A Deadly Influence (Abby Mullen Thrillers #1)(75)

“Are you saying that’s when they convinced her? In those five days?”

“Mr. Craft, I’m saying when Leonor returned home after those five days, she was no longer the daughter you knew.”

“They brainwashed her?”

“No. Brainwashing is something different. They influenced and twisted the way she thought. They built rigid walls in her mind and conditioned her to avoid asking questions. And with that, they gained almost complete control of Leonor’s mind.”

Dale and Helen sat in shocked silence.

“I think we might be able to reverse the damage they did,” Abby said after a minute. “I saw very encouraging signs when I talked to her. And you mentioned she still talks to you . . . ?”

“She calls every week,” Helen says. “To tell us she’s fine and to check up on her cat.”

“The cat is Leonor’s?” Abby asked, surprised.

“Yeah, Leonor found Silver in the street when she was a kitten,” Helen said. “She said they don’t allow pets on the farm.”

“That’s good,” Abby said, encouraged. “Frankly I’m surprised they let her call every week. Usually destructive cults employ a more severe regime when it comes to contact with family or friends. Does she have a cell phone?”

“No, she calls from the office,” Dale said. “She mentioned it to me a month ago. They let her use the phone there.”

Abby frowned. It was almost bizarre. Letting Leonor call her family was one thing, but actually allowing her to use the farm’s phone? Otis could have easily told her the phone was for emergencies only. It was almost like he wanted her to keep in touch with her family.

“Have you been encouraging her?” she asked. “Telling her this community was beneficial to her in any way?”

“Of course not,” Dale said, his voice rising. “I told her several times she needs to come home. I told her that place was messing with her mind.”

Abby nodded, her mood dampened. Dale’s visible opposition to the cult wouldn’t make things easier. “Helen, what about you?”

“I told her the same,” Helen said. “We even had an argument about it. She was planning on going to college, but soon after she joined, she said she didn’t think she’d go. She said her time was better used there on the farm. I was furious.”

Both parents were actively against the cult. Why was Otis letting Leonor talk to them? “Did you feel like she was trying to convince you to join the cult?”

Dale snorted. “Fat chance. She knows better.”

Abby thought for a few seconds. “You said she was planning to go to college. Do you have a college fund for her?”

“Absolutely,” Helen said. “We’ve been saving for years both for her and her brother.”

“Does she have access to that fund?”

“No,” Dale said. “Not until she’s eighteen. And she’ll need our approval to withdraw it.”

“Did she ask you to give her the money?”

“Once,” Helen said. “She wanted to give it to the community so they could rebuild the barn or something like that. I flatly told her there was no way in hell that was going to happen. We had a long fight about it, and she didn’t call for several weeks after that.”

That was why Otis let Leonor call her parents. He wanted that fund. He encouraged her to stay in touch just enough so her parents would agree to give her the money when she was eighteen. Abby didn’t mention it out loud. Better for Leonor’s parents to think she was calling to hear their voices.

But Otis had miscalculated. By letting Leonor call her parents, he gave her a weekly taste of her old life. There was a good chance this was the reason that she was still showing signs of individuality.

“I want to try and get Leonor out of that farm,” Abby said. “The best chance is if she sees a familiar, friendly face she trusts when we do this.”

“I’d be happy to be there,” Helen said.

Abby hesitated. “I think that’s a good idea, but not right away. You’ve both made your opinions of the cult very clear. Which means as far as Leonor’s concerned, you’re out. She’s wired to think of you as the enemy.”

Helen flinched, covering her mouth.

“I’m sure she still loves you,” Abby said. “But in there, anyone who says anything negative about their community is the enemy. She won’t want to talk to you about it. You mentioned Leonor has a brother?”

“Yeah.” Helen wiped her eyes. “Brian. He’s upstairs.”

“Can you get him?”

Brian was Leonor’s big brother. He seemed like a man who’d already grown but was uncomfortable with his own body. His movements were hesitant, clumsy, and he didn’t walk so much as lumber into the living room.

“Hello,” he said. “Mom told me you’re here about Leonor?”

“That’s right.” Abby smiled at him. “How close were you with your sister before she left for the Tillman cult?”

Brian shrugged. “I don’t know. Pretty close, I guess. I found her feminist shit annoying. But she was fun to be around when she was in a good mood.”

“Have you talked to her since she left?”

“Twice.”