Page 70 of The Sleepwalker

Joona’s great hope is that by putting Hugo Sand under hypnosis, the teenager will be able to provide them with a description of the killer.

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A research assistant in a pair of tinted glasses comes out to meet Joona and Erik in reception. Speaking softly, she leads them past a small pantry, down a corridor with shiny plastic flooring and through to the unit.

‘Office, office, day room, bedroom, cupboard, bedroom .?.?. And this is the suite,’ she says, opening a blue door. ‘You can go straight in. They’re waiting for you in the lounge.’

‘Thank you.’

Joona and Erik make their way down a hall to a brightly lit room where the TV screen is dark and the curtains are drawn.

Hugo has his long hair loose, and he is sitting in an armchair opposite a slim man with a bald head and a thin face. On the low coffee table between them, there are two glasses of water, a bowl of clementines and a pot of snus.

The man gets to his feet with a smile. He welcomes them and introduces himself as Lars, failing to mention that he is the senior doctor and lead researcher. His feet are pushed into a pair of loafers, and he is wearing a blue crewneck sweatshirt that brings out the pale colour of his eyes.

‘An honour,’ Lars says as he shakes Erik’s hand. ‘I’ve been following your work for many years. Very impressive.’

‘Thank you,’ Erik replies with warmth in his voice.

‘Our fields are very much siblings,’ Lars Grind continues,turning to Joona. ‘The word hypnosis actually stems from the ancient Greek for sleep.’

‘He used to be a lecturer,’ Hugo mumbles, scratching his tattooed forearm.

‘Hello again,’ says Joona.

They sit down, and Lars explains that the suite is designed to resemble a regular apartment, but that it has been specially adapted for sleepwalkers and fitted with motion detectors and cameras.

‘Everyone wants to know what’s going on up here,’ Hugo says, pointing to his own head. ‘I just wish you could crack a little hole with a spoon and have a look inside.’

‘Erik Maria Bark is probably the closest we can get to that,’ Lars Grind replies with a smile.

‘Sorry, I know you’ve driven all the way up here from Stockholm,’ says Hugo. ‘But I feel like I should say that I’m not sure I evenbelievein hypnosis.’

‘I hear that rather often,’ Erik says calmly. ‘But in truth, there isn’t muchtobelieve in; this isn’t magic or spirituality. Hypnosis is simply a tried and tested method of reaching a state of physical relaxation and mental focus. Imagine going to the cinema and being so engrossed in the film that you forget you’re sitting in a dark room with a projector .?.?. Hypnosis is a bit like that, but rather than getting caught up in a film, you’re using your new-found concentration to dig deep in your memory.’

* * *

Hugo leans back in his chair and decides that both Joona and Erik seem nice. They clearly have a lot riding on this, and he thinks he will be able to help them, but they definitely aren’t on his side. He can’t afford to forget that.

He knows that Joona hasn’t fully ruled him out as a suspectyet, and Erik almost seems to be quivering with anticipation at the prospect of hypnotising him. The man is practically salivating.

‘Where do you think will work best?’ asks Lars.

‘This will be just fine, if we can lower the lights a little,’ says Erik.

‘Don’t I need to lie down?’ asks Hugo.

‘Only if you want to, but anywhere where you’re sitting comfortably will do.’

‘OK .?.?. just don’t be too disappointed if it doesn’t work.’

Joona gets up and turns off the ceiling lights, then moves back over to the seating area and dims the floor lamp.

‘I want to emphasise that resistance is possible – this isn’t like anaesthesia,’ Erik begins. ‘Hypnosis requires a certain level of participation on your part, and it’s important that you’re participating willingly, that you know you can break the hypnosis at any moment.’

‘Let’s give it a try,’ Hugo says with a smile, pulling his long hair back in a ponytail.

‘I’ll be here the whole time, guiding you through the relaxation and deep focus.’