Laura smiled warmly at him, while hearing what he wasn’t saying as much as what he was. ‘Tell me about your school life. Was it a positive experience, or couldn’t you wait to leave?’

He thought for a moment. ‘I always knew that whatever I achieved at school would affect the rest of my life, so I was a bit of a swot. I strived to do well and hated coming up against a subject that I found hard. My grades weren’t good enough for university, but I was assured of a decent job after I left. So, yes, it was a positive experience.’

And school friends? Teachers? Any other social contact? Not a mention. In an earlier session he had described his interpersonal and communication skills as average, but she doubted the veracity of that. She believed Freddie Shields was a loner, with very few friends, if any.

‘Who do you turn to when your heart hurts, Mr Shields?’

There was no hesitation. ‘My mother.’

‘And yet you haven’t told her about your sleepwalking,’ she said.

He looked down, avoiding her gaze. ‘No.’

‘Can you tell me why?’

‘I don’t want to worry her. She’s in her seventies, it wouldn’t be fair.’ But he hadn’t raised his eyes.

‘All your life, she has been your rock. She even moved house to be closer to you, and I’m sure that was a two-way thing, so you could care for each other. Why do you feel that on this occasion, you cannot turn to her when your heart hurts?’

He was rubbing his hands together now, as if he were cold.

‘I used to sleepwalk as a child. It scared her then.’ He swallowed. ‘It would scare her even more now, Dr Archer.’

‘What form did this childhood sleepwalking take?’

‘Getting up. Walking downstairs.’ He bit his lip. ‘Er, going outside.’ He sighed and looked at his feet. ‘This is embarrassing, but I suppose you should know. I sometimes opened the wardrobe door and peed in it.’

She smiled at him. ‘That’s called inappropriate behaviour, and it’s common in child somnambulists. I’m sure you never remembered doing it. It’s simple confusion — the sleepwalker often thinks they’re somewhere they’re not. In your sleep, you probably believed it was the bathroom.’

He smiled back sheepishly. ‘I wish someone had explained that to me years ago. I was so ashamed.’

‘Any other unusual activities?’

Laura noted his hesitation before he said none that he knew of. He was lying.

‘Nothing you tell me ever goes further than my supervisor. All therapists have one to ensure that we’re coping well and can deliver the best possible outcome for you. If I ever deemed it necessary, I would always ask your permission before discussing your case with another professional.’ She gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. ‘I’m not here to judge you, Mr Shields, I just want to help you to help yourself. Sometimes it’s hard to tell the truth about something, and sometimes we don’t even admit that truth to ourselves, and that’s when it comes out sideways, if you understand what I’m saying?’