Juice!"

Judy didn't know whether offer them a thumbs-up or turn around and crawl right out of there; that greeting was going to be following her around for a long, lonnnnng time. (It was nothing she shouldn't have expected, really; par for the course in just about any police precinct, but still...)

When Nick and she began to make their way across the floor, Judy soon felt better; it was clear that most of the glassed being lifted on her behalf were of a salutary not sardonic nature. Yes, she had made an incredibly rash move, but at the end of the day, her suspects were in custody and no one had gotten hurt. To the cop on the street, that was the thing that mattered above all else.

Looking over the interior décor of the Raccoon Lodge, the casual visitor would never have guessed it was a cop hangout. No police memorabilia on wall behind the bar, and no photos of fallen officers posted anywhere within sight. In fact, the place appeared to live up at least partially to its name, looking like nothing so much as a Safari Lodge, although not necessarily of Afurican lineage.

Down the hall in the banquet room however, it was a very different story, here was where ZPD's Precinct-1 held its retirement parties, and here was where you found the photographs and framed newspaper clippings. Here too you would find the End-of-Watch Wall, where cops getting ready to, 'pull the pin' in police parlance, chalked a farewell message to their fellow officers. Nick and Judy had seen it many times; some of the graffiti been heartfelt, some of it ribald; a few of the retirees had offered tributes to fallen comrades, and one or two of the messages—from cops being forced to take early retirement—had been downright bitter. (Nearly all of them were posted at a level that required a step-stool for the fox and bunny to be able to read them.)

Like most of Zootopia's watering holes, The Lodge featured different seating arrangements for different sized mammals, in this case separate floors, large mammals at ground level, and then smaller and smaller species with each ascending balcony.

Exiting onto the second floor landing, it looked at first as if the fox and bunny were straight out of luck, all of the tables were occupied and every seat was taken. (There was a reason why The Raccoon Lodge kept the cop stuff in the back; it was also popular with the City Hall crowd.) Judy was just about to suggest a rain-check when from somewhere near the end of the terrace, a dark-brown paw shot upwards and a slightly familiar voice hailed them. "Hey, you two, are you looking for a place to sit? I've got a couple of empty chairs right here."

"Thanks," Nick Wilde called, waving back, "C'mon Carrots."

Arriving at the table, they found it occupied by a mammal they recognized, even if they didn't actually know her, Zootopia City Councilmember Claudia Nizhang.

Judy forced back a sigh; didn't it figure that this red panda would be sitting by herself, pariah that she was in certain circles? Claudia herself seemed to take it all in stride, motioning with a paw to the seats on the opposite side of the table.

"Take a load off," she said, her choice of words betraying her Zoo York roots.

Judy's chair was little bit large for a bunny but still manageable. She had just scooted up to the edge of the table when Claudia snapped her fingers.

"NOW I remember where I've seen you two; didn't you work that presser I gave last Friday?"

"'Presser'...not 'press conference'," Judy thought, "Yep; definitely from Zoo York." She was surprised though that Claudia had spotted them, much less still remembered them; surprised and also not a little impressed.

"Yes, that's right, Nick answered offering a paw, "I'm Officer Nick Wilde and this is Officer Judy Hopps."

Claudia's brow went up another half inch as she shook paws, first with the fox and then with his partner. She seemed remarkably spry, even in spite of the fact that she required the assistance of cane in order to stand and shake with them.

"Ah, the officers who took down that father and son team, the ones who tried to lay that herbicide on the Carrot Day's festival. That was some darn fine police work—both times," she said, reminding Nick and Judy that while she might now be serving on the Zootopia City Council, once upon a time, this red panda had been a decorated Zoo York City Detective Sergeant. (Most likely she would be still, had it not been for the crippling injury she'd suffered in the line of duty.)

"Is it true that kid was trying to steal a plane when you made the collar?" she asked, as the fox and bunny took their seats again.

"Yes, that's right," Judy answered, shifting in her chair as if it had suddenly become too hard for her. She had already learned her lesson for the day and didn't need another one.

But Claudia Nizhang was on a different track. "Heh, reminds me of a case from back east. I...oops, hold on a second." The waitress had just arrived with her order, a tall glass of emerald-green liquid, garnished with a stalk of bamboo. "What are you having, it's on me," she said, as the raccoon set it in front of her.

"Sorry Councilmammal," Nick Wilde was grinning, "but I already reserved that privilege for myself." He turned and raised a finger to the server, "Blueberry Colada for me...and for the bunny...uhm, the usual, Carrots?" Judy nodded and he said to the server, "Three-Veg Cooler."

"And bring us a grilled snack-chip sampler and I'M paying for that." Claudia Nizhang said, in a voiced that brooked no argument.

"Coming right up," the raccoon said, and departed to get their order.

When she had gone, Judy eased back in her chair and looked at Claudia Nizhang

"You were saying something about Craig Guilford reminding you of a case from back east?"

"Yes, that's right," the red panda answered. "The Bearfoot bandit we called him; that's bear, B-E-A-R."

Nick and Judy regarded each other for a few seconds and the looked back at her.

"The...who?" the red fox finally said.

Claudia laughed and then explained. "You wouldn't have heard about it here, but it was big news back in Zoo York. The Bearfoot Bandit was this kid who liked to rob migration houses when the owners were away; you'd be surprised at the things mammals leave behind when they take off for the season. He worked the Humptons and the Zoo Jersey shore in the fall and winter and the Furrida Gold Coast in the spring and summertime."

"I see," Judy was nodding slowly, "but where'd he get that name?"

Claudia laughed and pretended to hold up her paws defensively, "Don't put that one on the ZYPD, guys... it was the Zoo York Daily Gnus's idea. They called him that because he wore these fake bear paws on his feet when he burglarized a house, trying to disguise his species. Didn't work though, forensics had him pegged on his first time out."

"So what species was he?" Nick Wilde asked her. He seemed to find her story fascinating.

"Well what the heck, me too," Judy realized with a smile.

"A sea-mink," Claudia Nizhang answered, and was there just little edge to her voice? Judy thought she heard it, but wasn't quite sure.

"He was some piece of work, that kid," she went on, shaking her head, "Sometimes he wouldn't just rob a place, he'd move in for a while. One time, down in Furrida, he took up residence in some poor guy's home for nearly two whole months. The owner finally found out about it when he got an electric bill for something like three thousand semolians; the Bandit had been using his place to hold RAVES. Of course, by then, the kid was long gone."

Nick let out a low whistle and Judy asked, "You say he was kid, how old was he?"

"Same age as your guy," the red panda answered, "That's what made me think of him. The Jersey State Police finally caught up with Bearfoot Boy down in Wildwool, or rather it was the Coast Guard who caught up with him." She leaned across the table with a gleam in her eye, looking almost conspiratorial. "Get this; he stole an ultralight airplane and tried to escape across Delawere Bay in it; didn't even make it a third of the way before he went down. Lucky for him there was a patrol boat right nearby."

Now, it Judy who was whistling, "Sweet cheez n' crackers, and I thought what...Craig did was nuts."

She bit her lip against the rising heat in her cheeks; she had almost said, '...what I did was nuts...' She never did find out if her tablemates had caught it, because just then, the waitress arrived with their order. After the obligatory sips of their drinks and a few bites of their snack chips, Claudia continued with her story.

"From that day on, that's what everyone started calling the kid; no more Bearfoot Bandit, now he was Crazy Wez—that's Wez with a 'Z', after the character in the Mad Yax movies. His attitude eventually got him sent to Granite Point Youth Facility, toughest Juvie Jail on the east coast." She shrugged and took another sip of her drink, "at least it was back in those days. Normally, I wouldn't have wished that place on Niu-mo-wang's calf, but Wez was practically begging to get sent there from the minute they picked him up; the kid was just out of control."

Nick Wilde listened to this, and then set down his glass on the table...very carefully, Judy noted.

"Can I ask you something Councilmammal Nizhang?"

"Please, call me Claudia...and yes, go ahead."

"Well, if you don't mind, I'm kind of curious about something," the red fox queried, choosing his words carefully, "If I remember correctly, you were part of the ZYPD's Organized Crime Task Force. What was your interest in a kid like Crazy Wez?"

Claudia grinned for a second and sat back in her chair, looking properly inscrutable.

"Ahhh, I don't believe I mentioned his real name, did I? It was McCrodon, Wesley Patrick McCrodon."

For several seconds, Nick and Judy just looked at each other in confusion. But then the fox's ears shot up and pointed at each other.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa; McCrodon...as in James 'The Mister' McCrodon?"

"The very same," the red-panda answered, raising her glass in an ironic salute, "Wez was his youngest sister's kid."

Nick winced as if a splinter had just entered his paw, "Ooch, good riddance to that animal; I heard horror stories about him, back in the day,"

That prompted a quick, sharp look from Judy. Although her partner wasn't saying, it was obvious where he'd heard those stories—from Mr. Big. But yes, now Claudia's interest in the Bearfoot Bandit—Crazy Wez, if you like—made perfect sense.

"Whatever you heard, it was probably an understatement," the red panda was saying, but then her smile abruptly vanished, and her brow knitted into a rocky outcropping. "But there's worse out there, believe me." She looked towards the stairs, lower lip trembling, as if something dark and unspeakable had just appeared on the landing, "a whole lot worse."

She remained that way for several uneasy seconds, but then sat back in her chair again, blinking as if she'd awakened from a trance, and then went on as if nothing had happened.

"Anyway, The Mister had never taken much of an interest in his nephew before then; he and his sister didn't get along—to put it mildly. But when he found out Wez was the Bearfoot Bandit, his attitude changed completely; he spared no effort trying to get the kid sprung. Why he did that, I still don't know; I guess he figured he could use someone like that in the Company, a kid who was crazy enough for any job." Her melancholy mood returned without warning, "It never happened though, for once that dirt-bag bit off more than he could chew." She drained her glass in a single gulp, and slipped into that brooding silence once again.

For a long moment, Nick and Judy just looked at her and then at each other, unsure how to proceed. Then the bunny-cop cleared her throat.

"So, what finally happened to Crazy Wez?"

Claudia waved a paw almost dismissively. "He went crazy for real, complete breakdown. Last I heard he's in a psych-ward lock-up somewhere. As my boss used to say about head-cases like him, 'the tougher they talk, the harder they crack'."

Her mood still refused to lift, and Nick Wilde tried a change of subject.

"You know there's something I always wondered. What the heck did a vixen like Amanda Hill ever see in a jerk like Craig Guilford? Or heck, let's take it one step further, why are nice girls like her attracted to thugs like him in the first place?"

His inquiry brought a sharp look from Judy. "I wouldn't call Amanda Hill 'nice' Nick, she tried to cyberbully my sister, remember?" She had heard the story over breakfast, the day after the attempted chemical attack, along with her Mom and Dad, (and even now, she couldn't quite shake the feeling that Erin had been holding something back.)

"No, he has a point Judy," Claudia Nizhang said. The fox's question seemed to have had just the desired effect. "I got my start with the ZYPD working cybercrimes, and that's the textbook profile of a cyberbully, a high achiever that's outwardly a model student." She leaned forward again, laying her elbows on the tabletop. "Let me guess; Amanda Hill's folks think she's completely innocent in all of this and are demanding that the ZPD release into their custody right now; is that correct?"

"Y-Yes that's right." Judy answered, gaping as if the red-panda had just performed an amazing sleight-of-paw. Yes, it was true, and she herself had only learned of it right before clocking out for the evening. (Well, Claudia WAS a former police detective, after all.)

"That's it, that's how it works," the red panda threw up her paw, as if to say, 'elementary, my dear bunny'. "The parents are always the last to know," she said, "And you can hardly blame them: I once busted a cyberbully who could have been ME at that age. Seriously, if I hadn't seen it for myself, I never would have believed she was capable of that kind of cruelty." She waved her paw again, and shifted her attention to the right, "But I never did answer your question, Nick. I'd also be willing to bet that up until she met Craig Guilford, Amanda Hill's life was about as interesting as watching grass grow...at least offline. Same old school, same old friends, same old boring parents; she probably couldn't wait to get out of Bunnyburrow when she turned eighteen."

That was too much for Judy to resist; she snickered, "Just goes to show, be careful what you wish for eh, Nick?."

"You got that right, Carrots," the fox responded with a gleeful yip, and then for Claudia Nizhang's benefit, he explained. "After we finally caught up with her and Craig, Amanda kept on crying 'I wanna go home,' over and over."

"Like a skipping DVD," Judy added.

Claudia threw back her head and laughed, "Ohhhh yes, why does that not surprise me? But you see what I'm getting at; when Craig came along Amanda's dull existence suddenly became exciting. Also, kids like him are whizzes at spinning their stories." Her voice became high and whiny. "'I'm just a poor, innocent animal, being 'scape'yoted' because of my species.' Girls like Amanda are suckers for that line, especially since she's a vixen...errr, no offense Nick."

"None taken," the red fox answered, raising his glass, "and I'm sure your right; that's exactly the line Craig's dad is taking."

"Did he REALLY try to enter a not guilty plea?" Claudia looked as if she'd spotted a roach crawling across the table.

"Yep, afraid so," Nick admitted, looking equally disdainful, but then adding hopefully, "The Burrow County Sheriff thinks they can get him to change his mind, though."

"Let's hope so." Claudia answered, and then turned to signal a passing waitress, "Refill over here, please?"

"Us too," Nick said, and when the server had gone Judy had a question for him.

"Did you ever have any nice girls attracted to you, back in the day when you were working the streets?"

The red fox immediately shook his head.

"Once or twice, but I always tried to stay away from females like that; they're strictly bad news." He angled his muzzle across the table and in the direction of their host, "Like Claudia said, girls like that tend to have parents who think they can do no wrong. And that means if Daddy finds out they're dating the likes of you...ka-BOOM! 'Try to ruin MY little girl, will you? Get him, boys!'"

"A most wise course of action, Officer Wilde," Claudia Nizhang said, assuming that Buddha's expression once again.

"What about you Carrots?" Nick asked her, "You ever been attracted to a bad boy?" Turnabout was fair play after all.

He was only teasing, but for a sliver of an instant, Judy hesitated...and then her answer was both firm and full of conviction.

"Nope...not me. For one thing, there aren't a lot of rogue bunnies running around, especially in the Burrow. And for another...well, a girl whose ambition is to become police officer isn't exactly attractive to the outlaw type, either."

That wasn't entirely true and Judy knew it; some guys get off on trying to corrupt the supposedly incorruptible. Any further discussion however was curtailed by the arrival of their refills.

"Sooo, what shall we drink to?" Claudia Nizhang asked, snatching up the check before Nick Wilde could get to it.

"To nice girls and bad boys," the red fox answered, raising his glass with a sly wink,

"Hear, hear," Judy Hopps responded also lifting hers, "May heaven always bless and keep them...as far apart as possible."

"Nibbler on the Roof!" Nick shot a finger in his partner's direction, grin lengthening by a full inch as his eyes narrowed into merry slits.

"What can I say?" Judy shrugged. "It was the best I could come up with on short notice."

And then the three of them clinked their glasses and drank.

-------------------------------------------------------

Author's Note:

Chief Bogo's experience in the subway tunnel was inspired by an actual incident, as related in the memoirs of a former New York City Police detective on the NPR program, Fresh Air.

The Raccoon Lodge is based on an actual location in Beaverton, Oregon, (though to my knowledge it was not a police hangout.) It has since changed names and owners

Lastly, Claudia Nizhang's Bearfoot Bandit is based on a real individual, Colton Harris Moore, aka the Barefoot Bandit. You can learn more about him by googling his name.