Page 91 of Charlie
“I know all of that, but it’s all lies.” I rubbed my forehead, annoyed with myself for defending the man who had seduced my girlfriend just to prove he could have her.
“Charles, you believe the best about people and he’s good at lying. He has perfected it over his entire life, but the man leaves a trail of misery in his path. We believe he killed the boy’s mother to gain her life insurance.”
“What boy? Are you talking about Nathan?”
“Yes. His mom was scared of Conor. That’s why she hid in England, but he found her and forced her to commit suicide.”
I closed my eyes and rubbed the spot between my eyebrows. “That’s absurd.”
“Yes, it is. But we’re dealing with a man without scruples.”
“Does this mean you were the one who hired those private detectives?”
“Yes.”
I snorted. “They were amateurs and came to make accusations with no proof to back it up.”
“They weren’t there to prove anything. They were there to put pressure on Conor. I would like for you to meet up with Kit tonight. She can answer a lot of your questions. I’m also happy to send over the report we’ve gathered about Conor Brick’s dark past and current deception of his cult members.”
“It’snota cult. Don’t start with me again. I’ve already told you.”
“How much did you pay him?”
I rolled my eyes and sighed out loud. “Not much.”
“Are you saying that you didn’t pay at all?”
“No.”
“How much, Charles?”
I hesitated before giving him my answer. “Four hundred thousand.”
“Is that it?”
“Yeah, the truth is that I was going to transfer another one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, but that was a donation for his foundation. It would build three schools in Africa.”
“His foundation is a scam. Kit can tell you all about it. No more than ten percent is used for philanthropy. The rest is channeled into his own pocket.”
“But he doesn’t need the money. Conor is a millionaire himself.”
My grandfather scoffed again. “Only because he’s scammed rich people like you, Charles. It’s what he does.”
“No, he used to be a code breaker for the government. He’s a genius.”
“Charles, use your common sense. The man is a convicted criminal. I know you heard that straight from the Irish police, so stop defending him and ask yourself, how someone with his criminal record would get a security clearance. Bricks might have wished he was a code breaker, but I assure you it’s just another lie.”
My chest felt heavy and I found it hard to breathe. How could I have been so blind?
“About Liv…”
“Yes?”
“She came to get you out.”
“What do you mean?”
He coughed. “I found your diary from that time at Harvard where you met her. It’s an old proven method that cults will lure people in by using attractive members to do the invitation. I believe that’s what happened to you too.”
