Kingdom of Strangers by Zoë Ferraris Read Free Book Online

know about the fantasies is that they’re like addictions. I know you don’t have a whole lot of gambling or alcohol or even drugs here. But you do know about them, and I’m sure you’ve seen them.
    “Typically, alcohol medicates a problem or a pain, and so does fantasy. So the killer is relying on his fantasies to make himself feel better. He’ll nurture his fantasies for many years, and like all addictions, it gets to the point where he needs more in order to sustain the buzz. One beer doesn’t get a man drunk, so an alcoholic will start to need ten, or twenty. For the killer, he reaches a point where he needs to make his fantasy real.”
    Charlie looked out over the room. She was more confident now, no traces of self-consciousness. She noticed Daher, something in his face, and said: “You have a question?”
    He shook his head.
    “No, go ahead,” she said. “Mr….?”
    “Daher.” He cleared his throat. “Waseem Daher.” It was funny to see him so uncomfortable. “I was just wondering. He’s crazy, right? He thinks it’s okay to kill someone for his sick fantasy. Why is that?”
    “Good question. Psychologists used to call these people psychopaths or sociopaths, depending on certain factors. But it’s more common these days to think of them as having what we call antisocial personality disorder, or ASPD. Briefly, it means thatthey don’t have a conscience like you or me. They are often incapable of love, which means they don’t develop lasting relationships unless there’s an obvious cause for it, like sex or money. They are impulsive and aggressive. But the most defining aspect really is that they have absolutely no sense of guilt.”
    “So they don’t understand how to treat people?”
    “We-e-e-ll,” she said, “they don’t feel what normal people feel, but they do understand people to an amazing degree. They are capable of deceiving even those who are closest to them—family members, coworkers—and they can do that precisely because they understand them. They’re usually very good liars. And highly intelligent.”
    Daher nodded uncomfortably.
    “Should we be looking at old criminal files for our killer?” Ibrahim asked.
    “Yes,” Charlie said, “you should absolutely check, but you may not find anything. In some cases, serial killers have a history of violent crime, but it’s more true to say that they’re very, very good at not getting caught. And if you do look at criminals, look for pyromaniacs and stalkers. Those are the most common early crimes for this type of individual.”
    Ibrahim nodded.
    “Specialists talk about six phases of killing,” Charlie went on. “These are psychological phases that were identified back in the eighties that most serial killers go through. The killer begins with a fantasy. Phase one. He withdraws into his inner world and develops the fantasy. Phase two begins when he starts actively looking for a victim. Most killers will start in a place that’s familiar to them, somewhere they’re comfortable. Their favorite street, a neighborhood café. This could take weeks or months. The victim has to match the fantasy.
    “The next few phases can happen very quickly. Phase three, the killer tries to win the victim’s trust. Four, the killer capturesthe victim and reveals who he is. Five, he murders her. Six, he crashes from the high of living out his fantasy. So let’s make up an example: a killer sits next to a woman at a bar.”
    Daher shook his head with a frown.
    “Oh, right,” Charlie said, “not a bar. You don’t have them. Maybe a restaurant then.”
    Daher shook his head again.
    “Yes, Mr. Daher?”
    “That’s unlikely to happen here. Men and women sit in different parts of restaurants.”
    Charlie nodded. “Okay. How could a man encounter a woman here? In public.”
    The men looked at one another. Did this woman not understand anything about Saudi Arabia?
    “He could talk to her on the street,” a voice said. It was Katya, still