"Mr. Keller," Traci began the line of questioning, "tell me how this morning unfolded in regard to Mr. McQuinn."

"What do you want to know about him?", Nathan Keller asked.

"How did he get the car today?", Juliet asked a little curtly, cutting to the chase.

"Well, he just kind of dropped by and asked to borrow it."

"And was that normal, something he did often?"

"No, not at all. My mom never really knew that I was letting him borrow it. Usually I'd leave the house too just to make it look like I had it." He was starting to open up now, so the two cops let him continue on his own. "He hadn't come by in a while, I think he got the sense he wasn't really welcome around the house. My mom didn't really trust him, and he knew it."

"So, he shows up today out of the blue for the first time in a while and askes to borrow the car and you let him do it no questions asked?", Juliet pressed.

Nate shook his head vigorously. "No, no of course not. He said he had to help his sister out today. That she was counting on him and that she'd really appreciate it if she knew I had helped him help her."

"Fiona, right?"

"Did he say specifically what he was helping her with?", asked Traci.

"No, and I didn't really ask that. Oh man. See, I've always had sort of a crush on Fiona. And Liam knew that. He knew which buttons to press to get me to help and I fell right into it."

"Fast forward a bit for me," Juliet requested. "When he returned the car, did he just bring it right back to the house?"

"Today he did because Mom was at book club, so I told him we could sneak it in. But usually we would meet around the block or something."

"And how did he seem when he dropped the car off? How was he acting?"

"I don't know, he was kind of rushing to get out of there. But we didn't want to get caught in case Mom came home early so that made sense."

"Did he say anything?"

"Not really. I asked him if everything worked out. He mumbled 'thanks' and said he had to get going."

"Do you have a way to get in contact with him? Phone, email, anything?", Juliet asked.

I have a number, but I don't know if its even active anymore. I haven't used it in a while."

"Could you share it with us?"

"Mr. Keller, hold on." His defender stopped him short saying anything. "Before my client cooperates further, I want to be certain that we have an understanding here. Mr. Keller in no way knowingly aided or abetted in any potential crime that may or may not have taken place."

"Ms. Nichols, as I said earlier," Traci began, "We have nothing that implicates your client and we're not really looking to go digging. We really just want his help. He may be the only on that can help us."

"Aiding and abetting? You think Liam was involved in the shooting?", Nathan asked.

"Honestly, we don't know but we have evidence to suggest that he was one of the last people to see the victim alive. So, we really need to talk to him, to at least rule him out."

"Liam's not a killer. He's a lot of things but not that. Anybody who knows him would tell you that. Hell, ask Fi. She'd tell you that and give him an alibi for today as well."

Juliet and Traci shared a look and agreed on telling Nate about Fiona. "Well, we can't talk to her. She was the shooting victim at the Eaton Centre today. She's dead."

It took several minutes and Juliet making a tissue run for Nate to compose himself again. That crush must have been something. "We're sorry to break the news this way to you but hopefully now you see why we need your help," Traci said,

Nate was still sniffling when he nodded, and Juliet handed his phone to him, still in a personal belongings bag. His hands were still shaking as he thumbed his way to his contacts and tapped up Liam's number. He slid the phone across the table, wordlessly.

Juliet scribbled down the number, it was a local one. She'd run a trace on it and see what comes up.

"When was the last time you used this number?", Juliet asked.

Nate took a deep breath and said, "A year maybe, give or take. But he's had the same number for as long as I've known him."

"Do you think he'd pick up if you called?", Traci asked.

"I don't know, maybe. I'll try." Nate reached for the phone, but Juliet stopped him. "Not yet. We need to set up a trace and go over what to say."

Nate understood and asked what's next.

First Juliet Traci processed his release from holding since he wasn't a suspect in anything and was now a cooperative witness. His defender left, and they went to meet Juliet in the Guns and Gangs office where she was setting up the trace equipment.

Meanwhile, Juliet bumped into Nick who was waiting at her desk.

"How long have you been here?", she asked. The office was completely empty except for them.

"Long enough," Nick said. Ready to go home?"

Juliet kissed him. Sorry. Not yet," she said when the kiss broke. "We may have a break in the Eaton Centre shooting and Nash and I are pushing it."

"Okay, what do you need me to do?"

"Uhm, well, we were just getting ready to set up a trace for a phone call. We have a witness that had contact with the brother of the deceased woman before and after the shooting today. The brother is one of, if not the last, persons to see her alive."

And this witness is going to call him, and we'll trace the brother's location." Nick connected the dots.

"Right, Liam McQuinn. That's the brother. Has a record but nothing violent that we could see. Very broken relationship with his parents though. Nate our witness, was friends with Liam in school and Fiona, the vic, was a year or two behind them. Nate has a huge crush on her. We told him she's dead and that her brother may be the key to finding the killer. And Nate's the only one who can help us find Liam. So now he's helping."

"Understood, so do you guys have any trace equipment up here?"

Juliet pointed at a series of equipment containers and said, "Top one on the left."

Nick popped the lid and pulled out the needed devices just as Traci opened the office door and led Nate in.

"Nick, this is unexpected," Traci said upon noticing him."

"Yeh, he was up here waiting and wanted to help so I filled him in."

"The more the merrier," Traci smiled. "Nate, this is Officer Collins. One of our very best."

"Nice to meet you," Nate said and offered a hand.

Nick shook it, "Likewise."

"So, we discussed the basis of what to say on the way up," Traci said.

"Perfect, we'll just get this set up and be ready to go."

Within a couple of minutes, the trace devise was plugged in to the computer and ready to go. They also had a recorder out to make a copy of the conversation for the record. Juliet gave the thumbs up and said, "Whenever you're ready, Nate."

Nate swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and tapped the call button next to Liam's number and put it on speaker.

"Remember, just keep him talking," Nick said quickly and quietly.

It rang a couple of times, and then a couple of times more, and they were beginning to worry they'd get kicked off to voicemail but then a gravelly voice, that of a smoker's answered. "Who is it?"

"Liam, it's Nate."

"Listen man, now's not a good time." He sounded as if he'd been drinking for a while.

"I heard about Fi, I'm so sorry man."

"I can't talk about this right now."

"Of course, I understand."

Juliet motioned for him to keep the conversation going. And held up three fingers and then formed a zero with her hand to indicate she needed thirty more seconds.

"Just if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here. I know your family and you aren't close, but I'm here for you."

"Yeah, thanks, Nate."

"Or if you ever want to get a drink," Nate said quickly smartly sensing that Liam was about to disconnect.

There was a pause of silence on Liam's end. Then a sigh and, "The pub. 30 minutes."

"Yeah, I'll be there."

The line clicked dead. Juliet didn't have an exact location, but had it narrowed down to a half-mile radius. "Where is this pub at that he mentioned?"

Nate gave them the name and the cross streets and Juliet plotted it on top of the trace radius. Sure enough, it popped up in the circle.

"So, he's nearby already."

"We have to hurry and get set up."

"Set up for what?" I'm just going to meet him for a drink. And you guys are there to grab him."

"It's not that easy, Nate," Traci said. "We don't have enough to make the case yet. We could arrest him, sure but that plays our hand and we'd lose. We need you to get him to tell you what really happened today. And we're going to need that recorded."

"Like a wire, no way. I'm not going to betray my friend in confidence like that. And besides, if he did what you seem to think he did, and he finds out I'm wearing a wire, I'm done."

"It won't come to that. We'll be right outside the whole time, and officer Collins here will be inside keeping an eye on you two."

Nick was caught a little off guard but rolled with it. "That's right. I got your back."

"Nate, I understand your apprehension, believe me," Traci said. "But this is the best way to get justice for Fiona."

"Okay, fine. For Fi."

"Great," Juliet said. Get down there now. I'll send you a picture of Liam. Let me know as soon as you have eyes on him. We'll get wired up and be there in 20.

"Yep," and Nick was out the door.

Nick pushed through the doors into a typical style, old-building storefront, Irish pub. A good thing was it was on the smaller side which made determining that Liam wasn't there yet much easier. Nick ordered a beer for appearances and sat himself at a table near the back with his back to the wall, giving him a clear view of the entrance and everyone else in the bar.

He sent a text to Juliet saying he was in position and there was no sign of Liam yet. He brushed off some interest form some ladies concerned he was drinking alone and waited and waited. Liam never showed up and Juliet called him.

"Still not there?", she asked.

"Nothing," Nick said.

"Okay, we're dropping Nate off now a couple blocks away and then we'll circle around the other way and park down the street. He's going to grab a seat at the bar. Keep us posted."

Nick waited another minute and Nate walked in. He looked at Nick who looked down at his drink, breaking the eye contact. It wouldn't do to let anyone think they knew each other right now.

Nick watched him sit down and order a drink out of the corner of his eye. Nate was a couple of sips in and when he pulled out his phone. He was reading something then called the bartender over and showed her the phone. She nodded and then used him around the bar and opened the back door and shut it behind Nate.

Nick quickly, but calmly pulled out his phone and explained what happened. "Are you getting anything on the wire?"

"No, just static, some sort of interference, maybe."

"Or he's been compromised."

"Nick get around back, see what you see. Maybe he got to a different floor, Juliet instructed."

"Yeah." Nick stood up and walked out and down the block to the alley and cut between the buildings. Approaching the back door of the bar, he saw something odd lying on the ground.

"Hey, what type of device was the wire?"

"It was a digital watch."

"Well, at least now we know why the wire's out." Nick picked it up. "I found it, it's been smashed." Nick looked up and down the alley, saw nothing. "Guy's, Nate's gone."