are—looking for his daughter?” she said. “He said he was going to hire someone before taking the paper to the police. To be honest, I didn’t believe him.”
“I am looking for his daughter. And yours.”
“Mine? I don’t know what he told you, but if you’ve come here for money, I can’t—”
“I’m not here for money,” I said. “I just want to ask you a few questions.”
“Why do you want to help me?”
“There’s a good chance we’re dealing with the same kidnapper.”
“You know, I told Mr. Tate he needed to keep working with the police. I’ve been conflicted about whether or not to tell the authorities myself—it would help them find both our daughters, don’t you think?”
“I do,” I said. “I’ll be meeting with him in the next day or two, and I’ll be sure the detective who’s working on the case is apprised of the recent development. You have nothing to worry about.”
Kris seemed relieved. “How can I help you?”
I spent the next few minutes asking her the same questions she’d probably heard a thousand times before. The answers rolled off her tongue, requiring little to no thought. I wanted to tell her about Todd, but I hesitated. The truth would come out soon enough.
Although two years had passed, it had taken a noticeable toll on her. Her voice was soft, so much so that I had to ask her to repeat herself a few times. Kris was running on fumes, tired and worn out while the search persevered. She said she wrote a letter to Olivia every day, even though she didn’t know if she’d ever see her again. If she ever did, Kris wanted to make sure her daughter heard all the things she might have missed.
When Kris finished, I asked her if I could take a look at Olivia’s room. She rubbed the top of her fingernail so hard with the edge of her thumbnail; I thought she’d scratch the polish off.
“Is there something wrong?” I said. “If it makes you uncomfortable, you don’t have to show it to me.”
“It’s just—her room doesn’t look like it used to, before the, well before.” She stood up. “Let me show you.”
I followed Kris to the bedroom expecting to find the things one normally does in a child’s room, but what I saw alarmed me. It looked a lot more like a hunting storage room than anything else. “This was Olivia’s room?”
From the looks of things, someone must have decided Olivia wasn’t coming back.
“Olivia’s dad has a lot of hunting stuff,” I said.
“Step-dad.”
“For how long?”
“Terrence and I married when Olivia was five, a year before she was taken.”
“But you and Olivia share the same last name,” I said.
She nodded.
“I didn’t take on Terrence’s last name when I married. I thought it would be confusing for Olivia, and he didn’t seem to mind.”
“What was their relationship like?”
She shrugged.
“It was all right.”
Her voice said all right, but her face said something else.
“So they got along?” I said.
“Olivia’s biological father never had much to do with her. It was hard on Terrence at first. He’s never had any children. But he tolerated her. They got along.”
Tolerated her? She was a child, not a dog.
“So the last name Hathaway. Is that—”
“My maiden name.”
“When did Terrence decide to turn Olivia’s room into a man cave?” I said.
“We didn’t have much room and—it wasn’t my idea. I wanted to keep it the same, just the way she left it.”
“And Terrence didn’t agree with you?”
“He said Olivia wasn’t coming back, and at some point, I had to accept it and move on. I guess this is his way of helping me.”
What a cold-blooded way to “help” someone.
“Where does Olivia’s father live now—her real one?”
Kris teared up for a moment, but then regained her composure. “I don’t know.”
“You said he wasn’t in her life much, but did she ever see him?” I said. “Are you sure he didn’t have anything to do with her disappearance?”
“That’s not possible.”
“But you just said you don’t know where he is. Have the police tried to find him?”
She shook her head.
“Why not?” I said.
“I don’t know where he is because I don’t know who he is.”
Kris braced her hand against the wall, steadying herself.
“Do you need to sit down?” I said.
She nodded. We returned to the living room.
“It was spring break,” she said. “I was in California with several of my girlfriends. It was crazy. I hung out with a few different guys while I was there, but I never knew any of