The Battle of Betazed - Charlotte Douglas [13]
“There are several types, but the one you are most likely to encounter here is the aggressive type.”
“And its characteristics?”
She felt she was back in school again, being grilled by the head of the psychology department at the university. “A complete disregard for right and wrong.”
“You mean an incapacity to tell the difference?”
“No, sir. The psychopath knows the difference. It is simply of no consequence to him. He is centered on self-gratification, no matter how many laws or rules he must break to achieve it.”
“But he suffers remorse?”
“None, sir. That is another of the psychopath’s major characteristics. A lack of remorse as well as a refusal to assume responsibility. Whatever wrong he commits, someone or something else is always to blame. And this attitude is not a mere rationalization in the subject’s mind. He truly believes himself blame free.”
Satisfaction at her responses emanated from the director. “Tell me, Deanna, what causes psychopathic behavior?”
She suppressed a smile. He had thrown her a trick question, but she was ready for it. “No one knows for certain. Despite, as you said, the long years of study of this particular personality disorder, scholars still disagree. Some believe the cause lies in the brain, either in a genetic predisposition or some kind of damage, or the failure of the central nervous system to develop adequately and at the proper rate.”
Lanolan nodded. “And the opposing viewpoint?”
“Others believe the psychopath is created, molded by the experiences of early childhood.”
“Negative experiences, such as abuse?”
“Yes, sir. But, oddly enough, spoiling a child, giving him too much attention or too many possessions, causing him to think too highly of himself in relationship to others, is also considered a possible cause.”
“And you, Deanna, which side of these causal arguments do you come down on?”
This question was much more difficult, and she sensed much was riding on her answer. She thought for a moment.
“I believe it’s possible that all are correct, Director. It depends on the individual and what forces of both nature and nurture have shaped him.”
Lanolan nodded with satisfaction. “It’s good to see you have a grasp of the fundamentals. You’ll need to keep them at the forefront in order to handle your first assignment.”
Eagerness bubbled inside her. “When do I start?”
“Tomorrow morning. We’ve received a new prisoner, a serial killer. I want you to do the background workup and initial evaluation on him. You will have several sessions with him and offer your diagnosis and recommendations for treatment.”
Deanna frowned. “Is he Betazoid?”
The director nodded.
“Why haven’t I heard of him? A serial killer is a rarity on Betazed. Why wasn’t he in the news?”
“His name is Hent Tevren, and his name will never be known on our planet. After you’ve read his file, you’ll understand why.”
Before she had been allowed to read Tevren’s file that first night in Lanolan’s guest house in Jarkana, the director personally had unsealed and decrypted the information. What she had read had both sickened and terrified her.
The morning she arrived on Darona, Deanna had felt as if she could meet any challenge, that with her superior training and perseverance, no case was too daunting. The next day, trudging up the path behind the director’s house toward the maximum security facility, she wasn’t so sure.
Resembling a group of vacation villas more than a penitentiary, the prison sat on a low hill. To the east, it overlooked Jarkana. To the west, the mountains. A shield wall, invisible to the naked eye except as an occasional shimmer in the air, surrounded the compound, whose only access was through a barred entrance manned by guards. Director Lanolan was waiting at the gate, where Deanna presented her credentials. He escorted her through the arched portal into the gardens that lined the front walkway. In the heat of the summer morning sun, the fragrance of frangipani and crystilia lay heavy on