The Argument in the Lobby
They argued about the bill at 3:27 AM. Schaefer was probably checking-in and he needed to produce Sheila's credit card for his room. Sheila knew by then that she paid $12,000 for Schaefer's business class plane ticket, so she told Mack and Schaefer to pay for the hotel.
Mack and Schaefer texted about the murder. Around 8 AM Mack was waiting for Sheila to fall asleep. They had a code, something like "saying hi" to mean they were murdering Sheila no matter what. At 10:30 AM, Mack answered a wake up call and declined coffee.
Has the autopsy report been released? Toxicology for pain killer overdose? Did she try and fail, or did she lie to Schaefer?
So they tried to get their passports, left out the back door and went to the airport. They were found in a hotel 6 miles away. Sounds like they had a good plan to fly out of Bali to Italy or France after leaving the suitcase in the taxi. Sheila kept them in the country.
"Wealthy socialite Sheila von Weise Mack had a blazing row with her daughter and the teenager's boyfriend over a hotel bill hours before her body was found crammed into a blood-stained suitcase on the holiday island of Bali.
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Witnesses have told police that Mrs Mack, her 19-year-old daughter Heather and boyfriend Tommy Schaefer, 21, had a row at the reception desk of the luxury St Regis Hotel on Wednesday morning before her body was shuffled from the hotel in a silver suitcase.
Staff have told police that the three argued about who should pay the bill when they were due to check out on Thursday.
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Witnesses reported that she and her mother were seen arguing on a number of occasions at the hotel, causing some staff to be concerned that the couple might even come to blows.
'The mother had all the appearances of one of our upmarket guests,' said a staff member, 'but the behaviour she and her daughter showed did not belong in our hotel.
Staff at the $650 St Regis hotel told of the strange behaviour of Miss Mack, who would instantly change from being friendly with them to storming around the opulent lobby and the pool area in an aggressive manner and glaring angrily at those who approached her.
According to a staff reconstruction of the argument, Mrs Mack, from Chicago, was seen pointing at Mr Schaefer, who had checked in after the couple earlier in the week, and telling her daughter:'I’ve paid for his flight here, so the two of you should pay for the hotel.'
The three of them left the lobby area after the row but a few hours later, at 11.26am, Ms Mack and Mr Schaefer arrived in the reception area with a large suitcase wrapped in a bed sheet, refusing to allow a porter to take it out to a waiting taxi."
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After carrying the suitcase containing Mrs Mack’s body out to the taxi, Ms Mack and Mr Schaefer returned to the reception desk and said they would not be paying the bill - it would be taken care of by Mrs Mack when she checked out later.
But it is claimed they did ask for a safety deposit box, believed to contain Mrs Mack’s jewellery and their passports, to be opened and its contents given to them. The staff refused because they said Mrs Mack had left instructions that only she should be allowed to open it.
Ms Mack and Mr Schaefer said they had more bags to collect - but instead they went out through the back entrance and later ordered another taxi to take them to the airport.
Sheila von Weise Mack had row with daughter hours before her murder | Daily Mail Online