Working to resolve a nagging combination of electrical symptoms plaguing my friend's 1986 245DL (wagon), n/a, M46

It all began with the door chime staying on all the time. Then the overhead light would not work.

Then the car would faile to atart (I replaced the starter)

Now the battery drains off over a period of 11 days.

I hooked up the multimeter in series on the positive side of the battery, pulled each fuse in trun and found -- nothing. Whereever the juice is flowing, it isn't passing through the fuse box.

I get 12 volts between the battery and the starter solenoid. When I pull off the small wire to the ignition switch, the flow stops. (I previously verified it is not the electic part of the ignition switch because I disconnected that bundle and still had electrcial flow)

Anyhow, I am looking for ideas about where to search for the short.

This wire leaving the solenoid is chafed bare to where it enters the harness. At the gray plug, all looks good.

I figure the on-going door chimes are involved, but not sure how.