Fortified really by laci s best friends, stacey boyers, lori ellsworth, and renee tomlinson. they seem to make you feel cheerful they do. they help a lot. i m glad they re here. but it s tough still, huh? it is tough. reporter: perhaps harder than ever to talk about it, she said, to talk about her long dead daughter, whose case so captivated the country. there are people growing up who probably either don t remember or never knew about laci peterson. tell me about laci. i moved to modesto in the third grade. and i knew nobody. and she was one of the first people i met. and there was no not meeting her. reporter: you get the idea. big personality. it just makes you want to whistle. she made everybody laugh and welcome and just with a smile. she could smile and you would