Last Seen: A gripping edge-of-your-seat thriller that you won’t be able to put down

“All right, I want to move on. Does Gage take any medication of any kind?”

“No.”

“Does he have any chronic illness or injury or condition?”

“No.”

“Has he ever needed or received counseling for any issues?”

“No.”

“Any problems in school?”

“Academically?”

“Start with that, yes.”

“No, his grades are good. He likes school. He completes his assignments. He’s very bright. He told me he wants to be an architect, that he wants to design buildings and stadiums.”

“What about peer pressure or bullying at school?”

“No, nothing that I’m aware of.”

Lang made notes while Faith glanced again at the camera up in the corner that was recording everything.

“Has anyone moved in or out of your neighborhood recently?”

Faith thought. “The Robinsons at the end of the block—they’re accountants. They retired and moved to Nevada about two months ago. A family—the Carrutherses, from Seattle—moved in with twin teens, a boy and a girl. They keep to themselves, pretty much. I think the dad works at O’Hare for United or Delta.”

“Have you observed anyone taking special interest in Gage?”

“No.”

“Anyone acting suspicious around him?”

“No.”

“Tell me about Cal, his personality. Just quick descriptors—would you say he’s calm or nervous?”

“Calm.”

“Overly suspicious or overly trusting?”

“Well, he’s a crime reporter, so I’d say suspicious.”

“Self-centered or a team player?”

“I’d lean to self-centered.”

“Heartless or compassionate?”

“Depends.”

“How?”

“If he needs an interview with someone, he can be as compassionate as he needs to be. If he’s trying to beat his competition on a story, he can be heartless, ruthless even.”

“Would you say your husband is a giver or a taker?”

Faith considered the question for a moment. “A taker.”

“A taker?”

“He’s often at work, or with friends, or sources. Taking Gage to the fair was like a gift of his time to us.”

“Would you characterize him as a workaholic?”

She nodded.

“Is that a source of tension for you and Cal?”

She took a moment to respond. “No. We’ve adapted.”

“Would you say Cal is solitary or needs to be with others?”

She brushed a tear from the corner of her eye.

“Solitary.”

“Deceptive or truthful?”

“Truthful, unless he’s suspected someone has deceived him.”

“What do you mean?”

“If he’s dealing with unsavory types for a story, that sort of thing, he’ll do whatever it takes to get at the truth.”

“Would you say he was arrogant, or humble?”

“Somewhere in between, I suppose.”

Lang made notes.

“All right. Now, Faith, prior to Gage’s disappearance, was there any significant event in his life and yours—a school problem, a relationship or family issue, something involving police, anything?”

Faith began shaking her head. “No, nothing out of the ordinary.”

“Any recent stress in your family, say, with something financial, a death?”