The Fire Triangle -- Part II, Oxidizer

The Fire Triangle: Book II - Chapter 8

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The Fire Triangle

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Part Two:

Oxidizer

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Chapter 1—A Rock and a Hard Place

(Continued... Part 8)

If the answers Nick was receiving were merely surprising, the ones that Judy was getting were downright astonishing. A casino mogul was planning to buy out the Palm Hotel?

Sweet!

Cheez!

N' Crackers!

How the heck had that managed to slip underneath the ZPD's radar? Lt. Saw would have absolutely brought it up with her if he had known.

And that wasn't even close to being the doe-bunny's biggest question, a query made that much more difficult by sensation of a burning ball, inching its way down her throat.

"Wh-What does that mean for the Red Pig?"

The corners of Joe Porcini's mouth turned in opposite directions; so did his eyebrows.

"What it means," he told her, poker-faced, "is the chance of a stinkin' lifetime."

"WHAT?" Judy gasped so hard, the windshield fogged up for a second.

A hint of amusement brushed the black boar's narrow snout. Serious situation or not, he was thoroughly enjoying her discomfort; a stark reminder that this pig was not her friend; he was a mobster, a criminal.

"Yeah, that's right," he said, "You know what's every wiseguy's dream, Hopps?" It was a rhetorical question and she kept her silence, waiting for Porcini to answer it himself.. "It's the big score," he finally said, "The payoff that'll allow you to retire from 'the life' once and for all." And with that, the irony fell from his face, leaving behind a pair of eyes like black-iron bearings, "And you know what's the dream of every BOSS? To get out of the rackets and go 100% legit; do you see where I'm taking this?"

Judy didn't, not quite...but she nodded just the same, hoping the black pig wouldn't notice her twitching nose. Perhaps he did, but if so, he chose to ignore it.

"As the ZPD already knows, the Sahara Square Outfit controls every business that services the Palm Hotel and Casino." He had raised his voice again, presumably on the off-chance that someone was listening in on their discussion. "And, needless to say, a mammal of Sheldon Camelson's stature isn't going to find that arrangement ...Mmmm, lessay he won't find it agreeable."

"No kidding Basil of Baker Street!" Judy thought but did not say. Cheez n' crikey, Porcini called this the chance of a lifetime? It sounded more like the Red Pig's worst nightmare to her.

But then the whip-thin boar laid his elbows on his knees and leaned towards her; the doe bunny's confusion had not escaped his notice.

"Yeah, I know what you're thinkin'. And yeah, he could force us out. Believe me...he's got the clout to make that happen." He nodded briefly over a shoulder, as if Camelson himself might be standing outside the SUV, "Only why bother with that garbage when it's a lot simpler—and a whole lot less messy—to simply BUY us out?"