Page 89 of High Society

Salvador: *Baljit. Damn autocorrect.

Salvador:

Simon laughs for the first time in days.

Reese: Maybe one of us should drop by to check up on Liisa in the morning?

CHAPTER 44

Wednesday, April 24

Holly got to her office early this morning, but she hasn’t written a paragraph, let alone finished a few pages for her book as she had intended. Instead, she keeps dwelling on yesterday’s events: the revelations about Liisa’s professional misconduct, the break-in of her car, and the troubling conversation she had with Aaron last night.

After she discovered the break-in, Holly drove straight over to Aaron’s place. But for the first time since Elaine’s initial allegation triggered an avalanche of crises, he didn’t offer his unconditional support. In fact, Aaron didn’t hide his annoyance as he sat beside her at the kitchen counter, twirling his wineglass aggressively by the stem. “For Christ’s sake, Holly! Now you think someone’s breaking into your car as part of this never-ending patient drama?”

“I didn’t drop the glasses case, Aaron.”

“Was anything else missing?”

“No. They left my sunglasses. Which makes it even weirder. Like someone was looking for something specific.”

He sighed heavily. “Even if someone did break in, why the hell do you immediately assume it has to be related to Liisa or any of your patients?”

“What? Am I supposed to assume it’s just another random coincidence?”

“Come on, Holly. This whole thing is beginning to sound a little…”

“A little what?”

He eyed her steadily. “Like some conspiracy theory.”

She could see his point. Elaine’s overdose. JJ’s apparent suicide. Liisa’s attempt to sabotage the group. And now someone rooting through her car without stealing anything. It would be hard to tie it all together. Unless Liisa was pulling all the strings. “Do you think I’m acting paranoid?”

“I’m not saying that,” he grumbled. “But these days, you keep flailing to find one tidy explanation for everything. Life doesn’t always work that way.”

“Time will tell, I guess.”

“Now what?” he grunted. “You go running back to the police?”

“It’s been a long day.” Holly stood and stepped away from her untouched wineglass on the counter. “Right now, I’m going home.”

Holly had intended to stay the night. She was even considering moving back in. But those flashes of the old Aaron—the intolerance, the superiority, the disdain for her work—reminded her of the reasons she left in the first place.

Tanya knocks at the door, snapping her out of the memory. “Simon Lowry is here to see you.”

“Simon? He’s not on my day sheet, is he?”

“He just showed up,” she says, glancing at her watch with concern. “It seems to be becoming a pattern with this group.”

“No problem, Tanya,” Holly says, still guilt-ridden over her previous session with him. “Please show him in.”

Moments later, Simon is seated across from her, fidgeting with his hands and refusing to make eye contact.

“You don’t seem yourself this morning, Simon,” Holly says. “How can I help?”

“There’s just so much shit going on these days,” he mutters, still not looking up at her.

“With the tribe?”