Part 41 (1/2)

Erik's hand is shaking as he picks up the wine gla.s.s, raises it to his lips and takes several large gulps.

'Could it be a patient taking revenge on you for-'

'I no longer work with dangerous patients,' Erik interrupts.

'But when you were doing research on-'

'That's fifteen years ago,' he says.

'How far back do your records go?'

'I record and archive everything.'

'Can you go through it?'

'Only if I know what to look for.'

'Some sort of parallel, a connection, anything stalking, violence directed at the face, the arrangement of bodies ... And we're probably dealing with trophies of some sort ...'

Erik is standing up now, and starts walking back and forth across his study. He runs his hand through his hair and is muttering to himself: 'This is crazy, it's completely sick ...'

'Sit down and tell me what-'

'I don't want to sit down!' Erik snaps. 'I've got to-'

'Listen,' Joona says. 'You're welcome to stand, but I need to know as much as possible ... and, to be honest, you look like you need to sit down.'

Erik reaches for his gla.s.s, drinks on his feet, then pulls a pack of pills from his inside pocket, presses a couple out and swallows them with some more wine.

's.h.i.+t,' he sighs.

'Have you started on the pills again? I'd never have believed that,' Joona says, looking at him with sharp grey eyes.

'I'm keeping an eye on it, it's fine.'

'Good.'

Erik sits down on his desk chair, wipes his forehead and tries to breathe more calmly.

'I can't get my thoughts together,' he mutters. 'I've been trying to work out if Rocky had an accomplice or an apprentice.'

'You've only just seen him.'

'Trying to uncover real memories is one of my areas of expertise ... but hypnotising Rocky was unusually complex. I managed to get past his organic amnesia, and ended up in a world of heroin highs and delirium ...'

'What happened?'

'I don't really know how to interpret it,' Erik says in an unsteady voice. 'But today, when I was sitting there with Margot and Adam and realised that I'd met all three victims, when I saw the photographs ... I started to think back to the hypnosis again ... This is completely sick.'

'I'm listening,' Joona says, sipping his wine.

Erik nods, and screws his eyes up as he tries to describe what happened.

'Rocky was in a state of deep hypnosis when he said the preacher had shown him a picture of a woman he had already killed in front of his eyes ... and after that he showed him a picture of Rebecka Hansson ... I could have sworn that was just a nightmare.'

'But it's the same killer,' Joona says. 'The preacher is back, it's the same pattern.'

Erik's face has turned grey.

'In that case, I'm playing Rocky's role this time,' he whispers.

'Did Rocky have relations.h.i.+ps with the two women?'

'Yes.'

'Call Simone at once,' Joona says seriously.

Erik picks up his phone, clears his throat, then stands up anxiously.

'Simone,' the familiar voice says in his ear.

'Hi, Simone, it's Erik.'

'What's happened you sound upset?'

'I need to ask you for a favour ... Are Benjamin and John there?'

'Yes, but why do you-'

'I think I've got a patient who's stalking me, and I just don't want you and Benjamin to be on your own at home until this is sorted out.'

'What's happened?'

'I can't tell you.'

'Are you in danger?'

'I just don't want to take any risks, please, just do as I say ...'

'OK, I'll try to bear it in mind,' Simone says.

'Promise.'

'You're scaring me, Erik.'

'Good,' he replies, and hears her laugh wearily.