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‘It’s okay,’ Kim said, showing her back through to the reception.
She continued watching the woman, contemplating how she was going to ask Keats for a favour without owing him something in return.
She was still deep in thought when Charlotte pulled out the station car park in a light-blue Fiat Panda.
FIFTY-EIGHT
‘Okay, Alison, talk to me,’ Kim said, once back in the office. It was getting late and her team was tired, but she wanted any insights that Alison had gained.
‘Nice bit of weather we’re having.’
‘I’d prefer you talk to me about the Psycho Six, and who might want to hurt them.’
‘Well, to begin with, that’s an unfair label seeing as they were all under eighteen when they committed their crimes. None of them were psychotic and, at worse, they would have been diagnosed with conduct disorder, a mix of aggressive, deceitful, destructive and rebellious behaviour.’
‘What are the later signs of psychopathy?’ Bryant asked.
‘Behaviour that conflicts with social norms. Disregarding the rights of others. Unable to distinguish right from wrong, no empathy, lying often, manipulating or hurting others, disregard for safety and responsibility, anger on a regular basis. Three or more of the above.’
‘What about conduct disorder?’ Kim asked.
‘Bullying, aggression, forcing sexual activity, using a weapon. Lying, breaking and entering, stealing, forgery, arson or other destructive acts, truanting, running away, drugs and alcohol.’
‘Forgive my stupidity, but list two sounds an awful lot like list one,’ Bryant noted.
‘Oh, you caught that, eh? Can’t get anything past you, Bryant. Detecting psychopathy in young people is no different to detecting it in adults. The label you apply when you find it is just different, and that depends on the age.’
‘But aren’t there early signs?’ Bryant asked. ‘I’ve seen stuff on Discovery.’
‘Someone needs to take that channel away from you,’ Alison joked. ‘Are you talking about the Macdonald Triad?’
‘Burger, fries and a milkshake?’ Penn asked with a smile.
His mood had been decidedly chipper since his impromptu date with Lynne on a blanket in the car park.
Alison offered him a tolerant eye roll. ‘It’s a triad of sociopathy detailing three factors: cruelty to animals, obsession with fire-setting and persistent bedwetting past the age of five. Allegedly, having two of three present is linked with later predatory behaviour. Although I’m guessing that the term “Psycho Six” was just a nickname and not a psychological evaluation.’
‘Okay, but should we be considering this triad while trying to find the actual psycho who’s targeting our six?’ Kim asked, wondering if searching the records at Welton for fellow inmates meeting the requirement of the triad and cross-referencing with names of people the six had bullied might throw up a few worthwhile names.
‘Not so fast,’ Alison cautioned, destroying Kim’s hopes of whittling down people at Welton using that criterion. Alison’s ‘not so fasts’ were like a sharp pin in her balloons of hope. ‘Further studies have shown that both arson and animal cruelty are linked to extensive periods of humiliation. Repeated animal cruelty has more of a link to violence against humans. It can be viewed as a rehearsal for killing people and the same methods might be used. Bedwetting can be an indicator of possible childhood abuse. So all of these contributors can also be indicators of sustained physical or emotional abuse.’
‘You’re saying that all inmates of Welton Hall are innocent victims of family or social trauma, abuse or neglect?’ Kim asked, watching her potential line of enquiry fading into the distance.
‘I’m not saying that at all,’ Alison defended herself. ‘And I especially love coming here so that you can argue with everything I say.’
‘Happy to oblige, but crack on cos we’re all running on fumes right now,’ Kim advised.
‘There are many reasons why kids get into trouble. There are genetic causes like brain damage. In some kids, anger and violence is connected to fear and anxiety, medication side effects, sleep disorders, chronic pain. Young people are increasingly being referred to child or adolescent mental health teams for assessment due to violent acts. Depression in adolescence can manifest as anger and aggression.
‘Hyperactivity and attention disorders predispose children to both antisocial behaviour in adolescence and antisocial personality disorder in adult life.’
‘Okay, great,’ Kim said. ‘How is that narrowing our list of potential suspects?’
There had been many times over the years when Alison had offered great insight and clarity as to what they were looking for. This wasn’t one of those times.
‘I can’t pick a name out of a hat,’ Alison said.
Kim sighed. ‘Okay, for now, we’re still going to assume that our killer has some kind of connection to Welton. We already know that our delightful group of six didn’t win any popularity prizes with other inmates or staff. We desperately need the records from Welton, and tomorrow the focus is on tracking down and warning the others. Someone has it in for that group.’
