As I understand it, this was re-work from a job that wasn't done right last fall, so when he says it's been in the works for months, he's telling the truth. If he was really really busy, I can understand him wanting to sandwich a job like this in between other contracts, particularly because I don't think he's going to get paid for the rework, but he will still have to pay for his workers and employees. Perhaps he meant to be onsite at least part of the time to make sure the rework was done correctly - pretty awkward if his crew botched it a second time.
I must have missed something. MG is working at the Salida site, presumably for the day, but then BM abruptly sends her home at 11:00. SM's communications with her friend abruptly stop at 12:30. Sometime - that afternoon? - BM meets up with JP to discuss the job.
When did BM tell MG about the Bloomfield job?
She heard BM was out and about in town Saturday afternoon after he sent her home from the Salida site - did she get that from JP?
Honestly, at this point it almost sounds like BM particularly wanted JP and MG out of town, but I can't see for the life of me why. If the Bloomfield job was his backup alibi (in case the mountain lion or abduction stories didn't work out), he had to have known that it was a very easily checked alibi.
I've changed my mind multiple times, but at this moment I'm inclined to think he planned to get rid of SM but something threw a big monkey wrench in his plans Saturday morning and he freaked out.
Re: the mountain lion story and the local authorities' quick dismissal. Yes, mountain lions have attacked adult cyclists, even two cyclists riding together (on two bikes). BUT....the only time I've ever heard of that was on mountain biking trails, not on the side of a highway. Further, if a mountain lion does take a cyclist down, the first thing it does is drag it's prey away.
If SM had been attacked by a mountain lion as BM suggested, I find it hard to envision a scenario where the lion attacked the rider and the attack caused the bike to fly off the side of the road to the bottom of a ravine. Further, there certainly would be evidence of a body being dragged, whether from the side of the road or, more difficult to believe, rider and bike flew off the edge, down a ravine, and then the cat dragged the rider off.