Page 49 of Psychopath

“Jesus,” Quinn hissed. “You did that because of boredom?”

“My brain festers with it. I thought if I dug my fingers in deep enough, it would stop, but I was wrong.” He leaned forward. “I look forward to Thursdays because at least I’ve got these little outings.”

“I know some of the other prisoners, such as Harris, have books to read to pass the time; he’s fond of sudoku. Maybe—”

“I prefer more physical activities. Word searches and crosswords are not enough to distract me from…” He gestured to his head. “This.”

“On the outside world, what distracted you?”

“My job. Although I owned the company, and it was a very successful company, I wasn’t one for sitting inside and letting others do the work. I had to be out there. I had to plan and build and be part of everything. I got labelled a workaholic, but I needed that physical occupation to keep myself busy.”

“And outside of work?”

“My boyfriend. We had quite the passionate sex life.” He smiled, but it soon faded. “But away from sex, he made me slow down, take a breath, enjoy a moment.”

“Like what?”

“Simple things. A meal. A movie. A walk. Lying in bed, watching him twitch. Things that never appealed to me much did when I was with him. I was a normal man when I was with him.”

“Except when you were luring men to their deaths and decapitating them,” Simon snapped.

“Except then.”

“What distracts you in here?” Quinn asked.

Virgil stared at Simon. “Taking things apart…”

Quinn swallowed. Simon shifted from foot to foot.

“And putting them back together again.” Virgil smirked. “Trust you two to think the worst of me. I took my bed frame apart, and my wardrobe and desk in my cell, you know, just to pass the time, to do something physical that wasn’t just sit-ups or push-ups—”

“You were after the screws and nails,” Simon said, shaking his head. “You would’ve used them to undo your cuffs or to attempt to open your cell door.”

“See,” Virgil said. “Always thinking the worst of me.”

“You want to get out of here.”

“Who doesn’t?” Virgil fired back.

“What were you planning on doing with the bed, desk and wardrobe?” Quinn asked.

“I wanted to put them back together. I was going to time myself doing it, see if I could beat the time the next day or see if I could do it blindfolded.”

“You’re so full of shit,” Simon muttered.

Quinn looked at Simon. “Where are the bed, wardrobe and desk now?”

“They were confiscated,” he said. “We even changed the mattress in his cell in case he ripped it open and tried to get the springs. He now has his mattress on the floor and his possessions in a pile in the corner.”

“With the rats.”

“It’s what you deserve.”

“Aren’t you worried I might train the rats to steal your keys?” Virgil smirked.

“I wouldn’t put anything past you.”

Quinn braced his hands on the desk. “I think that’s enough for today.”

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