A security camera showed him leaving at 5:18 p.m., walking quickly toward his pickup.

There was an important problem with the timeline.

Ashley remembered her father leaving on Monday, saying he’d be back in thirty minutes.

Friday’s pawn ticket was four days before the evening emergency dispatch believed she called.

Had she confused the days because she was ill, or had he gone out more than once?

Owen did not pretend the contradiction wasn’t there.

He returned to the house, where a wall calendar helped.