A Fresh Start

The Investigation Begins

Nick shuffled his paws nervously as the large door creaked open. A large dark grey wolf looked down on the officers. He gave a disapproving grunt before opening the door wider and beckoning them to come in. "Officers" he nodded to them in greeting as if expecting them. Nick followed Judy inside the dark home. The exterior had seemed large but inside it was quite small. The wolf led them to the living room. It was dark and drab. The thin, old looking curtains were an ugly yellow colour with green and red patterning. There was a small darkly stained wooden coffee table in the centre of the room and draped over the table was a tasselled green and white table cloth. In the centre of the coffee table was a framed photo of Ava. There was a wilted rose laying next to it and a half empty coffee cup sitting on the other end of the table. Many other pictures of the family hung on the walls and were featured on top of cabinets. The wolf gestured with a paw for them to sit down on a worn vomit-green couch in front of the table. Judy was the first to seat herself, followed by the wolf who Nick assumed must be Ava's father, and finally Nick. The couch was surprisingly soft and Nick sunk into the cushions. The wolf sighed deeply before calling out towards another room. "The police are here, Veronica!" He turned towards the officers. "Thank you for coming. My name is Stanley Lobo. I'm guessing you are here about Ava? I am her father." Judy gave the wolf a sympathetic smile and placed her paw gingerly on his shoulder for a moment. "I'm officer Hopps and this is officer Wilde" Judy introduced them. "I am very sorry about your daughter, Mr. Lobo, but we are here to find out what's happened to her. We are going to find her, don't you worry sir!" the bunny finished. Stanley looked sadly at Judy but managed to muster a half smile at the note of confidence in her voice. A spark of hope lit up in his eyes. Nick felt awkward at the fact that Judy was promising them something they could not ensure and that could bring trouble in the future. "Thank you both and please, call me Stan" Stanley said warmly. As the wolf finished speaking, another wolf entered the room. She was much smaller than Stanley and her fur was black and white. Instantly Nick knew where Ava had gotten her eye colour from and he understood that this must be Mrs. Lobo, Ava's mother. Nick's heart sunk when he saw her tear stained face and the redness around her eyes. She had obviously been grieving. "Hello," she murmured softly, "You two must be here about Ava." Nick could tell she was fighting back tears and a thorn of sympathy stabbed at his heart. "Yes, we would like to ask you both some questions about her disappearance" he explained. The grieving mother took a seat in a chair across from the other side of the coffee table. "Anything" she offered earnestly. Stanley nodded in agreement. "That's right. We just want to find our little pup" he whimpered, his eyes glossing over with emotion. He cleared his throat, trying to maintain a calm demeanor in front of the police officers. "You should start off Veronica. Ah, you were, ah, the last one to see Ava that day. I mean as far as I'm aware." The black wolf nodded slowly. Judy then jumped in, holding out her notepad and trusty carrot pen. "So, Mr and Mrs Lobo, when did you last see your daughter Ava? Can you tell me about that day?" She questioned the wolves officially. "Well," Veronica began, "Stan said goodbye to her before he left for work-" Judy butted in, "Excuse me but where is it you work at?" Stanley replied, "I work in construction down in Sahara Square." Judy nodded slowly taking in every detail. "That's a while to travel for work everyday Stan. From Tundra Town to Saharan Square" Nick commented. The grey wolf tapped his foot on the dull grey carpet. "Yes it is. That's why I have to get up early every morning. Anyway what's this got to do with my daughter?" He asked sternly. Nick answered him quickly, " Just notes. We need every little detail if we are to find Ava and you want to help us find her don't you Stan?" Nick worded this question carefully, in a way not to upset Stanley Lobo but to will him to cooperate completely. The wolf's eyebrows furrowed, "Well of course I do!" He snapped. Judy frowned a little, not wanting to cause unnecessary tension. "Please, go on Mrs. Lobo" the bunny cop coaxed her. Veronica sighed. "Well, now as I was saying. Stan left for work and I was washing up the dishes from breakfast. Ava was getting ready for work, at the cafe not that far from here. "It's called Morning Delight, however its open nearly all day. Anyway, Ava put on her uniform as usual. Said goodbye and left around 7:00am. She said nothing about being late so I called her cell a couple times when she didn't arrive home on time and got no response. I thought nothing of it until an hour later she still wasn't home or answering her phone. The hours just ticked by and I decided to go out and look for her and didn't find a clue. I called her friends and none of them had seen her and her big sister said she dropped by her place right before and after work but she hasn't heard from her since. So I called the police but they said we couldn't file a report on a missing mammal until 24 hours was up. And I told them she's never late without calling but they wouldn't listen! Now its been four days and I haven't heard a word from my baby!" Veronica explained visibly distraught. "Please find my Ava! This just isn't like her!" She pleaded desperately. Stanley walked over to her and rested a paw on her shoulder as she began to sob. "Now, now Veronica. Officer Hopps promised to find her" the wolf attempted to comfort his wife. Nick felt awful for sitting here doing nothing but stirring up the couple's emotions. Then Judy piped up. "That's right! We will find your daughter. That will be all for now. Can I just ask you a few more details and then, you stated she saw her older sister before she disappeared? Well we would like to speak to her older sister so do you have her details please? Thank you both, this information is important." Stan looked up from his hysterical wife. "No, we cant thank you both enough for your time and effort. Now what else would you like to know?" The wolf answered Judy's questions while Nick asked if it would be okay for him to look around Ava's room for clues. Once they were all finished up, Nick and Judy walked solemnly back to their car. "Well, we have our first lead. The older sister, Cora Lobo." Nick slid his sun glasses back over his eyes as her strapped himself into the passenger seat of the car. "Then thats where we have to go next" he declared. Judy flashed her partner a determined smile. "Oh! And by the way Carrots, I'm driving next." Judy giggled, "Not on your life!" Nick smirked, "You just wait and see Carrots. You just wait."