Trotta met Emmanuel while working at Wild Oats, a natural foods store, a few months before Smart was abducted from her Federal Heights home in early June.SourceThough Emmanuel didn't speak to him at first — Trotta believes it was a spiritual ritual — they still forged a friendship. Trotta would see the wanderer about once a week, and eventually Emmanuel even brought Smart and his wife into the store.
The three visitors were respectful and kind, Trotta said. He doesn't recall the women having any possessions, but Emmanuel carried a backpack. They didn't watch TV, but they seemed to enjoy the different music he'd play for them. In return, the three sang religious hymns to Trotta to show their appreciation.
"They were just really quiet," he said. "Everything was cool."
Trotta's guests slept on a mattress or on the floor. He figures they left because it was crowded with five people in a small studio.
As for Smart's appearance and behavior, Trotta thought she was just part of the family.
"She really didn't seem scared," he said. "I would've thought she could've left anytime. Who knows?"
In November, the Kirkland Police Department and the King County Sheriff's Office began investigating a letter found at a Kirkland convenience store indicating Smart was alive and in this area.SourceSheriff's Sgt. Kevin Fagerstrom said the note appeared to have been written by a girl living in the Firloch neighborhood in the Kingsgate area. The note, Fagerstrom said, indicated Smart was staying with this girl and was "safe and well and did not wish to be reunited with her family, but wanted her parents to know that she was safe."
"There was just enough of a hint of sincerity and a hint of maturity that we felt it couldn't be ignored," Fagerstrom said.