[He feels like a soldier reporting to a superior right now, but there's some comfort in that, too, even if it's a comfort he hates. It doesn't feel good to be better at this than being a comforting friend. But maybe the rest can come after the facts are out of the way.

He takes a deep breath, keeping the eye contact this time.]

As far as I could tell, it happened the day we couldn't get in touch with her. When you came back to the school from overseas.