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"That's how the Cainsville elders use compulsion. Are you telling me that's the only way it can be used?"
"Well, no..."
Gabriel nodded at the next table. "That young woman there. Could you compel her to leave with you?"
"Oh, that doesn't take compulsion."
"Given that she's sitting with another woman, with whom she appears deeply enamored, I wouldn't be so quick to presume that. Let's say she finds you completely unappealing. Could you make her leave with you?"
"No. It's not mind control. If it were, the Cw^n Annwn wouldn't have been working with that CIA shrink."
"Then how about the woman to your right? She has been casting her gaze your way. Yet she appears intelligent enough not to walk out of here with a stranger. Could you compel her to leave with you?"
"If I wanted, sure, but I wouldn't. Nor would any self-respecting fae. Now, if I got pulled over by a cop who thought I was cute, would I use compulsion to get out of a ticket? Of course. I'd be crazy not to."
"The key, then, is susceptibility, as it is in all forms of brainwashing. The recipient must be open to it. For Mr. Lambert, one can postulate a basic need to confess. He experienced something inexplicable, and rationally, he knows he shouldn't admit to it, but he wants to. He needs the psychological validation of others, telling him he hasn't lost his mind. Add in picking up a young woman, motivated by something other than paternal concern. He felt guilty and subconsciously compelled to tell his wife."
Patrick rolled his eyes. "Humans. Their warped sense of morality never fails to amaze me."
"There's nothing warped about it. If he is involved in a committed and exclusive relationship, he should not be picking up hitchhikers in hopes of sexual favors. I have little patience with most ethical codes, but that is the violation of a relationship contract rather than a moral one."
"So, by that token, you fear that if you successfully seduced someone who is in a relationship, she would eventually do the same to you. I disagree. You might be the one she wants, and she needs only a sign that you'd reciprocate--"
"Yes, I'm quite certain every man or woman who has seduced someone has told themselves exactly that. She isn't prone to romantic betrayal; he's just special. And while I hope that is another hypothetical, I suspect it is not, and I would tell you to look at the parties involved and realize it would be futile, and even the attempt would be wrong and disrespectful."
"So you admit--"
"We can see, then, that Lambert would be susceptible to fae compulsion."
"She's not fae. She's a ghost."
Before Gabriel could answer, his phone rang.
"It's Olivia," he said. "I'll need to take this."
"Just as long as you don't bill me for it."
"Given that she's almost certainly calling in regards to your case, yes, I will. But I will include it as part of your fifteen minutes, which are almost up."
"Generous."
"You haven't seen my bill yet."
Gabriel answered the phone.
"It's me," Olivia said. "My butt needed a break from the bitch seat, so I've been doing research on the case, and I found something you failed to mention. The current circumstances of several of those who met our hitchhiking ghost."
When Gabriel didn't answer, she said, "You haven't dug into the others, have you?"
"I haven't had a chance. I've been focused on Mr. Lambert."
"Ah, this will be fun, then. Where are you?"
He told her.
"Ooh, perfect. Got time for an interview? It'll be quick."
He paused, and she said, "Oh, come on. Humor me." And he couldn't resist that. This sounded like the Olivia he knew, the one he'd driven into hiding.
