According to Ms. Merritt, the woman J.B. Beasley and Tracie Hawlett asked for directions at the gas station in Ozark, AL, the girl's car was spotless. I thought I read that a police officer who had seen the girl's car earlier in the night said the Mazda 929 was already dirty. So who to believe? Like so many cases, when the information is contradictory it is hard to come to any conclusions.
I think sometimes with a case like this you really just have to forget all the speculative questions and focus on one specific question. It has been determined based on the blood movement in the trunk that the killer drove the girls vehicle and you can also conclude that based on the car keys missing. In my opinion, the specific question is this:
If someone commits a murder where they leave the bodies in the trunk of the car and drive it to a specific place where they know it will be found, how far away do they drive the car from where they live? Or from where they kidnapped the girls?
Once that question is figured out, while it does not solve the case, it certainly will help narrow down where the crime occurred that night.
And last, how far do they walk with wet or muddy shoes and socks and possible briars on their pants?