Media pressure increased, and the police expanded the search area. For the first time, a previously unthinkable hypothesis emerged: the involvement of another person.
And this theory was strengthened when, at the end of the day, a rescuer found a modern and relatively new rope, which belonged neither to Julián, nor to Clara, nor to the teams working in the area.
“Someone has been here,” said Morel, looking at the mountain as if it might answer him.
But the mountain remained silent.
What they found the next day, however, would speak volumes for her.
The third day of searching proved crucial. The exploration extended to the upper part of the fissure, where the rock formed a sort of vertical corridor dotted with ledges and small platforms. Experts said a person could have barely crossed it… but not a nine-year-old girl alone.
Twenty meters from the cave, they found traces of recent human activity: faint footprints, as if someone had climbed on tiptoe. The strange thing was that they seemed too recent to correspond to the time of the disappearance.
The turning point came when one of the rescuers found a star-shaped metal pendant among the scattered stones. The family immediately confirmed that it belonged to Clara. It was her favorite amulet, the one she had worn since she was five.
But the biggest surprise came three hours later.
On a natural ledge, half-hidden among dry bushes, they found a metal first aid kit, rusted at the edges but clearly placed there on purpose. Inside were bandages, remnants of medicine… and a note carefully folded in a plastic bag.
