Page 171 of Everything She Feared

He resumed work but without results.

He readied the equipment and initiated defibrillation, then rapidly reassessed her.

He got a pulse.

Yes.

The paramedic alerted the hospital in Bothell.

Miles away, in North Seattle, events unfolded in the wake of the attack at Sara Harmon’s home.

Sirens echoed in the quiet streets of her neighborhood.

Hearing help coming, Ryan stayed with Katie. She’d refused to leave Sara’s side while she and another woman lay unconscious. Ryan didn’t know what had happened. After spotting the knife, he kicked it away. Then, between his efforts to use dish towels to stem their bleeding, he strained to understand the words Katie was uttering.

Several minutes later, police swept into the house with guns drawn.

Ryan complied, showing his hands, then lying flat, he attempted to relate what he thought had happened from what Katie had managed to convey to him. Things moved fast in a mix of order and confusion. Ryan, whose clothes were bloodstained, was handcuffed and put in the back of a marked car. Police secured the house and removed the knife, treating it as evidence. Paramedics transferred Sara and the other woman into separate ambulances. An officer rode with each patient to take a potential dying declaration.

Out front, yellow crime scene tape cordoned off Sara’s front yard.

Neighbors watched from the sidewalk. Val Rossi was among the first to arrive in time to see paramedics from a third ambulance treat Katie before taking her to the same hospital as the others. A female officer went with Katie. Val rushed home for her car and drove to the hospital to help.

At the scene, a uniformed Seattle officer questioned Ryan in the police car, taking his initial statement as word of the tragedy moved at viral speed. Bystanders posted texts, pictures and video clips on social media. The news drew more of Sara’s friends to the house, among them Adina Nichol; Polly and Mel from the diner; people from the Sunny Days group; and Dr. Sally Mehta. As they became aware, some went to the hospital where Sara and Katie had been taken. Others went to Bothell to be with Sara’s mom.

Advised by Seattle PD, Pierce and Benton arrived.

They were further updated.

And as more details became known, Ryan’s handcuffs were removed. Pierce and Benton were speaking with him when a Seattle detective informed them that one of the two adult women transported from the Harmon residence had died of her injuries.

The dead woman was initially identified as Bella Spencer, also known as Marilyn Hamilton. But in fact, she was Magdalena Vryker, also known as Magdalena Kurtz.

Epilogue

When the story broke, it made national headlines for days.

In Seattle it was major news for more than a week.

People were gripped by the horror that Magda had surfaced and murdered the teenage babysitter of her biological granddaughter, then attacked her daughter and her daughter’s adoptive mother in a bid to abduct her grandchild.

Early reports said that Marjorie Cole had survived Magda’s attempt to suffocate her. And Sara, having lost a dangerous amount of blood, underwent surgery and survived.

Interest in the tragedy prompted intense chatter by the social media groupThe Hunters—Finding Magda. AndTell-Tale Heartsdevoted episodes to the case, revealing their connection to it.

As questions about Magda swirled, Pierce, Benton and other investigators put the pieces together. Scrutinizing Magda’s apartment, they discovered other maps of Montana, Idaho and Washington under her bird maps. The hidden maps pinpointed the locations of where the victims had been buried.

After exhuming remains, examination by coroners and medical examiners in Montana, Idaho and Washington determined that the victims had been strangled or stabbed within a short time of their disappearance.

In processing Magda’s computer, they unearthed her new plans. After learning where Marjorie, Sara and Katie lived, Magda took her time patiently stalking them, volunteering at the seniors’ home as Bella Spencer. Adhering to her pathological obsession with dates and numbers, Magda set out on the anniversary of the date she’d lost her daughter to kill Marjorie and Sara.

“It was vengeance for her perceived betrayal,” Art Acker told a reporter from theNew York Times.

Acker said Magda planned to abduct Katie, her granddaughter, and win her over. Then Magda intended to approach the families of her victims without ever revealing her true identity. She would tell them Katie had a deadly illness requiring expensive treatment, in order to generate sympathy and financial support. At the same time, Magda would present a purported personal item of a victim, then claim she had information on the locations of their remains that she would exchange for money “to help her granddaughter.”

“She would use a child again—that was her vile, twisted fantasy. We doubt the scheme would’ve worked. Families would have notified police,” Art Acker told theNew York Times.

Not long after clearing the case, Pierce and Benton reflected on it.

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