Page 144 of The Sleepwalker

Until dawn, Hugo had been convinced that the axe murderer had somehow managed to break in, and was lying low somewhere in the house.

As she drives, Agneta glances over to the teenager. He has pushed the passenger seat back, and is sitting with his phone in his right hand.

‘Dad asked .?.?. and it’s OK with me if you want to stick around for the hypnosis this time,’ he says.

‘Thank you. But you know .?.?. this whole thing with the book, I .?.?. I know you said yes, but you can change your mind if it doesn’t feel right,’ she says. ‘I won’t be annoyed. We’ve barely started, so it’s still OK if you want to put a stop to this.’

‘No, I think it’s a good idea .?.?. and I’m happy because Dad’s happy. I know he’ll listen if I say I want to change anything.’

‘Of course. Of course he will.’

Agneta indicates, changes lanes and overtakes a transporter carrying seven cars. The turbulence from the heavy vehicle buffets her Lexus, making it shake.

‘You know, the police have been trying to get hold of Olga,’ she says. ‘But she doesn’t answer the phone, she’s never home and doesn’t show up when she’s called in for questioning.’

‘What do they want with her?’

‘I think Joona just wants to ask about the night when you sleepwalked there.’

‘Meaningful,’ he sighs.

‘Do you know where she is?’

‘No, we haven’t been talking much lately,’ he replies, running a hand through his hair.

‘OK. I’m sorry to hear that.’

‘It’ll work itself out,’ he says with a shrug.

Agneta pulls back into the right-hand lane, checks the satnav and sees that her exit is in a couple of kilometres.

‘Olga works a lot, at a club called Redrum in Hjorthagen,’ Hugo says a few minutes later, in a strange tone of voice.

She turns to him just as the headlights from a car travelling in the opposite direction sweep across his face. His eyes look weary, his jaw tense.

‘Hugo .?.?. There’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about,’ she says as she turns off towards Uppsala.

‘OK .?.?.’ he mumbles, lowering his phone to his lap.

‘I wanted to say sorry for New Year.’

‘What, why?’

‘I shouldn’t have said that I wanted to adopt you. It was .?.?. insensitive of me.’

‘I just couldn’t take it in,’ he replies, looking out of the side window.

‘Of course, I get that. Your reaction made perfect sense. You’ve already got a mum and a dad.’

‘Except .?.?.’

‘And I really would like to adopt you,’ she continues, eyes welling up. ‘It’s not that, but—’

‘Do we have to talk about this now?’

‘I just wanted to say sorry, because it was all down to my .?.?. pride, if I’m honest. I wanted to be a better mum than Claire.’

‘That’s not hard.’