I read on one of the recent timelines here that she shared the $$$ form one of the sales with Amy.
Another $$$ angle... I remember an old Doris Day movie I saw as a kid, where her husband was missing for 7 years, he was declared dead, she remarried, then husband #1 returned. What a mess! But funny. :-)
What if Scott wanted her dead BUT MISSING, so that her estate would stay with him, as her next of kin? She was going to get a million dollars from the sale of her grandmother's house (or 1/3 of that million). If she's reliably eaten by the fishes and crabs, it would all go to Scott after 7 years.
I can't but help think that that lends an additional motive to his dropping her into the Bay.
Your endless lists of questions fleshes out those nagging thoughts about no one else doing it. Thanks for having the patience to type it all out!
Pinz
LOL. Something similar to the plot of the Doris Day movie happened in the book (later a movie) "Far From the Madding Crowd". Great story, btw.
I guess it's possible that Scott thought, well, if she's missing, I can easily get myself named to handle her affairs. So I guess he thought he'd at least have a chance of getting his meat-hooks into the inheritance, about 3 years later, when the "missing" Laci turned 30. But I think it turned out that a large part of that (grandmother's) money would have still been tied up, if their grandfather had still been living. (He apparently died after Laci did.) It was all rather "iffy".
The thing is, another 4 years go by, Laci is declared dead, and since Laci could not have willed her inheritance money to her dear husband (since she was "missing" during all that time, so not making any wills), I think Brent and Amy would then have come back with a vengeance and demanded that the money go to them. Then Scott would have to explain where "Laci's" money was. (He would surely have violated his role as her representative, and have spent it up.)