Once We Were Brothers

In early December 2004 Liam learns that the gray Camry parked outside Catherine’s house on Thanksgiving is registered to Carl Wuld. Meanwhile, there’s been no sign of Otto Piatek in Cleveland. After an evening of pizza and wine, Catherine and Liam spend the night together.

The next morning, Catherine is awkward with Liam. While she enjoyed their night together, her life is too stressful at the moment to embark on a committed relationship with her best friend. She apologizes, “I’m sorry, Liam. I truly am. It’s a crisis of confidence. It’s all about me and my doubts. I doubt my judgments. I doubt my competence as a lawyer. I doubt my ability to sustain a relationship” (279).

Liam learns that Carl Wuld’s real name is Carl Henninger and that 15 years ago the state of Arizona convicted him of statutory rape. After tracking Carl down, Liam threatens to expose his past, which would force him to register as a sex offender in Chicago. Armed with this leverage, Liam learns from Carl that he made up the story about Otto Piatek in Cleveland to milk more money out of Elliot.

With the help of a researcher at NBC News, Liam acquires a photo of Otto in the 1940s from a Nazi propaganda article.