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Salt Lake City

CHAPTER 3

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Helen's letter to Devon

Excerpt from Helen's 22 page letter to her grandson, 1987 

Bayesian probability 

AI probability calculation of the real likelihood of Helen's story

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Jerry Gonyea Memorial

Memorial marker in Shelly's backyard in Utah

Titanic Survivor That Wasn't

Nora Hegarty who Helen described as a "Titanic Survivor" on one of her tapes.

https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/titanic-victim/hanora-nora-hegarty.html

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Audio clip of Helen explaining that she had another name... Agnes

Helen narrating 1958 home movie of Perry Point VA Hospital and University of Maryland.

INSPIRATIONS EXPLAINED...

     The images and documents shared on each chapter's inspirations page are real but the story isn't. What that means is that you are looking at the same things we were while working to uncover the secrets our parents hid. We soon discovered, as you will, that there were too many gaps left unfilled to present a complete history of their lives. So, rather than leaving those gaps unfilled, we used logic and reason, along with large doses of imagination, to fill the gaps. 


     The inspirations pages give you a chance to look at exactly the same things we looked at in the fictional reconstruction of the real investigation presented in the book. If that sounds convoluted and contradictory now, just wait until you hear Helen's tapes...

    

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The book is a work of fiction inspired by elements of family lore and historical themes. All characters, events, institutions, programs, and technologies depicted in this companion to the book are portrayed in a fictionalized and speculative manner. Any real-world references are used for narrative context only and do not represent factual claims about actual persons, organizations, or historical events.

The story incorporates imagined reconstructions, subjective recollections, and AI-generated analyses that model uncertainty and inference; these elements are presented as hypotheses and narrative devices within the fictional world and should not be understood as verified or authoritative accounts. Names, characteristics, affiliations, timelines, and actions have been altered, combined, or invented for creative purposes. Any resemblance to real persons or entities—living or dead—is coincidental and does not imply actual conduct, intent, or involvement. This companion site and the novel represent an alternate-reality interpretation and should be read as speculative fiction.

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