The Fire Triangle -- Part II, Oxidizer

The Fire Triangle: Book II - Chapter 38

It didn't take a great deal of reckoning on Nick's part to figure out which fox Commissioner Waghorn had been referring to. More and more, he was beginning to hope he'd never have to meet that Aurochs bull face to face-although deep down he knew the confrontation was inevitable.

"So, who am I meeting with today," he queried, "another police officer?"

"Yep, that's the deal," the fisher answered, honking his horn at a car that had just cut in front of him-and getting a rude gesture for the effort. "Ahhh, that's one of the things I miss about being a cop, Nicky; if a guy did that back in the day, I could put on the lights and watch 'im melt. Anyway, that's all I'm gonna tell you about my guy for now. I'll give you the full details when I make the intro."

"Okay," the fox replied, and then turned to look out the window at the passing scenery. Whoa, he just felt so out of his depth here. Back in Zootopia, a quick glance at his surroundings was all it took to know exactly where he was. Here in Zoo York; for all he knew, Martin Pennanti might be driving him to...to...

Sayyy, wait a minute! Dumb fox, he should have at least asked....

"Uhhhh say Martin...where are we going anyway?"

"Uptown, to The Cloisters," the fisher replied, and then anticipating Nick's next question, followed up with a brief explanation. "It's an annex of the Metropolitan Museum of Art-big collection of medieval artwork. They got The Hunt of the Unicorn tapestry in there, and a whole bunch of other interesting pieces. It'll just now be getting ready to open up for the day, so there won't be any crowds yet, capisce?"

"Right I got it," the red fox nodded. He might be a newbie to this city, but he was no stranger when it came to meeting someone on the sly-and he knew a thing or two about how to handle himself in that kind of situation.

None of this prepared him for his first look at The Cloisters. Holy Foxtrot, no wonder Pennanti had chosen this location for a meeting place. The fisher's Coltsmobile had pulled away from the curb in Barklyn, Zoo York-and now it was pulling up in front of a Tuskan Monastery. It was all there, the boxy architecture, the stucco exterior, the high, arched windows, a towering, ivy-covered, greystone wall, angular, sloping roofs, topped off with terra cotta tile, and even a squat, square-tipped bell tower.

Getting out of the car, Nick made a beeline for The Cloisters front entrance, only to be halted in his tracks by a two-fingered whistle.

"Not that way Nicky, follow me." Pennanti was beckoning with a sweep of his arm.

"'Kay," the fox replied, performing a puzzled about-face, "but if we're not going in through the front door, why'd you park so close to it?"

Pennanti answered with an exaggerated shrug, "Hey, in this town if you see a parking spot, you grab it, and don't worry if there might be something closer to where you're going. Now, c'mon...my guy gave me till ten minutes from now and if we're not at the meet-point by then, he won't be."

He turned and strode briskly away with the red fox hurrying to catch up.

A moment later they were standing in front of a roll-up service door, around the backside of the museum. There was a bell and an intercom, but Pennanti ignored them both, instead knocking with the flat of his pawlm in an odd pattern: two fast raps, two slow raps, and then three more fast ones.

As the door began to rise, he turned and spoke to Nick.

"This isn't him, paisan; he's just the guy, gonna let us in."

"Right gotcha," the fox answered, hiding his chagrin. That was exactly what he would have thought if he hadn't been informed otherwise; this fisher was one sharp mammal.