Last comment on this episode ... The homeowner did not reveal to me that he had changed the fixtures until I was well into the diagnostic process. It turns out the old fixtures were just rusted out, so he got "handy" and pulled them to please the wife. Turns out he installed 120VAC bulbs because that is what the instructions said ... not knowing he only had 12VDC in the line.
Had I gotten the correct info at the start, it would have saved time and trouble. Oh well, at least their guests can see the stair steps now (after 9 months) ...