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For a moment, Jessie was tempted to unload everything that she was dealing with all at once. But with the limited time they had, that didn’t feel very productive. So she picked the one she could do the most about.
“I’m afraid I haven’t had much luck finding out who killed Gemma Britton,” she said.
Lemmon gave her a comforting smile.
“Well, I’m sure it’s not for a lack of effort.”
“No, it’s not. I’ve probably put in more effort than the folks around me are comfortable with. But even with that, I’ve come up mostly empty. And that’s after finding a new victim.”
“Isabel Shea?” Lemmon asked.
Jessie nodded.
“Did you know her too?” she asked.
"I knew the name, but I don't think I ever met her," Lemmon said. "I know she did a lot of couples' counseling and was well-regarded in that area."
Jessie sighed, wondering if this might be the time to share some of the other concerns on her mind. But Lemmon beat her to the punch.
“You mentioned that ‘folks’ aren’t comfortable with how hard you’ve been working this case,” the doctor noted. “I assume that Ryan is among them.”
Again, Jessie nodded.
“He’s really upset at how hard I’m pushing myself,” she admitted. “I may have passed out a little when questioning a potential suspect.”
“May have?” Lemmon repeated, before setting that nugget aside. “How did Ryan’s upset manifest?”
“He just asked why I insisted on repeatedly doing this when I was putting myself at risk. I told him the truth: that it gave me a sense that I have some power over a life that’s spinning out of control.”
“And how did he react to that?”
“I think it’s fair to say that he was unhappy,” Jessie understated.
“Do you think his unhappiness is justified?”
“Absolutely,” Jessie said quickly. “But apparently his feelings aren’t enough to make me stop. I guess that’s something we’ll need to work on in our next session.”
“That’s not a bad thought,” Lemmon agreed.
They sat quietly for a moment. Jessie pondered just how many sessions it might require to set them back on the path they’d strayed from. She wondered if they’d ever get there. If not, would she end up blaming Dr. Lemmon for their failures? She couldn’t dismiss the possibility. The idea made her suddenly sit up straight in her chair.
“You said that Isabel Shea was known for her work with couples,” she said quickly. “Do you know if Gemma Britton did that kind of work too?”
“I believe she did, for select clients,” Lemmon answered. “Why?”
“It occurred to me that if someone went to both psychiatrists for couples’ therapy and the relationship ended anyway, that client might hold a grudge against them. I wonder if there are any clients who saw both Britton and Isabel Shea recently.”
“It wouldn’t shock me,” Lemmon said. “I’ve certainly had patients who went doctor-shopping in the hopes of getting a different diagnosis. I don’t see why this would be any different.”
Jessie stood up.
“I’m sorry to bail right after sitting down,” she said, “but I’ve got to look into this.”
“Of course,” Lemmon said with a wry smile. “You’re trying to solve a case and get back some of that control.”
“Two birds, one stone,” Jessie conceded as she headed for the door. “Wish me luck.”
“In my experience,” Lemmon replied, “you make your own luck.”
