Page 44 of Psychopath

“Exactly.”

Zane hummed in agreement.

“Right.” Quinn slapped his palm to the table. “Let’s draw a line—”

“Did he take his stuff with him?”

“Huh?”

“Damon.”

Quinn frowned. “No, he said he wanted me to keep it.”

“What have you done with it?”

“The bags are still stacked in the kitchen.”

Zane looked him in the eye. “Burn them.”

“What—no, I can’t.”

“You gave him the chance to take them. He didn’t, so they’re yours to do what you want with them. Burn them.”

“That’s not very good for the environment.”

Zane rolled his eyes. “Okay, don’t burn them. Just get rid of them. Get rid of Damon from your life.”

“For someone who’s never had a relationship, you know a lot about breaking up.”

“I told you. I study people, I observe. I see what they don’t. My mum left her stuff, and my dad kept her dressing room like a shrine. It had power over him, just like Damon’s belongings have power over you. He’s left them there for that reason.”

“Maybe you’re right.”

Zane stared intently into Quinn’s eyes. “Oh, I am, and there’s nothing wrong with you. People change. It happens. We’re supposed to change, but Damon, I think he’s stuck living in the past, wanting to relive the glory days. Forget about him, you do you.”

“The study…” Quinn said, glancing down at the sheet on the table.

“The study,” Zane repeated.

“Today, I want to ask about alcohol.”

“Fire away.”

“When was the first time you had a drink?”

Zane shrugged. “Sixteen. My dad let me try his gin.”

“And you liked it?”

“It was disgusting, still think it is. I remember I walked into a pub at twenty-four to use the bathroom. Went to wash my hands, and the water came out too fast, soaked my shirt and my trousers. I left the pub, and what did I read in the papers the next morning? How I’ve gone off the wagon, and my drinking’s out of control.”

“The press makes up stuff all the time.”

“But it was relentless. They saw me as a drinker, so a drinker is what I became.”

Quinn scrunched up his brow. “Why? Why listen to the labels people give you?”

“It’s funny, you listened to Damon when he called you boring.”

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