EPISODE 4: THE FLIGHT ## CHAPTER 1: THE DEBTS By late 1893, the Castle's walls were closing in—financially, if not criminally. Holmes had never intended to pay for his creation. The building rose on a foundation of fraud, credit stretched beyond any reasonable limit, and debts that multiplied faster than Holmes could evade them. Suppliers wanted payment for construction materials delivered years ago. Creditors demanded returns on investments Holmes had spent. Insurance companies began asking questions about policies that had paid out suspiciously often. The World's Fair was over. The flood of visitors that had filled Holmes's coffers was drying up. Englewood was returning to its normal rhythms, and normal rhythms included debt collectors. Holmes made a calculation. The Castle had served its purpose. It was time to move on. --- ## CHAPTER 2: THE DEPARTURE In early 1894, H.H. Holmes vanished from Chicago. He didn't formally close his businesses or settle his affairs. One day he was managing his pharmacy and hotel; the next, he was gone. Employees arrived to find doors locked. Creditors received no response to their demands. Holmes had practiced disappearing his entire adult life. He'd abandoned wives, escaped debts, shed identities like snakeskins. Leaving Chicago was simply the latest iteration of a familiar pattern. But this time, he wasn't running alone. --- ## CHAPTER...