-Chapter 8-

"Ah, here is zhe part I was looking for," Etson remarked. He had spent the past ten or so minutes digging through all of the video files he had sent to the ZPD regarding Omar Moufflon, and just now found the clip he was looking for. The eucalyptus leaves in the market had jogged his memory,and gone back to the police headquarters to comb through the evidence. The film he had open on the screen was about twenty minutes long and was from a few days ago in his cafe. "Zhere he is. Frederick Fasco."

Nick and Judy both moved closer to look at the screen. "Are you sure that's him?" Judy asked, squinting at the screen.

"Yeah, I'm not sure about this, Etson," Nick confessed. "Everyone knows that all koalas look the same."

"Nick..." Judy scolded him, "You know you shouldn't generalize like that."

"I know, I know," Nick replied. "But...you have to admit, it's kinda true. They're all just little gray fluffballs," he said, adding, "Kinda like you, Carrots."

She glared at him, trying to resist the urge to punch him in the arm.

"Look at zhis," Etson called their attention back to the screen. He had pulled an image of Fasco to compare next to the footage. "You see? Totally identical."

Judy examined the images closely, paying extra attention to the facial details. "Yep," Judy confirmed, "I'd say those two are the same person."

"Alright, so we know it's Fasco in the clip," Nick said. "Big whoop."

"It is a 'big whoop,'" Etson replied, putting air quotes around the words. "Whatever zhat means."

Nick rolled his eyes. He still wasn't sure why Etson had dragged them all the way back to the police station to show them this, as so far there hadn't been anything of use to the investigation.

"Let's just watch the clip," Judy suggested. Etson nodded, pressing the play button.

The footage started rolling, showing Etson's cafe. The camera was located in the corner of the room at roughly eye level, allowing them to see everything that was going on in the store. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The shop was empty, except for Etson, who was scrubbing the counter with his apron on, when a bell rung. A koala walked through the door, wearing a suit coat and dress pants.

"Oh, hello zhere," Etson greeted him. "How may I help you?"

"I'd..uh, like some coffee, please," Fasco replied.

"Sure zhing!" Etson responded, taking his place behind the counter. As he did so, Fasco looked around the room. The more he inspected the place, the more his face shifted into one of disgust. It was quite clear he had somewhere he'd rather be.

"What kind would you like?" Etson asked him.

"Give me the tevoui," the koala told him harshly, adding "Do you have any eucalyptus leaves?"

"I do, actually!" Etson said, trying to remain cheerful in spite of the difficult customer. "Would you like me to add them to the blend?"

"No, I just asked because I was curious," Fasco rudely answered, shaking his head. "Of course I want you to add them to the blend!"

Etson just smiled back at him, doing his best to remain professional. Somebody had woken up on the wrong side of the bed that morning.

"Stupid immigrant," Fasco muttered under his breath, only half caring about whether or not Etson heard him.

Ignoring what Fasco said, Etson continued to prepare the beverage. So it was because he was an immigrant that this koala hated his shop. He shook his head. He wanted to spit in the drink so badly, but he reasoned with himself that such behavior would be allowing himself to sink down to Fasco's level.

"Here you go, sir," Etson handed him his drink. "Zhank you for your business."

Fasco gave him a nasty stare, but accepted the drink. He moved to the table farthest away from the counter, where he sat in silence for five minutes or so, irritatedly sipping his drink while looking at his phone. Once he had finished, he stood up abruptly, picked up his briefcase, and exited the cafe.

"Wait a second," Nick interjected. Etson stopped the playback. "Rewind back to when he walks in again for me."

Raising an eyebrow quizzically, Etson did as he was told, scrolling back to the start of the clip.

The whole scene started to replay. The bell rang again as Fasco entered the store and started walking over to Etson, exactly as he had done before.

"Stop it right there," Nick told Etson, staring intently at the screen. "Okay, now go back to when he walks out of the store."

Etson, though still not sure what Nick was doing, did as he was told. Nick kept examining the video.

"I knew it," he shook his head. "This is a textbook briefcase drop. Look at this." Nick reached for the mouse and keyboard, pushing Etson to the side so that he could control the playback. He pressed the designated rewind button on the keyboard, sending the clip back to when Fasco had entered.

"Here he is walking in," he calmly pointed out, "Notice that he is sans briefcase." Etson and Judy both nodded, looking intensely at the footage.

"And here he is walking out," Nick scrolled forward in the tape. "This time with a briefcase."

"So that means..." Judy realized, "Fasco had to have picked up the briefcase while he was in the store!"

"Bingo," Nick replied. "And he picks it up..." he moved the tracker to the moment Fasco sat down at his table, "right at that table."

"But zhen who put zhe briefcase zhere?" Etson asked. "Because I didn't do it."

Nick shrugged. "Let's go back farther in the footage to find out." He rewound the entire video to the very beginning, rewinding even before Fasco walked in, and pressed play. The scene was the same. The cafe was empty, except for Etson, who was tending to business around the shop.

"Wait a minute..." Judy said as the playback continued. "There's no briefcase at the table Fasco sits at yet. So that means..."

"Someone had to have put it down over the course of the video," Nick said, finishing Judy's thought. If they just kept watching the tape, then they would get to see who left the briefcase for Fasco, giving them another potential lead to follow.

The bell on the door rung in the video, signalling a customer had walked in.

"Ayy, Etson, buddy, how are you doing today?" Omar Moufflon asked.

"Hey, Joe!" Etson responded, addressing him by his presumed identity. "I'm doing well, zhanks."

"Look," Judy pointed out, "That's Omar Moufflon...and he has the briefcase on him!"

"So he does," Nick replied nonchalantly. "Let's see what he does with it."

Etson moved behind the counter, ready to serve Omar. "So, zhe usual?" he asked the sheep.

"Yes, please," Omar replied. He took off his overcoat and sat down at the table in the corner, placing his briefcase down between the wall and his chair.

"There it is, the moment he drops it," Nick remarked. "I'll bet you that it stays in that exact spot until our friend Fasco comes."

He fast forwarded through the footage, the three of them keeping eyes on the briefcase. Nick was right - the briefcase stayed put until Fasco picked it up.

"What did I tell you?" the fox smugly commented, his guess having been validated. "I know a hustle when I see one."

"But...this doesn't make sense," Judy said, her foot thumping as she thought. "What would Fasco want from Omar that could be in that briefcase?"

"Omar...I know zhat he was working wizh Bellwezher, but what exactly did he do?" Etson inquired.

"He was somehow involved in the chemistry behind the night howler serum," Nick answered. "But that's all I know about him."

"Night howler serum..." Judy mumbled, staring into space as she mulled over the words. Suddenly, she made a connection. "Wait, didn't Clare say something about Fasco and night howlers?"

"She said zhat he was zhe head of zhe board of research," Etson replied quickly, a slight smile coming to his face at the mention of Clare. "Apparently zhey were studying zhe effects of zhe night howlers."

"If that's the case..." Nick paused for a moment to process what he had heard. "It could just be that he's getting some data from Omar," Nick suggested. He still didn't see how this evidence tied Fasco to the crimes in any way. It was shady, yes, but hardly anything worth taking action over.

"But why wouldn't he just meet with Omar in private, then?" Judy countered. "If he wasn't doing something shady, he wouldn't have tried so hard to conceal what was going on."

"He's a candidate for mayor," Nick responded. "Of course he doesn't want to be seen with a wanted criminal."

"But zhen who else could have burned down my cafe?" Etson asked earnestly. "If Fasco was friends wizh Omar...zhen we have a reason to investigate him."

Judy nodded. "I think you might be right, Etson. Fasco's directly tied to two of the vandalizations...We have to consider that he might be involved."

"Okay then," Nick said, slightly annoyed that they hadn't sided with him. "If we're so sure that Fasco did this, then how do you suggest we get more info?" he questioned. "I mean it's not like he's going to admit to anything if we question him."

"He might, if we threaten to show this to the news networks," Judy offered. Nick's eyebrows jumped up at the idea.

"You want to blackmail a public official?" Nick asked, in some disbelief that she would suggest such a thing. "Carrots, I'm pretty sure that's illegal."

Judy hadn't thought about that part. She had just blurted out the first idea that came to her mind.

"Uhh...Yes...Yes, that would be..." Judy stuttered, embarrassed. "You know, on second thought, let's not do that."

Nick grinned. "And they all thought I was the sketchy partner," he joked, chuckling.

Etson kept looking at the evidence on the screen. "So, what other options do we have zhen, if we can't go to Fasco?" Etson inquired. "Zhere has to be zomezhing we can figure out from zhis."

Judy's foot started thumping again as she thought. "Well, we just need to figure out what's inside the briefcase. If we can't talk to Fasco..." she muttered, ideas churning in her brain, "...then maybe we can talk to Omar."

Nick shook his head. "Fat chance. Never in a million years would he talk to us."

Judy's foot kept thumping. Omar would never agree to an interrogation, which meant that they had exactly zero animals left who knew what was in the briefcase. Unless...

"Etson," Judy said to the raccoon, who had zoned out, "did Omar have a girlfriend, wife, anyone really close to him that he told you about? If he did have someone like that…"

"Then they could have seen what went into the briefcase," Nick finished. "Clever bunny."

"Thanks," Judy replied, grinning. "So, Etson, can you remember anyone like that?"

Etson closed his eyes, attempting to remember the conversations he had had with Omar. "Yes..." he finally replied, "Zhere was someone he told me about. Her name is Lila. I don't know anyzhing else about her," he told them. "In fact, I only remember her name because it means somezhing else in Alimandish."

"Really?" Judy exclaimed. "What does it mean?"

"It means...dirt," Etson answered. "Not exactly charming, I know."

Judy smiled. "Nick, do you know anyone who goes by the name of dirt?" she asked him.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Carrots?" Nick responded with his usual slick demeanor. "I know everybody. Including this dirt or Lila or whatever we're calling her. She's the sister of an older client I had once. She's a beaver, lives in Tundratown."

"Perfect. Let's see if we can set up an appointment to meet with her," Judy suggested. She looked up at the clock on the wall. 8:47pm. Her parents would be calling her in about half an hour, and she really wanted to get back to her apartment so she could crash. "Although I think we should probably call it a day for now. It's getting late."

"Good idea," Nick agreed. He was totally exhausted after the events of the day. Investigating the vandalized house, interviewing Clare, the whole ordeal with the wolf...to say it was a long day would be an understatement. He reached towards the computer, pressing the power button. Nick and Judy started to head towards the exit, but Etson stayed put.

He tapped his fingers together, nervous once again. He had nowhere to stay for the night. He still hadn't collected his prize money, having been far too eager in the morning to join Nick and Judy on their investigation. He literally had no money. In hindsight, it may have been wise to open up a bank account and cash the money before coming to the ZPD...but he hadn't exactly been thinking rationally after seeing his cafe in shambles. In any case, it was too late for him to try and change things now. The best he could hope for was that maybe he could get a blanket and find a bench to sleep on.

"Um, do eizher of you know where I can..." Etson forced the words out, cringing, "borrow a blanket?"

Nick and Judy looked at each other, wondering if he was asking what they thought he was asking.

"Etson, you aren't...planning on sleeping...out there, are you?" Judy inquired.

Etson's fingers tapped together more quickly. He stared shamefully at the ground. "...Yes," he mumbled.

"What?," Judy responded, "There's no way I'm letting that happen. You can stay at my place for the night."

Nick's head quickly turned to look at her in disbelief. She trusted Etson enough to let him inside her apartment? They had only known the raccoon for one day and, as far as Nick was concerned, he could be an axe murderer who was going to claim his next victim.

"No, I'll be fine. I just need a blanket," Etson replied sheepishly. "I've done it before. It's not so bad."

"Yeah, Carrots, I'm -" Nick started.

"Nonsense!" Judy interrupted. "I have an air mattress you can sleep on and some extra blankets. It would just be silly to have you sleep on the street."

"I don't know..." Etson muttered nervously. "I don't want to intrude."

"You won't be intruding," Judy insisted. "It's no problem at all."

Nick let out a sigh, crossing his arms. There was no going back at this point. Judy had set her mind on something, which meant that it was going to happen whether he liked it or not.

"Okay," Etson conceded. "But only because you insist."

"Great!" Judy exclaimed, smiling. "That settles it, then," she turned to Nick, who still had a look of discontent on his face. "I guess we'll see you tomorrow then, Nick."

"Yeah," he replied, trying to mask his uneasiness with a smile. "I'll see you tomorrow, Carrots."

The facade he put on didn't fool Judy. She had been partners with him long enough to know when and how he hid his emotions. Right now, she knew that he was frustrated with her in being so trusting with Etson. She could at least see why he would be worried, even if she knew she was doing the right thing.

They waved goodbye, parting ways. Judy and Etson walked over to the bike rack, while Nick walked down the street in the opposite direction.

"Uh, I'll try to ride slowly so that you can keep up," she told Etson, who was eyeing the bikes suspiciously.

"Don't worry, I will keep up," he assured her, smiling. He knew this part of the city very well from the year or so he spent scrounging the streets after his parents had died, and he was confident that he could figure out where they were going.

"Okay, if you say so," Judy said, admiring his confidence.

She started pedaling, crossing the street and heading towards one of the alleyways. Etson followed closely behind her, practically unseen. It was nearly dark, meaning that he could hide himself very easily. It also helped that there weren't many cars out on the street, meaning that they were free to weave through the streets however they wanted. Judy kept riding, going through the alleyway and coming out on another main street. She turned around to see Etson still on her tail, following her closely. She rode down the street, taking a right at the intersection. The bunny whizzed by a number of shops, her wheels spinning as she flew down a hill. Etson ran down the sidewalk, trying to keep up with Judy. He started to fall behind as she accelerated down the hill. As she reached the bottom, he noticed that she was heading to the left.

Ah, he thought, she's going to the plaza.

Quickly scanning to make sure there were no cars coming, he ran across the street and quickly scurried to climb a small chain fence. Hardly anyone knew about this shortcut, but it was actually the quickest way to get to the plaza. He hopped over the fence, and started running again. He ran through the densely packed buildings, the cool night wind blowing through his fur. He navigated through the network of alleyways and small side streets, still remembering exactly which ones led where. He ran through another darkly lit back street, popping out at the plaza as Judy arrived.

She noticed him, a confused look on her face. How had he gotten ahead of her? Hadn't he been behind her just a second ago?

Etson saw her expression, causing him to smirk. He hadn't lost his street sense, even after all these years.

Etson kept following after Judy, following her through the streets until she finally stopped in front of a certain building.

"Well, color me impressed," Judy said, taking off her helmet. "You kept up."

"I told you I would," Etson replied, grinning. "I am an animal of my word."

She smiled. She walked into the lobby of the apartment building, heading over to the elevator. Judy pressed the up button.

"So...where did you learn all of those shortcuts?" Judy asked as they waited for the elevator.

"Zhis is where I lived in my first year on zhe streets," Etson answered. "I know all of zhe secrets of zhis area."

Judy nodded. She had wondered about Etson's past a lot over the past day they had spent together, but she wasn't sure if he was comfortable talking about it, so she had decided against bringing up the subject.

The elevator dinged as the doors opened. The two of them stepped inside, greeted by a classical piano melody. Judy pressed the button labeled twelve, and the elevator began to rise.

"Ah, I love zhis song," Etson commented. "It's from one of Tchaikoalasky's concertos."

Judy looked at the raccoon surprisedly. "I didn't take you for a classical music guru, Etson," she admitted.

"It's what I mostly listen to," he replied. His taste in music was one of the ways he had been influenced by his parents. They were the ones who had given him a profound respect for instrumental pieces. He had fond memories of Sunday afternoons when his father and mother would dance around the living room together, always moving to the classical music that came through the radio. Sometimes they tangoed, other times they waltzed, but no matter what the dance, Etson was always amazed in how their bodies perfectly interacted with one another. Once he was old enough, his father would teach him the steps, and they would take turns dancing with Etson's mother. That had been nearly a decade ago, but anytime Etson heard one of the familiar overtures he was still taken back to those magical evenings in front of the fireplace.

The elevator dinged again, signalling that they had reached the level they were supposed to get off at. Judy and Etson stepped out, the raccoon following the bunny to her apartment. Inserting the key, Judy unlocked the door. Her apartment was rather spacious, especially in comparison to where she had been living before.

"This space on the floor here is where I'll set up the mattress for you, okay?" Judy asked, pointing to a spot on the carpet.

"Whatever you want," Etson responded. "It's your place."

Judy opened the closet door and pulled out the air mattress and the pump to fill it up with. She laid it out on the floor and handed Etson the pump.

"Here you go," Judy said as she passed it to him. She pulled a thick quilt out of the closet, laying it folded next to the mattress. "You can set that up. I'm going to go and shower and then call it a night. If there's anything you need, just let me know."

"Zhank you, Judy," Etson said, a sincere look in his eyes. "You have been willing to sacrifice so much for me over zhe past couple days. I...just want to let you know...zhat I am really grateful for it."

She smiled back at him. "It's no big deal, trust me," Judy told him. "After what happened to you...well...let's just say that I can't imagine what I would do if I were in your shoes. You can stay here as long as you need."

"Zhanks, but I plan on cashing zhe prize money tomorrow morning. After zhat I can get a place to stay."

"Well, you know my door is always open," she replied. Suddenly, a vibrant series of marimba tones started coming from the rabbit's pocket. She pulled out her phone to see the contact photo of her parents, who were calling to FaceTime. "Oh, if you'll excuse me, Etson," she excused herself, walking into the other half of the apartment and sitting atop the bed. She slid the icon to the right, accepting the call.

"Hey guys! How are you?" she inquired excitedly.

"Jude the dude! How is my little girl holding up?" her father greeted her, a grin on his face.

"I'm doing great, guys," Judy replied.

"I'm so glad to hear that, sweetie," her mother told her. "Have we told you how proud of you we are?"

Judy shook her head, smiling. "Only every time we talk."

"Well we have a lot to be proud of," her father said lovingly. "How is work? I hear that you're working with that Nick fella now. Is he...nice?"

"Yeah," Judy said, slightly uncomfortable. She still wasn't sure what her parents thought about her working with a fox as a partner. "We make a good team, I think."

"That's good, honey-" her mother started.

"Hi Judy!" one of her siblings popped up in front of the camera. "How many bad guys did you catch today?"

Judy laughed. "Well, Terrance, we did catch that wolf in Haymarket Square, so that's one, I guess," she answered.

"Ooh, we heard about that," her mother said. "They said that the attacker was a savage Alimandish citizen."

Her father shook his head in discontentment. "Those Alimandish...they're always up to no good. How come you never hear about any successful Alimandish people?" he asked rhetorically.

"Now, honey, we shouldn't stereotype, remember?" his wife reminded him.

"But this time it's true!" he argued, raising his voice a bit. "He seriously injured a bunch of people. You saw the video they released of him!"

"Video...? What video?" Judy asked, a confused look on her face.

"You didn't see it? Someone snapped a video on their phone of the whole attack," her dad informed her. "The guy stabbed a needle into his arm and started mauling people. That's some next level crazy right there."

A needle? Stabbed into his own arm?

That must have been the night howler serum, Judy deduced. But why would anyone willingly inject night howler serum into themselves? Unless… He must have planned to kill all of those animals, Judy realized. Her face shifted into a frown. That meant that it had been a premeditated attack, and that he had tried to use the night howler serum to claim more victims.

"But dear, this is just one Alimandish person acting up," his wife pointed out, still trying to convince him. "Not all Alimandish people are like this."

"I know, I know..." he conceded, "but I can't help but get nervous anytime I'm around them."

"Of course, honey," Judy's mother said, "That's how we all feel."

Judy smiled awkwardly, trying to hide how uncomfortable she was. Every time she talked to them, she was reminded of how close-minded they were. She decided not to argue with them about it, reasoning that it would only lead to unnecessary tension between them, and that if she wanted to get to bed at a decent hour then it would be a bad idea start a political debate.

"Mommy, Mommy!" one of her younger sisters yelled, a piece of paper and pencil in hand. "I need help with my history homework."

"Not right now, sweetie. We're talking to Judy."

"But Mommy, she didn't tell us what the answer was in class!" the small rabbit complained.

"Fine," her mother gave in. "What's the question?"

"What was the prey protection program and what did it do?" Judy's sister read aloud.

Prey Protection Program... she mulled over the words, the gears in her head beginning to turn.

"I'm sorry, Jenny, I don't know anything about that," the mom replied. "Why don't you look it up in your textbook?"

"Ughh...fine," Jenny replied grumpily.

"Sorry about that, Judy," her mother said, turning her focus back to the camera. She seemed to notice something, her eyebrows shooting up. "Judy, what happened to your arm?"

"Oh, that?" she quickly tried to cover up the bandage with the blankets on the bed. "That's nothing."

"She has a bandage, honey, that means she's hurt. My little baby is hurt!" Judy's mother exclaimed worriedly.

"Oh my gosh, are you okay, Judy? What happened? Should we call a doctor?" her father asked, his face suddenly panicked.

"I'm fine, you guys," Judy replied, rolling her eyes. "It's just a small bite."

"Oh, I'm so worried about you! We want you to be safe," her mother said.

"Stop it guys, I'm fine," she insisted. "Listen, mom and dad, it's been great talking with you but I think I better go. Gotta get some rest for a busy day tomorrow."

"Oh, of course, Jude. Just...don't get hurt again, okay? We love you so much and would hate to have anything happen to you," her dad replied.

"Kids, say goodbye to Judy!" her mother called.

A swarm of small bunnies overtook the screen, all vying for screen space. Judy giggled as they all tried to say goodbye.

"Goodnight, you guys! Love you!" she exclaimed, pressing the end call button. Sometimes she thought that her parents loved her just a little too much. Still, some of the things that they had brought up during their conversation had piqued her curiosity. Deciding to investigate for herself, she opened up the web browser and tapped on the search bar. The keyboard clicked as she typed in the three word phrase. She clicked on the first link, which was a Wallabedia article.

The Prey Protection Program (also known as "Triple P") was the largest and most ambitious operative passed into legislation by the Zootopian Government regarding equality between predators and prey, training thousands of animals from both parties on the proper ways of interacting with one another, as well as adding clauses into the Zootopian Common School Curriculum that required all schools to have a mandatory class on proper treatment of those in the opposite group. It is often cited today as being a major success, lowering instances of hate crimes drastically, although historians debate the perceived effectiveness in comparison to the actual effectiveness.

Oh my gosh, Judy's eyes widened in realization. This was it. This was the piece they had been missing. She threw herself out of bed and ran into the other room. "Etson!" she blurted out eagerly, startling the raccoon. He turned around to look at her. "I know what P.P.P. stands for."

Hey guys! Chapter 8 is here, and it's a plot heavy one! I'm sorry that there's not much action in this chapter, but I promise more is coming in the near future! Speaking of which...due to the fact that I will be traveling and then studying for exams over the next few weeks, there might be a dip in the amount I update, which means likely only one chapter instead of two per week, as I simply can't write as much in the shortened amount of time without the quality dropping off significantly. I'm sorry, but I hope that you guys will all continue to enjoy the story even though it comes out a bit more slowly. Thanks again for all of the support, it means a lot to me! If you have any questions/comments feel free to leave a review, as I try to reply to most of them.