Agree with all the above - although I’m not sure it could be proven that MB did not see and or respond to the 1994 ad. I have never liked the coincidence that MB’s wallet was stolen the same year the love bomber is out on the prowl. All speculation.
I still find it hard to believe that it’s MB doing these withdrawals. I know and understand her vulnerability, but surely by her return to Australia she’s smelling a massive rat in the drain pipe. (I do believe she did in fact return to Australia - but he didn’t even travel with her, his wife or soon to be wife - that’s a long flight for MB to really consider what she’s been up to, particularly after just speaking to Sally) she likely come at him that he was conning her when he insisted on her withdrawing her funds in amongst all these clandestine activities he’s been putting her up to for 6 months- All the while he’s still insisting she’s not to contact her children. MB was a strong family woman. I cannot imagine that sitting well with her. 6 months of playing games with her - I sense that is when it all went pear shaped for, dear Marion - prior to that first bank withdrawal. Did she find out he was a married man with children? She likely threatened to call the police or insisted on seeing her own children while back in Australia. He couldn’t allow that.
By 1998 with GGB, he’s changed and fine tuned his MO. He’s realised he needs to get to the money first - not the big trip first, then the money. That’s where he stuffed up with MB. Doing the trip first. 6 months with MB was far too long. She had become awake to being stooged. He knows he needs to speed things up. Get the money and get out of there. Or get the money then dump them OS.
Once again. Speculation.
Responding to myself here to present a further picture of my thoughts. We get to know MB a lot via SL in TLV. What I’ve tried to do is view life through M’s lens. To walk a mile in her shoes.
In brief we have a wonderful mother, a caring and highly regarded teacher, a loving family woman.
She’s cultured, intelligent, well read, well liked, and immaculately dressed. She’s a fine woman who loves the finer things in life. MB is adored by nearly all who knew her.
We’ve also been made aware she was going through troubled times at TSS. She was devastated in regards to unfounded allegations. We know she was very vulnerable and had a relationship with RB.
Then the bizarre begins. Resignation, rushed house sale under priced, secretive, name change etc etc. All the things we know in a very harried and out of character manner. There’s no doubt this woman was under a lot of pressure to get an enormous amount done in very little time.
Her outgoing passenger card has her change of name and states she’s moving to LUX. Permanently.
In the UK she’s writing cards, letters and posting birthday gifts. By her cards and letters it seems she’s at least spent a fair amount of time on her own - while someone else is doing his usual, off attending to business, buying a house, a yacht, a school - or planning a wedding. Who knows! Life far away from TSS seems pretty grand. MB is about to go on the journey of a lifetime on the OE, to see Van Gogh - to get married and spend a life in beautiful LUX.
Next minute - for reasons unknown she is returning to Australia. This is where I’d like to think the penny starts to drop a little for her. She is an intelligent woman.
- She’s had a tough few months.
- She’s turned her life upside down.
- Changed her name.
- Been in a secret relationship.
- Obviously been told not to tell her children ‘let’s surprise them’ (we know this story)
- Like the others, she really knows nothing of this man who is mostly absent in their relationship.
- She speaks to her daughter who she obviously misses a great deal - tells her plans have changed. OE journey is cancelled for the time being - and that SL might not hear from her for awhile.
- No doubt a tough call to blatantly lie to her daughter. Could this be the moment the cogs begin to turn for MB.? Who really is this clandestine lover who I rarely see who wants me to return to Australia.
* It’s a long flight back - Plenty of time to think. Has MB already been forewarned that she’s to return to Australia to withdraw her life savings? A woman who only months before had prepared a new will leaving her daughter as sole beneficiary.
If I were in MB’s shoes - the first thing I would insist on my arrival home is to speak to my children and get their thoughts and advice on any plans to purchase a school (or whatever the money was for)
It’s 8 days between MB’s return and her optometrist appointment in Grafton (if it was in fact MB who attended this appointment)
It would take 16 business days to withdraw $80,000 in $5,000 increments. I cannot grasp that the woman we have got to know so very well spent 10 and half weeks (of a 8 day trip as in her passenger card) in Australia before the final withdrawal of $80,000 was made with absolutely no contact with her family. Only two days prior to her son’s birthday. Particularly when we know that AKA never spends much time with his subjects. That no one at all known to her never spotted MB in BB, Burleigh or surrounding areas that MB lived for a few years. Why choose the BB bank within 30 minutes proximity to Wollongbar - Would AKA seriously risk being seen within a bulls roar of the places he has lived in for so many years in the company of a woman who it not his wife. Why wouldn’t the withdrawals be done at a CBA in Brisbane were she flew in.
I could go on and on, but here’s a brief summary of why I can’t get my head around it being Marion who withdrew the money.
