Rick was with his children at the Cromacks’ house on Elizabeth Road in Terrell Hills. The police posted a team in front to monitor Rick’s activity.
When Margot got up Saturday morning, the kids were all gathered around the television, but Rick could not be found anywhere. She went over to 351 Arcadia and asked if Rick McFarland was there, or if the officers knew where he was.
Everyone there thought he was at Margot’s house. At some point, early in the morning, out of sight of his spotters, Rick slipped out the back door and was not seen for the rest of the day.
Margot spent the whole day cooking for six hungry kids. She tried to reach Rick without success all day long and into the night.
At 5 A.M. Sunday morning, Rick knocked on the door of a Bible study friend, Attorney Corbin Snow. Rick said he needed a shower and an attorney. Snow had a detached guest house with a kitchen and a bath. He allowed Rick to use it to clean up and take a nap.
Rick left behind the clothes he wearing on November 29—a pair of red wine-colored pants, a pair of boxer shorts and a white pullover shirt. Later, an aluminum Little League baseball bat was found under the bed. The bat was scratched and had a large chip missing out of the end. After a thorough examination, none of these items was of any evidentiary value.
On Sunday, officers released 356 Arcadia and Harriet returned to her house. While she was there, Rick called Ned Wells, saying that he had spoken to their Realtor the week before and now needed her name and phone number.
Ned did not feel in a helpful mood and played dumb. Rick blathered on. “I’m trying to work on my time line.”
“Well, Rick, her sign is still in our front yard, you can look out your window and see it.”
“No, I can’t,” Rick said. “I’m at a remote location.”
Ned could only shake his head. Remote location? Man, this guy is weird.
Realtor Deborah Mills received several calls from the same number that day. She suspected they were from Rick and, not wanting a repeat of the last strange encounter, did not answer. The caller did not leave any messages.
Ann and Kirsten drove down to San Antonio in the belief that they would return home in a day or two. They were convinced that Sue would show up at work on Monday morning with some incredible tale that would explain the whole mystery.
After all, they had never seen any violence from Rick. They didn’t think he had the concentration or creativity to conceive and follow through on a lethal plot. They did not believe that Sue would allow Rick to get the best of her.