she was rarely, rarely incorrect. >> her best friend, as she made clear to all the others, was ethan mack. >> she really liked ethan. she really trusted him. "this is my best friend, jason." she put a lot of trust in him. >> she's a lovable person, full of energy, always rambunctious. >> ethan worked in a local hotel. a very different background than kate. but he'd been her best buddy for years and in a way her protector. everybody in ethan's neighborhood knew you didn't mess with kate when ethan was around. they loved each other like -- well, siblings. >> i made sure no harm would come to her when certain little boyfriends would act like they got hand problems. i would put them in their place -- >> it wasn't a romance at all then? >> never at all. she was like a little sister to me. >> it was a token of his family's regard for kate that she was godmother to ethan's nephew, malachi. on her moscow trip, kate bought herself and ethan matching brass bulldog key chains. and on that monday morning in june, said ethan, he was very worried about kate, just as he had been for years as he helped h