mortgage payment to his parents for the first time. >> so this is approaching some sort of crisis. >> that's what we felt, yes. >> reporter: so motive? well, maybe. investigators told ernie they wanted to talk, and he agreed to come down to the station, where he explained their suspicions were groundless. ernie had an alibi. >> there will be transactions showing my drive from las vegas to california. >> reporter: he had driven from las vegas that afternoon, stopped for gas and a bite to eat at mcdonald's in primm, nevada. there were credit card records to prove it. he arrived around 5:00 p.m., fell asleep on the couch, watched a movie on tv and went to bed. wife and son were away, he said. and bright and early the next morning he met his elderly grandfather for a bridge tournament, which his grandfather ernest senior confirmed.