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officers observed that there were two entrances to the warehouse, a single-car roll-up door and a door that led to an office area. "I'm the only one with the key, since I'm the only employee," Scott told them as he unlocked the office door.
    "There's no electricity," he then announced as he led the men inside. Neither officer flipped the light switches to test his assertion. Although Brocchini would be criticized for fingering Scott as early as he did, at this point he was still willing to take Scott's word about the electricity. Grabbing a Streamline flashlight with a rechargeable battery, the detective spotted a computer and a fax machine with an incoming fax in the tray. He noted the date, December 24, and the time it had been sent, 14:28, or 2:28 P.M. "Tell me about this fax?" he asked Scott.
    "I think I received it before I left to go fishing," Scott replied. "It's from
New Jersey
, so there's a three-hour time difference."
    Once again, Scott's stories weren't making any sense. "If you got it at 11:28, that would have been kind of late to go to Berkeley." the detective mused. "It's cutting it kind of close leaving Modesto at 11:28 and arriving in Berkley at 12:54."
    "Well, maybe I got it when I got back from Berkeley, but I remember getting it and reading it."
    "Would you roll up the door so I can at least position my car in front of the shop, so I'll have some light besides this flashlight?" Brocchini requested.
    "Sure." Striding to the warehouse area, Scott heaved open the roll-up door while the detective repositioned his vehicle, using his high beams to illuminate the boat. Only later did it occur to him that if Scott's computer and fax machine were working that morning, the electricity was certainly working then.
    The boat sat atop its trailer. It appeared dry on the outside, but there was water visible in the bow. The detective noticed a chunk of concrete with a rebar hoop on one end on the floor of the boat. Scott identified it as a homemade anchor, but there was no rope attached. Brocchini paused for a moment to examine what appeared to be concrete debris along the rib line inside the boat. It was not on the actual rim, but on the edges inside of the vessel that ran horizontal to the bottom and up both sides. There did not appear to be any reason that concrete particles would be there or on the table nearby. He noticed scratches on one side as well.
    A pair of yellow rubber gloves and a short red docking line lay inside the boat. Both were wet. One ultralight rod and reel, and a similar saltwater rig, were also in the boat. The freshwater rod was fitted with a small Mitchell reel spooled with braided line with a small lure tied to the end. The reel was missing its crank handle. The saltwater rig, a new-looking Master Brand rod and reel, was broken down into parts. The reel was spooled with what appeared to be seventeen-pound monofilament line. A small buzz lure, used for top water bass fishing, hung from the line. Both rod and reel had what appeared to be residue, possibly salt, on the exterior. A small tackle box sat nearby.
    As Brocchini photographed the boat, Scott said, "I hope you don't show those to my boss," apparently worried that he would get in trouble for using the warehouse to store his boat. Even granting that different people react differently under stressful conditions, any good investigator would have noticed the behavior as odd. As Brocchini noted, "This appeared to be suspicious concern from a husband of a missing woman."
    After the warehouse search, Detective Brocchini and Officer Evers took Scott to the Modesto Police Department headquarters at
600 Tenth Street
for a formal interview. The downtown building was just minutes from the Peterson home, around the corner from the county jail.
    "I haven't been taking notes all night," Brocchini told Scott as they pulled into the station house. "I'd like to sit down so I can take some notes and get a more thorough statement from you."
    Scott agreed.
    The