computer. In a moment, they were looking at the surveillance tape from the bank.

"Okay, there, see?" said Shepard. "Just before closing time, she walks in."

Sure enough, the unmistakable figure of Nana Bernardine walked into the bank with something in her paw. Judy looked at it closer and saw that it was a baby chick plush doll, just like the one Nick had won for her at the county fair a few days ago.

"She used the plush toy to conceal her weapon. Then, she sets the toy on the counter and reveals the weapon to the manager. Aims it at him, they exchange words. The tellers empty their registers, put the money in the bag they pass around. She grabs it, takes her plush toy and runs, and then Dotty calls me on the phone, you can see there."

"And…what happened after that?"

"The tape from the parking lot," said Shepard, clicking on the 'next' button. "There, she gets into her station wagon, and drives off."

"Wait…go back a bit."

Shepard paused and backed the video a bit.

"Is there someone in the car with her?" asked Judy.

She looked closely and saw that Nana Bernardine placed the plush toy on the passenger seat and drove off. From that angle, she couldn't see if there was anybody in the backseat.

"That's where the tape ends," said Shepard. "I'm afraid it's just too clear. There's no mistaking her, or her car."

"But there's still the question of whether or not she was alone," said Judy. "Someone could have coerced her into committing the robbery."

"It's a possibility, but like I said, she won't tell us anything," said Shepard.

"Maybe she'll tell me."

Shepard went silent. Judy looked up at him. They both knew what the other was thinking.

"It would only be a minute, Sheriff," said Judy. "You know, from one cop to another, a favour. You can never have too much help, you know."

"I know," said Shepard, pausing and finally deciding. "Alright. Just fill in this form…" he said, taking a paper from his desk, "…actually, just sign at the bottom, I'll fill it in for you. Barkins will let you in."

"Thanks, Sheriff," said Judy. "Oh, and Sheriff…um, could I have a copy of the security tapes?"

Shepard hesitated.

"Look, Hopps…if your department were to ask for the tapes for investigative reasons, and the proper papers were filed, there would be no problem."

"I know," said Judy. "But from one cop to another, just this once. You know you could use the help. You'd do anything to help Nana B. I know you would."

Judy casually left her keychain on the Sheriff's desk. On it was a carrot-shaped flash drive. Shepard got the message.

"Okay, Judy," he said. "Just this once."

He took the keychain and plugged the flash drive into his computer.

"The hearing is on the 26th," said Shepard as he copied the files. "That's two weeks from now. If you can find anything before that day, anything that could convince the judge…"

"I'll get to the bottom of this, Sheriff," said Judy. "There has to be a clue somewhere."

"Let's hope so," said Shepard, giving her back her keychain. "The last thing I want is to see my old sitter behind bars."

Judy sat in the interrogation room waiting. It was an empty room with a table and chairs and nothing much else. The door to the room opened and in walked Deputy Barkins escorting Nana Bernardine.

"Ten minutes…give or take," said Barkins with a sad look on his face. Nana Bernardine had been his sitter when he was a pup. It pained him to see her in cuffs.

"Right…um, Barkins…the cuffs…she won't need them in here," said Judy.

Barkins hesitated, but finally gave in. He took the cuffs off Nana Bernardine and pulled the chair for her.

"I'll be outside…if you need me," he said, exiting the room and closing the door.

Once the door was closed, Nana Bernardine burst into tears. Judy stood up on her chair and reached across the table to hold the old nana's paw.

"It's okay, Nana," said Judy. "We know you didn't do it. I know you didn't. And I'm gonna help find out who did."

The old St. Bernard wiped her tears with her sleeve. She felt somewhat comforted by Judy's words.

"Now, I need you to tell me, what happened that day?" said Judy. "Slowly, don't leave anything out."

"I…I left Woollace at his folks' house," said Nana Bernardine. "They thanked me, paid me, and I drove off to my house. When I got there, I realised Woollace had left his stuffed toy on the table at my house. I was mighty tired, so I decided to take a nap and later I'd go back and take him back his baby chick doll. I went to bed, put on some soft music in the record player…and I fell asleep."

Judy nodded as she listened carefully.

"And…and the next thing I knew, Sheriff Shepard and his deputies were in my house, taking me in for bank robbery."

"But you never left your bed," said Judy.

"No, I sleep like a log, everybody knows that. And I explained to the Sheriff everything I'm telling you, but then they showed me the tape. And I…I couldn't believe it."

Judy remembered something Nick had said, and then something else came to her mind.

"Nana," said Judy. "Did you dream anything?"

"No, I don't remember any dreams."

"Did you ever go to sleep and wake up somewhere different? Like sleepwalking?"

"I never sleepwalked in my life."

"But maybe…well, you were thinking of taking Woollace back his toy, right? In the surveillance tape, you had the toy with you. Maybe you were dreaming about taking the toy back, and maybe you were dreaming of some game you used to play when you were little…cops and robbers, or something, and it got mixed up in your dream…and you sleepwalked and acted it out…"

Judy was rambling, trying to make sense of it.

"But then where did the stun gun come from?" asked Nana. "I don't own any weapons."

"Oh…right," said Judy.

Nana didn't own a stun gun. In fact, Judy was sure she could count on one paw the amount of folks who owned any sort of weapon in Bunny Burrow. To her, that was a clear sign that Nana had not committed the crime; someone had to have given her the weapon, and then taken it, along with the money. But who?

She felt like she hit a dead end.

"Honey," said Nana, suddenly remembering something. "I…I think there's something I didn't tell the Sheriff. The money and the stun gun in the tape, they are nowhere to be found…"

"He told me," said Judy.

"And neither is the baby chick doll."

Judy stopped and stared in silence for a while.

"The plush toy is gone?"

"It was on the table at my house last time I saw it. But it wasn't there when the sheriff came."

"It was in your car in the tape, you took it to the bank…but you didn't take it back to Woollace afterwards, did you?"

"No, they would have said so if I had."

"So wait…in the tape, you take the baby chick plushie into the bank, set it on the counter, then take it in your car…and suddenly the money, taser and plushie all disappear?"

They didn't know what to make of it.

"Nana, please concentrate and think hard. Did anyone from outside Bunny Burrow talk to you recently?"

"No."

"Nobody? Like any strangers who talked to you, say…at the county fair?"

"No…wait…yes."

Nana Bernardine suddenly remembered.

"Yes, there was this kind lady with lots of makeup. I think she was a fortune teller or a magician."

"Madame Mystique."

"Yes, that rings a bell. And the owner of the dart booth where Woollace won the plush toy."

"Old Todd."

"Yes, that's it. But…does that have something to do?"

"It might," said Judy, taking Nana's paws in hers comfortingly. "Listen, Nana, can you keep a secret?"

"Of course, dear."

"Okay. My partner and I have a hunch, and that's all it is for now, a hunch. We think you might have been put in a trance. Hypnotised. And whoever did that to you, made you rob the bank in your sleep. It's the only explanation I can find."

"Hypnotised?"

"Yes. I know it sounds farfetched, but if you think about the circumstances, well…it's a possibility."

"Put in a trance. But…by whom?"

Just then, the door opened and Barkins walked in.

"Sorry, Hopps, that's it for now," he said sadly.

"Okay," said Judy, then turned to Nana Bernardine. "Don't worry, Nana. We'll crack this case. I promise."

Nana Bernardine smiled for the first time since the whole incident started.

"I know you'll get to the bottom of this, sweetheart," she said as Judy walked out of the room. "Say hello to your partner for me."

While this was happening, Nick was keeping an eye on Madame Mystique at the carnival. He walked past her tent and said hello, then cautiously watched her from afar. Once she had her audience and moved into her tent to perform her routine, Nick walked closer and peeked in from

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