This is no great mystery to anyone who has read earlier posts on this thread (always a good idea).
Sunday, Sept 6, Mark preaches at Walkers and apparently told his congregation that he and the family were going away to the beach for a week.
Later that day, possibly the next, i'm not positive, they went as a family to Richmond and picked up Sam. He wasn't hiding in their basement, they knew he was coming and he stayed in the house, of course.
The "lost dates" are also easily explained --the group did not teleport to Michigan -- nor did they fly, they drove a van. Virginia and Michigan are not neighboring states, so, yes, it takes some time. Perhaps they spent a night along the way.
It is certainly possible, just like all the other variables discussed here, that Emma threw him over and may even have asked him to leave early, especially if their falling out at the concert actually happened. The right thing to do would have been for him to call for extra funds so he could change his ticket date, or failing that, Emma's parents should have stepped to the plate, since they had, after all, welcomed him into their home. Maybe they did just that.
Indeed, and I'll try to found out tomorrow after the funeral -- where was Mark going that Thursday late afternoon...to Richmond, we know, and we know what he told others, but maybe he was going to come down and see if he could work out travel arrangements for Sam. A number of others spoke with him during the week leading up to his murder (mark, that is) but he naturally did not reveal personal gripes or concerns. And I guess we'll never know now.
