The Lost Girl of Astor Street

by Stephanie Morrill

  I run my thumb up the length of my repaired necklace. “It was a nightmare living it.”

  “If I’d seen Maeve any earlier, I would’ve left town.” Matthew’s words are laced with despair. “You have to believe me.”

  “You would have given your life for Lydia,” I say in a quiet voice. “At least you’ve been cleared of murdering her. Did you see that in the paper too?”

  “Only in a few of them,” he says darkly.

  All the papers had gone crazy over the detail that Robbie Thomas, of the famed Finnegan raid, had previously been involved in a raid in Kansas City, the one that had left Maeve Burk’s husband dead and sent her packing for Chicago with her false name and thirst for revenge. A few of the papers were still calling for Matthew to be found, saying he and Maeve must have been in on it together.

  “The reputable papers said you were innocent, anyway.”

  “I guess that’s the best a guy like me can hope for. Thank you, Miss Sail”—his voice wavers—“for fighting for Lydia when I couldn’t.”

  Emotion clogs my throat, keeping me from responding. But it doesn’t matter. Matthew has already hung up.

  I hang the earpiece back on its hook and hold the phone on my lap for a minute.

  What now?

  It’s the question that won’t seem to go away. The one that gnaws at me even in my sleep. What do I do now that Lydia’s case has been solved? Now that I’m supposed to move on with my life?

  I set the telephone beside me, on top of the morning newspaper, covering the picture of a suburban Chicago girl gone missing. I’ve already spent half my morning thinking about her, about her parents and siblings. The friends from school who aren’t mentioned in the article, but who are no doubt terrified. I hate that there are more. That just as the mystery of what happened to Lydia comes to a close for us, the nightmare is only beginning for others.

  Perhaps I could help out somehow.

  I exhale a laugh. I’m laid up on the couch, face and chest bandaged. And I don’t even know this girl. What on earth could I possibly do to help find her?

  Yet the thought won’t go away, silly as it is, and Emma’s words from the hospital drown out my doubts: “I don’t think Chicago’s underbelly has seen the last of Piper Sail.”

  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  If you had been alive in the 1920s, what do you think would have been the most exciting part?

  Joyce suggests to Piper that her stepmother will never become a blessing to her if she doesn’t open her mind to the idea. Have you ever had a time where you resisted change?

  Piper’s mother’s last words were to tell Piper to trust in herself. How does this reminder help push Piper forward?

  Piper struggles against the expectations society had for women of the day. When is a time that society’s expectations influenced you or made you feel “less-than”?

  Piper will go to the ends of the earth to solve Lydia’s disappearance. What was a time you went above and beyond for a friend?

  When Lydia disappears, Piper isn’t interested in new friends, but Emma Crane becomes an unlikely ally. Have you ever met someone you didn’t expect to connect with?

  Piper is so not a dog person … until she meets Sidekick. How does Sidekick help Piper to start new after tragedy?

  When Walter is angry with Piper for pursuing Lydia with such fervor, Piper likens it to a time when he played baseball with such intensity that he hurt himself. She says, “That’s how I feel about Lydia. I don’t know how to do anything else but leave it all on the field.” What is a time that you’ve left it all on the field and it’s paid off? What about a time when you didn’t try your hardest, and you regretted it?

  Piper feels deeply discouraged by the corruption surrounding her. To Mariano, she voices, “At the end of the day, how much can one person really do?” Have you ever felt this way? How would you answer her?

  Piper’s father tells her, “Piper, my girl, to love anyone is to risk.” Do you think this is true?

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  I had the idea for Piper’s story in August of 2013, but as a writer who had only written contemporary novels, I didn’t have the courage to start until a few months later, when my then-three-year-old son was diagnosed with epilepsy.

  Much of the early research for this book took place beside Connor’s bed at Children’s Mercy Hospital as we ran test after test to understand his seizures and get them under control. As I watched Connor get poked and prodded, it suddenly seemed silly for me to be fearful of the research required to write a historical novel.

  While my understanding of epilepsy is from my real life, I read book after book after book to wrap my head around life in 1924. I fell head over heels in love with this decade. Bookended by the World War I and the Great Depression and containing what’s been called one of the greatest social experiments of all time—the outlawing of manufacturing, transporting, and selling alcoholic beverages—the 1920s was a unique decade for all.

  But it was especially unique for women. Not only had women just won the right to vote, but the media—which had an increasing presence and influence in people’s lives—had a lot to say about what a modern woman should be. And many of those messages contradicted values of the previous generation, creating a difficult dynamic between parents and children.

  As I read diaries written by 1920s teenagers, I was struck by how familiar their frustrations sounded. They wanted more freedom, they struggled with body image, they felt their parents were out of touch with modern times, and so on. In fact, a 1924 sociology study (Middletown: A Study In Modern American Culture) documented that teenagers fought with their parents over the use of the car more than over any other matter.

  All the characters in The Lost Girl of Astor Street are creations of my imagination, but many have similar stories to those who lived in the decade. While Lydia’s fate is pure fiction, there were far too many who suffered like she did—including Bobby Franks, whose tragic kidnapping happens in the background while Piper searches for Lydia.

  The Finnegan brothers and their extended family in Kansas City are, thankfully, fictitious, though I read books and articles about mobsters for inspiration. Many of the stories of their crimes were heartbreaking to read, and it’s easy to minimize them to one-dimensional people. But one anecdote that amused me and reminded me of their complexity was of Dion “Deanie” O’Banion, whose gang controlled Chicago’s North Side in the early 1920s. He loved flower arranging, and at mob funerals he “sometimes supplied not only the posies but the corpse” (American Mafia by Thomas Reppetto).

  Some of the resources that aided me include—but are definitely not limited to—Daily Life in the United States 1920s–1940 by David E. Kyvig; Middletown: A Study In Modern American Culture by Robert S. Lynd and Helen Merrell Lynd; The Poisoner’s Handbook by Deborah Blum; and Flapper by Joshua Zeitz. I’m grateful for these authors and many others for their work to preserve history. While I’m sure I made unintentional mistakes in The Lost Girl of Astor Street, these writers prevented me from making many more!

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I don’t always remember the exact moment I thought of a story idea, but I do for this one. Unfortunately, the moment is nothing glamorous—I was putting away laundry in my daughter’s room—but I was so instantly in love with the story that I immediately told two people.

  My husband, Ben, was the first. Your confidence in me and my ability to actually get this book down on paper has been unfailing from the beginning. Thank you for indulging all my, “Did you know in the Twenties that . . . ?” tidbits, the crazy amount of research books that started landing on our doorstep, and the investment of time this book took.

  The other person I told right away was author and friend Roseanna M. White. Thank you for every pep talk, every question answered, and every moment of hand holding that I so desperately (and constantly!) needed along the way. And thank you for letting me hold your research books hostage. I can probably send those back to you now . . .
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br />   McKenna, you have been so patient and understanding and prayerful as I’ve worked on Piper’s story. I’m so lucky to have a daughter like you. Connor, I couldn’t have written Lydia’s character without you and the journey you’re on. You teach me every day about choosing joy—thank you! Eli, thanks for completing our family. We’re so happy you’re here!

  Sandra Bishop, thank you so much for your tireless faith and patience. Thank you specifically for the poolside pep talk all those years ago. Even though I hadn’t yet thought of the idea for Piper’s story, your encouragement to pursue stories I love for an audience I love gave me the assurance I needed to write this book.

  Jillian Manning, it’s been a joy to work with you on The Lost Girl of Astor Street. Your enthusiasm, vision, and hard work made the book stronger and deeper. Thank you so much for believing in this story and developing its potential. I’m also grateful for the entire Blink team, specifically Breanna Dey, Jacque Alberta, and Ron Huizinga. What a privilege it is to work with such smart, creative people.

  Jill Williamson, Shannon Dittemore, and Rachelle Rea, thank you for taking the time to read early versions of this story and for strengthening it with your writerly wisdom. Karen Buckman, thank you for studying something so useful in college and pointing me in the right direction when I needed sources on early forensics. Sally Bradley, thank you for taking the time to help with my Chicago research, even when this book was barely an idea.

  Mom and Dad, you’ve encouraged my love of reading and writing since I was itty-bitty. Thank you for your words of encouragement then and your acts of encouragement now—watching the kids so I can write, reading early versions of my books, and understanding when I can’t do something because I have to work. You’re the best.

  Ann and Bruce, thank you for all the free babysitting and support. Writing would still be on my “Someday, I want to . . .” list if it weren’t for your willingness to watch the kids so frequently.

  Kelli Stouder, you once told me that you hate slow dancing because you always try to lead. Thank you not just for being such a supportive friend, but also being someone who says fabulous stuff that I can steal for characters.

  There’s no way I could write if I didn’t have such amazing, loving people caring for McKenna and Connor. Thank you Lauren Sargent, Ruth Jones, Debbie Anderson, Sheila Bieberbach, and Stephanie Dickinson for loving on and teaching my kids while I worked on this book.

  Lastly, thank you to the amazing writers who hang out with me on GoTeenWriters.com. It’s an honor to be on the writing journey with you!

  Check out these additional fun freebies for The Lost Girl of Astor Street!

  The ultimate The Lost Girl of Astor Street music playlist: Cozy up with some of the best tunes from the Roaring Twenties!

  http://bit.ly/LOSTGIRLMUSICPLAYLIST

  The Lost Girl of Astor Street 1920s fashion guide: A guide for all the 1920s clothes, shoes, accessories, and hats you can handle. There are even some fashion tips for those dapper dudes in your life.

  http://bit.ly/LOSTGIRLFASHION

  Did you know? In the 1920s, women received the right to vote, Prohibition went into effect, and King Tut’s burial chamber was opened. Find out more with these 1920s time period fun facts.

  http://bit.ly/LOSTGIRLFUNFACTS

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