The Ghost Network

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I inherited from Cyrus Archer a polished draft of this manuscript, but not a complete one. Cyrus’s research was extensive and the majority of the plotting in the book is based on firsthand accounts of events. Unfortunately, Cyrus did not get a chance to fill in his footnotes, and in a few places, he didn’t relay the source of a story or a quote. I have tried to fill in the gaps in attribution as best I can, using Cyrus’s notes and in a few cases re-interviewing some of his interviewees. Any additions or adjustments from me are noted in the text or via footnotes. For visual distinction, my footnotes will be in italics.

CATIE DISABATO

THE GHOST NETWORK

THE DISAPPEARANCE AND SEARCH FOR MOLLY METROPOLIS

CYRUS K. ARCHER

EDITED AND WITH AN EPILOGUE BY CATIE DISABATO

April 25, 2010

It was the morning after a record-setting rainstorm. Chicago’s mild, dry spring had given way to lighting and thunder. The soil soaked up six inches of rainfall; drowning worms emerged to cover the sidewalks with their squishy bodies and promptly froze to death in the cold spring air. Overworked eaves on rows of townhouses creaked and moaned in the strong morning winds, and streams of water rushed through the gutters. The winds had torn thick branches off the trees, which crushed the hoods of SUVs parked on the lakeside streets and cracked the pavement, causing hundreds of dollars in damages. The water in Lake Michigan was choppy and cold, below freezing; the surface of the lake was covered in fog.

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