Nicks thoughts were correct. As the fox officer walked through the home of McCabe's father, he couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. This definitely seemed to be a family home, one that McCabe most likely grew up in as signs of children still lingered throughout the house; faded, but still present.

Walking around the house, Nick glanced at the pictures hanging on the walls and found that McCabe didn't look like he was a single child. If the pictures were anything to go off of, he looked to have two brothers and a sister. The only thing else the officer seemed to notice was that only the father was present in the recent pictures. In the pictures of a younger McCabe, there was a beautiful looking she-wolf who clung to McCabe's father. However, as you look farther down the line of pictures, she looks more and more sickly until she just isn't there anymore. Then there seemed to be a bit of a time skip until the next photo was taken. That next photo taken looked to be the one where McCabe graduated from the academy. The one before that he looked to be in his early teens maybe. The story that was told with these pictures was both intriguing and tragic all at the same time. McCabe never mentioned any of this to him, which is understandable. The two may now be partners but the wolf doesn't have to tell Nick everything, especially stuff this personal.

Turing away from the pictures, Nick went back to the reason for why he was here. He walked in the room where everything happened, and it was not a pleasant sight. Furniture was thrown everywhere, there was broken glass from a shattered coffee table, and then there was the obvious red mess everywhere. Nick could kind of put the scene in his head. It looked like McCabe's father was sat on a chair when the intruders broke in. The animals came in and saw the wolf in his chair. Next is mostly just speculation, but Nick assumed the wolf shot first, nailing the lynx right between the eyes. After that, judging by the two bullet holes in the chair, the remaining intruders were opened fire on the wolf hitting him twice in the chest. That's when it starts to make no sense.

Nick knew these mammals are usually very careful and clean with everything they do. So even if they were thrown a curve ball by one of their victims defending themselves, he imagined they'd still try to clean up after themselves. But they didn't. They left both bodies here and just left. That didn't seem to be in line with everything else they have done in the past.

Nick relayed his thoughts to Skye and Jack who seemed to be thinking the same things. It just didn't seem to add up. There's something that they're missing, and Nick knew it. There's something in this room that's hiding from them in plain sight, they just don't know what it is yet.

"Hey, Nick, we may have something over here." Nicks ears perked up and he looked towards the other side of the room were a pair of other familiar detectives. Last time he saw them was at that politician's house before everything went to shit. Lincoln and Sam, the leopard and hyena, looked like they had been to hell and back. He assumed they had been working hard and long hours just as everyone else, and it was taking its toll on them as well. Usually they'd have some back and forth banter, but none of them were in the mood for that and it was obvious.

"Sam, Lincoln," Nick greeted. "Whatcha got?"

"We aren't certain but come look at this." Lincoln said, turning towards the TV stand behind them. There were a few bullet holes shot through it but a minor detail caught the foxes eyes. Could it be?

"From that look your giving, we assume you're seeing the same thing?" Sam questioned. Nick nodded his head examining the bullet holes. There was actually a pretty simple way to confirm their suspicions.

"What is it Nick?" Skye questioned as Nick opened one of the wooden doors that was shot through. He didn't answer, just smiled. This is the answer he was looking for. The gun used by the wolf, McCabe's dad, used 9mm bullets. The bullets shot through this TV stand weren't 9mm. the caliber of bullet was much bigger as shown by the exit site of the wood in the door. Much to big to be a 9mm. Another thing that should be pointed out is that all the bullets found that were shot by the Tides have also been 9mm. This could only be explained by one thing. There was another shooter.

To be fair, he wasn't 100% certain on this, but he was pretty damn sure that there was someone else here shooting. The only way to have no doubts would be to ask the only other person who was here. Unfortunately, he may not even still be alive. For the sake of this investigation, and the sake of McCabe and his family, Nick hoped this wolf would survive.

Nick caught up everyone on his thoughts, and they all seemed to be in agreement. The next step from here would be to go and look in on Kendal at the hospital, and also make sure McCabe is okay.

Nick and the others thanked Lincoln and Sam and began to leave. At that moment, Nick got a call on his phone and picked it up. It was the head forensics examiner calling about some of the things she found from that lynx, said that Nick should come over ass soon as he had the time. Nick thanked her and hung up.

"That was our forensics specialist, Abby. She said she has some info on our dead lynx. Can you guys go and take care of that while I go and check up on our wolf?"

"Sure thing, we'll catch up on all the details later. Good luck at the hospital." And with that, the three went their separate ways.

Nick watched them walk away back towards their vehicle and just stood in front of the house for a second. He couldn't shake the feeling that this was going to be the start of something big. He could only hope. For now, he would just have to go to the hospital and hope everything was okay.

Nick started leaving the house and was nearly at his car when he started hearing shouting coming from the house. He turned around and saw a female wolf being stopped from entering the house by some other officers. Nicks heart sank as he realized that this was Kendal's daughter, and McCabe's sister. Nick wanted to go and diffuse the situation, but at the same time he just wanted to leave and go to the hospital. He's had his fair share of heart-breaking events happen to him over the past little while and it was wearing on him more than ever. Which one would be the one to break him? However, he knew he couldn't just leave her there screaming to be let into her dad's home. The officers could only do so much, but Nick figured he could help a little more considering he has a connection to her family through her brother.

Nick walked over to them, catching the yes of the two other officers who looked relieved to see him. They knew Nick was good with these kinds of situations. "What seems to be the problem here?" Nick asked, though he already knew he the answer. Just a way to insert himself into the situation.

The wolf didn't face the fox, just continued to stare hostilely at the officers. "They won't let me in my house and won't tell me anything about why they're here!" The officers gave Nick a pleading look and the fox couldn't help but chuckle a little.

"I think I could help out with that a little." Nick stated. She gave one last dirty look at the animals in her way then faced Nick with a harsh look. However, her face softened when she saw him.

"Officer Wilde?" She questioned. Nick would have been surprised if this was just a random animal off the street, but considering she's the brother of his partner, Nick didn't find it all that unbelievable.

"Yup, that's me," Nick smirked. "How can I help you?"

For the moment she didn't seem to pay him much attention, but just looked around the fox. Nick was slightly confused as to what she could be looking for.

"Where's my brother? He said he was your new partner." She asked. Nick gave a slight wince, knowing he would be the one that would have to break the news to her. Nick took a deep breath and prepared himself.

"He's at the hospital," I was immediately cut off as she started to panic.

"What? What happened? Is he okay? How bad is it?" She started asking question after question, not letting Nick answer any of the questions she was asking. Finally, he held up his paw in an attempt to get her to stop talking and it actually worked. He felt a little bad making her feel this way about her brother, because she was about to become relieved, only to have possibly a worse reaction as he tells her about her dad.

"No, no, your brother is fine. He just went to the hospital when he heard what happened with your father." When Nick said that, the she-wolves face paled and a sense of understanding came over her. "Your father was attacked last night and is in emergency surgery as far as I'm aware. I'm sorry." Nick always hated this part. Well, honestly, no one on the force enjoyed telling friends and family that their loved one was dead or dying. Nicks done it more than his fair share of times, mostly because Judy just can't do it. She always tries to get the strength to do it, but Nick knew it'd be better if he did.

She was silent for a bit, but Nick could see the tears starting to form in her eyes. "I… I need to go." She finally said, starting to turn away and leave.

"Wait," Nick called out to her, causing her to stop and turn back towards him. "I'm heading to the hospital now to check up with your brother. I could give you a ride there if you want." She seemed reluctant at first, but it didn't take much thinking for her top agree to go with him.

The two went back to Nicks patrol car and hopped in. "Thanks for doing this," she said softly, still crying slightly.

"No need to thank me, just doing what's right." She gave a slight smile, but soon returned to a frown.

"My names Jessica, by the way."

"Nice to meet you Jessica."

Damnit! He knew this would happen. McCabe growled quietly in frustration as he sat in the waiting room. He'd gotten here three or four hours ago and the entire time his chest felt like it was going to explode. Between the anxiety, stress, fear, and anger brewing up within him, McCabe knew if one more thing happened it would set him off.

He tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for a doctor or nurse or someone to come through those doors. Yet at the same time he was dreading for someone to come through that door and tell him that his dad is dead. If that were the case, the wolf doesn't think he'd be able to handle it. He doesn't know how he would react.

To make things worse, McCabe had tried to convince his father to leave the city when this whole thing started. He wanted all his siblings out of here but being the stubborn wolves that they are they wouldn't listen to him. Not that it surprised him. To be fair, he wouldn't have left either if any of them told him to. That didn't make him feel any better about this whole situation though. There was also something else bothering him at the moment, but he didn't want to think about it right now. Wondering if his father was still going to be alive at the end of the day was top priority on his mind.

Then within all this, McCabe was trying to build up the courage to call his siblings and tell them the news. He had been clutching on to his phone for the past hour not being able to pull himself to do it. They'd all be devastated by the news. Imagining their reactions was almost enough to bring him to tears. Actually hearing his reactions might just break him.

McCabe took a deep breath and leaned down with his head in his paws. This was all just becoming too much for him. Between the Tide and all their kidnappings and executions, then adding this was becoming to much of a burden to bear. He needed to hear some good news soon.

"McCabe?" The wolf's ears perked up and he lifted up his head at the familiar voice. What he saw, however, confused him. It was his sister, who he was beyond glad to see, but with her was Nick.

McCabe said nothing and walked over to Jessica and brought her into a big hug. It has been months since he last saw her. In honesty, he hasn't seen any of his family since graduation day from the academy. It didn't help that immediately after he graduated, Zootopia was plunged into hell. He's just been to busy. He's texted them every now and then to let them know that he's okay and to check up on family matters, but other than that nothing.

"What are you two doing here?" McCabe asked.

"I was going to dads house when I saw all the police there. Officer Wilde was there and explained what happened," she paused for a moment, trying not to break down crying from the reality of why she's here. "He explained what happened then offered to give me a ride here. He said that you'd be here, so I agreed and, well, here I am"

McCabe would have to ask Nick why he was at his house later, but right now he was just happy to have his sister with him.

"So, what exactly happened? Do you know?" Jessica asked. Nick and McCabe gave each other nervous looks. They both knew the implications of being attacked by The Tides and McCabe didn't know if he wanted to share this information with his sister. He made up his mind pretty quickly though.

"Uh, no we don't know anything right now. But don't worry, we'll make sure to find the bastard who did this." McCabe growled. He wasn't completely lying. He's more pissed now than he's ever been during these months, they made things personal. However, he wanted to spare his sister the details until they have more information. He doesn't want anyone to jump to conclusions.

"You better, whoever did this needs to pay." She almost snarled.

McCabe agreed with the same type of snarl. Nick looked on at the two wolves and couldn't help but feel bad for the two. He's been in a similar position when Judy disappeared and since then he's held a pocket of anger within him that helps keep him going. He has a feeling McCabe will start having that same feeling.

That's when the subject of why he was here popped back into his mind. He hated having to beak up the little family reunion, but this was really important.

"McCabe, I know this is the last thing you want to do right now, but I've got some things we need to talk about." McCabe just nodded his head. He understood that Nick probably had some really important things to discuss with him, most likely involving his father. McCabe gave his sister one last hug then went off to a private place with Nick. Jessica said she would stay here and wait for the word on their fathers' condition.

"So, what's going on? What'd you find at my father's house." The wolf was hoping for something good if it got Nick to come and find him. Lucky for him, it was the best thing they've gotten since they found out who they were dealing with. Nick gave a small smile, knowing this would make the wolf happy. It's just unfortunate that McCabe dad had to get shot for this to happen.

Nick explained everything that they had found and deduced while searching through the crime scene at his dad's house. He started with the Lynx and ended with them certain that there was a second shooter who was helping his father. After hearing all of this, McCabe looked to be deep in thought. His mind went to a single person of who it could have been. There's really only one person it could be.

"Arthur Shills." McCabe stated. Nick gave the wolf a look that told him to keep talking. "He's and old marine buddy of my dad's, and a family friend. He's a coyote, tan fur, average size. Him and my dad are pretty close and he's the only animal I can think of that would be at the house."

Nick nodded his head slowly. This was good. This is the most useful information they've gotten. If they can find this coyote, maybe they can get some information. Or it would just lead to another dead end. Only time would tell.

Nick looked at the time and his eyes widened. It was nearly 10pm. The day had just flown by. "We'll look into this tomorrow. We both need to get some sleep, its been a long day. And I know you probably want to stay here and find out what going on with your dad, but I need you for this."

Nick was right. The wolf wanted to protest and stay here with his sister and dad, but he knew better than to argue with Nick. McCabe nodded his head and the two went their separate ways until tomorrow.

An hour later Nick was hopping out of his car in front of his apartment. This has been a long day and Nick couldn't wait to plop down in his bed for the night. He was about to walk into his apartment building, but he caught something out the corner of his eye. He turned his head to the left and saw a figure in a trench coat looking directly at him. He knew exactly who this was, and whenever one of them come around its usually bad news.

Once the figure knew he had caught Nicks attention he turned around and began walking away. However, Nick noticed him drop a slip of paper where he was. Nick waited a moment until the figure disappeared into an alley then went over and picked up the slip of paper. It read 'Go into your apartment building then walk out the back door into the alley.' This had Nick being kind of suspicious about something, but he knew better than to no follow these guys orders. It would just be easier to do what they say.

Nick walked into his building, went all the way to the back and walked into the alley way just as instructed. He didn't see anyone there, so he looked around for something that they may have left. And to no surprise he found a piece of paper taped to a dumpster. It read 'They know your getting close, stay safe.'

"Well, that's not ominous as hell." So, what was he supposed to do with this knowledge? He already assumed he was on their radars, so why warm him now.

He got his answer almost immediately. Seconds after he read the note he was thrown to the ground. A loud explosion boomed through the sky and heat engulfed his body. He could feel some of his fur being singed. The entire explosion only lasted a few explosions, but it felt longer for Nick. Once he was sure it was over, he uncovered his face and stood back up.

Well, now he knew what Mr. Bigs guy was talking about. And Nick only has one thing to say to that.

"Fuck."

Wow, I didn't expect to get the feedback I did last chapter. I'm happy you guys enjoyed it so I typed up this chapter as quick as I could. I hope you all enjoy it. I always love hearing what you guys have to say so please leave a review. Again, thanks for reading.

Keep On Keeping On

Peace Out