LOL
STEWART SMITH
Associated Press
MERIDIAN, Miss. - Dave Holloway had questions and he hoped Paul van der Sloot might have some answers.
The two men engaged in conversation for nearly an hour on Saturday, palms locked in a handshake the entire time, one desperately hoping to find information on his missing daughter, the other only trying to protect his son.
"I had two pictures with me, one of Natalee and one of my 7-year-old daughter. I told him, 'I have two daughters. I know where one of them is, but not the other and I am coming to you and your son to try and find out some answers,'" Holloway said.
Holloway, of Meridian, returned Monday from Aruba in his most recent attempt to discover the fate of his daughter Natalee, last seen on the island during the Memorial Day weekend. Holloway and Natalee's mother, Beth Holloway Twitty of Mountain Brook, Ala., are divorced.
Before Holloway spoke with Paul, he had hoped to talk with Paul's son, Joran, who is being held in an Aruban prison. Holloway's request was denied because Joran authorized visits only from his attorney or immediate family. Joran, 17, was one of the last people reported to have seen Natalee before her disappearance.
"I told (Paul), `I'm here and I want to meet him. If he says he's innocent, he can tell me that to my face,'" Holloway said.
Holloway was curious about the elder van der Sloot's evasion of the media, especially considering his claims of Joran's innocence. Holloway said van der Sloot told him he was "uncomfortable" talking to him and would rather deal with the police. Holloway said he didn't understand why, if Joran was innocent, they would hold back any information they had.
"He has portrayed an image of guilt the entire time," Holloway said.
Despite van der Sloot's dodging questions, Holloway said, he may have hit on something vital near the end of their conversation.
"I told him, `I am a forgiving person. If he is innocent, he needs to profess his innocence to me. If an accident happened on this, I can live with that,'" Holloway said. "And about that time, his eyes watered and his voice quivered and he said, 'I've got to do everything I can to protect my son.'"
Holloway said he ended their conversation by handing van der Sloot three books for his son: a Bible, "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren and "Living in the Moment" by Mary Ann Morgan. Holloway said he does not know if Joran received them, but hopes he will benefit from them.
"I just got to feeling they think it is all about them and their son and it's not. It's all about God and how they play a role in life," Holloway said.
A potential new piece of evidence was also discovered recently. A piece of duct tape with blonde hair found by a park ranger has been sent to Holland and Miami for DNA testing. Holloway said at this point he isn't holding his breath.
"We've had so many false alarms so far. Everything from the bloody mattress, to bones, to the barrel issue, to the shallow grave they found. At this point, whatever happens, happens. And if this is the part that tells us, then that's what it is, but we've had so many false hopes," Holloway said.