That would explain why he would make up the fact that he was D. B. Carter, the famous and elusive writer.

He likes literature, he likes to read, maybe he's even a fan.

I'm sure there has been a person or two that pretended to be J. D. Salinger, the author of The Catcher in the Rye, right?

Trying to figure out where to go next, I remember the mental note that I made earlier.

I bookmarked the articles that I found and I look up Samantha Lind, the journalist who wrote the most in-depth one about his uncle’s nursing home business and Medicare fraud.

She writes for the Seattle Times and I find her contact info pretty easily on Twitter. I decide to reach out to her via email.

After introducing myself and being rather vague about my intentions, I ask her to reach out to me so that we can talk on the phone or over video.

I specifically ask her if she knows anything about Liam's disappearance, hoping that it will spark her interest.

Finishing the rest of my coffee, I take the cup to the kitchen and wash it in the sink, trying to figure out what to do next. I should get into bed and get some rest, but I want to put some more fires in the oven so to speak.

Returning to Facebook, I see that one of Liam's connections is his sister, Kristen Linville Harmon. Her profile is set to private, but I can see that she still lives in Seattle and has recently had a baby.

I open the message box and put my hands on the keyboard. I know what I want to ask her, but I'm not exactly sure of the best way to phrase it.

Hi, Kristen, my name is Emma Scott and I'm a journalist working on a story about your brother.

I read the words again and then immediately delete them.

If he testified against his family and his uncle, I have no idea whose side his sister would be on.

Hi, Kristen, my name is Emma Scott and I'm trying to find out more about your brother, Liam Linville. I read that he is missing. Is that correct?

I reread what I have just written and again decide that it's not quite right. I need her to want to talk to me.

Otherwise, she might just block me and that will be the end of it.

I try one last time.

Hi, Kristen, my name is Emma Scott and I'm a friend of your brother, Liam Linville. I was wondering if I could talk to you about him.

I review the message. It's true and in present tense, which I hope sparks her interest if she is actually looking for him.

I am undecided about what I will actually tell her if she should reach out to me, but I will deal with that if the time comes.

Just as I'm about to close my computer, Kristen writes back.

You’re a friend of Liam's? Really? Can we video chat?

My heart comes to my throat. I'm startled by her reaction and I'm not entirely prepared to talk right now.

At the same time, I don't want to postpone this conversation.

Sure, I say. We can do it through Facebook if you want. I'm free right now.

My phone beeps as soon as I send the message.

“Hi, I'm Kristen,” she says, waving her hand.

Her light brown hair is pulled up in a loose bun and she has big wide eyes that are identical to Liam's.

The resemblance is uncanny.

“It's nice to meet you. I am Emma,” I say, waving back.

I feel a little bit off since I wasn't expecting to talk to her so soon, but I gather my thoughts and jump right in.

“I hope it's not too late to talk,” I say.

“No, not at all. I'm up late taking care of the baby.” She holds the screen down so that I can see the baby's head with his face buried toward her.

After a brief back and forth where I congratulate her and ask her about her son, I get to the point.

“When was the last time you saw Liam?”

“I don't know exactly. I haven't heard from him in years. How do you know him?”

I wonder how much I should reveal to her and hesitate.

“He went to school with a man I was engaged to. I met him briefly,” I say.

I want to tell as much of the truth as possible, without disclosing too much at the same time.

I can tell that she senses my apprehension, but for now she doesn't say anything.

“The article that I read about him said that he had disappeared and no one has heard from him, but I just recently saw him so I was wondering if you or anyone else were still looking for him.”

“Sort of,” she says after a long pause. “If you read that article, then you probably know that my uncle was convicted for committing all of that Medicare fraud and Liam was the main witness. He testified on the stand and the whole family turned on him. He left soon after the trial.”

“Why would they write that he had disappeared?”

She swallows hard and looks away from the camera.

Patting her baby's head, she takes a deep breath.

“I filed a missing person report,” she says quietly. “I haven't heard from him and I thought that maybe there had been some sort of… Retaliation.”

“What do you mean?” I ask.

Of all the things that I have considered that might've happened, I hadn't thought about this.

“My uncle is a very powerful man. He was one of the richest people in the Pacific Northwest and that's saying something since there are so many tech companies based here. He owned a chain of nursing homes, which was a big part of their business. So, when Liam testified against him in court and his testimony led to his conviction, all hell broke loose.”

“I'm so sorry,” I say in a quiet whisper.

“I guess the reason that I'm talking to you is that it's nice to know that he is alive. He is my older brother and we were always close. If you see him, please tell him that I miss him and I hope I see him again.”

I swallow hard.

I feel bad for this young woman who is being torn apart by her loyalty to her family and her love for her brother.

“Can I ask you one more thing?”

"Sure."

“Did Liam ever enjoy writing?”

“Yes, a lot. Why?”

“It's just something that he has mentioned,” I say, being vague on purpose.

“All he wanted to do was be a writer, but our parents were really against that. They even refused to let him major in English and insisted that he major in finance.”

“Did he?”

“Of course. No one ever says no to our father.”

The way that she says that, it sends a shiver down my spine.

“Where did he go to school?”

“University of Washington.”

“Do you know why on his Facebook profile it would say that he majored in English?”

“It does? Really? No, that’s not right. We went to his graduation.”

Suddenly, the baby starts to howl and she says that she has to go.

“Can I reach out to you again if I have anymore questions?” I ask.

“Yes, of course,” Kristen says, talking over the wailing baby. “Please tell my brother to contact me, anytime, any day. I miss him. I love him. Will you tell him that?”

“Yes, absolutely.” I nod.

I hang up the phone and climb into bed.

I don't know what to make of this conversation and thinking about it at this moment isn’t going to make my thoughts any clearer.

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