Page 80 of High Society

“A friend, too?”

“No, more like an advocate. Someone with the expertise and the clout to back me up in group discussions. And to be honest, it was validating to see a colleague respond so well to my therapy.”

“I’m confused,” Aaron says. “What does this have to do with what Baljit told you?”

“I was wrong about Liisa. So wrong.” Holly sighs. “She’s been trying to undermine me the whole time.”

“Undermine? How?”

“Liisa told Baljit that Elaine’s accusations about me were probably true. She even tried to convince Baljit that I might have molested her, too.”

“What the hell?” Aaron’s voice rises. “Why would Liisa put herself into counseling with you—especially group therapy!—only to sabotage it?”

“I don’t have a fucking clue, Aaron.”

“How do you know what Baljit told you is true?”

“I didn’t ask her. She just offered it.”

“While high on ketamine?”

“While medicated, yes.”

Aaron exhales. “Did you confront Liisa?”

“No. Not yet.”

“How reliable are memories shared under the influence of psychedelics?”

“It depends how deep the person is. How altered.”

“But isn’t it possible that Baljit misremembered?”

Holly stops to consider it. “Possible, I suppose. But unlikely. It was a spontaneous utterance. She believed what she was saying. I’m sure of that.”

“Are you going to tell that detective?”

“You know I can’t betray patient confidentiality like that. And as of now, it’s all just conjecture.”

Aaron knows his wife won’t be able to leave it alone. “What do you plan to do, Holl?”

“I haven’t decided. But I have an appointment with Liisa tomorrow.”

Aaron shakes his head. “This tribe of yours…”

“It’s not my tribe. It’s theirs.” Holly locks eyes with him. “But if Liisa really was so determined to sabotage the group, to convince members that they’d been molested under the influence…”

“Yes?”

“Isn’t it possible she could have gone further?”

“Holly…”

“Think about it, Aaron. What if Elaine began to resist Liisa’s suggestions, like Baljit did? Maybe Liisa was worried Elaine might expose her? Maybe Liisa thought she had to silence her?”

“Wasn’t Elaine laser focused on exposing you before she died? Where’s the resistance in that? And besides, how do you explain JJ?”

Holly snaps her fingers. “OK, let’s say Elaine did OD on her own. But then Liisa tried to pull the same routine on JJ. To convince her that she’d been a victim, too. And then after Elaine died, maybe JJ felt guilty for not having warned her about Liisa. Maybe that was what was stressing her out?”