(part 2 and conclusion of the story)
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In the UK, RB is so close to pulling off his complete swindle of Marion, but what to do about the house money in Australia? Marion must go back to withdraw it. RB would never try and fake that. THAT would be absolute theft and it would be on his home turf. He knows there is deed poll evidence of Marion’s changed name linking her to him.
Marion is promised a new life in Luxembourg, once they have her money. They’ll only fly back for a few days— perhaps on different flights, as RB makes his excuses sound plausible. Marion does what she’s told, but finds she is limited in her withdrawals. So she takes the opportunity to go to her optometrist and perhaps see about other medical issues. After all it will be a while before she can see a new doctor. These are the mundane things we do before starting a new life. But once again, she is not following orders from RB.
Here’s where Marion becomes the one with a difference. Did her suspicions suddenly cause her to act out, to challenge RB? Did his rage come when he finds out she saw doctors? Talked to people around the motel? Did her anger trigger his own childhood of female abandonment, so that he loses control and assaults her? Did she threaten to turn him in? To call her family? Did she go through his wallet and find out that he had many different names? Follow him to his home with D?
The one thing I know happened is that back on home turf, in Australia, being separated from RB as he went back and forth to his wife-- Marion feels stronger. Less sure she wants adventure. Happy to be home and near security, she starts to question everything. But it's too late. Whatever happens in Australia, it is outside RB’s standard operating procedure. Marion upsets the plan, and Marion loses. She is murdered either by accident or by intent. RB has the money and all other the other things Marion had, but now there is a murder and he is linked to it. He calls his wife. He tells her everything, completely blaming Marion. Now his wife is an accessory to his crime of murder. They dispose of Marion’s body.
Everything changes for RB, and for a short while— months, years— he lays low. He swears to himself, he’ll be more careful. He’ll change. But as anyone who knows grifters knows, they never change. The tragedy of Marion was just a blip on RB’s radar, and he moves on.
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