...As I've also stated, if someone were going to pick her up it would make the most sense for her to just say 'park in front of my place'... 'park around the corner if you don't want to be seen', etc. Phelps Gate is not a place you want to meet someone in secret! I see no reason why Suzanne would choose to meet a ride a few blocks away from Phelps Gate instead of at her apartment....
The obvious scenario, which I've not seen discussed in the subsequent messages is as follows:
1. SJ had arranged to or had been asked to meet with someone that evening.
2. The person she was meeting was someone she was keeping secret from outsiders or regarded some subject she was keeping secret. (This could be the secret lover scenario or the 'informant' for her thesis scenario, take your pick or create your own) Note: secrets, by definition, are secret - why would we expect that she would tell anyone or write about it in a diary.
3. Because of secrecy, she specifically told the friend that she was tired and going home (to deflect any request to do something together that evening)
4. The exact meeting time had NOT been pre-arranged. This was due to the engagement at Buddies. When she would have completed her duties there would have been uncertain. Hence, SJ had to call for pick up when she was done.
5. The e-mail log on can be explained as burning time until the person who was picking her up got close to the agreed meeting place given her anticipated walk time to the meeting spot and the other person's drive time. Furthermore, if the meeting spot was chosen in a less desirable part of town (i.e., diminish the possibility of being recognized) then she would have wanted to time her arrival with some care so that she did not have to linger in that location by herself.
6. Because the contact was secret, the pick up location would be sufficiently off-campus so that it would be improbable that either would be recognized at the rendevous location. This condition could have been imposed by either - it doesn't matter to the scenario.
7. The call, if made from her apt, indicating that she was ready to be picked up, would have to be a local call, since local call detail (unless you are on metered service) is not retained. She wouldn't have been thinking of this, but it explains why there is no 'lead' to follow up. (Question: how large is the local calling area in New Haven? That fact would largely determine the maximum distance the person she was meeting could drive and still make the meet given the how much time she spent in her apt plus the walk time to some distance off-campus). In this hypothetical it was likely the call was made from her apt since if she could have used a pay phone it would imply that the contact was both close and available and therefore there would be no need to go back to the apt. (Note that local call detail records for pay phones are retained and I would presume that the NHPD checked the records of all the pay phone in the vicinity of her actvities that evening prior to returning to her apt) There is, of course, the possibility (in this scenario) that the person she was meeting also had a constrained schedule and she knew that person would be unavailable at the time she had projected completing the Buddies activity which again would put her in the situation of going back to her apt to call and burn time.
The foregoing explains the return to the apt, the logon, the walk off campus (when she told others she was going home to stay - if memory serves), permits the car pickup which then explains the distance from campus where the body was found. It fits in better with the 'rage' killing since rage implies someone she knew.
It also diminishes the likelihood that the secret meeting was with the Professor since there would have been no need for such secrecy, i.e, 'I'm going to meet the Professor to talk about my thesis.'
Hence, we have a secret meeting with person(s) unknown. None of the available suspects or even non-suspects well fit the scenario.
But that's why it was secret - Catch 22.
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