say is that just because something is hereditary, it doesn’t mean the future is fixed. We think an underdevelopment of part of the brain called the amygdala may give certain children a disposition toward CU. But personality is malleable, particularly in the very young. A CU diagnosis may simply mean they need a particular kind of parenting to help them learn the human qualities the rest of us pick up without thinking.” He indicated the star charts. “You’re already doing a lot of it. Punishments mean nothing to kids with CU, but they’re very goal-oriented. So rewards are definitely the way to go. Oh, and time-outs don’t work—you can forget about the naughty step, for example.”
“I’d already worked that out for myself,” I said with feeling.
He nodded. “What can definitely help is what we call warm parenting—talking about feelings, displaying lots of emotion yourself, reinforcing any small signs of empathy or emotional literacy that Theo displays. Show him that emotions are good, even enriching, for the person having them. Show him that warmth and positivity and affection are the real measure of success.”
“That is exactly what I try to do,” I said helplessly.
“I’m sure it is.” Harvey started packing away his things.
“But can you tell the court that? Can you say I’m a good parent?”
Harvey looked at me sympathetically. “I don’t think you understand—that isn’t my remit. I’m simply here to assess whether or not Theo would be traumatized by the shock of changing families, if that’s what’s decided by the judge. And I’m afraid I’m going to have to tell the court that, like any kid with CU traits, he’d hardly bat an eyelid.”
89
PETE
“OUR CHILD IS A psychopath,” I whispered.
The words had been going around and around my head for so long, it was almost a relief to say them out loud.
“No, he’s not,” Maddie said. “Children can’t be psychopaths. You told me that yourself.”
That, at least, was true. Harvey Taylor had told me that a person couldn’t be diagnosed as a psychopath until they’d turned eighteen.
“I have a horrible feeling that’s a technical distinction. He’s a psychopath in embryo form.”
“But Theo’s got you,” Maddie persisted. “And you’re the very definition of a warm, involved parent.”
As if on cue, Theo ran downstairs. “C’mon, Daddeee. Let’s go,” he announced, pulling at my hand. “Swings! Swings! Swings!”
“Okay, Theo,” I said, standing up. “But give Mummy a hug first. Because mummies like hugs. It makes them feel happy.”
“See?” Maddie said over Theo’s head as he hugged her. “You’re doing it already.”
As Theo went in search of his coat and boots, she added, “I learned something interesting today, too. Annette said psychopaths love-bomb potential partners with attention while they’re trying to hook them, then lose interest once they’ve sealed the deal. It made me think.” She gestured in Theo’s direction. “What if that’s not just true of partners? After all, it’s what Miles did to us, in a way—showered us with attention, then switched it off. Maybe, without realizing it, it’s what he’s doing with Theo as well.”
“Oh God.” The thought that, after all this, Miles would end up ignoring Theo if he got him just made the situation even more depressing. I could see a future in which Theo would only be able to engage Miles’s interest by bringing home an endless succession of sports trophies. And pretty soon that would become Theo’s whole attitude to life—that it was all about winning.
“But it is not going to happen,” Maddie said firmly. “We are going to keep him.”
I didn’t reply. I knew she only kept saying it to keep my spirits up, but it really wasn’t working.
“Ready, Daddeee!” Theo announced, jumping up and down by the door.
Maddie’s phone rang. I was going out the door as she answered it, so I only just heard her say, “Hang on, I’ll get him.
“It’s your lawyer,” she said as she handed me the phone. “The police want to see you again. Theo, wait,” she called after the figure already running down the pavement. “It’s me coming with you now, not Daddy. Just let me grab my coat.”
90
PETE
“THERE’S GOOD NEWS AND not-so-good news for you, Pete,” DI Richards said. He slid a padded envelope across the table. “The good news is, that’s your phone. We’ve finished with it.”
He waited for me to ask what the not-so-good news was. I shot my solicitor, Mark Cooper, a look, but he only shook his head slightly.
DI Richards sighed. “The not-so-good news is that your laptop is now evidence