Page 130 of Everything She Feared

She opened the book to find a business-sized manila envelope addressed to George and Marjorie Cole at this house.

The return address was the Montana Attorney General’s Office in Helena.

What’s this? I’ve never seen this. It’s like it’s been hidden.

The postmark showed 2015.

Inside, on letterhead for the Montana Attorney General’s Office, was a covering letter.

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Cole:

The enclosed correspondence came to us by way of the law office of Katherine Marie Powell, attorney for Magdalena Kurtz, via the Montana Child and Family Services.

The correspondent is nearing the end of her sentence issued by the court and could make a case that any court-imposed restrictions will cease to apply. This could be contested, of course. However, after considerable discussions with attorneys with Montana Child and Family Services, and the necessity to avoid the risk of potential open court challenges by the creator of the correspondence, this office has determined that the enclosed material is rightfully yours and therefore is being forwarded to you.

The correspondent will be informed of your receipt.

We wish to emphasize that any decisions arising from it are yours.

We also stress that your personal information remains confidential and shielded. To ensure this is done, any further communication should be sent to my attention and would proceed through official state channels in Montana.

Again, the decision on how to respond, if you respond, is yours.

Respectfully,

Brett MacRitchie

Supervising Attorney

Child Protection Unit

Inside were other envelopes, one from Montana’s Child and Family Services. Inside that, there was another envelope from the law firm of Katherine Marie Powell in Billings, Montana.

The covering letter from Powell stated:

On behalf of my client, Magdalena Kurtz, I have been in communication with the Montana Attorney General’s Office and Montana’s Child and Family Services.

Permission has been secured to forward the enclosed, on behalf of my client, and Women Healing in the Forgiving Light, the group my client is working with.

Inside was the last envelope with the return address: Inmate #3877465, Montana Women’s Prison, Billings, MT

A note inside said:

To Whom It May Concern:

For several years, our support group, Women Healing in the Forgiving Light, has been working closely to help Magdalena Kurtz prepare for her return to the community. The date for the end of her sentence is six months away. She has made remarkable progress and wanted our help in ensuring her letter reached you.

Our hope is that you will be merciful,

Thank you.

Sara’s fingers shook as she looked for Magda’s letter.

She found nothing.

I never knew Magda wrote to my parents—and she appears to have dropped the Vryker name.

She looked again and again. The envelopes were empty. She checked the pages of the books. Nothing. She returned to the attic and scoured it for the letter.

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