Page 12 of The Psychopath Next Door

‘I think I’ll be fine. I can handle it.’

‘Then let’s do it,’ Fiona said in a whisper.

The movie started pleasantly enough, with the tweenage protagonist’s parents dying in a car accident. The girl was then taken in by her aunt, who worked with AI toys. She brought home M3GAN, an experimental doll, who quickly formed a bond with the girl – and became homicidally protective of her. Fiona’s favourite part was when the doll killed a bully at some sort of outdoor activity centre, ripping off his ear and causing him to be hit by a truck. The neighbour’s dog was killed – Fiona’s least favourite part – and at one point M3GAN got hold of a nail gun. Mayhem ensued.

Fiona kept one eye on Rose throughout, gauging her reaction. The girl was fascinated – as hooked as she had been when watching the neighbours through her bedroom window. She winced when the dog died, but was clearly thrilled when the bully was killed. Her attention only appeared to flag towards the end, but the film was short, thankfully. Fiona found it impossible to concentrate for longer than ninety minutes, and Rose appeared to be the same.

At one point, Fiona sensed a presence in the doorway and turned to see lanky Dylan, hovering, clearly surprised to see what they were watching. She opened her mouth, intending to invite him to join them, to involve him in the conspiracy, but he was already gone.

‘What did you think?’ Fiona asked after the credits began to roll.

Rose blinked several times. ‘I was sad when M3GAN got ripped in half.’

‘Me too. But I think they’ll rebuild her for a second film, don’t you?’

A nod. ‘I didn’t like it when the dog died either.’ Lola the cockapoo was asleep on the carpet in front of the telly.

‘I agree. I hate seeing pets killed.’

‘Although . . .’

Fiona looked at Rose. ‘What?’

Rose hesitated, looked away.

‘Those German shepherds?’ Fiona began. ‘When they tried to attack Lola. Do you wish you had a doll like M3GAN to protect you?’

Rose looked back to her, thought about it. ‘That would be cool. Or actually ...’

‘Yes?’

‘I’d like tobeM3GAN. Not a robot, but ...’ She trailed off.

‘I know what you mean. No one messes with her, do they?’ Fiona had that tingle beneath her skin. ‘It would have been great if we’d had a killer robot with us in the fields, wouldn’t it?’

Rose stared at the blank TV screen. ‘She could have blown up their stupid bike.’

‘Yes. Wouldn’t that have been awesome?’

‘Lola would have liked that.’

At the sound of her name, the dog lifted her head and hauled herself to her feet. Rose lifted her on to her lap.

‘Lola hates those dogs,’ Rose went on. ‘And those boys.’

This was interesting. Rose had switched over so she was ascribing her emotions to her pet, perhaps because she had started to find it too uncomfortable or intense to talk about her own feelings.

‘What about me?’ Fiona asked. ‘Does Lola like me?’

The dog was resting on Rose’s lap, snoozing again, her throat pressed against the girl’s thigh.

‘She does like you, yes.’ She said this while concentrating on the dog. Stroking her head. ‘And not only because you gave her a piece of pizza.’

‘That’s good. I like her too. And you can tell her that she doesn’t need a robot doll – or even a robot dog – to look out for her.’ She dropped her voice to a whisper. ‘Not when I’m around.’

Ten o’clock came and Fiona said, ‘I think it must be bedtime.’

Rose didn’t protest. She went upstairs and changed into her pyjamas, then came out of her bedroom to clean her teeth.

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