“You didn’t like that?”Jem asked.
Quinn didn’t say anything.
“You can understand why it’s problematic,” Tean said, “that you alibi each other, and you’re also sexually involved.”
“Why?”Beckett put his hands on his hips.“What do you think we did?We killed Gerald because we didn’t want him telling everyone we were fucking?”
“Did Gerald know you were having sex?”
“No.But that’s what you think.”
“Is that what happened?”
“No!Why would we kill him?Everybody already knows I’m gay.And even if Quinn—”
For the first time in the conversation, Beckett seemed to realize his mouth had gotten away from him.He blushed and folded his arms again.
“What about Quinn?”Jem asked.
“Nobody knows,” Quinn said miserably.
“Nobody knows you’re gay?”Tean said.
Quinn gave the slow shake of his head again.“But I wouldn’t—I mean, it’s a secret, but I wouldn’t kill anybody.”
“And we were together the whole time,” Beckett said.“He didn’t do anything.Neither of us did.”
Tean was studying them now.“Whatisthe nature of your relationship?”
“I thought you were gay,” Beckett said.“I thought you knew how it worked.”
Tean waited.
“We don’t have a relationship,” Beckett said.
But at the same time, Quinn said, “We’ve been together for a couple of years.”
Color made Beckett’s cheeks even pinker.
Quinn turned a surprisingly hurt look on the smaller man.
“I just meant,” Beckett said, the words pitched only for Quinn, “we don’t even see each other when we’re not at one of these retreats.”
After a moment, Quinn nodded.
“You’ve both been working with Gerald for two years?”Tean asked.
“About,” Beckett said.
“And you’ve been sexually involved with each other that whole time?”
“We shared a room at the first retreat,” Beckett said with a shrug.
“Isn’t that a big waste of money?”Jem said.
Beckett blinked.Quinn lifted his big shoulders and dropped them again.
“I mean, you’re trying to get straight, right?”Jem said.“Dicking each other down seems—Tean, what’s the word?”
