Page 118 of Everything She Feared

“Off the top, you believe Magda Vryker gamed the system?”

“I do.”

“Do you believe that wherever she’s living, she remains a danger to the public?”

“I do.”

“And do you believe she knows where the bodies are located?”

“Yes.”

“And your goal, your quest, really, is to find her, confront her and get her to reveal where your sister, Carrie, and all the others are located?”

“That’s it.”

“You’ve pretty much devoted your life to finding Carrie—appearing even more determined in the last seven years after Magda’s release from prison and her vanishing into a new identity and new life.”

“Yes.”

“I have to say,” Sonya says, “in doing my research, I was really impressed with how you presented everything in your in-depth piece forVanity Fairseveral years ago. I urge everyone to read Ryan’s article.” A link pops up on the screen. “It’s as much a mind-blowing piece of first-person journalism as it is a study in anguish and love. It’s so good.”

“Thank you.” Ryan clears his throat.

“Take us through your family life and what it was like for you growing up with your big sister, Carrie. Help us get to know her.”

“Well, Carrie was a lot of fun.”

“You were kind enough to share some personal photos, which we’ll put up now, and we’ve blurred anything recent that might identify you.”

“Yeah, so Carrie was full of life, you know, she radiated with it.”

As Ryan reminisces, photos of them laughing together in the photo booth at the Westfarms mall near Hartford, Connecticut, appear. As he continues, a montage of images plays of Carrie with him, their parents, during family events, outings, parties and milestones.

Then the photo his mother took at the Hartford airport, seeing Carrie off for her return to Arizona State University. Carrie is hugging Ryan.

“That’s the last time we saw her,” Ryan says.

While the photo remains up, Sonya continues.

“Ryan, do you recall what Carrie said to you that day? You don’t have to say, I mean, if it’s too personal.”

“Yeah, it’s okay.” He clears his throat. “She said: ‘Watch over Mom and Dad for me and be good. You’re the best little brother in the world.’”

When the image changes to the split screen, Sonya brushes her eyes, then resumes.

“Can you take us through what happened next, the impact the case had on your family and how you came to pursue Magda?”

Ryan relates the horror of Carrie’s disappearance and how things played out over the years for the families of other victims, his parents and for him. As he speaks, the screen displays photos of Carrie and Willow, with the van loaded with their belongings.

“They were so excited about driving to Alaska. My mom was worried, really worried. I think she had a bad feeling in her heart about it. Not long after they left Tempe, we stopped hearing from Carrie.”

The screen shows photos of the Burger King in Idaho Falls, where Carrie and Willow were last seen. Then a photo with their faces on the FBI missing persons poster.

“And when the FBI told my parents Carrie was dead, it broke them. It was as if this claw had ripped a hole in our lives.”

“I’m so sorry, Ryan,” Sonya says.

Ryan continues on about how the case evolved, what he’d learned about the Vrykers: how Magda cheated the death penalty, worked her deal and beat the system. How, after becoming a reporter, Ryan had vowed to find Carrie’s remains and bring her home.

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