It was pretty scary. I suspect it was only about 8-10 minutes. He ate, I microwaved popcorn. He went out to pee. I sat down to surf, and had only had a couple of bites of the popcorn. But lord how scary. You're right cookiebaker, it was, in some ways easier that I didn't know he was gone til he returned. It would have driven me out of my mind.
I love your idea of the nice thing to do cinder and smoke! I'll do that. I know who he is, but havent yet met him officially. I know he's been staying with his elderly mother across the street the last month or so. So I'll go over there.

God, how scary. In almost 4 years this is the first scare like this I've had. I don't ever want to have one again!