Page 45 of Finding Our Reality

I nod in confirmation before she turns back to Lulu. “I wish I could say it was nice to meet you again, but there’s a lot from those days I don’t remember. So, I’ll just say it’s nice to meet you now.”

Lulu smiles and nods. “Sounds good to me.”

Donnie wraps an arm around Christina. “We cleared out the conference room. Shall we?”

“Ella Hill? That name sounds familiar. Are you related to Carrie? Is that why you’re here? Are you with the sheriff’s department too?”

I hold out a rolling chair for Lulu. She stares at me, debating whether or not to accept my help, before she finally sits down. “I’m Carrie’s sister. I’m working a consulting assignment with the department regarding my sister’s case.”

“Carrie’s sister.” Christina’s eyes dart back and forth between the two of us, as she tries to pull her memories to the forefront of her brain. “Wait, didn’t the two of you date?”

Hell yeah, we did.

I don’t answer, leaving that ball in Lulu’s ballpark.

She rubs the back of her neck. “We dated briefly, many years ago, before Ryland joined the service.”

Christina nods, smiling like she knows a secret. “All the girls were furious you got snatched up, Crutch.” She turns to Lulu, laughing. “Rumor had it, he was head over heels for you.”

Hell yeah, I was.

Reaching over, Donnie laces his fingers with Christina’s. “Sweetie.”

“Sorry. I talk when I get nervous.”

I try to calm her. “That’s okay. There’s nothing to be nervous about. We’re just here to ask some questions about what all was happening in your life around the time Carrie went missing. We’ve run across some new evidence, so we’re just following up on information. Sometimes, a little bit of time helps everyone put things into perspective, allows them to revisit events that might not have seemed significant back then.”

“I’m ready to help in any way possible.”

I lean forward, spreading my hands across the table. “Some of the questions we ask may be a little sensitive in nature. Perhaps some privacy will provide a level of comfort.” I nod at Donnie.

Christina squeezes her husband’s hand. “I appreciate the concern, but Donnie knows all about my past. He pulled me from the brink of hell, knows every dirty little detail. Unless you have a rule against him staying, I would like for him to be here.”

“Okay.” I gain permission to record the interview and start with all of Christina’s background questions. We talk about her childhood, where she grew up, her descent into drug use, her partying with my brother and Trey, her run-ins with Carrie. “So, think back to the summer when Carrie went missing. Did anything strike you as unusual about that time?”

“Well, the beginning of that year is when I had my third child. By the start of the summer, he was already in the system, living in a foster home. I’m just thankful the same family took him in as my other boys. They were all together, so that’s one small blessing. Other than that, I was just in the throes of addiction. Using every day. Working one meager job after another, trying to make money to score. Partying with Trey, day and night. Sleeping with him, begging for product when I was too broke to buy anything on my own.”

“You don’t remember anything unusual about Trey during that time?”

She scoffs. “Trey was always unusual. He was a drug dealer.”

I glance over at Donnie, hoping he’s prepared himself. “Was Trey the father of any of your children?”

Christina shifts in her seat. “Yes. He was the biological originator of my third son.”

Well, I’ve never heard that terminology used before.

“Is there any sense of connection there? That you would keep something from the police, anything that involved Trey, because he was the father of your son?”

Her face grows serious. “Trey was never a father. Donnie is the father to my three boys, in every single way that matters.”

Donnie wraps his arm around Christina again. “Our family counselor encouraged us to use the word ‘originator’ because our son couldn’t bring himself to call Trey his father. I can assure you that there is no sense of allegiance between Christina and Trey. Or anyone from her past, for that matter.”

I nod. “He never mentioned what he thought happened to Carrie?”

“He just said that she probably had a bad trip, wandered off in the woods, and died.” She glances over at Lulu. “I’m sorry to be so blunt. It must be painful to hear.”

Lulu looks up from her notebook, smiling sadly. “Please continue.”

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