Maryann nodded and then slammed the table, crying out, “That lying phony, how could he?” Detective Thompson let the moment pass without comment.

Then he continued. “Maryann told us she didn’t notice anything strange or different between him and Rachel. It seemed just like any other night, without any particular tension. After Danny left to go to Copley, Rachel and Maryann decided the boys would not go to her apartment that night.”

Thompson paused for a moment and wiped his brow. “Could I trouble you for a glass of water, Mrs. Schroeder?” Anna was quick to jump to her feet and fetch the water. Once she was seated, Thompson took a large sip, cleared his throat, and was about to start again when Sam interjected.

“So, you’re saying Danny thought the boys were going to be with Maryann when he went to go fire this store clerk?”

Thompson thought for a second and said, “We can presume that, but we don’t know for certain. I will try to present the facts as we know them based upon the information provided to us by the people who were participants. I would prefer to avoid making presumptions, but it’s likely you are correct.”

Detective Thompson continued, “At approximately 8:45, when Maryann left the Turner home, she drove past Rayburn Senior Center, and saw Danny and another man, whom she recognized as Logan Vonda, sitting in Danny’s truck, talking and apparently drinking coffee.” Thompson turned again to Maryann. “They were in the parking lot facing the street, according to our notes; is that correct, Maryann?”

“That’s right,” she answered. “I didn’t think much of it at the time, except that I thought it was weird that if he had just fired Logan over in Copley, that they would be sitting together in Danny’s truck, just down the road, but I forgot about it in a minute and just went home. If only I would have pulled in and asked what was going on!” Pete and Sam assured her she did the only logical thing she could do at the time.

“No,” Maryann protested, “I should have known something was fishy. Danny had had to fire a lot of guys over the years because someone was always doing something to get fired, and I knew it was probably true about this guy Logan, because I’d worked with him one summer, and I knew he was into petty stuff. When he had to fire someone, Danny would do it nicely, but he would always walk the guy to his locker, make him pack up, promise to send the last check, and get him out of the store as soon as possible.