Stella leaned forward, clasped her hands, and rested her forearms on her knees. “I want to talk to you about Missy Green. She was a patient of yours?”

“Yes. I was sorry to hear of her death.” Josh replaced his glasses. “How can I help you?”

Stella tilted her head. “You treated Missy for addiction, but she was recovered, right?”

“Yes, but addiction doesn’t end when someone checks out of this facility,” Josh said. “The first step toward recovery is committing to a life-long treatment plan.”

“Did Missy ever relapse?” Stella asked.

“A few times.” Josh crossed his ankle over his knee. “But most patients will relapse at some point. Recovery tends to be a forward-and-back process. There are inevitable stumbling blocks on every patient’s road.”

Stella’s lips thinned. “That doesn’t sound promising.”

“It’s important that the patient not view a relapse as failure but as an experience he or she can learn and grow from.” Josh rested his hand on his calf. “Building self-esteem is an important part of controlling addiction.”

She leaned forward. “Most people would say why not let them destroy themselves.”

“That’s not an option. Addiction doesn’t only hurt the user,” Josh said.

Which was why Mac had devoted his life to stopping drugs before they hit US soil.

“When was the last time you saw Missy?” Stella asked.

“I saw Missy just a few weeks ago, and she seemed to be using her coping mechanisms well. She’d borrowed money for her treatment. During our last session, she decided that once she finished paying her debt, she was going to attend community college. This was the first time she’d looked that far ahead in her life. I thought the new direction was promising.”

“What about cutting?” Stella asked.

“Missy had a period of self-harm when she first came home from California. We dealt with it during her stay. As far as I know, she hadn’t done it since.”

Stella took a small tablet from her purse and made a note. “You saw Missy here after her inpatient program was finished?”

“No. Missy didn’t want to borrow more money, I run a few therapy groups for local charities.” Josh glanced at Mac. “I’m not completely materialistic.”

A knock sounded on his door, and Reilly opened it. “Your next patient is here.”

“Thanks, Reilly.” Josh got to his feet.

“Thank you so much for your help with this case.” Stella stood and offered him her hand.

Josh held it too long for Mac’s liking, and the doctor’s eyes showed definite interest. Mac got up and stuck his hand out. Josh released Stella, but reluctance was clear on his face.

Stella and Mac returned to the car.

“What did you think of Randolph?” Climbing into the passenger seat, Mac shook his coffee cup. Empty.