Page 81 of Everything She Feared

He thanked her and she returned to answer the phone behind the counter.

Pretending to ponder a purchase, Ryan lowered himself at the shelf and collected her rogue strand of hair without anyone noticing. What luck, he thought, like when he’d collected a toothbrush recently discarded in the trash of another target.

Of course, he was uncertain Evers was Magda’s daughter.

Maybe she’d had surgery to remove the scar, he thought, consoling himself while driving back to Seattle. And maybe her middle name didn’t reflect Magda’s but was, in fact, coincidence.

Still, he couldn’t rule her out.

Not just yet.

Besides, he had her DNA to test, and he still had another possibility to pursue in Redmond. And there was that woman at the diner in North Seattle. He hadn’t given up on her.There’s something about her—a vibe, something.

I can’t give up on any of the women in the Seattle area yet. I need to be thorough. I need to be certain.

Deciding to return to the apartment, Ryan regrouped, taking stock of all the research he’d collected over time, reminding himself that he’d come a long way. He always had setbacks and successes.

At his desk, to reassure himself, he reread files, opening a PDF.

Montana Child and Family Services Division (CFSD)—Child Protective Services (CPS)

Update RE: Post-Adoption Follow-up Assessment / Evaluation

Case Number:xxxxx// CP Specialist:XXXXXX//DATE: 30 May 1979

Pursuant Montana. Code Ann. § 41-3-4

Attached is a supplemental note to the post-adoption assessment. At this writing, more than a year after the finalization of the adoption, it appears placement and adjustment has been largely successful, with one known exception. This note concerns an incident.

It has been determined thatXXXXXX, the adopted child, aged seven, was invited to a birthday party attended by six children of similar age at the residence of the host child at a neighboring ranch. The mother hosting the party had discovered that her daughter’s favorite doll was missing after the party guests had departed. The host mother contacted the guests’ families, asking them to check with their children, politely suggesting the doll had been accidentally “misplaced,” the implication being that it was taken from the host child.

XXXXXX, the adopted child, was asked by her adoptive mother about the doll.XXXXXXdenied any knowledge. However, after the adoptive mother searchedXXXXXXroom, she discovered the doll andXXXXXXconfessed to taking it but demanded to keep the doll, stating that the doll “likes me more, so I should keep it.” It was only after the adoptive mother’s insistence thatXXXXXXagreed to return the doll.

The adoptive mother tookXXXXXXto the ranch to apologize and return the doll, whichXXXXXXhad packed into a shoebox. In the presence of both mothers,XXXXXXhanded the box to the child. Upon opening it, the child screamed forXXXXXXhad placed the doll in the box decapitated and handless.

Supplemental Note: The biological parents ofXXXXXX, the adopted child, and their history, are unknown factors. CP SpecialistXXXXXXconsulted with departmental psychologist about the incident. Without interviewingXXXXXX, the adopted child, psychologist could only hypothesize about a possible genetic predisposition to violence inXXXX, the adopted child. Psychologist noted that research showed that in some few cases the offspring of violent adults were at risk of acts of violence when their wishes were thwarted. Subsequent communication with the adoptive parents ofXXXXXX, the adopted child, resulted in the adoptive parents declining to haveXXXXXXseen by a psychologist. The adoptive parents were provided information on adoption support groups and services that are available through agencies or organizations.

Ryan sat back in his chair.

How many times had he read these files—the documented beginnings?

He needed fresh coffee. Then he would move on to the video recordings.

There was more to come about the early years.

35

Seattle, Washington

The Sunny Daysschool bus arrives at Sparrow Song Park and the group gets off. Anna Shaw and Katie Harmon are last to leave. The bus pulls away. Not long after, a man, appearing older, moving slower with a slight shuffle, emerges from one of the trails. He walks across the parking lot to a blue Toyota Camry, gets in, then drives out of the frame.

“That’s the first. I’ll call him Camry Man.” Detective Andy Newell typed commands on his keyboard, freezing a frame on the Toyota’s Washington State license plate.

Newell had called Pierce and Benton to view the video recovered from the park’s security camera. The detectives were encouraged, determined to follow up on and clear any outstanding investigative threads. Newell’s office was jammed with monitors, computer towers and cables; one wall bore a poster of Newell’s hero, Charles Babbage.

It had taken so long to extract anything from the park’s faulty security system that the detectives had given up hope the camera would yield anything useful. Applying his never-say-die attitude, Newell had worked tirelessly with the manufacturer and IT experts to get usable footage.

“We plowed through a lot of problems,” Newell said. “Resolution and compression issues. The lens was dirty with moisture and particles. It was tedious, but with some new technology we got these three potentials.”

---