Q: You had no knowledge as to whether or not it was still in your truck, then, at Christmas?

A: No, sir, I do not.  I kept it covered with some rags and things.

Q: But Edward Williams frequently rode in your truck, did he not?

A: Edward Williams even drove my truck from time to time.

Q: By the way, was the lock broken on your truck door?

A: The lock on the right-hand side of the truck was broken.

Q: It could not be locked?

A: No, sir.

Zeigler said that he had bought the small Beretta automatic to carry as a personal weapon; he said that the larger Securities revolver, which he had carried in a shoulder holster, got uncomfortable under a jacket in the summer.

Q: Did you go out on  your collections, sir, and collect cash?

A: I ran a collection route three nights a week.

Q: How much would you average on one of these collection routes?

A: Anywhere from fifteen hundred to two thousand dollars.

Q: How would most of the payments be made to you?

A: In cash.

Q: Now how about in the store itself?  Did people come in and make payments on their bills and things like this at the store?

A: Yes, they did.

Q: How were these payments made?  What form were they normally made in?

A: At the store you get a fair amount of checks and cash.

Q: Was there a considerable amount of cash normally on hand?

A: Yes, sir, we kept quite a bit for cashing checks.

Hadley and Zeigler began to cover the key points of the hours before the murders.

In the morning, Charlie Mays had asked about a used TV; Zeigler showed him one that he had on consignment, which he was selling for $350 cash.  At no time during the day did he invite Mays back to the store after closing.  He did not expect Mays to buy the TV, since Mays was already delinquent on an account.  For that reason, the $50 down payment on the linoleum was larger than usual.

At closing time, he told Curtis Dunaway not to turn on the four sets of overhead lights in the front windows: "I really didn't think there would be too many people out doing any window-shopping over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day."  A large Christmas wreath, two "chain lamps," and a pole lamp with three light fixtures were left on in the store.