Zootopia: ZPD Mysteries: Case #2: On Dimm Avenue

Chapter 10: An Explosive Capture

"You're a very smart little googie," Korora said in his low, angry tone. "I guess I underestimated how smart a little bunny and an equally tiny fox can be."

"Excuse me, sir," Judy said, indignant at another intelligence insult from the big emperor penguin, "Nick and I are perfectly capable—"

Judy didn't finish her sentence, as she suddenly realized that Korora, like Temura before him, was clutching a large black pistol.

"You're perfectly capable of messing in an affair not your own," Korora finished for her. "I want you to step away from that jeep. Slowly, if you please."

Judy obeyed, knowing that any dissidence would lead to a severe case of lead poisoning.

"You might as well know," Korora said slyly, "that you were right about everything."

As Korora stepped forward into the sickly yellow light, Judy thought he looked even more despicable than he had before. He was the abuser of a poor teenage girl, an overall jerk, and the leader of a massive and ambitious gang of car thieves. A monster through and through.

"What do you mean, we were right about everything?" she asked, a tone of horrified contempt in her voice.

"I mean that you were right about everything you learned," Korora began. "I know it's cliché, but I might as well give you a bit of a monologue. It's not like you could do anything to bug me any more anyway. Lieutenant Wilde, you are most definitely right. This is my private chop shop. I've got an entire swarm of penguins at my shop, and you probably already know that they're my little hench-penguins. Most of them don't know a math equation from the handle end of a bugmeal barbecue skewer, but they know how to steal cars with military precision."

"They worked in groups, didn't they?" Judy asked. "With a couple steering and navigating, and two to push the pedals."

Korora nodded. "You really ought to win the prize for smartest rabbit in Nowheresville, or wherever you come from."

Judy bristled but said nothing.

"You were right about the mammalholes, too," the evil penguin went on. "My thugs would have to cover themselves in ethanol so as not to stink like the sewers, but they managed to get all over the city through the sewer system. It was kind of fun, actually, just to see it all come together. And, to ensure that the cops never traced anything back to me, I always had them wait until there were no witnesses. Anyone who did spot them ended up in the hospital with a severe case of... well, you know."

Judy let out her breath through her nose.

"Why are you doing this, Korora?" she asked, infuriated by how casual and cool this monster sounded. "What do you have to gain?"

Korora chuckled, waving his gun around almost nonchalantly. Nick flinched as it swung in his direction.

"The only thing that anyone in a business like mine has to gain," Korora said.

"You stole cars and killed animals for money?" Judy hissed, now visibly angry.

"Oh, no, luv," Korora said, turning Judy's stomach as he said the word luv, "I've made 100% certain that none of my gang gets trigger-happy. No animals have died, I have made sure of that. Or, at least, none have died yet."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Nick asked, still flinching as Korora swung the gun back and forth like a deadly steel pendulum. It appeared he was having fun scaring the bejeebers out of them.