Page 71 of High Society

Clearly, JJ had misinterpreted Holly’s questions about that night. And she must have been extremely distressed to have shared her worries with someone like Simon. He strikes Holly as an unlikely choice for a confidant. Did JJ’s anxiety over what she thought I knew lead her back to the bottle? And did the guilt and the alcohol conspire to convince her to jump? Or was she pushed?

“I didn’t come here to spread rumors,” Reese says.

“What does bring you here?”

“The tribe sent me. As their envoy, of sorts.”

“Why do they need an envoy?”

“To let you know that, despite what’s happened, we’re all committed to continuing with our psychedelic therapy with you.”

Holly almost does a double take. “Two out of seven dead! And the rest of you still want to continue the same treatment?”

“We don’t believe it had anything to do with the psychedelics. Or you. Not directly, anyway. We think it’s all a freakish coincidence.”

Holly can’t wrap her mind around that possibility. “Even if you don’t, others will. And as I said from the outset, our treatment isn’t mainstream. You knew it would be under the microscope. That I would be.”

“Our names are protected by therapist-client confidentiality.”

“But mine isn’t! And Simon has already gone public about his therapy with me.”

“But not the rest of us,” Reese points out. “No one outside of the tribe has to know that JJ or Elaine were in our group. That won’t get out.”

“Won’t it?” Holly waves a hand. “Look how quickly the rumor spread about JJ.”

“Only within the group, Dr. Danvers. None of us will say a word to anyone about JJ or Elaine. Or you. We promise. You don’t have to stop the ketamine.”

“We absolutely do. At least, for now.”

Reese frowns. “I thought you believed in psychedelics. Wholeheartedly. Didn’t your grandfather help pioneer the field?”

“Of course, I still believe. And so does my grandfather.”

“Oh? He’s alive?”

“Very much so. Here in Orange County. And at ninety, he’s still active and highly respected in the academic world of psychedelia.”

“Impressive.”

“He is,” Holly says without masking her pride. “But after everything that’s happened, Reese, we have to hit the pause button on the ketamine infusions.”

Reese looks Holly dead in the eyes. “We’re scared, Dr. Danvers. All of us.”

“About the risk of relapsing?”

“Yes.” Her candor is bracing. “For the first time in years, each of us has found something to control our addiction. Something that actually works. All of us believe that if we were to stop now, we’d be bound to fall off the wagon. Likely sooner than later. And that terrifies us.”

“There are other options, Reese,” Holly says gently. “Other ketamine clinics and psychedelic practitioners.”

“None like yours. None which offer ketamine intravenously.”

Holly can’t remember seeing Reese so unguarded, and she feels a pang of sympathy for the normally steadfast lawyer. “I have no choice but to put our therapy on hold for now. But I will consider what you said, Reese. And maybe, after the investigation is complete, we can discuss restarting.”

“Thank you.” Reese sighs as she rises to her feet. “Please do consider it, Dr. Danvers. We’re relying on you.”

After Reese leaves, Holly goes over their conversation in her head as if it were a court transcript. What else do members of the group know? Who else might be involved? What wasn’t said?

Then an idea hits her. One she almost dismisses out of hand, recognizing it to be beyond unethical. But Holly is desperate for answers, and the prospect is too tempting. The longer she considers it, the more she realizes there’s only one person she can turn to for guidance.

---