On Christmas night, Ali and Nana eat leftovers and watch basketball on TV. The next morning, Dr. Cross wakes Ali early and takes him to breakfast. Alex announces that their next stop is Detective Sutter’s office for an update on Gabe’s case, but he reminds his son that Sutter is the detective here, not Ali. Nevertheless, Ali is happy for the chance to learn more about his missing friend and agrees eagerly to come along.

The DC Metropolitan Police Department—MPD—has a separate youth services building. Detective Sutter greets them, and Ali immediately blurts out, “Do you know if Gabe ran away? […] Or do you think maybe someone snatched him up?” (54) She says kidnapping is rare. Meanwhile, when Gabe’s cell phone is on, they’ve tracked it but not yet to a specific location.

Sutter asks Ali if he noticed anything unusual about Gabe on the day he disappeared. Ali says Gabe is somewhat unusual all the time: He’s shy, tends to keep to himself, and is super-smart. He was supposed to meet Ali online to play the video game Outpost, but he never signed in and hasn’t answered any of Ali’s texts.  

Ali asks questions about Gabe’s phone, but Sutter reminds him to focus on her questions.