Page 13 of Charlie
“Oh, okay.”
“I loved it. Like a sponge, I soaked up all the amazing things he taught us. The place was full of gifted people who would share their knowledge of history, art, literature, or whatever they were studying. The house was buzzing with smart people on a mission and there was nowhere I’d rather be…” Eileen’s voice dropped, “My social life outside of the group fell apart. I couldn’t share what was happening in the group because of my sworn secrecy and when my friends and family asked questions, I couldn’t answer them. It created conflicts and within a year, I’d lost the people I considered friends before I joined the Red Manor Group.”
I gave a another nod of sympathy. “What about the friend who brought you in the first place?”
Eileen zoomed in on me. “She didn’t join.”
“Why not?”
“The whole thing gave her the creeps.” She shrugged. “I guess she had a much better developed sixth sense than me, but back then I bought into O’Brien’s story that he’d asked her not to come back. According to him, she wasn’t the right fit for the group and he didn’t see enough potential in her. I remember thinking that her warning of the place’s being weird was coming from a place of jealousy.”
Eager to hear the story, I leaned forward. “When did you realize that something wasn’t right?”
“I’m ashamed to say that it took me years. I think I lost my sense of self in there. Whoever I was before I entered was slowly chipped away until I’d bought into the ideology and lived it with my whole being. My greatest goal was to make Conor proud of me, to be of service to the group, and to prove myself worthy.” Her voice slowed down and tears formed. “It’s like that saying about boiling a frog. The pressure starts out slow but then it increases. Conor would question my loyalty to the group and him. His reminders that the group was only for a select few and there was no room for doubters made me sob in my room, where I would come up with desperate ways to prove how much I trusted and loved him. I’d meditate more, study harder, volunteer for cleaning and kitchen duty, I’d offer my body to him, and donate all my money. I gave him everything I had, and he took it, sucked me dry, and still wasn’t happy.”
The pain in Eileen’s voice made me swallow hard and fold my hands to fists.
“When O’Brien kicked me out, I was friendless, money-less, and had cut all ties with my family. He even convinced me that I was unworthy and that it was better if I left my friends inside the mastermind group alone. I was a mess. I guess I still am, but at least I began reaching out to other members who had moved out without saying goodbye, and I learned that they too had been kicked out.”
“You didn’t know?”
“No. When someone left unexpectedly, it was assumed that they had left on their own accord. Two times, I remember a public fight. One was River’s mum, who embarrassed herself by clinging to O’Brien’s feet and refusing to let go. She begged him to let her and River stay but he accused her of stealing from the group. Little River tried to comfort her mother while crying herself. We all loved the girl so Ciara, who has two boys with O’Brien, asked him to at least consider letting River stay.
“It was horrible to watch when Julie left with her head bowed in shame. She was outside the door with tears down her eyes, telling River that she loved her, when Conor slammed the door shut before she could finish the sentence.”
“That’s pure bollocks!” Kit rocked back and forth with anger on her face. “That man is a weasel of the worst kind. To separate a mother and child like that, and ye did nothin’?”
“There wasn’t anything I could do except comfort River and help her move on. It wasn’t until I was kicked out myself that I reached out to Julie to find out what really happened.”
I arched an eyebrow. “Let me guess – she didn’t steal any money.”
“No – well, yes, in a way. You see, like me, she ended up without a penny in her eagerness to satisfy O’Brien. Millions of her inheritance had been transferred to his funds, except for a portion of three hundred thousand that was earmarked for River. It was when she refused to give him that money that he accused her of stealing.”
“That’s not stealing.”
“No, except at one of her weakest moments she had told him he would get it, and when she failed to follow through, he cut her off.”
“So, hang on. Is River one of the five children that lives in the house?”
“Yes. Her mother, Julie, is in a psychiatric hospital after she tried to kill herself three times.”
I knew this from the report and nodded. “Did you meet Charles while you were there?”
“No, it’s been seven months since I was inside the house. Your friend wasn’t a member then.”
I crossed my arms. “I need to find a way to get Charles out of O’Brien’s claws. Do you have any suggestions?”
Eileen watched me closely. “I’ve been thinking about it ever since I heard you were coming. The sad truth is that I don’t think you can. Conor O’Brien isn’t an ordinary man. Some days I doubt he’s even mortal. He will make you think he’s the kindest person in the world while he’s stabbing your heart. It’s almost like witchcraft the way he holds power over people. If Charles has already been there for months, he’ll be in too deep.”
My shoulders sank. “You think it’s hopeless?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“I don’t!” Kit sat up straighter. “Ye’ve just got to give Charles the hottest sex of his life and make him desperate for more. Men do stupid things for sex all the time.”
Eileen turned to Kit. “I don’t think you understand the kind of spell O’Brien’s followers are under.”
“Maybe not, but I know people go crazy for love. My cousin Richard left his wife and three babes because he fell in love, and my friend Andy moved to Finland to be with a girl he met in Ibiza. I mean if that’s not some powerful love voodoo, I don’t know what it is.”
