Bob Sands

And then, sometime after midnight, Trooper Fagan got a phone call from the local police department over in Crescent saying the Atomic Energy Commission wanted to inspect Karen's car for radioactivity.

And then, sometime after midnight, Trooper Fagan got a phone call from the local police department over in Crescent saying the Atomic Energy Commission wanted to inspect Karen's car for radioactivity.

The third was a Kerr-McGee representative. Fagan said the men spent about 20 minutes going through Karen's car, including her papers. They waved around a Geiger counter to check if anything was hot or contaminated. Steve thinks this would have given the Kerr-McGee employee the chance to look at every single piece of paper.

The third was a Kerr-McGee representative. Fagan said the men spent about 20 minutes going through Karen's car, including her papers. They waved around a Geiger counter to check if anything was hot or contaminated. Steve thinks this would have given the Kerr-McGee employee the chance to look at every single piece of paper.

The next morning, Fagan returned to the crash site and checked the road for skid marks. He found no marks, and it suggested to him she had fallen asleep.

The next morning, Fagan returned to the crash site and checked the road for skid marks. He found no marks, and it suggested to him she had fallen asleep.

Steve became even more suspicious when he retrieved the box of Karen's things that had been recovered from her car. Remember, he'd been waiting for Karen to show up that night to meet the New York Times reporter. She was supposed to deliver the evidence she'd been collecting. Evidence that would support her allegations that Kerr-McGee was falsifying quality control reports.

Steve became even more suspicious when he retrieved the box of Karen's things that had been recovered from her car. Remember, he'd been waiting for Karen to show up that night to meet the New York Times reporter. She was supposed to deliver the evidence she'd been collecting. Evidence that would support her allegations that Kerr-McGee was falsifying quality control reports.

Steve was eager to see if the papers he was looking for were among the belongings recovered from her car.

Steve was eager to see if the papers he was looking for were among the belongings recovered from her car.

The way Trooper Fagan described the documents was strange, too. Remember, three witnesses described seeing documents scattered around the crash site and how a patrolman gathered them up and put them in the car. Trooper Fagan later told an FBI agent that the night of the crash, he saw a thin red spiral notebook in the back of Karen's crushed car, along with two stacks of paper in the back seat.

The way Trooper Fagan described the documents was strange, too. Remember, three witnesses described seeing documents scattered around the crash site and how a patrolman gathered them up and put them in the car. Trooper Fagan later told an FBI agent that the night of the crash, he saw a thin red spiral notebook in the back of Karen's crushed car, along with two stacks of paper in the back seat.

And that description of two stacks of paper sounded off to Steve Watka.

And that description of two stacks of paper sounded off to Steve Watka.

The union wanted A.O. Pipkin to see if the Oklahoma State Highway Patrol's version of events held up. So when A.O. Pipkin arrived in Oklahoma on November 16, 1974, he started assembling his puzzle pieces one by one. He inspected every inch of Karen's car. He walked the accident scene and measured Karen's tire marks on the grass. He read Fagan's accident report. He took photographs.

The union wanted A.O. Pipkin to see if the Oklahoma State Highway Patrol's version of events held up. So when A.O. Pipkin arrived in Oklahoma on November 16, 1974, he started assembling his puzzle pieces one by one. He inspected every inch of Karen's car. He walked the accident scene and measured Karen's tire marks on the grass. He read Fagan's accident report. He took photographs.

He drew diagrams. and he hired outside experts to review his work.

He drew diagrams. and he hired outside experts to review his work.

One, Karen's car had crossed the center line and veered off the left side of the road. Pipkin wrote in his report that typically, when a driver falls asleep at the wheel, they drift to the right, not to the left. That's because the road has a little peak or crown at the center. It slants so the rain will run off.

One, Karen's car had crossed the center line and veered off the left side of the road. Pipkin wrote in his report that typically, when a driver falls asleep at the wheel, they drift to the right, not to the left. That's because the road has a little peak or crown at the center. It slants so the rain will run off.