Page 22 of Psychopath

“None of that was your fault.”

“What I did at that party was, though. He won’t want to know me now. He probably thinks he had a lucky escape.” A slow smile spread across Noah’s face, and the baby-face mask morphed into something sinister. “I think, out of context, he would’ve been impressed.”

“Impressed?”

“By my party trick. The punch. It floored people.”

Noah snorted at his own joke.

“Did you have friends at school other than Mr Hawk?”

“One or two. I remember they didn’t stick around. The other kids thought my family was weird, and they were right. There were no meals around the table or board games at my house, but the kids left me alone mostly…until my dad went after Mr Hawk, that is. That’s when the bullying really started.”

Noah lifted his hand and showed Quinn his forefinger. “I’ve got all the nail varnish off.”

“Just nine more to go.”

“Yeah, and then I can pick a new colour. Spring is almost here, something bright maybe.”

“Pink? Green? Gold?”

Noah grimaced at his nails. “Gold’s cheap.”

“I would’ve thought it looked expensive.”

Noah laughed, then wagged his finger. “Trust me, gold says you’re trying too hard. Pink, though. Sparkly pink would be nice. Like blossom.”

Quinn smiled, then gestured to the door. “Thank you for talking to me about school and Mr Hawk. I know that can’t have been easy.”

“Can you do me a favour?”

“What?”

“Can you leave the part out about the allegation against Mr Hawk? That’s all it was, an allegation made by my father, but it ruined both his life and mine, and maybe if it hadn’t happened, six people would still be alive, and I wouldn’t be here.”

Quinn glanced down at his papers, then nodded. He ran his pencil over the offending part until the words couldn’t be read.

Noah laughed lightly. “You’d do that for me?”

“Innocent until proven guilty. Sounds like Mr Hawk was doing good and got punished for it.”

“Everyone I’ve ever talked to thought I was covering for him. They didn’t believe that he did nothing wrong. Never convicted but might as well have been. They even blame him for why I did what I did. Said he messed me up, but that wasn’t true. He was the one person who was on my side, that made me feel like I wasn’t always destined to be a fuck-up.”

“I’m sorry you didn’t have anyone else.”

“Thank you, Quinn,” Noah said, getting to his feet. “Next time you see me, I expect you to compliment my glittery new nails.”

“That’s if you can chip the paint off in time.”

“I sit alone in my cell for twenty-one hours a day; that’s plenty of time.” Noah smiled sadly, then left the room.

Quinn sighed and slid his notes into a folder.

Nothing he was told justified the crime, but Quinn couldn’t help but feel bad for Noah. If he hadn’t been emotionally and physically damaged by his parents, he might have turned out differently.

By Friday’s session with Zane, Quinn felt drained and had to prop his head up with his hand while he waited. Cleo took pity on him and brought a lukewarm coffee. He sipped at the bitter drink, but the caffeine hit was too weak to perk him up.

The door swung open, marking Zane’s arrival, and Quinn sat bolt upright. Alertness came back to him, and he tried not to gawp as Zane strolled into the room. His vest top showed off his broad shoulders and thick arms, and it was tight across his muscular chest.

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