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“Tell Cotton we’ll miss her, but we’re on shift this weekend. There's no way I could ask for it… No, I'm not going to call in sick.” Judy sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “We can come out next weekend. Make sure someone records it for us, okay?”
She hung up the phone, leaned back in the chair, and stared at the living room ceiling above her as the early morning sun bathed the room in a soft yellow glow.
She squinted slightly as something orange blocked her vision, and she reached a paw up to pat Nick’s cheek.
“You do have a lot of sick time, you know. You could call out," Nick said, leaning down to kiss along her muzzle.
Her paw traced along his cheek, and she shook her head. “And leave you alone here also missing Cotton’s debut play? I’d rather we watch it together, even if it's on a screen after the fact.”
“We could—”
“We can’t both call in sick. Bogo would immediately clock that.”
Nick shrugged as he looked down at her. “And?”
Judy rolled her eyes. “And using sick time when you aren’t actually sick is against ZPD policy, so no.”
“You’re such a goody-two-shoes.” Nick laughed, leaning down to kiss her forehead. “If the chief authorized the time off, would you take it?”
“Of course,” she replied. “But we both know if it's not two weeks out, he won’t approve it.”
“Obviously,” Nick hummed, patting her shoulders. “Well, I gotta run a few errands before shift starts. Wanna grab some more coffee to last us through the night shift tonight? Need anything?”
She waved him off before pausing. “Actually, yeah, grab a few more of those protein bars we like.”
“‘Like' is a strong word for those. They still taste like cardboard and disappointment.” Nick mumbled, grabbing his keys as he headed out the door. “Try not to miss me too much while I’m gone!”
Nick eyed the clock as he walked towards his desk, flopping down in his chair across from Judy. The precinct was quieter at night, the silence broken by an occasional laugh or ringing of a phone.
Officers ambled past, engrossed in conversations he couldn't care less about. Nick spun his chair, watching shadows stretch across the lobby until the setting sun flashed off the polished floor, making him wince. “Look, I'm not one to complain about a lack of work.”
Judy continued typing. “But for some reason, I feel like that's exactly what you're about to do.”
Nick paused as Chief Bogo walked past them, a coffee cup in his hoof. He snorted and looked over at the officers. “If you would be so kind as to remind your fellow officers to make a new pot of coffee when the old one is out, that would be much appreciated.” He let out a grunt as he walked into his office, slamming the door.
“Damn. That is one unhappy buffalo. Anyway, this shift has dragged on for what feels like centuries!” Nick sighed, spinning around in his chair.
Wolford snorted, tossing a balled-up report at him. “The shift started four minutes ago.”
“And you were three minutes late to your desk,” Judy mumbled.
“Hey, I had some very important business I had to attend to! Also, only four minutes? What did I do to deserve this hell?” Nick groaned. He shot a look at Judy, jabbing a finger in her direction. “Don't answer that, rabbit.”
“Don't ask questions you don't want answers to!” came her sing-song reply as she batted her eyelashes at him.
“It was a rhetorical question.” He let out a dramatic sigh, as the ringing of a phone and the chatter of the station swam around them. He reached out, turning Judy's computer monitor towards him. “What are you even working on? We're just on phone duty. Even the patrol officers stay in the precinct at night! Which, I might add, feels counterproductive.” He gestured with his snout towards the laughter flowing in from the break room, making his point for him.
Judy swatted his paw, turning the monitor back towards herself. “I'm just reviewing the report from the smash-and-grab case we closed.”
“You mean the report that was already finalized and sent off?” Nick asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Yes. You know the best way to become a better officer is to review past cases and fig—”
“Figure out how to improve. You gotta admit, we kind of kicked ass on that case.” Nick grinned, giving her a fist bump.
She grinned and bumped him back. “Yeah, it was pretty impressive.”
Nick snapped his fingers at Wolford. “You paying attention, Wolfy? Take notes. You can be just as good as us one day.”
“As good? Wilde, I run circles around you every single day!” Wolford scoffed, leaning back in his chair.
“Well, I won't argue that you run in circles. Always going around, and never actually going anywhere.” Nick tapped the desk with a smirk. “Wanna make this night shift interesting?”
“Whatcha got in mind?”
Nick jerked a thumb towards Bogo's office, a soft light spilling out from under the door. He leaned in towards them both, a glint in his eye. “Bogo just received a commendation award for the low crime rate. A small plaque on his wall, nothing too crazy. Whichever one of us has that in our possession at midnight gets to claim the title of World's Greatest Cop.”
Judy's keyboard stopped clacking, her paws frozen. “Nick, you can't…why would… Nick, no! You can't steal from the chief!”
“It's not stealing. It's a temporary relocation. It'll be back in place by 12:05 at the latest!”
Wolford bit his lip before leaning forward to offer his paw. “I'm in. It's a deal.”
Judy ran a paw down her ears with a huff. “You two are insane. Count me out.”
“Officer Never-do-anything-fun is out?” Nick faked a gasp. “That is just so unlike you.”
“Hey!” Judy frowned, crossing her arms. “I do a lot of fun things. I just don't do reckless things!”
Nick leaned forward, chin in paw, as he gave her a bored look. “Yes, taking a plaque off the wall. Better have an RA unit on standby to resuscitate us. Seriously, Carrots, live a little!”
Judy reached up, checking her pulse. “Yup, looks like I'm living just fine!”
“In the words of the great Nilgai Miniaj, ‘To live doesn't mean you're alive.’ The worst outcome here is Buffalobutt flares his nostrils at us. Now come on, don't be a fuddy-duddy bunny. Unless you’re worried you can’t actually pull it off? Maybe the hustle life is too much for a lawful little bunny.”
Judy’s typing stopped sharply. Her nose twitched, the competitive spark flaring in her eyes. She wouldn't let him hold that over her. “Alright, fine. But I have rules we all have to agree to, or I'm out.”
Wolford laughed, leaning back in his chair. “Now it's a competition!”
“A competition for second place is hardly worth shouting about, Wolfy.” Nick turned back to Judy, waving his paw. “Well, go on and lay out the rules.”
“First, no destruction or harm to any mammals or property,” she said, raising a finger. “Next, if a call comes in, everything gets dropped immediately, no exceptions. And finally, when I win, you must use my new title anytime you talk to me.”
“Oh ho! And out come the deadly bunny claws!” Wolford said with a laugh.
“Well, may the best mammal win.” Nick gave them a two-finger salute as he grabbed a file and pushed back from his desk.
Judy narrowed her eyes. “Where do you think you're going, Wilde?”
Nick stood up and sauntered away, glancing over his shoulder. “Don't worry about it.”
He turned, knocking on the Chief’s door.
“Come in.” Bogo's voice rattled against the walls. “What do you need, Wilde?”
“Hey, Chief! I was looking through the Maddox file, and I think I'm missing a signature from you. Right here.” He placed the file on the desk and tapped the bottom of the first page.
Bogo scanned the page, shaking his head. “I don't see any missing signatures; this looks ready to submit.”
Nick slowly took a step to the side, inching closer to the plaque on the wall. “Are you sure? Maybe it was on the last page.”
“Nothing is missing. Get it submitted and finalized so we can close it out.” He turned and stared at Nick, now leaning against the wall. “Why are you over there?”
“Hmm? Oh, uh, I'm just stretching. You know, night shift. Tough on the joints!” He gave Bogo a grin that was slightly too wide.
Bogo stared before pointing at the door. “Go be weird out there.”
“Well, I can see my sunny and positive attitude isn't appreciated here. I'll just take this and go.” Nick reached over, grabbed the file off the Chief's desk, and walked out of the office.
Wolford and Judy gave him a slow clap as he walked back over.
Nick’s ears splayed flat. “Shut up.”
“What? We just want to show you how impressive we thought that was! You really put on a performance. The great hustler, Nicholas Wilde!” Wolford clasped Nick's shoulder, giving it a slight shake.
“Maybe I'm a little rusty. Been a while since I've had to run a hustle.” Nick's signature smirk slid back into place as he looked up at Wolford. “Alright, hotshot, let's see you get it!”
“You got a pen and paper? Because class is in session!” Wolford shot them a wink as he walked backward towards the office.
Nick snorted. “Only class he’s teaching is Looking Like a Jackass 101.”
“Nick, that's offensive to jackasses.” Judy grinned, shaking her head.
Wolford tapped on the door to Bogo’s office before stepping in. “Hey, Chief! Did you catch ‘Prancing With the Stars’ last night? I heard Gazelle performed a new single.”
Bogo’s brows twitched, and he waved his hoof. “I uh, no. Why would I watch that? Don’t you have work to do, Wolford?”
“I have a few small things to take care of, nothing major,” he replied. “You have to see this performance! It was so good.” He took a step towards the desk. “Here, let me pull it up on EweTube for you.”
Bogo’s nostrils flared, giving Wolford a look that stopped him in his tracks.
He froze, eyes wide. “On second thought, I’ll let you finish your work, and I’ll just send you the link.” He whipped around, dejectedly walking back to the desk.
Nick leaned forward as he approached, tapping the pen on his snout. “Hey Carrots, is ‘Utter Failure’ spelled with one T or two Ts? I can never remember.”
“Pretty sure it’s two T’s. But we should check in with the teacher.” She turned and raised a paw in the air. “Mr. Wolford? Since you’re so experienced in this aspect, how is it spelled again?”
Wolford ignored them, taking a seat at his desk. “I thought for sure he would let me pull up the video.”
“Chief won’t admit to liking Gazelle to his officers. Besides, he for sure watched that live,” Nick said.
Wolford turned to Judy, gesturing to Bogo’s office. “Alright, Bunny Cop, you’re up.”
Judy nodded, walking straight towards Bogo. She stopped in front of his door and gave a wave.
“Oh, for the love of—yes, Officer Hopps?” he asked.
“‘Evening, Chief!” she said, walking over to the plaque on the wall. “I was wondering if I could borrow this? I know, that's an odd question, but I was hoping to do a little research on it, you know? Truly appreciate the meaning behind it?”
Bogo stared at her, head tilted. “You want to borrow my award…to research it?”
“Uh…yes?”
Bogo’s eyes narrowed, shifting slightly to stare out of his office. His eyes locked onto Nick’s, then Wolford’s. Taking off his glasses, he let out a sigh as he rubbed his temples. “Wilde! Wolford! My office!”
Nick nudged Wolford and grinned. “Now is when the real fun begins.” He walked into the office, Wolford in tow, and gave the chief a salute. “If it isn’t my favorite police chief! And here I thought I was being too weird for you."
“Unfortunately, your weirdness seems to be spreading like a damn infection. Out with it, fox. What kind of game are you playing?”
“A game? Chief, you wound me with the accusations you throw!”
“Would you like those wounds to become literal instead of figurative?”
“I would not, no.” Nick held up his paws and chuckled. “Abridged version? Night shift is boring. We made a bet on which of us could get that plaque off your wall and have it at midnight. Whoever does would get the title of ‘World's Greatest Cop’.”
“And you three thought I wouldn’t be able to see you take it?” he asked, arms crossed.
“No, I figured you’d catch on. Kind of planned on it,” Nick replied, paws in his pockets.
Judy’s ears shot up, eyes wide. “What? What do you mean you planned on it?”
“We are so fired,” Wolford mumbled.
Nick hummed. “We can’t really have a 'World’s Greatest Cop' competition without the Chief, can we? I botched my first attempt on purpose and figured he’d sense something was up. So, ready to join, Chief?”
“And why would I do that, Fox?”
“That is a fantastic question, sir. Frankly, there really is no reason for you to, is there? Clearly, you’re a great cop, or you wouldn’t be chief. Although you are getting older. Maybe those skills aren’t quite what they used to be?”
“I—”
“I mean no offense, Chief! In fact, I personally have no doubts that you are still a world-class cop. So joining us shouldn’t be an issue! What do you say? We can even raise the stakes. Let’s say if one of us has the plaque at 11:58 PM, we get one small request fulfilled of our choosing, and if you have it, I will only answer your direct questions and won’t tell a single joke for a full month.”
The room went silent, all eyes on Nick as he stood there, smirking at the chief towering above him.
Bogo hesitated, leaning down closer to him. “A full month? No jokes?”
“Scout’s honor. I’ll be fully professional, I won't even make an accidental pun,” he replied, sticking his paw out.
Judy stared at Nick, watching as Bogo mulled the idea over in his head. “What are the rules of this…bet?”
Nick jerked a thumb towards his partner. “Ask Carrots. She’s the rule maker.”
“No destruction or harm to any mammals or property,” she said, raising a finger as she repeated the rules. “Also, if a call comes in, everything gets dropped immediately, no exceptions.”
“Alright. Deal.” He shook Nick’s paw, then turned around. He took the plaque off the wall, squatted down, and placed it into his safe before locking it. “Good luck.”
“Don’t need it,” Nick replied, turning to walk out of the office.
Wolford and Judy shared a confused look before running after Nick. “Okay, hold up! He has to fulfill a small request?” Judy asked. “What are you after? What’s your play here?”
“If we win,” Nick replied. “Which, of course we will. As for what my request will be, well, you’ll find out when I win.”
Judy stopped at the desk. “And if we don’t, you aren’t allowed to joke around for a whole month?”
“It’s a non-issue. Us failing isn’t possible, fluff.”
“That's a lot of confidence, Wilde," Wolford said. “Especially since it’s locked in his safe. Now what?”
“Now we truly see who the ‘World's Greatest Cop’ is!” Nick winked, stopping in front of Clawhauser's desk. “Hey, Spots. How many people are in the pool?”
“The pool? There’s a betting pool on this?” Judy asked.
“Of course. This precinct is addicted to betting pools. It really is an issue. We should probably get a counselor for them or something.” Nick said.
Ben waved, leaning forward to look down at Judy. “It’s true. They love their betting pools! We have 12 officers signed up so far.”
“Great. Let them know that helping us out is encouraged.” He turned to the other two mammals, slapping his paws lightly on their backs with a grin. “Pick your teammates wisely.”
He sauntered off, flicking his tail. His eyes locked onto a ferret across the lobby, and he jogged after it. “Hey, Mark! My old buddy! Walk with me.”
Nick vanished around the corner, leaving Judy with Wolford. “I guess the real game is now beginning. May the best mammal win.”
“I plan to.” He bowed dramatically, head snapping up as a weasel officer ran up to him. He pushed up his glasses, crossing his arms. “Wolford! I got a good chunk down on you. We don’t have time to waste, let’s go!”
“Calm yourself, Jonesy! We've got time! See ya, Jude!” Wolford waved as he walked away, the weasel's energetic whispers trailing after him.
Mammals milled about the precinct, a few waving as she made her way back to her desk. She paused before heading upstairs to the tech and cyber crimes division. She scanned the room as she entered, before beelining over to a squirrel sitting at her computer.
“Judy!” She shouted, standing up. “What a pleasant surprise! What brings you to the Nerd Herd today?”
“Hi Jen! Hi Paul! I’m so glad I caught you before you left. I need to ask a favor, and it’s a bit of an odd request. You have a minute?”
“So you want to put $10 down on Bogo?” Clawhauser repeated, jotting the info down in his notebook. “Alright! I got you down, keep an eye out for all the fun!”
His eyes caught a flash of red as he stuffed the cash into the envelope under his desk. Coming up from the records room was Nick, his eyes catching Clawhauser’s. Giving a lazy wink, he walked over, placing a ten-dollar bill on the desk. “I’d like to place a wager, please.”
“Nick, betting on yourself? That's not very kosher, silly!”
“Not on myself.” Nick gestured for the pen, writing a name down on the paper before sliding it back to him. “Keep that between us, would ya, pal?”
Clawhauser stared at the paper, confused. “What’s your plan?” he whispered to himself as Nick walked away.
Nick chuckled, turning the corner in time to watch as Wolford knocked on the Chief's door. “Uh, Chief? We got a situation in holding.”
Bogo looked up and snorted. “Really? This is your plan? What seems to be the issue?”
“What? Chief, I would never lie about an issue!”
The vent in Bogo’s ceiling opened slowly. Wolford ignored it, tossing his paws up frantically. “It’s a mess! Someone misplaced the key, and we need to release a detainee! If we don’t get the door open soon, it may lead to a lawsuit!”
Bogo leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. “Three.”
Wolford tilted his head. “What?”
“Two,” Bogo said. “One.” He pointed up at the vent as a yelp echoed from above. A moment later, Officer Jonesy fell out of the vent, landing on a pillow Bogo had placed below the vent earlier. “I greased it earlier. It’s a good attempt, Wolford, but the vent is an obvious choice.”
Nick shook his head, leaning against the wall as Wolford trudged past him. “Criminals must be terrified to see you coming. I know I am just absolutely gobsmacked by your prowess, Wolfy.”
Wolford flipped him off as he walked past him.
“Greased the vents, huh? Good to know.” A familiar voice floated from behind Nick.
He jumped, whipping his head around as he stared at Judy. “When did you get so quiet?”
She gave him a look. “I’ve been practicing. Any other new developments I should know?”
“Just that Wolford failed for a second time,” Nick replied.
“Good to know.” Judy turned and walked away.
“Where are ya running off to, Fluff?”
“Don't worry about it.” Judy shot him a smug look as she sauntered away.
Nick tilted his head as she disappeared around the corner. “I don’t trust that.” He took a seat at his desk, letting the precinct pulse and move around him. The clock ticked away, and the sunlight from the precinct windows slowly dipped into darkness.
The printer to his left jumped to life; the rhythmic sounds of paper being fed and toner being spat shook Nick from his thoughts. He turned as a printer behind him did the same. Then another to his right. Reaching over, he pulled out the paper and scanned it, frowning at the gibberish. His eyes widened as he saw the page count in the corner. 1 of 2000. He spun around, watching as every printer around him was shooting out pages and pages of gibberish.
One of the other officers ran to Bogo’s office and disappeared for a moment before reappearing with Bogo in tow. He locked the office behind him, eyes scanning around before landing on Nick.
“Wilde! What is this?” he shouted.
Nick shook his head, staring at the printer in front of him. He reached out, attempting to cancel the print job, but the screen was locked. “I don’t know, Chief! This one isn’t me!”
Bogo glared at him as he walked over, punching in the admin code before also getting an error. Nick raised his eyebrows, giving him a shrug. “Have you tried saying ‘please’? You know, it’s never too late to work on your manners.”
Nick’s ear twitched, and movement caught the corner of his eye. He stepped back, letting Bogo get closer to the printer as he turned his head, watching as the vent in Bogo’s office swung open. A rope dropped down, followed by a bunny rappelling down it a moment later.
Nick let out an impressed huff as she flawlessly dropped to the ground, her ears disappearing behind the large desk. He smirked, scooting around and unplugging the printer, stopping the endless pages. “Sometimes we just have to go offline.”
Bogo scowled, trying to read Nick’s face. He gave him a reluctant sigh before turning to the rest of the officers. “Alright, unplug all the printers! Leave them unplugged until I can contact IT to figure out how to fix this. That is all.”
He turned, heading back to his office. Nick watched as Bogo felt around his pockets with an annoyed growl. “Where is the damn keycard?” He rechecked his pockets before sighing and pulling out his phone, pulling up the precinct app. He fumbled with the verification for a few minutes, muttering about his hate of the system before finally getting into the office, just as the vent above his desk clicked closed.
Nick twirled around in his chair as he heard the telltale sounds of his annoyed partner walking towards him. “Carrots, wherever have you been? You missed all the fun! All of our printers revolted. It was a heroic battle, but never worry, I prevailed!”
“You backstabbed me…you backstabber!”
Nick gasped, shaking his head. “Madam, I would never attempt to foil a plan of yours! How could you be so crass to accuse me of such maliciousness!”
Judy flopped in her chair. “I almost had the safe open. I had one number left, but couldn’t hear the last tumbler fall into place. I only needed one more minute! You could have helped stall Bogo.”
“You want teamwork in our competition?” he asked.
She reached over and stole a protein bar from his desk. “I know you want to win, but isn’t it better that one of us wins over Chief Bogo? If he wins, you go silent. If one of us wins, you lose bragging rights, but at least you can still harass all of our ears with your jokes.”
“It isn’t harassment, it’s a perfect balance of wit, smarts, and timing. It’s very high-brow stuff.”
Judy tossed the empty wrapper at Nick with a snort. “Yes, wrapping every item in the chief's office in Saran Wrap is super high-brow.”
“Each item individually.” He caught the wrapper, tossing it into the trash can. “Do you know how long that takes? Every pen, every case file, even the individual paperclips! And I did it all while off the clock. I wasn’t even getting paid to do it! Past me would be so disappointed.”
Nick checked the time, then the doors of the precinct. “Great chat, but my second attempt should be walking through that door any second.”
The precinct doors swung open. A red fox in a blue jumpsuit pushed a cleaning cart into the lobby, keeping his head down under a baseball cap. Nick stood, coffee in hand, and casually strolled toward the water cooler near Bogo's office.
The janitor rolled his supplies down the hall, stopping to empty trash cans, wiped down a few empty desks, and made his way towards Bogo’s office.
Bogo stepped out, watching the janitor as he pulled out a mop. He froze as Bogo walked up behind him, pulling off his hat, and turned him around. “Resorting to disguises now, Wilde?”
Nick stepped up next to the Chief, loudly sipping his coffee. He shook his head and gave Bogo a sideways glance. “Wow. Do all foxes really look the same to you?”
Bogo did a double-take, looking down at the scared-looking fox in front of him, and handed his hat back to him. “I’m uh, sorry about that. You’re doing a fantastic job. Keep up the great work.” He shot Nick a suspicious glance before retreating to his office.
Nick gave the janitor a subtle nod. The fox wheeled his cart into an alcove out of sight. Nick followed, quickly pulling an identical jumpsuit from the trash bin in the center of the cart. In thirty seconds, they swapped places. Nick, now in uniform with the cart, took the cap from the other fox as he walked past and slipped it on. He grabbed the cart and wheeled it next to Bogo’s office.
He kept his head lowered as he grabbed the mop, dragging it around the office, splashing bits of water and lemon-scented cleaner around. Bogo scooted in his chair, responding with a grunt, flipping through various folders and documents obliviously as Nick circled behind him. He paused in front of a filing cabinet, his back to the chief. He quickly opened it, grabbed something, and closed it before dragging the mop back around and out of the office.
Nick placed the mop back into the cart, pushing it away from the office, and tossed the cap back to the other fox, shedding the jumpsuit. He stuffed it back in the bin, and slipped the other fox a couple of bills.
Stepping out of the alcove, Nick paused, readjusting his tie before he walked back towards his desk, the squeaky wheels of the cleaning cart fading as it was pushed back out of the precinct.
“So, what exactly was that?” Judy asked, eyebrows raised as Nick took a seat across from her.
He shook his head, clicking his tongue. “Planning is what that was, sweetheart. You’ll see the payoff shortly.”
“What's your play here, Wilde?” Judy asked, leaning on her elbows on the desk. “You know Bogo isn’t going to approve the weekend off, and especially not for both of us, so what’s your game?”
Nick gave her a lazy smile, shaking his now-empty coffee cup. “Game? The game is to win and become the World's Greatest Cop!”
“Uh huh. And what do you plan on using your request on if you were to win?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know, weatherbun?” Nick ducked and laughed as Judy tossed a pen at him. “You’ll find out when I win!”
Nick turned in his seat as Wolford came around the corner, his eyes locking on Judy. “Hey Hopps, got a second? I have something I wanna run past you.”
“Sure, how can I help?”
He glanced at Nick, nodding his head in the opposite direction. “Let’s go chat somewhere else. Somewhere with fewer prying ears.”
“Conspire all you want; the game is over for you before it even begins!” Nick called after them as they disappeared into one of the interrogation rooms.
With a contented sigh, he leaned back in his chair, placing his feet up on the desk, and closed his eyes.
Nick jolted back awake, startled at how much time had passed. He rubbed his eyes as the doors of the precinct flew open. College-aged mammals of all kinds flooded into the precinct, all dressed in neon colors.
A panda wearing a neon pink tank top and matching arm bands held a boom box above her head, and a porcupine with a megaphone scurried on top of one of the desks. “Good Evening, Precinct One! How are we all doing tonight?!” she shouted.
A very confused-looking Bogo walked out of his office, mouth agape as the chaos unfolded. “What the hell is going on?”
“You must be the Chief! Today is your special day. You’ve just been—” the porcupine paused, turning to the crowd of mammals behind him and shouting in unison with the rest of the brightly dressed crowd. “FLASH MOBBED!”
Nick slunk away from his desk as the panda hit the button on the front of her boom box, filling the precinct with a loud bass. Bogo took a step forward and was immediately grabbed by a tigress in a yellow muscle shirt who spun him around into the middle of the mob. Nick let out a chuckle, a flash of gray and neon green catching the corner of his eye.
Judy slipped into the center of the mob, blending in as she twisted and bounced between their legs.
Nick grinned, leaning against the wall as he watched Judy use the commotion and chaos to slide Bogo’s phone out from his pocket. She dipped back, slid behind a desk, and slid the phone across the floor and into the open interrogation room where Wolford was waiting with a fingerprint dusting kit.
Judy crouched at her spot, craning her neck as she tried to track Wolford's progress. Judy shot the panda a panicked look as the music started to fade, and Bogo’s voice became louder. “Who authorized you to be here? Wilde! Hopps! Wolford!”
Judy ducked behind the desk as Wolford held up his thumb, now complete with a silicone mold of Bogo’s thumbprint.
The panda tossed a pair of pink shades on Bogo, ignoring the scowl and sharp look he shot at her. “HR should have sent you an email! It's for morale! Now come on, I know you know the words!” she said as the opening lyrics to Gazelle's newest song blasted from the speakers.
Wolford snaked his way over to the office as the panda hip checked Bogo towards the tigress, and Judy laughed as he finished the lyrics with an eye roll and what appeared to be a slight smile.
Satisfied that he was distracted, Wolford used his new thumbprint to unlock the chief's phone and use it to get into his office.
“Turn the floor into a zoo-oo-oo!” Judy winced as Clawhauser's voice pierced her eardrum, her eyes locked on the door to the office. Seconds passed, then minutes. Just as the song was starting to reach its final chorus, Wolford reappeared, plaque in paw. He winked, slid the phone back to Judy, closed the door behind him, and ran back into the interrogation room.
Judy flashed a thumbs-up and vanished as the song came to an end.
The panda turned, gesturing to the mob and bowed. “Thank you, ZPD! Keep up the good work and have a great night!”
Nick kept his eye on the clock, waiting for Wolford and Judy to return. He hopped on the desk, starting a slow clap. “Ladies and Gentlemen, put your paws together for that amazing performance! Impersonating HR is impressive work. Now, if you all would gather around, we are just a few minutes away from the end of this competition! Chief Bogo, how does it feel to lose?” He asked as officers circled where he stood.
Bogo gave him a look. “I didn’t lose.”
“Yes, you did,” Judy said, pointing to the plaque Wolford was holding above his head. Bogo did a double-take as Judy crossed her arms. “We realized the best cops work together. Boom.”
Nick let out an exaggerated scoff, placing his paws on his hips. “That’s truly inspiring. Now, could you read the front of the plaque for me?”
The color drained from Judy’s cheeks as she whipped her head around and grabbed the plaque from Wolford. “What did you—” She froze, reading and rereading the plaque as her ears drooped.
“Would you read that out loud, Sweetheart?” Nick said, waving a paw at someone in the back.
Judy groaned as she read it out loud. “This plaque is dedicated to the most gullible cops in the precinct, Officers Hopps and Wolford, and Chief Bogo. When did you even…. ThIs was your errand this morning, wasn't it?”
“Yup,” he replied, popping the p.
Bogo stared at the plaque, nostrils flared. “Wilde, where—”
“Right here.” Nick pointed at Officer Yuka, the elderly moose from records, who was now standing next to Nick, holding the official plaque. “Annnnd with that, it’s 11:58 PM. Hey Spots? Who wins the pool?”
“Well, uh, that would be you, Nick. You win…all of it. As the only person to put Officer Yuka as the winner.” Clawhauser stuttered out his answer.
Officer Yuka turned to Bogo. “My request is uh…I can’t remember, whatever the fox wants. Here.” He thrust the plaque into Nick’s paws, rolling his eyes. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s time for my break.”
“How?” That was all Bogo could utter.
“It’s a hustle,” he replied. “First rule of a con, never play a game that isn’t rigged.”
“You dumped out the coffee…” Judy said quietly. She slapped a paw over her mouth. “And you swapped out the plaque with a fake before the game ever even started! This wasn’t a competition. It was a show! What did you need Mark for?”
“A red herring.” Nick held the plaque up triumphantly. “Otherwise, you nailed it! But the rules never stated I couldn’t do that! As for my reward, I request that Judy and I be off this weekend.”
“I don’t have the staff for that.” Bogo snorted.
“I thought you might say that. I will give the entirety of the pool to whoever takes our shifts.” Nick jerked his thumb towards the multiple raised paws behind him. “Take your pick, Chief. Oh! I already filled out the paperwork for ya.” He slid the time off sheet over to Bogo with a wink. “I grabbed it while dressed as that janitor, you know, the one you said looked just like me. Which he did, but I maintain that was speciesist, by the way. But I digress. ”
“I hate you,” Wolford muttered.
“But why?” Judy asked. “This all seems unnecessary.”
“It was. I did it for the love of the game. That’s you.” Nick winked, pointing at the clock. “Oh, one more thing. Since our agreement was that whoever held it at midnight got the title, and Officer Yuka handed the plaque to me at 11:59 PM, that means I was in possession at midnight.”
Bogo rubbed a paw on his snout, taking a step next to Nick. “Well, congratulations. Looks like you get the weekend off. Precinct one, I present the first Heist winner and current title holder of World's Greatest Cop, Officer Wilde!”
Nick raised his paw in a fist and pumped it in the air. He wrapped an arm around Judy, pulling her against his side as he gently nuzzled her cheek with a smile. “Tell Cotton we’ll see her soon.”