Page 35 of Psychopath

“I was in confession…”

“Confession?” Quinn startled. “Do you pray?”

“No.” Zane snorted. “The vicar makes really good tea if we look particularly troubled.” He scrunched his face and wobbled his bottom lip to demonstrate. “I pull this expression, and I get a cup of tea and a biscuit, and in here you learn to value the small things.”

“You’re not religious then.”

“Well, I ended up here.”

“You’d be surprised by the number of criminals that state God as their reason.”

“And you, Quinn, are you a believer?”

Quinn scrunched his brow. “No. There’s a church in my village, but it’s more a ruin than a functional church. It desperately needs restoration.”

Zane clacked his tongue and looked up thoughtfully. “I see.”

“Do you want to continue with the study?”

“Of course.” Zane leaned back in his chair. A frown tugged at his brow. “Why do you think I wouldn’t?”

“Last week I…”

“Last week I was an arsehole to you. I meant what I said, you needed to hear it, but I didn’t enjoy upsetting you.”

“Well…thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” Zane pointed at Quinn’s wrist. “I like it.”

Quinn glanced at his new accessory. “Turns out the old one was still under warranty. I took it back, asked if I could have another of similar value, and here we are. It shows the right time now.”

“And the face is the right colour,” Zane whispered. “Compliments your eyes.”

Quinn shifted and cleared his throat. “Could you really tell things about my relationship from my watch?”

Zane lifted his eyebrows. “Why, are you scared?”

“I was impressed… Once I stopped thinking you were a heartless bastard.”

Zane tipped his head back and barked out a laugh. “It’s not the first time I’ve been called that.”

“Also…I thought you were a little scary, maybe…”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

He didn’t sound mocking.

“So”—Quinn held up his hands—“tell me…how did you know so much?”

“It’s what I do. I read people. I learn things about them. People are fascinating; I know you think so too or you wouldn’t be here.”

“But how?”

Quinn beckoned with his chin, and Zane sighed. “The watch wasn’t of any use to you, yet you kept wearing it. It had sentimental value. At first, I thought it might be from a family member, maybe your dad’s watch, but it’s too modern, and when we talked about him, you didn’t glance down at the watch at all.”

Quinn nodded. “You ruled him out.”

“I knew you were gay after I took my T-shirt off, so not a girlfriend. You like my body, you like it a lot…and my face, this stubble… Well, it did things to you. It does things to you.”

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