Page 79 of Charlie
“Sort of.”
“The medical term is antisocial personality disorder, not psychopath or sociopath, although that in itself is an ongoing debate in the field of psychology.”
“How do ye know all of this?” Damian took another cookie.
“I have a degree in psychology.”
“Gorgeousandsmart.” He winked at me, and gave me one of his charming and very flirtatious smiles, which made his sister kick him under the table. “Stop flirtin’ with my client.”
“Och, stop it. It’s a wonder I’m not a sociopath with a violent sister who kicks me.” Damian gave Kit a blameful look and turned to me. “How do ye diagnose a psychopath? Could be Kit is one.”
She rolled her eyes, while I answered his question. “The doctors use a checklist. If a person scores high it’s because he shows a variation of antisocial behavior such as a sense of entitlement and a lack of empathy. They are unremorseful, lie, manipulate, areapathetic to others, conscienceless, blameful, cunning, cold, and irresponsible.” I drew in a deep breath. “Some say that sociopaths are more hot-headed and will explode if you don’t give them what they want, while the psychopath is cold and cunning and will plan your demise if you’re in his or her way.”
Damian narrowed his eyes at Kit. “Are ye remorseful for kickin’ me?”
“It was ye’re own fault.”
“Oi, I bloody knew it.” Pointing to Kit he looked at me. “She has no empathy and is blameful too. I’d say that’s antisocial behavior right there.”
She pushed at him. “Shut yer cakehole. I’m no psychopath.”
Damian was clearly riling her up, but couldn’t keep a straight face and cracked into a smile.
Kit exhaled. “Bricks is the true psychopath here. When I asked him about Sandra, he sat in his chair and lied straight to my face. There wasn’t the least bit of remorse in his eyes.”
I bit my lower lip. “If he did the things that he’s accused of then he’s a cold-blooded killer who would fit the classification of a psychopath.”
“Why can’t his followers see it?”
I sighed. “Because in order to get away with his cunning behavior he has developed a smooth and inviting personality that sucks people in. I’ve spent time with him these past two weeks, and it’s impressive how well he has perfected how to read people and tell them what they want to hear. Even though he can’t relate to their pain, he’s highly capable of mimicking what empathy looks like. They think he’s their friend, while he’s spinning a net around them with his charm and lies. River and Nathan have opened up a bit and told about some things that are truly alarming.”
“Like what?”
I thought about how to describe it. “He makes them question their own sanity. River confided in me that she’s sick like her mother but that Conor is protecting her from ending up in an asylum. She says she hallucinates and has false memories, but I think he’s the one messing with her head. Narcissists arenotorious forgaslighting people. They lie with such confidence that it makes the people around them question what’s up and down. It would be like Damian blaming you for eating all the cookies. You tell him you were right here when he stuffed at least ten in his mouth, but he shakes his head and looks at you like you’re crazy and tells you straight to your face that you only imagined it, and that you’re wrong, confused, and seeing things that aren’t there. No matter how much you scream at him that he ate the cookies, not you, he refuses to admit it and over time you start wondering if you really are crazy.”
Damian held up both hands. “Nah, I have no problem admitting that I ate the cookies.”
“Good, but to a psychopath it’s second nature to lie and confuse people. Poor River doesn’t trust her own mind. She thinks Conor is helping her escape ending up in a psychiatric hospital like her mother.”
“But didn’t River think that her mother is in India?” Kit asked.
I shook my head. “She admitted to me that her mother is sick. She told me the story about India because she’s embarrassed about it.”
Kit raised her voice. “Are ye sayin’ the poor lass thinks Conor is protectin’ her from the same sad destiny as her ma, when the truth is that he’s probably the one who pushed her ma to need psychiatric help in the first place?”
I nodded.
“Och, that’s just wrong. And what about Charles? Is he still blinded by Conor and his disciples?” Kit snatched the bag of cookies from Damian when he reached for another one.
“As I said, I keep planting little questions in his mind, but Charles is particularly susceptible to Conor's deceit because he has Asperger’s and doesn’t read people as well as others do. I don’t blame him for not seeing Conor’s true colors. I mean, I came in knowing Conor is a con man, but if I hadn’t been warned, I might have been sucked in by him too.”
“Nah, ye’re too smart for that,” Damian said.
“It’s not a matter of intelligence. You haven’t met Conor, but he can take on the persona of someone witty, charming, intelligent, and knowledgeable, and when he talks, it’s with such confidence that it’s easy to buy into it. When I told him that I regretted never learning how to play an instrument, he insisted that I let him teach me to play a melody on the piano right then and there. He makes you feel like you’re the only one that matters and that he would make the moon and stars align in order to help you to be the best version of yourself. It’s a powerful feeling to have someone show that level of interest in you.”
Kit wrinkled her nose up. “God, ye sound like ye admire the bastard.”
“No. I’m just trying to explain to you that Charles and Conor’s other followers aren’t fools. It’s easy for me to see why they’re so blinded by Conor. That’s all.”
