“When did you last meet with him?”

A shadow crossed his face. “Today would have been his standing appointment. So it’s been two weeks.”

“Did anything seem different at that last appointment?”

“I reviewed my session notes. Nothing odd had jumped out at me then.”

“You record all sessions, correct?”

“Yes, I didn’t review the recordings yet, just my notes.”

“Tell us how Justin came to be your patient, Doctor. How long has it been?” Mason knew the parents’ answers to these questions. Now it was time for the doctor’s.

Dr. Beck leaned forward over his desk and propped his chin on one hand. It made him look extremely young. “I’ve been working with Justin since he was sixteen. He originally came to me through a referral from his medical insurance company, I believe. His parents were very concerned with his attitude and physical well-being. According to them, in a matter of months he’d gone from being a three-sport athlete with solid grades to sleeping nonstop and letting school and sports slide away.”

“Teens sleep a lot,” said Mason, thinking of weekends he’d spent with Jake. Sometimes he’d been annoyed that his son had slept away three-quarters of his visitation time.

“They do. And they’re supposed to. But not nonstop and not to the detriment of themselves and the people around them.”

“You diagnosed him with depression?” Ray asked.

“He was a textbook case.”

“What triggered it?”

“Someone doesn’t need an inciting incident to have depression. Sometimes the chemicals in their brains simply aren’t acting the way they should. It’s tricky in kids and teens. Their bodies are growing and constantly changing. Sometimes the chemical balance gets off and it takes time to get it back in sync.”

Jayne danced through Mason’s mind. Ava had once told him that she’d changed significantly around puberty. “Sometimes they don’t ever get back in balance.”

Dr. Beck met his gaze. “That is correct. For some it’s a lifetime of management. For others it’s temporary.”

“What sort of things would Justin tell you?”

“What do you mean?” The doctor looked at him calmly. Mason didn’t get the feeling he was trying to be difficult, but after four years of therapy he imagined they’d talked about everything under the sun.

“What was on his mind? I mean . . . did he struggle with girls? His parents? His job? If I asked you what he hated most about his life, what would it be?”

Dr. Beck leaned back in his chair, his expression turning thoughtful. “Priorities change from age sixteen to twenty.”

“No doubt,” said Mason.

“But the only constant struggle I’d say was his relationship with his stepfather.”

“You mean his father. Eric Yoder adopted him, correct?”

“Yes, that’s true,” agreed Dr. Beck. “But Justin always called him his stepfather. He had a lot of questions about his biological father, and I know he tried to find him at one point, but he didn’t get any support from his mother . . . or stepfather. They both told him his father wasn’t worth looking up. Even for his medical history.”

“You’d wondered if his biological father had a history of depression?” Ray asked.

“Of course. I was curious. It’d be nice to know if it was something his biological father battled all his life or if it never touched him at all. Of course, everyone will encounter depression at one point or another in their life.”

“Back to Eric Yoder,” Mason stated. “I had the impression from the parents that the relationship was . . . normal. If there is such a thing between a father and teenager.”

“I’ve talked with Eric and Sally several times over the years,” said Dr. Beck. “More at the beginning of the therapy. I guess I haven’t actually seen either one of them in at least a year. I’d agree that their relationship seems quite normal, but from Justin’s point of view, Eric has never supported him or showed him affection or bonded with him.”

Mason waited a few beats. Then he asked, “Is that true?”

“I don’t know. When I met with the parents they appeared supportive, but when I talk with Justin, I hear a different story.”

“But shooting up a mall isn’t ‘I don’t get along with my stepfather’ anger,” said Ray.

“Absolutely not,” agreed Dr. Beck.

“It’s ‘I hate the world’–type anger,” said Mason.

Dr. Beck looked at him thoughtfully. “I don’t know if it’s classifiable. I never saw that sort of anger in Justin. He was more of the type of person who closed in on himself, hesitant to leave the house or talk to people. Once we got him on medication, he seemed to become the teen his parents remembered. But it took constant monitoring. What worked well for him one month, six months later was suddenly ineffective.”

“Did you ever see him have a bad episode?” Mason asked.

“A bad episode? You mean like ready to rage against the world? Shoot people?”

Mason could hear the sarcasm. He didn’t know the right terminology, but Dr. Beck knew exactly what he meant. He waited.

“When I was first put in touch with Justin, we—meaning his parents and I—agreed he needed to go away for a bit. He spent two weeks in a facility at the coast that treats teens and adults for depression or addiction. Justin wasn’t battling addiction, I simply felt he needed a change of scenery. He seemed extremely overwhelmed by life, and I wanted to get him into a brand-new environment where I could talk with him and monitor his medication.”