Page 147 of The Sleepwalker

‘Erik Maria Bark is super charming, in any case,’ says Hugo.

‘Handsome too?’ Agneta asks with a smile.

‘He reminds me of an actor .?.?. I can’t remember his name right now, but he’s in that film with—’

Hugo stops talking when someone knocks at the door.

Lars comes into the room, followed by a middle-aged man in a bobbled blue sweater and a pair of jeans. He has a furrowed brow and kind, sad eyes.

‘Hi, Hugo,’ the man says, smiling disarmingly.

‘Hi.’

He turns to Agneta, and she gets up and shakes his hand.

‘Erik,’ he introduces himself, holding her gaze.

‘Agneta.’ She feels her cheeks grow hot.

‘You know, my first true love was called Agneta,’ Erik tells her, brimming with energy. ‘I was seven and she was twenty. Nothing happened, of course; she was a supply teacher .?.?. Sorry, I’m not sure why I’m telling you this, but before I change the subject I should probably point out that Ihavehad real relationships since.’

‘I was just saying,’ Hugo speaks up, ‘that you remind me of ahandsome actor who—’

‘I know exactly who you mean,’ says Agneta.

‘Either you’re joking in an attempt to embarrass me,’ Erik replies, ‘or something drastic must have happened since I looked in the mirror this morning.’

* * *

Hugo lies back on the bed as Lars Grind attaches the last six sensors to his head. For the second session, the plan is to combine hypnosis with polysomnography.

Erik Maria Bark draws the curtains and dims the lights even further.

‘This might be a stupid question, but do you work for the police?’ Agneta asks.

‘No, I’m a doctor. I have a practice, and I carry out research at the Karolinska Institute, too. But I do also step in to help with the questioning of traumatised witnesses on a fairly regular basis.’

‘Using hypnosis?’

‘Sometimes, yes, but more often than not, no.’

Grind turns on the monitors, checks the connections, holds up a thumb and says that they have contact with Major Tom.

‘Isn’t Joona Linna joining us today?’ asks Agneta.

‘He’ll be here soon, but we can start with a bit of relaxation while we wait. I’m just going to go and wash my hands,’ Erik replies, turning to leave the room.

On the three monitors, the output from the twenty-two sensors attached to Hugo’s body is visible, tracking his heart and brain activity, eye movements and muscle activity during the various stages of hypnosis – induction, suggestion and deep trance.

Erik comes back into the room and takes a seat besideHugo. He repeats much of the same information as last time, explaining how clinical hypnosis works and then taking him through the breathing and relaxation exercises.

The boy’s sceptical, jokey attitude is gone, and he now seems more afraid than anything.

‘Hugo, we’re going to slow your breathing a little further,’ Erik says softly. ‘You’re safe here. There’s nothing to worry about. Inhale through your nose, filling your lungs, and then slowly exhale through your mouth. Feel your eyelids growing heavy.’

Hugo can smell the mild scent of soap on the doctor’s hands as he patiently helps him to relax, focusing on his neck and jaw. Erik works through each muscle group in turn, making sure to keep them relaxed and heavy before returning to the teenager’s neck and jaw. He gets his body to feel weighty, to sink and press down against the bed.

‘You are now deeply relaxed, your heart is beating steadily, and I want you to concentrate on my voice as I count down to zero from one hundred. Ninety-nine, ninety-eight .?.?. You’re walking down a staircase made from dark, lacquered wood. With each number you hear, you’re going to take another step, and with each step you take, you’re going to feel more relaxed and focused on my voice.’