from hawaii who -- hang ten. >> but she took him in as a boarder? >> it was my understanding that he was -- had been diagnosed with cancer. and i think they sort of co-supported each other through a lot of the painful times that they were both experiencing. >> reporter: once inside her house, carol put together a salad for dinner, answered a few emails. settled in for an evening alone. she picked up the phone and called her mother ruth who lived way off in nashville, tennessee. >> she was an amazing daughter who still called her mom every day. >> reporter: ruth was 83. the call, a nightly ritual. and then at 8:00 p.m., the oddest thing. the line went dead. but not before ruth heard something rather terrifying. ruth tried to call back. nothing. and there she was, so far away, and now worried. so she decided to call the