Niagara Falls‚ New York

Two days later at 11 a.m., a woman entered a small bank in Niagara Falls on the east coast of the United States and opened a deposit account using a false passport and social security number. She told the bank clerk she was moving to the area and the money was the proceeds from the sale of her house back home. The clerk didn’t even look up when she handed over nearly $200,000 in cash. The transaction took less than ten minutes.

He only asked one question: ‘Do I spell “Marie” with or without an “e”, Mrs O’Hanlon?’

Marie slipped the deposit receipt in her purse and crossed the busy main street, heading for the small coffee shop on the corner of the crossroads. She ordered a tall latte and sat by the window watching the passers-by with distracted interest. Sean’s flight was due to arrive at Niagara Falls International Airport later that afternoon, so she had some time to kill.

She had no reason to doubt he would be on the plane.