If I could just add some things to my last post.
I know it is VERY possible that if we were to get some other psychologist involved that he/she might have a totally different opinion. The science of the mind is inexact. It is not like physics where simple equations spit out exact answers. So, I am open to other therapist opinions.
What got me about my conversation with her was her confidence and her apparent familiarity with facts such as the ones I was telling her. It was not so much her psychology "educational" experience that she was using but her psychology "experience" in dealing with people with problems that I think she used to come to her conclusions. And, to me, that adds even more weight to what she said.
Her opinions would explain quite a bit if there was an illegal angle, such as drugs. It would make sense then that there is no Internet trail since no one dealing drugs, for example, is going to email anything about their business. It would make sense that there is no cell phone trail (allegedly) because experienced drug dealers use pay phones and Tracphones. It would also explain doing "business" on a Sunday because most drug dealers have regular jobs as a "cover", especially if they are doing quite a bit of business, so to explain their purchases and cashflow.
It could very well be that when Steven said he would have the rent caught up by January he meant that he would be getting paid for his "illegal" work. Maybe that Sunday he was supposed to get paid for going to Ruby Valley, Overton, etc. And somebody suddenly did not feel like paying him. OR, Steven said he couldn't do it anymore because he felt guilty. Well, they are just not going to let somebody walk away.
Granted, this is all conjecture but it all kind of fits. Much better than my "he met a hooker" scenario.
If I could suggest a plan of action, and if this illegal angle is something that some of us can buy into, it would be interesting to go back through the time line to try to figure out when this all might have started. Instead of looking at phone records from Dec. 11 and 12, maybe records from November need to be examined.
It also makes me think that some of us, including me, may have dismissed his former roommate too quickly. Not saying that the ex-roomie had anything to do with this but it would have given Steven knowledge of how the drug trade works being that his ex-roomie had drug history. All it would take it is one phone call to somebody in his ex-roomie's drug chain for Steven to get hooked up helping them transport or collect. And given Steven's naivete, I can really see him working for free and then hoping to get paid for all his work on Dec. 13.
And above everything else, it is very possible that the people on Evening Lights are totally innocent. It could be one of their children. A deadbeat brother. Someone like that. And a homeowner really has no idea what happened to Steven because they were not there when one of their family members was using their house as a drug drop-off point.
Some new questions:
-were any other cars ever seen parking in that cul de sac before? Not the previous day but weeks or months before.
-who was out of town around Dec. 13 on both Evening Lights and Portsmouth, and that short dead end street off of Portsmouth as well?
-were there any other fingerprints in Steven's car? I now believe more than ever that someone went back to Steven's car later, probably at night, to make sure nothing would give the criminals away.
-who really believes now that Steven's boss is just in the windows and blinds business?
Just sayin'. . .
I should also point out that I am not going to criticize anyone who wants to continue on the mental breakdown or suicide angle. They are still viable scenarios, just not in this one psychologist's mind. Her opinion is enough for me to make my mind up. But, I understand that the rest of you don't know her and you may not be convinced. That's fine.
But, I can tell you that on the strength of her conversation with me, I have decided to stick with the drug angle from now on.