How long did it last? Were drugs involved?
I just don't see Steven's movements as fugue-like, since they seemed so deliberate.
He's talking to people who call him, and also texting. No one's reported anything odd about the calls; in fact, they're infuriatingly "normal".
He goes to the temple, then drives to Ruby Valley (and visits someone he knows, who evidently didn't detect anything odd about his behavior). He returns home.
He resumes his work on Dec 11th.
On Dec 12th, he travels south and returns home. He buys Christmas presents for his brother's family. He returns home.
On December 13th, he travels south.
To me, it's all very purposeful, like he's tying up some loose ends. The presents may have been a caring message to someone.
Sorry it took me a while to respond. But the patient we had in the hospital...her state was not drug-induced. And my shifts are only 8 hours but she was there when I got there, and when I left, with NO variability of her state. None of the doctors knew what was going on with her actually. But the police came and took fingerprints etc. to get a file going on her so hopefully we could get her back to where she belonged. I'm sure someone was missing her.
But regarding Steven's movements leading up to his disappearance, I agree with you. It doesn't seem like a fugue-like state, because he is doing things very purposefully. However, I think it was ConcernedCitizen that said in another post that this "I don't know who I am" state could have come upon him after he walked down Evening Lights.
I'm not entirely convinced about this either, Laytonian. Just my thoughts on that possibility.