"Excuse me," Julian asked one of the tailors, "did Karl come here today?"
The ghost looked up and blinked. "Karl? No, I haven't seen him."
They moved quickly through the open work floor, checking each familiar corner. The break room…empty. The fabric shelves neatly arranged. Even the side rooms where Karl sometimes sneaked in to nap under the wool rolls—completely untouched.
Adrian glanced toward Ruby's office door. It was closed, a warm light still glowing beneath the crack.
He walked over and knocked twice.
A pause. Then her voice, muffled but clear:
"Come in."
Adrian opened the door, and Ruby looked up from behind her desk, files stacked on both sides, her robe sleeves pushed up. Her red eyes narrowed slightly when she saw all three of them enter together, looking tense.
Julian spoke gently, trying to steady his voice. "Wife… is Brother Karl here?"
She blinked, confused. "No. I haven't seen him since this morning."
Silence.
Milo's face dropped.
