Visions in Death (In Death #19)(83)

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"I'm a little nervous." Celina lay back in a sleep chair, with the lights dim and a whisper of music Eve thought sounded like water flowing into a pool.

She'd left her hair loose and curling lavishly. Around her neck was a silver chain that dangled with several crystals in wand shapes. She wore a dress today, a long straight column in severe black that stopped inches above her ankles.

Her hands gripped the arms of the chair.

"Try to relax." Mira moved around the chair, checking, Eve supposed, the subject's vital and brain wave patterns.

"I am. Really."

"We're recording this, you understand?"

"Yes."

"And you've voluntarily agreed to undergo hypnosis."

"Yes."

"And you've requested that Lieutenant Dallas be present during the session."

"Yes." Celina smiled a little. "Thanks for making the time."

"It's okay." Eve ordered herself not to shift in her chair. She'd never witnessed a session, and wasn't sure she was going to like it, even as an observer.

"Are you comfortable?"

Celina breathed slowly, in and out. Her hand relaxed on the arms of the chair. "Yes. Surprisingly."

"I want you to continue to breathe, slow and deep. Picture the air coming inside you, soft and blue, expelling, clean and white."

Mira lifted a small screen, and Eve could see the silver star on a deep blue background. The star pulsed, gently, like a quiet heartbeat. "Look at the star. Your breath comes from the star, returns to it. The star is your center."

Uneasy, Eve looked away from the screen, pushed her thoughts back to the case to block out the soothing tone of Mira's voice.

She didn't think you could get hypnotized by accident, but why risk it.

Time drifted—the liquid music, Mira's quiet voice, Celina's deep breaths.

When Eve risked a glance back, she saw the silver star now filled the screen, and that Celina's gaze was riveted on it.

"You're floating toward the star now. It's all you see, all there is to see. Close your eyes now, and see the star inside you. Let yourself float with it. You're very relaxed, light as air. You're absolutely safe. You can sleep now, and while you sleep you'll hear my voice. You'll be able to speak and respond. You'll keep the star inside you, and know you're safe. I'll count, and when I reach ten, you'll sleep."

As she counted, Mira set the screen aside, and once again moved around Celina to check her medicals.

"Are you sleeping, Celina?"

"Yes."

"And are you comfortable?"

"I am."

"You can hear my voice, and respond to my voice. Will you lift your left arm?"

When she did, Mira nodded to Eve. "And lower it. You're safe, Celina."

"Yes, I'm safe."

"Tell me your name."

"Celina Indiga Tereza Sanchez."

"Nothing can hurt you. Even when I take you back, when I ask you to see something difficult to see, to tell me something difficult to tell, you're safe. Do you understand?"

"Yes. I'm safe."

"Go back to the park, Celina. To Central Park. It's night, a cool night, but comfortable. What do you see?"

"Trees and grass and shadows, streetlights glowing through the leaves."

"What do you hear?"

"Cars passing on the street. Music, a little music through an open window as one goes by. Neo-punk. It's harsh. I don't care for it. Footsteps. Someone's crossing the street. I wish she wouldn't come here."

"Do you see the woman? The woman coming toward you. She has a little dog on a leash."

"Yes. Yes, I see her. It's a little white dog, silly little dog trotting along. She laughs at the dog."

"What does the woman look like?"

"She's pretty. A homey sort of pretty. She has brown hair, light brown hair, straight to her shoulders. Her eyes are... I can't see the color, because it's dark. They might be brown, too, but it's too dark to tell. She's white, and looks very fit and healthy. She looks happy as she walks the dog. She talks to the dog. 'Just a quick walk tonight,' she says. 'You be a good doggy now.'"

Her breath hitched, and her voice dropped to a whisper. "There's someone there. There's someone watching."

"It's all right. He can't hurt you. He can't see you or hear you. Can you see him?"

"I... It's dark. Shadows. In the shadows, watching her. I can hear him, breathing—fast—but she can't. She can't hear him. She doesn't know he's watching. She should go back now, go back into the lights, away from the shadows. She needs to go back! But she doesn't. She doesn't know he's there until he... No!"

"He can't hurt you, Celina. Listen to my voice. Nothing can hurt you. You're safe. Breathe in the blue, breathe out the white."

Celina's breathing evened, but her voice continued to shake. "He's hurting her. He jumped at her, hit her, and the little dog ran away, trailing his leash. He's hurting her, hitting her. She fights. Blue, her eyes are blue. I see them now, and they're afraid. She tries to run, but he's too big. He's too fast! She can't scream, can't scream when he's on top of her. Crushing her."