The problem is solved - thanks.
Seems the "green wire" was the culprit - removed it yesterday, and today all is well. Plenty of electricity today.
This thread does provide a great summary of how to look for leaks, by putting the multimeter in serial between the battery and the cable. I also tried removing the fuses and putting the meter in serial with the red probe down (bottom of fuse area) and the black probe on the top -
This also discusses how to see how many volts are charging - by setting the meter to volts and probing the two battery terminals.
Great information
Others contributed - thanks - but a special thanks to haasman, who even asked inquisitive questions, and Stoney's simple comment - it's probably an aftermarket device.
I am soooo happy the car IS NOT going to the shop for them to perform an electric system review - that can take hours.
But I am going to the AutoZone for a free charger system check.