Page 159 of Everything She Feared

That was the last passage.

Ryan took a moment and a breath to digest it all.

Then again and again he read it over, looking for any missed reference Magda may have made in reaching out for her daughter. For any reference to the people he had pursued in the past and was pursuing now.

He found none, of course.

He was steepling his fingers and touching them to his lips when his phone rang. It was his mother.

He answered.

“Ryan, oh, Ryan.”

Surprised by the excited nervousness in her voice, he feared bad news—maybe something had happened to his father.

“What is it, Mom?”

“We got the DNA results back. You found her!”

80

Seattle, Washington

It was earlyevening when Sara got home.

Bingo was first to greet her, nuzzling her leg as she went to the kitchen where Val and Katie were finishing cleaning up, drying dishes.

“Hi, Mom,” Katie said.

“Hi, Sara,” Val said. She put the dish towel away. “We just had chicken sandwiches for supper. Would you like me to fix one for you?”

“No, thank you, Val. Katie, you go upstairs and I’ll be up.”

“Okay. Come on, Bingo.”

After Katie and the dog left, Sara sat at the table.

Reading the fear in her face, Val went to her.

“It’s all wrong,” Val said. “What they said on the news, at the school—I refuse to believe it for a second, you know that.”

Sara nodded weakly.

“Tell me what I can do to help,” Val said.

Swallowing her pain, Sara shook her head.

“You’ve already helped us so much.”

“Want me to keep Katie with me for the night?”

Sara shook her head.

“You know you’re like family to me. I’ll do anything to help you.”

“I know that, Val. Thank you.”

“Want me to stay a little longer?”

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