Chapter Forty
Chad Remington and Audrey Packer agreed that they should not accompany the Horans to Valerie Girard’s office, so it was Francine who introduced her husband to the psychiatrist.
“Why don’t you two take a seat on my sofa,” Valerie said.
Horan sat down next to Francine. He looked very tense.
“What’s going to happen, Dr. Girard?” the congressman asked.
“Since we’re going to be working together, why don’t you call me Valerie.”
“Okay.”
“Can I call you Tom?”
“Yes.”
“Are you nervous about being hypnotized?” Valerie asked.
“A little.”
“Everyone who is hypnotized for the first time is nervous, so that shows that you’re normal.
And I’m glad you’re open and honest with me.
I promise to be open and honest with you.
Anytime you’re concerned about something or have a question, let me know.
I want you to know everything that’s going on.
Now, tell me, have you ever seen someone being hypnotized? ”
“On TV.”
“The stuff you see on TV can be misleading. In the movies and television, the bad guys hypnotize a person and make them commit crimes, but you can’t make a hypnotized person do something that they don’t want to do.
I’m going to use hypnosis to help you, not hurt you.
I know you’ve gone through a terrifying experience.
Francine tells me that you have nightmares.
So, we’re going to work together to get to the bottom of what’s troubling you. Are you up for that?”
“Yes. I want to understand what happened to me.”
“Good. Then let’s get started. Francine, do you mind waiting outside? Tom needs to be free of distractions.”
Francine put a reassuring hand on her husband’s shoulder and went into the waiting room. As soon as the door closed behind her, Valerie told Horan to sit in an easy chair that was next to the sofa. When he was seated, she put a pillow behind his head and took a seat opposite him.
“Are you comfortable?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Now I want you to try to relax while I tell you what’s going to happen.
There won’t be any surprises.” Valerie’s tone was soothing and steady.
“You’ll notice that you may get a little drowsy as we proceed.
This is normal. Each night when you go to sleep, you go through an experience that is like hypnosis.
I want this to be a relaxing and pleasant experience.
I’m not going to ask you any questions that will embarrass you, so make your mind passive and don’t analyze your thoughts or experiences. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Now why don’t you put your hands palm down on your thighs. No, don’t close your eyes. Keep watching your hands. If you concentrate on your hands, you will notice that you can observe them very closely.
“When you sit and relax, you begin to notice things that you’ve never noticed before. They have always happened when you relax, but you have never been aware of them. I am going to point them out to you.
“Tom, I want you to concentrate on all the feelings and sensations in your hands, no matter what they may be.
Perhaps you may feel the heaviness in your hand as it rests on your thigh, or you may feel the pressure.
Perhaps you may feel the texture of your pants as it presses against your palm or the warmth of your hand on your thigh.
Maybe you will feel a tingling. No matter what the sensations are, I want you to observe them.
“Good, Tom,” Valerie said after a few moments.
“Keep watching your hand. See how quiet it is.
How it remains in one position. There is motion there, but it is not noticeable yet.
I want you to keep watching your hand. Your attention may wander from the hand, but it will always return to the hand, and you will keep wondering when the motion that is there will show itself.
“It will be interesting to see which of your fingers will move first. It may be the ring finger or the thumb. One of the fingers is going to jerk or move. You don’t know which, so keep watching and you will notice a slight movement, possibly on the right hand.
Then the thumb is jerking, just like that.
“As the movement begins, you will notice an interesting thing.
Very slowly, the spaces between your fingers will widen.
The fingers will move apart, and you will notice that the spaces between the fingers will grow wider and wider.
They will move slowly apart. See how they spread. Slowly moving wider and wider.
“Good, Tom. You are doing fine. The fingers are so wide apart. And soon you will notice that the fingers want to arch up from the thigh. Notice how the index finger is lifting. As it does, the other fingers will want to follow upward, slowly rising, up, up.
“See how the fingers are rising now. As they lift, you will become aware of a feeling of lightness, so much so that the fingers will arch up and the whole hand will rise as if it feels like a feather, as if a balloon is rising up in the air, lifting, lifting up, up, pulling it higher and higher.
The hand is so light. And as you watch, you will notice that your arm comes up, higher and higher.
“Keep watching the hand and arm rise, and you will soon become aware of how tired and drowsy your eyes become.
And as your arm continues to rise, you will get tired and relaxed and sleepy, very sleepy.
Your eyes will get heavy and your lids will want to close.
And as your arm rises, you will feel more relaxed and sleepier and you will want to enjoy the peaceful, relaxed feeling of letting your eyes close and being asleep.
“Good, Tom. Go to sleep, just sleep. And as you sleep, you will feel tired and relaxed. I want you to concentrate on relaxation, a tensionless relaxation. Think of nothing else but sleep, deep sleep.”
Valerie paused while Horan fell into a somnambulistic state.
“Now, Tom,” she said after a while, “I want you to recall a very happy, satisfying experience. A very pleasant experience where you felt strong and good and when those who knew you would have been proud and pleased. Can you remember an experience like that?”
“Yes,” Tom said.
“Tell me about it.”
“When I won my election in college. And Millie was so proud of me, and Terrance was so excited.”
“Tell me more about that day.”
“I worked so hard, and I was so nervous when they started tallying the votes. Then they said I won.”
“How did you feel at the precise moment you knew you’d won?”
“Like … Like I could float up to the ceiling, and Millie kissed me and Terrance clapped me on the back and we grabbed one another and danced in a circle.”
“You are doing great, Tom. And there are many wonderful experiences in life. Can you remember a present you received that made you very happy? Something that happened in the recent past?”
“Francine.”
“What about Francine?”
“She surprised me. She took me to a resort.”
“Why was this special?”
“It was paradise. It was warm. We lounged on the beach and watched the waves and drank pina coladas.”
“That sounds wonderful. Was it as wonderful as the way you shined at the UFO hearing?”
Horan tensed.
“Relax, Tom. Feel how peaceful and calm you are in your deep, restful sleep. Can you feel how safe and secure you are? How in control?”
“I…”
“Look at your hand and feel it drift up like a feather. Feel how light it is. Can you feel it floating?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Now I want you to remember how good it felt to come back home as a hero, after the hearing. How did you feel?”
“It was good.”
“What did Francine say when you came home?”
“She said I knocked the ball out of the park.”
“When did she say that?”
“When she picked me up at the airport.”
“Remember how good it felt to be praised by your wife.”
Horan smiled.
“Were you still feeling good when you received a phone call later that day?”
“Yes.”
“Who called?”
Horan stopped smiling. His shoulders tensed.
“Relax, Tom. You’re in a safe place. Nothing can hurt you here while you are relaxed and sleeping deeply. Tell me who is calling.”
“Terrance.”
“See? Nothing hurt you, because you are safe and protected here. Watch your hand floating in air. Feel how comfortable and sleepy you are.”
Horan’s shoulders loosened, and his head sank into the pillow.
“We are going to take a trip. You will be safe and happy while we travel. We’re driving to see your friend Terrance. Can you see the road?”
“Yes.”
“You’re such a good driver. So relaxed, in command. Is it easy to drive?”
“Yes.”
“See how smooth and easy the ride is to Terrance’s house. Can you see the house?”
“It’s dark.”
“Are you driving at night?”
“Yes.”
“That’s not hard for an expert driver. Can you stop the car?”
“Yes.”
“Good. You’re doing so well. Now that you are at your friend’s house, what do you see?”
“It’s dark, and … I’m nervous.”
“Put away your anxiety. You are protected. You are in a safe place where no harm can come to you. See how your hand floats, light as a feather. Do you feel how calm the night air is, how peaceful?”
“Yes.”
“Good, Tom. Now tell me, do you see anything outside the house?”
“I … There is something in the shadows as I drive to the house.”
“What do you see?”
“It might be a car, but it is in the shadows, and I only see it out of the corner of my eye.”
“Okay. Let’s go inside. We can do that because we are just dreaming and we are asleep in a safe, relaxed place where you are in control, where nothing can hurt you. Do you feel how peaceful it is to be in a deep, relaxed sleep?”
“Yes.”
“Good. This is just a dream. Let’s go into the house in your dream. What do you see?”
“It’s all dark, except for a light.”
“Where is the light?”
“I think it’s in the living room, but the light disappeared.”
“How did that happen?”
“I … It just disappeared.”
“Okay. Where are we going now?”
“Toward where the light was.”
“You’re doing great. You’re in control of your dream. You are safe, and nothing can hurt you. When you reach where the light was, what do we do?”
“I turn it on and—” Horan stiffens.
“What do you see?”
“The thing. The monster. Then—” Horan curls up in his chair.
“It’s okay. Concentrate on your hand. Let it rise. Breathe deeply. You are safe and secure. Nothing can hurt you.”
Horan sank back into the armchair. His breathing slowed.
“We’re almost there, Tom,” Valerie said. “What do you see?”
“Someone is on the floor and … there’s a mirror. Someone is behind me.”
“Who is behind you?”
“Long, black hair.”
“Is it a man or a woman?”
“I don’t know.”
“Try to see who is behind you.”
“I … I can’t.” Horan shot up in the chair. He was breathing hard.
“It’s okay. Relax. You’re safe.”
Horan was rigid and very agitated. Valerie decided that she would end the session.
“In a moment, I am going to ask you to wake up. When you do, you will feel happy and refreshed and free of fear.”
Audrey Packer and Chad Remington met Valerie Girard in her office shortly after Congressman Horan and his wife left.
“What do you think happened to Horan on the night Cogen was murdered?” Audrey asked after Dr. Girard told them what Horan had said during their session.
“This is pure guesswork,” Valerie answered.
“We understand.”
“I think the house was dark, except for a light in the room where you found Terrance Cogen’s body. I think the killer was in that room and turned off the light when Horan walked into the house. He probably called out for Cogen, alerting the killer.
“When Horan walked into the living room, the congressman turned on the light, saw Cogen’s brutalized body, and was struck on the head by the killer.”
“There’s evidence to support that theory,” Chad said. “The lab found blood from two different people on the statue the killer used to murder Cogen. Cogen’s blood makes up the majority of the blood on the statue, but the lab identified Horan’s blood too.”
“So, how do you explain Horan’s claim that he was abducted by aliens?” Audrey asked.
“It’s possible that, in his subconscious, the light Horan saw when he flipped the switch in the living room for a second became the light that beamed him up to the ship.”
“And the aliens?” Chad asked.
“The polar bear. He saw it for a fraction of a second, but filed it away in his subconscious as a huge, pale creature.”
“And the killer?” Audrey asked.
“You told me that there was a mirror near the doorway of the living room?”
“Yes,” Audrey answered.
“He may have gotten a glimpse of the person who hit him during the few seconds between turning on the light and being knocked unconscious. He saw long, black hair.”
“A woman?”
“He couldn’t tell me anything more.”
“Thanks, Valerie,” Chad said. “You’ve been an incredible help. Do you think you’ve helped Horan?”
“I gave him posthypnotic suggestions that may help him deal with his trauma.”
“Are you convinced that he didn’t kill Cogen?” Audrey asked.
“I don’t think he did. I think the physical evidence suggests that someone hit him hard enough to cause his hallucinations.”
“We can’t thank you enough for your help,” Chad said.
“I hope it does help catch the person who killed Terrance Cogen.”
Neither detective said anything until they were outside. Then Audrey turned to Chad.
“Long, black hair suggests a woman.”
Chad nodded. “What woman do we know who has long, black hair and would want to silence Terrance Cogen to keep him from telling the authorities the name of the person who really thought up the scams Cogen pulled?”
“A woman who could have met Walter Zegda in Mensa, a club in which they are both members,” Audrey said.
“And who knows how to hunt.”