()27 years ago an entire class vanished, until a desperate mother noticed a crucial detail…

I’m sorry I couldn’t take your call earlier, I was tied up with an urgent case, he explained, his voice apologetic. Laura felt a mix of frustration and urgency. Officer, you need to take this seriously.

Audrey has confessed that she’s a survivor, she’s finally ready to talk, she insisted, her heart racing. If that’s true, we’ll reopen the case, Officer Jensen replied, his demeanour shifting to one of focus. He motioned for Audrey to follow him into an interview room, leaving Laura, Helen and Matthew waiting anxiously in the sterile waiting area.

As the door closed behind Audrey, Laura felt a surge of hope mixed with fear. She could only pray that Audrey would summon the courage to speak the truth, that this moment would finally bring some answers, and perhaps some closure, to all the families affected by the tragedy. Not long after Audrey was led into the interrogation room, Laura, Helen and Matthew began to notice movement throughout the police station.

Officers bustled around, their voices rising in urgency as they received orders. The air was thick with anticipation as they overheard commands being shouted. A unit was dispatched to Principal Lillian’s house with an arrest notice.

Hope flickered in Laura’s chest, and she exchanged glances with Helen and Matthew. This was it. Audrey must have shared everything she knew with the officers.

Just then the sharp sound of police sirens sliced through the air as the unit departed, and the tension in the room grew palpable. Less than an hour later the anticipation turned into reality as the officers returned, leading a handcuffed Principal Lillian into the police station. She walked with her head down, the weight of her circumstances evident in her slumped shoulders.

I’m sorry, she mumbled as she locked eyes with Laura, Helen and Matthew, her voice barely above a whisper, but the officers pushed her forward with unwavering authority, guiding her toward the booking area. Hours crawled by as Laura, Helen and Matthew sat in anxious silence, each lost in their thoughts about what had just unfolded. Then they saw an officer enter the room where Audrey was being questioned.

Laura leaned in closer, straining to catch snippets of the muffled conversation. She heard the officer mention something about Lillian Brooke’s statement being ready, and that she had confessed the whole truth. Before long the officer emerged from the room and beckoned Laura, Helen and Matthew to join him.

Their hearts raced as they followed him into the interrogation room where Audrey sat, her expression a mixture of relief and apprehension. Inside the atmosphere felt charged with urgency. The officer wasted no time in laying out the details of the case.

Principal Brooks has confessed during her interrogation, he began, his voice steady but sombre. She was the one who organized the entire class trip. She framed the teacher, Mr. Gregory, to take the fall for what happened.

She was under immense pressure, she had debts she couldn’t pay, and the loan sharks turned out to be dangerous. They threatened her family. Laura’s breath caught in her throat as the officer continued.

The trip that was meant to be for Big Bend Park was sabotaged. It appears that Principal Brooks conspired with the kidnappers, resulting in the driver’s death. The body couldn’t be found, as you already know in our initial investigation.

Then they abducted the teacher and the children, transporting them to a border area in Mexico, where all the kids were trafficked and smuggled into another country. They were forced into organ trafficking. Laura’s heart sank as the officer hesitated, a grim look crossing his face.

This may be hard to hear, but I need to tell you the whole truth. The female students were targeted for various forms of exploitation by Mexican gangsters in Mexico. The male students—he paused, swallowing hard—they were sold overseas for child labour.

The weight of his words hung in the air, heavy and suffocating. Laura felt her stomach twist in knots as the horrifying reality of the situation sank in. She glanced at Helen and Matthew, who looked equally stunned, their faces pale as they processed the terrible revelations.

Audrey sat in the room, her eyes cast downward as she suddenly spoke up to Laura and Helen. I was the only one who made it out alive, she whispered, her voice trembling with the weight of memories. Twelve years ago I managed to escape from the man who had purchased me and forced me into exploitation…