each other.

"That you will," said Judy as she skipped up the steps and into the building.

As she got to the last step, she blew him a kiss and walked into the building. Nick happily walked the rest of the way home, humming to himself and feeling everything was well in the world.

Judy walked into her apartment and placed her things on the table beside her bed. She glanced at her window and saw her baby chick plush toy, the one Nick had won for her at the fair, sitting on the windowsill looking cute.

"Miss me, little fluffy?" said Judy and tickled its belly. The baby chick chirped a few times. Judy tickled it one more time and it chirped, then she turned to her dresser to get some comfortable clothes.

No sooner than she had unbuttoned her uniform, her phone rang. She checked the caller ID and saw that it was her parents.

"Hi guys!" said Judy, answering the phone.

"Judy! How are you, sweetheart?" said her mother, Bonnie.

"Fine! How are you guys?"

There was an awkward pause.

"Um…where's dad?" asked Judy, noticing her father was nowhere to be seen on the screen.

"Honey…I guess it's safe to assume you haven't heard about Nana Bernardine?"

"Huh? No, what happened?" asked Judy alarmed. "Is she alright? What's the matter?"

"She…she's facing charges for armed bank robbery."

"WHAT!?"

There was silence. A long, stunned silence. Judy looked at the image of her mother on the screen.

"Well, don't leave us in suspense! Go on, tell us what happened!" came the voice of her neighbour, Bucky, through the wall.

Judy frowned at the wall behind her.

"Pipe down in there!" she said, then turned back to her phone. "Sorry. Mom, what happened?"

"Nana Bernardine was brought in by the sheriff this afternoon. She had robbed the Stoat Farm Bank in Bunny Burrow and drove away in her station wagon. When the sheriff and his deputies got to her house to arrest her, she was asleep, and said she didn't remember anything. Your father went to talk to the sheriff just a while ago."

"But….Nana Bernardine. Everyone knows she's the gentlest soul on Earth. She wouldn't harm a fly."

"Everybody knows that," said Bonnie. "But the surveillance camera caught it all."

"But…how…Nana Bernardine…?"

Judy was stunned. Someone she had known all her life, suddenly turning criminal.

"No," said Judy. "No, it's not possible. There must be a mistake."

"We hope so, sweetie," said Bonnie. "Nobody believes she did it, not even the sheriff, but the tape shows it. It's just…hang on…that's your father calling. Sorry, honey, I'll call you back when we have more details. Byesie-bye."

"Bye…mom…" Judy muttered as Bonnie hung up.

For a long while, she sat there stunned, looking at her wall, looking into empty space, trying to make sense of it. But it didn't make sense.

"Why would…" Judy said to herself. "Why would…no, there has to be a mistake. She's not a criminal."

"Guess you never really know someone," came her neighbour Bucky's voice.

"Except simple-minded prats like you," came the voice of his roomie, Pronk.

"Hey, shut up!"

"You shut up!"

"You shut up!"

Judy raced across the entrance hall, whizzing past Clawhauser at his desk.

"Good morning, Hopps, what's the….rush?"

She leaped up the steps four at a time and climbed up to the Chief's office.

"Chief!" said Judy, knocking on the door. "Chief Bogo! I need to talk to you!"

"Slow down, Hopps," said a gruff voice behind her. "You'll leave your fur behind if you don't."

It was the Chief. He opened the door to his office and Judy walked in behind him.

"Chief! I need permission to take leave and go to my hometown," said Judy. "Something came up!"

"I thought I said 'Slow down'," said Bogo as he sat down at his desk. "Okay…start from the beginning."

"Chief…one of my neighbours…one I've known since I was little…everyone has known for years…just committed armed robbery at a bank," said Judy. "But nobody believes she did it. But the surveillance camera caught her. And I need to talk to the sheriff at Bunny Burrow…I need to go and see for myself."

"I needn't tell you it's out of our jurisdiction, Hopps."

"Please, Chief. I need to go and speak to Sheriff Shepard."

"And I need you here and now, where you belong. Let the Bunny Burrow Police handle it."

"Chief!" said Judy, standing on her chair and setting her paws on the desk. "This is important…for me. Just this once. I need to look into this. Please."

"Hopps," Bogo started. "If I granted leave to every officer on a whim…"

"Please!"

The Chief went silent. He and Judy stared at each other for a while. He knew that her intentions were good. He also knew that she was probably right.

Bogo let out a long sigh.

"Alright."

There was a long pause. Then Bogo spoke again.

"You're the best I have here, Hopps," said Bogo. "Let me make some phone calls. I'll let you know as soon as I have an answer."

"Thanks, Chief," said Judy.

"You can go now."

Judy climbed off the chair and walked to the door.

"Hopps."

Judy turned around to see the chief looking at her. His expression was unreadable. Not angry, not annoyed…was this pity?

"You can know a person all your life, and one day that person can give you a big surprise," said Bogo. "You never truly know anybody one-hundred percent, Hopps. Keep it together, okay?"

"Okay," said Judy, closing the door behind her.

"And she didn't remember anything?"

"Nothing at all. It's like it all happened in her sleep."

Judy and Nick walked down the sidewalk on Mamba Avenue, watching the goings and comings of people. It was a bright Wednesday with not a cloud in the sky, a perfect day for the fairgoers. Judy's mind was clouded, however. She tried to grasp at one thought, but they all seemed to fade like smoke when she tried.

"It just doesn't click. Why would she rob a bank in broad daylight, full of people she had known for years, and then drive home and take a nap like nothing happened?" said Nick.

"Nobody believes she did it, not even the sheriff," said Judy. "It just doesn't make sense. I have to go there and see for myself. I have to."

"I'm sure Buffalo-Butt will give you leave," said Nick. "After all, it's you. The finest of Zootopia's Finest."

"If I could just…gather my thoughts," said Judy, her face full of frustration. "Grrr…I can't focus."

"You're too tense," said Nick.

Just then, he looked ahead and saw a sign above a shop. He had an idea.

"I know what will help you calm down and focus, and maybe even cheer you up," he said. "A nice doughnut at Mollie Moo's."

"I don't know, Nick."

"A nice carrot cake doughnut, and a cup of coffee."

"I think I'll pass, I really don't feel…"

"A nice hot freshly-baked glazed carrot cake doughnut," he said in a suave voice, "served on a warm plate, with a cup of delicious fragrant coffee, with some pumpkin spice in it, just a smidge…"

Judy couldn't help smiling and looking up at Nick.

"Alright, you've convinced me, Mr Temptation," she said. "I accept."

Nick opened the door for Judy and a rush of sweet freshly-baked pastry scent met her nostrils. She felt lifted at once.

"Morning, Mollie!" said Nick as he and Judy sat down at a table their size beside one of the ample windows. "Carrot cake doughnut, glazed, and pumpkin spice coffee, times two."

Mollie Moo, a jolly-faced cow behind the counter, nodded and went to the coffee machine to get their order ready. She poured coffee and placed two freshly-baked doughnuts on warmed plates she kept in a warming cabinet above the counter.

"There you go, Officers," said Mollie as she brought them their order on a tray. "Enjoy."

"Thank you," said Judy.

Nick poured some pumpkin spice syrup into a mug of coffee, stirred it and gave it to Judy.

"Thanks," said Judy softly, setting her paw on his across the table. Nick left his paw there, allowing her to fondle and caress it as she sipped her coffee.

The swirling scent of coffee and his company seemed to soothe her. Judy was soon smiling as she nibbled her tasty doughnut.

Nick poured some pumpkin spice syrup into his mug and watched it swirl. The swirl spiralled in his mug into a pattern that seemed to go on and on. He watched the spiral as it spun, feeling hypnotised by the shape and blackness that looked like a void, empty and eternal.

Hypnotised? Nick suddenly thought of something.

"Carrots?"

"Hmm?" said Judy.

"You said it was Nana Bernardine who robbed the bank."

"Aha," said Judy.

"The same Nana Bernardine I saw at the dart booth with the sheep kid while you were on the merry-go-round with your sisters?"

"Ah...yes," said Judy.

"The same Nana Bernardine

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