Page 99 of Killing Mind

‘They were both free of Unity Farm, so were they punishing themselves?’ Kim asked as the thought occurred to her. No one had forced that food into their stomachs.

‘Very likely. Although Sammy was on the road to recovery she still carried the guilt for not going back.’

‘Both Sammy and Tyler were at low points in their lives. Were they actively targeted for that reason?’ Kim asked.

‘Research indicates that approximately two thirds of joiners come from normal functioning families. Only five to six per cent had major psychological difficulties. Please understand that cults offer instant, simplistic solutions to life’s problems. Young adults can feel overwhelmed with too many decisions to make. They’re fertile but normally not wealthy. People not in relationships are more susceptible to persuasion. They target foreign students alone with flags on their backpacks; seek out the elderly with pensions and money. Widowed middle-age women have clear titles to houses, cars, et cetera.’

Kim immediately thought of Sheila Thorpe.

‘There are thousands of different tactics used to tap into the psychology of the individual but they all fall into one of six categories.’

‘Which are?’

‘As humans, we like to be consistent. If we’ve made a commitment then break it, we feel guilty. If someone gives us something we try to repay it in kind, so once you accept food it should be repaid. We try to find out what other people think is correct. We want social proof so we imitate what we see. We have a deep-seated sense of duty to authority figures.’

‘Some of us do,’ Bryant chirped in.

‘So, members accept the leader as authority. We obey people we like so as the object of love bombing you feel like you should do as you’re told. And finally, scarcity. If we come to want something we can be made to fear that if we wait it’ll be gone, so without the group you will lose your stress-free life.’

She thought of Tiff and the fact she’d been with these people for over twenty-four hours.

‘But, well-balanced, sensible people are immune to all the smoke and mirrors, right?’ feeling a sickness grow in her stomach.

Kane sighed heavily.

‘If that’s what you think, after all that I’ve said, you haven’t heard a word that came out of my mouth.’

Eighty

Tiff was guessing that a taxi was not a normal occurrence for Britney, who seemed eager to get back to the Farm. She pushed away the anxiety in her stomach that it was somehow linked to her or the boss’s visit and told herself that Britney just felt unwell.

She told the taxi to stop at the external gate like the previous day, but this time there was no excited chatter or pausing at the top of the hill to watch the lights come on. Shame, Tiff thought, she would have liked to see that again, but Britney didn’t seem in the right frame of mind for her to ask.

And, a part of her was relieved to see Britney’s bad mood. After the consistent smiling and happy chatter, it was good to know she had another emotional level. She just hoped it didn’t last for too long. She was hoping to meet more of the family tonight and maybe find Sophie Brown.

Tiff followed Britney into the farmhouse and straight into Jake.

‘Evening, ladies, good day?’ he asked, with a smile.

‘Yeah, great day, Jake,’ Britney answered quickly. ‘Can I have a quick word before…’

‘Maybe later, Brit,’ he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. ‘I believe that Tiff and I have a pre-arranged meeting to continue our discussion from last night.’

‘But…’

‘Whatever it is can wait, Britney,’ he said, more firmly.

Brit got the message and offered Tiff a half-smile and held out her hand. She nodded towards the backpack.

Tiff removed it and thanked her for taking it to their room. The phone from the boss was still nestled down the front of her trousers.

‘Follow me,’ Jake said, leading her up the stairs.

After many smiles and waves, they arrived at a door marked ‘Private’.

Tiff stepped inside and immediately felt as though the room was welcoming her into a big, warm hug. Dark furniture softened by throws and blankets, walls filled with what looked like first edition books.

‘Please, take a seat,’ he said, pointing to the plush sofa. She sat facing a roaring fireplace with scented candles flickering on the hearth.