Now That She's Gone by Gregg Olsen Read Free Book Online Page A

looked almost too large for her heart-shaped face. Her parents were Roger, a former Navy commander who ran a small architectural firm in Port Orchard, and Brit, a school guidance counselor who at the time of her daughter’s vanishing had just quit her job with the South Kitsap district to run a coffee shop that supported a clientele of homeless and at-risk teens. Second Cup, Second Chance was in a storefront in downtown Port Orchard. Katy had a sister, Naomi, four years younger, who started acting out and ended up in an alternative school—a blow to her mother, for sure.
    The interviews with the parents indicated that both had been away on a trip to Portland, leaving Katy in charge. While Kendall knew others had chimed in about the inappropriateness of leaving a sixteen-year-old alone with her younger sister, Katy was hardly just any kid. She was mature, bright, and highly capable. When the couple arrived home late, Katy was nowhere to be found. Naomi was home, mad about her sister being gone, but seemingly unconcerned.

    Parents notified law enforcement when they arrived home. Ms. Frazier indicated that Katy had never disobeyed any family rules in “her entire life” and that “she would never leave Naomi alone, not even for an hour.”

    In Nick’s report, there was a complete description of what he’d seen at the house, a glass cube that Roger had designed to take full advantage of the views of Seattle’s skyline across Puget Sound.

    There is absolutely no evidence of a struggle, but two small drops of blood were photographed, collected, and sent to the lab for analysis. The drops were a quarter inch long, oblong disks.
    They were found on the bathroom floor. Also recovered from the scene were a hairbrush, a toothbrush, and some of the missing girls’ clothing in case a canine unit will be deployed later and DNA analysis is needed.

    Along with her sister, who really didn’t know anything other than the fact that her sister wasn’t home where she was supposed to be, Nick Mayberry also interviewed two of her closest girlfriends, Alyssa Woodley and Tami Overton, along with her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Scott Hilburn. There were transcripts for those interviews.

    N ICK M AYBERRY : When was the last time you saw Katy?
    A LYSSA W OODLEY: At lunch. We were going to hang out after school, but she never called me. I’m still a little mad at her. I mean, now I’m sad. But at the time, I was mad.
    NM: Was there anything going on in her life that would make you think she might be in danger?
    AW: No. She has a perfect life. Everyone—including me—thinks so.
    NM: If she had a perfect life, then why would she walk away from it? You mentioned before we started recording that you thought she just packed it in and left—your words.
    AW: Being perfect isn’t easy. I don’t know how difficult, but I think it would be.
    NM: Did Katy get along with her parents? AW: I guess so. She and her mom went at it every now and then. Nothing outrageous. Her mom was always telling her, pushing her, trying to get her to be the best she could be. That kind of crap.
    NM: You think that’s crap?
    AW: I don’t know. It’s always hard to live up to someone else’s image of what you ought to be in life. I think that bugged Katy, but not so much she’d leave. At least I doubt it. She never said anything to me about it.
    NM: All right. What about her relationship with Scott?
    AW: Scott is hot and Katy and he made a cute couple. Probably would be prom king and queen if they weren’t sophomores. They have that kind of cred around here. Golden couple. You know.

    Kendall paused and let another sip of wine slide down her throat. She had once been one half of that golden couple. Everyone thinks that the so-called lucky ones—those with good hair and teeth—have it made. That everything will be easy for them and that their lives will glitter to the end.