Chapter 32

The Assignment

Late one afternoon, Nick's mother came over to see her grandson for the first time. Upon seeing him, her eyes lit up with love.

"He's beautiful, Nick!" she said.

Nick sat next to Judy on the couch, watching Judy breastfeed Jack. When he was finished, Judy handed Jack to Ms. Wilde to hold.

Nick's mom gazed over her grandson, gently stroking his head. "You two are so blessed. I'm very happy for you."

Nick smiled. "Thanks, mom."

"You two will make wonderful parents."

Judy scooted closer to Nick, wrapping her arms around him. "I hope so. We want to give Jack the best life possible. We love him so much."

"I can tell."

The months rolled by, and while Judy got used to life as a stay at home mother, she was itching to get back on the force. When Jack was eight months old, she and Nick hired Nick's mom to look after Jack during the day while she and Nick were at work.

When Judy returned to the ZPD for the first time in months, she was warmly greeted by all her colleagues. She showed them pictures of Jack on her phone; earning a round of compliments from whoever saw them. She was even surprised when Chief Bogo told her what a cute baby he was.

It wasn't long until Chief Bogo called Nick and Judy into his office to give them the rundown on Goldclaw, an animal of interest for the police for quite a while.

"Good afternoon, Officer Wilde, Officer Hopps," he said as they walked into his office. "Have a seat."

Chief Bogo put on his glasses, and took a file out from one of the drawers on his desk. He handed it to Judy. His name is Thomas Goldclaw. He's a tiger who has been suspected of money laundering for quite some time. We don't have any concrete evidence against him, but we've got reason to believe that his business does not operate legally.

"What's his business?" Nick asked.

"He's a contractor. He has his own contracting company in Zootopia. However, we believe that this is just a front, and that he's really making money in a dirty way."

"What makes you think that?" Judy asked.

"Well, for starters, Mr. Goldclaw lives a very lavish lifestyle. He lives just outside of Zootopia in a mansion on the hill. He's known for making many elaborate purchases, including larges bits of land. He may have his own company, but it's suspicious that he could make that much money as a contractor. There have also been complaints from some of his clients about his company doing a poor job, after being paid a considerable amount."

"I see what you mean. So how should we proceed?" Judy asked.

I want you to sit down with him, and talk to him some more about his business. You'll be going undercover of course. If Goldclaw is going to divulge his dirty secrets he would do it to another wealthy citizen, not the ZPD.

Nick chuckled. "Chief, we're not wealthy either," Nick said.

Chief Bogo rolled his eyes. "That's why you'll be in disguise, Wilde. The department has taken the liberty of purchasing the necessary outfits to make you appear wealthy."

"What should we tell him about ourselves?" Judy asked. "He's bound to want to know where our "money" comes from.

"In your folder is all the information you need regarding your false identities. Study it, and be prepared to use it when you meet with Goldclaw.

Judy looked through the file, and saw the information that Bogo was talking about. She had to admit; the ZPD had really done their homework on this guy.

"How exactly do we get an appointment with this guy? From what you've told us, it's not like we can just walk up to his front door, and ask to see him," Nick said.

"Indeed, which is why you and Officer Hopps will be meeting him at the Sutherland Country Club tomorrow at 12:00. I've already discussed the arrangements with the club's owner, and he knows you're going to be there."

"Swell. Let's just hope he doesn't rat us out," Nick said.

"He's promised to let you inside, and escort you to the parlor, where the members will be meeting."

"This is cool! I've never been to a country club before!" Nick said, excitedly.

"Just remember that you're there to get information from Goldclaw, not engage in fun activities," Bogo reminded them.

"Well, thank you, Chief Bogo. This is perfect. Nick and I will talk with Goldclaw, and let you know if we learn anything," Judy assured.

"Very well. You are excused," Bogo said.

When Nick and Judy left Chief Bogo's office, they picked up their clothes from Clawhauser at the front desk. The two were surprised at how extravagant their outfits were.

"These must have cost a fortune!" Judy cried.

"You bet they did! Now take good care of them, otherwise we won't be able to return them," Clawhauser said.

"You can count on us, Clawhauser. Let's go, Nick."

Later that evening, Nick and Judy sat in bed together with Jack. They watched as he crawled across the bed, looking down when he got to the edge. Nick and Judy made sure not to let him out of their sight. As they played with their son, the thought of marriage crossed Nick's mind again. He had decided that it was time to pop the question to Judy, but when would be the right time to do it? More importantly, he still needed to buy a ring. With everything that was going on at the moment like taking care of Jack, dealing with Goldclaw, Judy certainly had a lot to concentrate on. He didn't doubt that she would accept his proposal, but was this the right time? Maybe he should wait until the whole Goldclaw business was over.

As Judy breastfed Jack for the last time today, she brought up the exact case he was thinking about.

"I think I have a way to get Goldclaw's secrets," Judy said.

"Oh, do tell," Nick said.

"We can act like we're considering building a summer home outside of Zootopia, and we're interested in his services. He might give us some details about his business, maybe even invite us over to his mansion."

"Oh, I see. You want to search his house," Nick said. "Yeah, we're going to need a warrant for that one, Carrots.

"Well, we do have probable cause, that should be enough. Plus, Bogo and the entire ZPD don't trust him. His house may hold a clue or two."

"Ok. Let's just get through tomorrow first. You can go ahead, and try your plan, but don't be disappointed if it doesn't work out. Goldclaw is a busy tiger, he might not have time to engage in another client."

"We'll see," Judy said, getting up and placing Jack in his bassinet. "Good night, sweetie. Mommy loves you," she said.

Nick walked over to the crib, and said goodnight as well. "Goodnight, Jack. Daddy loves you too."

Jack smiled, rolling over to his side in the crib, causing Nick and Judy to smile with pride.

"By the way, how are we going to introduce ourselves tomorrow? We obviously can't use our real names?" Nick asked.

"Someone didn't read all of the file," Judy teased.

"I did read it!" Nick argued.

"All of it?"

"Ok. Maybe I skimmed a good bit of it."

Judy rolled her eyes, before giving him a kiss on the lips.

"You're my dumb fox, alright," she said.

"And you're my sly bunny," Nick replied.

"You got that right, sweetheart."

A/N: Next chapter we will meet Goldclaw. The suspect in Nick and Judy's new case.