CHAPTER FIFTY - The Map That Leads to Danger

"And you're sure Ms. Ramirez didn't mention any plans to travel?" one of the detectives asked. Lucas shook his head, his voice hoarse from hours of frantic calls. "No, nothing. Julian was supposed to be in school. We were meant to have him this weekend." The detective nodded, making a note in his pad. "We'll do everything we can to locate them. In the meantime, if you hear anything at all, please let us know immediately." As the detectives left, promising to keep them updated, Ella turned to Lucas. The anguish on his face broke her heart. "They'll find them," she said, trying to inject confidence into her voice. "Carla wouldn't just disappear without a trace." But as the days passed with no news, that confidence began to waver. They plastered the town with missing person posters, reached out to every contact they could think of, but it was as if Carla and Julian had simply vanished into thin air. Ella watched as Lucas grew more desperate with each passing day. He barely ate, bare