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

“Does he take risks?”

“No, he’s cautious.”

“Would you say he’s a fearful, anxious child, pessimistic?”

“No, he’s positive, easygoing.”

“Any behavioral problems at all?”

“No. And he does well in school.”

“Has he tried drugs that you know of?”

“He’s nine.”

“We both know age doesn’t seem to matter these days.”

“No, he hasn’t touched drugs.”

“How does he interact with strangers?”

“You mean when he meets new people, or creeps?”

“Any way you want to answer.”

“He knows to stay away from strangers, but he’s respectful when he meets new people with us, that sort of thing.”

“Does he have access to the internet?”

“Yes, at school and at home.”

“Has he ever met or communicated with a stranger online?”

“No, there are guards on what he can access at school and at home. These things are monitored.”

“What does he do online?”

“He plays games and he chats on a site called ELZ, the earLoadzone. It’s for younger kids and he only talks to people he knows, like his buddies Marshall, Colton, Ethan and their friends.”

“What sort of things do they talk about?”

“Movies, video games. They talked about the Chambers of Dread—that’s mostly where they dared each other to go on it.”

“You sure he only talks to his friends? People can lurk on these sites.”

“We monitor it closely. We can see who he talks to. So can the parents of the other kids.”

“All right, but we’re going to want to look into his history and who chatted with him. Does he have a cell phone?”

“No.”

“Have you noticed any strange activity in your lives within the last few months? Say, strangers asking for directions, wrong numbers, strange vehicles, anything that struck you as odd or out of the ordinary?”

“No, nothing like that.”

“Has Gage ever expressed or displayed any fear, unease or discomfort about anyone in particular?”

“No.”

“Who would you say he is closest to?”

“Besides us?”

“Any way you want to answer.”

“Well, after us, I’d say his pals Marshall, Colton and Ethan.”

“Has Gage ever stayed away from home?”

“Sure, camp and sleepovers with his friends.”

“Has he ever snuck out without permission?”

“No.”

“Run away from home?”

“No.”

Price paged back through her notes.

“Okay, let’s go back. Take me through the attraction again. Everything you can remember—who was ahead of you, who was behind you. No detail is too small. And with respect to you, Faith and Gage, who was with who right up until you realized Gage was missing.”

Cal related everything he could recall, noting how the fog, the darkness, the loud noises and flashing lights often made things chaotic, confusing and hard to distinguish details.

“But at no point did Gage allow either you or your wife to hold his hand?”

“That’s correct.”

“What was his demeanor?”

“He seemed nervous but in a fun way, like he was scared but having fun. Excited.”

“Did you notice anyone talking to him, hanging around him?”

“No, well, outside he had a short conversation with the ticket taker. That heavy guy you got out there.”

“What was the nature of that conversation?”