Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. I was just trying to emphasize, with my long-winded story, that it really all comes back to Jackson. If I’d never met Jackson, I wouldn’t be in here. I can draw a clear line connecting that first moment we kissed to right now, sitting in this chair, absolutely terrified to see the people on the other side of this wall. More terrified to talk to them than to you, if I’m being honest.

Interrogation Room 38

Soraya

MY NAME IS Soraya Azadi. I’m thirteen years old.

My brother, Amir, has been missing for a month. He disappeared the morning of his high school graduation.

Did I notice anything different or off about Amir before he disappeared? Was he talking to anyone suspicious? Well—

Mom, don’t give me that look. Amir is in the room next door, and I’m sure he’s telling the truth. He has nothing to be ashamed of. I’m sorry, Officer. I didn’t mean to snap. I’m just a little annoyed, that’s all. I don’t think it’s fair how my family got pulled into these rooms. I really don’t think it’s fair. I tried to record the whole thing back in the waiting room, but my mom made me put my phone away.

It has been a big misunderstanding. I’m so glad you can see that.

Sure. I can tell you everything. How long do you think this is going to take? I’ve already missed two rehearsals for the summer musical, and if I miss tonight’s, I . . . My mom is giving me that look again. She thinks I’m saying too much. It’s funny, I knew she would be like this when you asked to talk to me first. You see her face, right? I’ll read it for you: Soraya, be careful what you say. Soraya, we are Iranian. We deal with these matters privately, Soraya. If she were answering your question, she’d say no, we didn’t notice any signs that Amir was going to run away. And she’d be telling the truth. From her perspective, nothing was wrong. Nothing is ever wrong in her mind.

No, Mom, let me talk! What her face should be saying is, Soraya, thank you. Soraya, you saved the day. Soraya, it’s because of you we found your brother and brought him back.

Let me explain.

Interrogation Room 39

Afshin Azadi

BEFORE WE GO any further, let me get this straight. You are questioning my son in one room, correct? And my daughter and wife are together in another room. And you have me alone here in this room—and I think I know why you have put me in this separate room. I know it in my bones. The way you are looking at me, I think you know, too. That this is not my first time alone in a small room, just like this one.

Very well.

No, I don’t have anything more to say.

Thirty-One Days Ago

WHEN I LANDED at JFK Airport, the morning of my graduation, I felt safe. I was a world away from the nightmare of my senior spring. Most of all, I was away from Jake and the trouble he was about to cause for my family.