Keith,
I knew Lance was lying the moment I saw him deny the accusation. The way in which he denied the charges was identical to a bass player that was for a brief time a member of the band I was in. This guy was/is a sociopath. For real. I have never been around such a human prior to him, and I hope never to be again. Without getting into too much detail, he spun not just a web, but an entire life of lies. All of these lies served one purpose: to further himself, at any cost. These weren't "I was at game seven of 1999 World Series and caught a home run" or a "Yeah, I had a try out with the Reds, but I hurt my knee" or "I dated/know/have partied with x, y, z celebrity" or "I have three college degrees" sort of puffing oneself up sort of lies. These were lies that affected others. (However, he would lie about everything; even when telling the truth was easier.) He thought he was smarter than everyone else. And once his game was figured out and he was confronted, I swear, I thought his head was going to spin 360 degrees, in "Exorcist" fashion. He was so adamant in, and harsh towards others, in his denials (saying anything he thought that would buy him time or convince others he was telling the truth—by playing upon an individual's particular psychology), people would back off immediately, apologizing to him for even thinking he was capable of committing such acts. He would look you in the eye, become about as indignant as a person can be, and swear oaths on anything if anyone came anywhere near the truth. In short, he "was" Lance. This is common behavior in sociopathic individuals. They will become almost violent (and at times do) when confronted with the truth because they are unable to conceive that anyone is intelligent enough to figure them out. Thus, in order to perpetuate the "game," they will do or say anything. Because it is a game to them: others are mere means, and the end (whatever it is they're after) is the "game." The object is to win the "game."
Jeff
