More had changed than Rick had yet imagined. In early October, Sue called Julie and told her that she inherited some home furnishings and would like Julie’s help in organizing and decorating the house. Julie asked about Rick’s involvement, since he seemed to resent any decisions made without his input.
“Rick will not overrule decisions this time,” Sue said. She went on to explain that she wanted shelves built by the fireplace to display special treasures. Julie made arrangements with a carpenter to do the work.
It was around this time that Rick began to exhibit an unusual interest in the sleeping arrangements in the Schooling household. “Which is your bedroom window, Charlene?” “Where does Susan sleep? In the guest house? Or in the main house?”
When Rick got only vague responses from Charlene, he asked Susan the same questions. For days, he questioned them about their domestic set-up every time an opportunity arose.
Charlene and Susan were both uneasy with the interrogation, but neither one of them could figure out what was going on in the convoluted thought processes of their neighbor. Later, they were certain of his motivation. They believed that Rick wanted to know exactly where each person would be so he could stage the murder of his wife without being observed.
Sue chronicled her life in her journal again.
A group of boys in the neighborhood were getting kicks out of playing ring and run—ringing the doorbell then running and hiding. It had gotten past the funny point. Rick’s grand plan was to load the boys in the car with water guns, chase the kids down and shoot water at them. I threw a fit. Rick relented and just ran after them and told them to quit.
One afternoon, the ringing and running started again. Rick hid behind the door waiting for their return. When they did, he pelted the kid with his shoe. When I got home, he bragged about it. I was upset. I knew the kid could have gone home and made up a story telling his mother that he was attacked by Rick without provocation.
“You are ridiculous,” Rick said. “Call the mom yourself if it is such a big deal. With all the SBC [Southwestern Bell Corporation] smoothing over language you use, I’m sure you can handle the problem.”
“If I call, Rick, it will just look like I am cleaning up your mess.”
He made the call but to the wrong parent. Apparently, he did not know which kid he hit with his shoe.
Later that month, Sue contacted Charles Parker, a private investigator. She complained that someone was sending emails to her husband accusing her of committing adultery. Whoever sent them, she told him, named hotels and restaurants she had visited on business trips. She suspected that the sender might be someone from her church. Sue denied the infidelity allegation and said that her husband believed her. She wanted to know who was sending the emails.
Parker said he would try to set up a meeting with that person. The emails came from several addresses, but all of them led back to ctsmith@mail.com. On October 17, Parker emailed that address, telling the recipient, “I am looking for you. Will you contact me?”
Parker received no reply from the email, but he knew it must have arrived because it did not bounce back. He assumed the emails had stopped, since he never heard from Susan McFarland again.