[b]Bad Cop Epilogue[/b]

Judy groaned. Some cases were interesting. Some unfolded like little mystery movies, each clue leading to the next. And then some were as dull as ditchwater. This was one of those cases. She and Nick had been chipping away at it for the past two weeks, inbetween more interesting work, like parking duty. Someone was stealing food from restaurant kitchens somehow; not individual meals but things like 50 pound bags of cornstarch. The thefts might have been going on for years, only now coming to light, so the ZPD couldn't simply dismiss the whole thing.

They were looking at, and in fact writing up, the fourth report that month; around $750 worth of canned vegetables that had somehow vanished from the back of a truck while it was waiting to be unloaded. It was her least favorite part of the job, endless paperwork. Normally a new development would bring [i]some[/i] sort of progress on the case, but not this time. It was so unbearably opaque, there were no witnesses and almost no leads. Then, as she sat filling out the details of the specific canned goods in question, an idea occurred to her.

"Okay I've got it."

"We involve ourselves in a serious accident and wait for the case to blow over?"

"No, we find someone who's at home with the criminal element, someone who... knows everyone."

"Just what are you insinuating carrots?"

"How's Francine doing?"

"Very well, for your information."

"Oh? She's stopped your one-fox conquest of the entire ZPD?"


Nick stood up, a paw over his heart and a very convincingly offended expression on his face. She had to hold back a laugh, but allowed herself an eyeroll. If there was one thing Nick was good at it was appearances; anyone who didn't know him as well as she did would likely have concluded that his pride had been mortally wounded. She really [i]would[/i] have to consider him as an option, given the limited time she had for social activities in her job. Assuming Francine didn't work out of course.


"Four people carrots, four. Can't a guy have a little fun? I mean you're a bunny right? You understand."

"Not really. All relationships in Bunnyburrows have to be approved by the town elders; anything else is liable to get you banished."

"Weren't you seeing a fox last year?"

"Yup, I applied for a species exception, and foxes are on the approved list, at least for the two week trial period anyway."

"Didn't work out huh?"

"Not really, no. But seriously, what do you know about the restaurant trade?"

"Nothing I'm afraid, been out of the loop too long. Finn might know something, but he's probably not gonna talk. Unless of course 'the council' would approve-"

"Sorry, nope. fennecs aren't on the list. The council would never accept it, even in the line of duty."

"Oh really? Is there a list for foxes too?"


You really had to love the guy, he could make even the dullest Friday afternoon fun. Well, maybe not [i]fun[/i] so much as 'less of a soul-crushing bore', but it was nice to have someone to cross wits with. The banter seemed to have dispelled something; he was packing up his notes, he did a lot of paper-paperwork, preferring to scribble down barely legible comments rather than sit at a keyboard and deal with the ZPD's finicky online filing system. It seemed that they'd be heading out to do something more productive soon, she recognized that look on his face. She tried to suppress a smile and turned her countenance serious, mustering up her childhood acting skills in an attempt to play along.

"Yes, rabbits, sheep and other foxes of course."

"That's a short list. So me and-"

"Sick and wrong Nick, sick and wrong. Have you no respect for your noble fox heritage? Just the thought of it fills me with rage and disgust."

"Oh really? And what about your boyfr-"

"-You're not going to let that go are you?"

"Never. Think about it carrots, I mean, when the inevitable happens and he finally snaps you'd be able to take him far more easily than a vicious [i]fox[/i]."


He ended his sentence by leaning forward and snapping at her. As always she jumped; natural instincts couldn't be suppressed and Nick just seemed to have a... knack for picking just the right moment to catch her off guard. She scowled and gave him a playful shove. As dull as work could be sometimes it was never really unbearable. They could file the report with the others, somehow she didn't think Bogo would be particularly invested in the whole thing, not when there was actual work to do. There was still the break-in at the ice cream parlor, the traffic cam footage to go over in regards to a rear-end collision last Tuesday and of course she'd be needed for general security at that municipal park opening. She finished writing, squared up the sheets of paper and tapped them neatly into their file. She had work to do, everything else could be dismissed for the time being. She turned to her partner, picked up her hat from where it sat on her desk and flipped it onto her head. It landed oddly and needed to be straightened, ruining the moment, but it didn't really matter.

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen him anywhere all month. Maybe Mr. Big finally caught up with him?"


It was true; she hadn't seen so much of a whisker of him since their last... meeting. Though possibly he'd need some time to recover; especially after what she'd done to him. It didn't really matter though, it wasn't as if the city would grind to a halt over one absent lowlife. Of course... maybe he'd know something about the thefts. Then again, did she really want to spend [i]more[/i] time on the most tedious case she'd ever worked on? Then again [i]again[/i] maybe he'd know something and she could put the whole thing behind her. It'd certainly be great to catch whoever had wasted so much valuable police time. Of course he wouldn't spill the beans easily, not without some.. persuasion at least. She shelved the thought for later consideration. Maybe if she was desperate.

"You never know Nick, maybe he finally learned some respect for the law. Let's go, there's [i]real[/i] poliework to be done."