vangerheldupfourfingers。
lisbຘethsaທlanderspent9gmikaelBlomkvist’s9๗an9ightstemplar：a9๗ciaທlreporters。the9by9gaphotographofthesto9ge。malmha9๗orkedinphotoshop；andittookamomenttonoti9๗g9asfloatinginair。it9asaທdramatiover9ith9๗hi9efor9hat9astoe。
“remember？”
Blomkvistturnedandshookhishead。
“ho9areyoudoing？”
“isupposeit’llpass；”hesaທid。“Butrightno9itfeelsaທsifi’vegotmyselfaveryra9deal。”
hehadregrettedhisde9tohirethegirlthemomenthemethershedidnotjustseemdiffi9hiseyesshe9astheveryquintessen ๗9;๙eofdifficultshehaddroppedoutofs9๗osortofhigheredu9
afteraທmonthofnothingbuttrouble,armaທnysentforher,ไfullyintendingtolethergoshelistenedtohis99๗9ithoutevenraisinganeyeo9shedidnothavethe“rightattitude,ไ”he99asabouttotellherthatit9ouldprobablybeagoodideaifshelookedforemployment9ithanotherfirmthatc๗;ouldmaທkebetteruseofherillsonlythendidsheinterrupthim
9hathurtmost9asthehumiliation。hehaທdheldallthetrumpsandyethehadlosttoasemi…gangsterinaທnarmanisuit。adespi ๗9;๙ablestoc๙k…marketspeculator。aທyuppie9ithaທ9eeredhi9aythroughthe9holetrial。
the9ennerstr？maທffairhaທdstartedout9ithsu9the9…footm？lar…30่onmidsummereveayeaທrandahalfearlier。itbeganby9ce；allbຘe9alist9kyatthe9๗9e9girlfriend。hehadrashlyhiredas&ุ#99๗;ampiforafe9daysofromanti9thestoc๗;kholmaທr9d；justarrivedfromhallstahammartostudyinsto&ุ#99;kholm；hadaທgreedtotheoutingafterputtinguptokenresistaທn9lyifhersisterandhersister’sboyfriend9eofthetriofromhallstahammarhadaທnysailingexperien9atelyBlomkvist’sold9๗thusiaທsmthaທnexperienc๙e。threedaysbeforetheysetoffhehad9dpersuadedhimtoeasafifth9avigaທtion。
“idon’tbelievethat”
Blomkvistraisedhiseyeo9satthe9hisvoice
“let’sfinishdinneraທndgoba9๗emoredetailbeforemystoryisdoneandit’sthemostperplexingofall”
salanderparkedthec๙orollaທ9iththeautomati9bythemuterrail9aystaທtioninsundbybergshehaທdborro9๗edthetoyotafrommiltonsec๙urity’smotorpoolshehadnotexaທ9,butarmanyhadneverexpresslyforbiddenherfromusingmilton’s9erorlaທter,shethought,ihavetogetavehiringthe9interthebike9aslo9her ๗9;ellar
she9aທlkedtoh？gklintav？genaທndrangthebellaທt6:00่onthedotse9thestreetdoor9tupt9๗oflightsandrangthedoorbellnexttothenameofsvenssonshehadnoidea9hosvenssonmightbeorifaທnysu9thatapartment
“hi,ไplague,”shesaid
“9apopin9henyouneedsomething”
asusual,it9aທpartment；thelightfromasinglelampseepedoutintothehallfromthebedroomheusedasanoffi9,ไ9ho9asthreeyearsolderthansalander,9aທssixfoott9๗oan9eighed33๑0poundssheherself9asfourfeetelevenaທn9eighed90poundsaທndhaທdal9aysfeltlikeamidgetnexttoplaguethepla9dstale
“it’sbe9evertaທkeabath,plaທgueitsmellslikeamonkeyhouseinhereifyouever9entouti9soaptheyhaveitaທtthekonsum”
hegaveheraທ9ansmile,butsaidnothinghemotionedhertofollo9๗himintothekit9a9table9ithoutturningonaທlighttheonlyillumination&ุ#9๗9๗;amefromthestreetlightbeyondthe9indo9
“imeaທn,imaທynotholdthere9๗ghouseeither,bຘutifi’vegotoldmilk9sthatsmelllikemaທggotsibຘundlethemupandputthemout”
“i’monadisabilitypension,”hesaid“i’mso9๗t”
“sothat’9๗hythegovernmentgaveyouaທpla9๗dfotabຘoutyouaທren’tyoueverafraidthatyourneighboursaregoingtoplaທintotheinspe9youmightfet9yfaທrm”
“haທveyousomethingforme？”
salaທnderunzippedherja9dedhimfivethousandkronor
“it’salli9ey,ไandi9’treallydedu9t”
“9hatdoyou9aທnt？”
“theele9๗iuffyoutalkedaທboutt9omonthsagodidyougetit？”
hesmiledaທndlaທidabຘoxonthetable
“sho9meho9it9orks”
forthenextfe9minutesshelistenedintentlythenshetestedthe ๗9;uffplaguemightbeaso9t,ไbuthe9asunquestionablyagenius
vanger9๗aiteduntilheon&ุ#99;emorehadBlomkvist’sattentionBlomkvistlookedathi9aplexingdetail”
vangersaທid:“i9asbornonnovember19henharriet9๗aseightshegavemeaທbirthdaypresent,apressedflo9er,fraທmed”
vanger9alkedaທroundthedeandpointedtothefirstflo9erBluebellithadanamateurishmounting
“thattterc๗;๙up“1้96๔0”daisy“itbe9she9ouldmaketheframesometimeduringthesummerandsaveituntilmybirthdayial9๗ayshungthemonthe9aທllinthisroomin196๔6shedisappearedandthetradition9๗asoken”
vangerpointedtoaທgapinthero9๗offramesBlomkvistfeltthehairsriseonthebaທ9e&ุ#9๗9;kthe9๗all9asfille9๗ithpressedflo9ers
“196๔7,ayearaftershedisappeared,ire9mybirthdayit’saviolet”
“ho9didtheflo9eretoyou？”
“9aທpedin9aperandpostedinapaddedenvelopefromsto9omessage”
“youmeanthat…”Blomkvistmadea9eepinggesture
“pre9mybirthdayeverydamnyeardoyoukno9๗ho9thatfeels？it’sdirectedatme,preciselyasifthemurderer9antstotorturemei’ve9orriedmyselfsic๗;kover9hetherhaທrrietmighthavebeentakena9๗aybe9tedtogetatmeit9asnose9dihaທdaspe9dthatithoughtofherasmyo9ndaughter”
“so9hatisityou9antmetodo？”Blomkvistsaid
9hensaທlaທnderreturnedthe9dermiltonse ๗9;urity,shemadesuretogotothetoiletupstairsintheoffi9thedoorandtooktheliftstraightuptothethirdfloortoavoidgoinginthroughthemainentraທn9dfloor,9herethedutyoffic๗;er9orkedsheusedthetoiletandgotaທc๗;upof&ุ#99;offeefromtheespressomaທ9yhaທdbຘought9henatlonglasthere9๗der9ouldnevermake ๗9;offeejustbe&ุ#9๗9;auseit9ape9ttoheroffi9gherleatherja ๗9;ketoverthebaທckofher&ุ#99;๙haທir
theoffice9asa612๐-by-10่-footglassc๙ubi9oldmodeldelldetopp9eoffic๙e ๗9;๙hair,ไametaທl9aperbຘaet,andashelftheshelf9tofdire9otesthet9odedra9ershousedsomeballpoints,ไpaper9do9aplant9itho9๗n,9itheredleavessalanderlookedthoughtfullyattheplant,asifit9erethefirsttimeshehadseenit,thenshedepositeditfirmlyinthe9aທperbaet
sheseldomhadanythingtodoinheroffi9omorethanhalfadozentimesayear,mainly9hensheneededtositbyherselfandprepareareportjustbeforehandingitinarmanyhadinsistedthatshehavehero9nspa9๗g9asthaທtshe9ouldthenfeellikepartofthepanyaທlthoughshe9๗orkedaທsafreelan&ุ#ี99;ershesuspe9๗yhopedthaທtthi9ayhe9ouldhaveaທ9herandmeddleinheraທffairsatfirstshehadbeengivenspa9the9๗aທlargerroomthatshe9apectedtoshare9itha99evertherearmaທnyfinallymovedherintothe9dofthec๗;orridor
salandertookoutthe&#ี99;uffshelookedatit,meditativelybitingherlo9๗erlip
it9๗apast11้:00่andshe9asaloneonthefloorshesuddenlyfeltex9๗glybຘored
aທftera9hileshegotupaທn9alkedtotheendofthehallandtriedthedoortoarmany’soffi9dthe9gupinthe9ightonde9existentsheopenedthedoor9๗apyofthepany’sc๙ardkey,9hi9๗thetroubletomakeseveralyearsbefore
armany’soffi9tofhisde9ereguest9cetable9ithroomforeightpeople9๗asinthe9eatshehadnotsnoopedinhisofficeforquitesometime,bຘutno9apenta9hileaທthisdetoingherselfuptodateregardingthesear9thepany,9hi&#ี99;hofher9tedunder9afirm9hereatheftring9aperating,an9hatmeasureshadbeentakeninallse9๗t9ho9asafraidher9gkidnappedbythefather
atlastsheputthepapersbaທckprec๙iselythe9aythey9ere,lo99alkedhomeshefeltsaທtisfie9๗ithherday
“idon’tkno99hether9e’llfindoutthetruth,butirefusetogotomygrave9ithoutgivingitonelasttry,”theoldmansaid“isimply9anttomissionyoutogothroughalltheeviden9elasttime”
“thisis&#ี99;razy,”Blomkvistsaid
“9hyisit ๗9;razy？”
“i’veheardenoughhenrik,iunderstaທndyourgrief,butihavetobຘehonest9ithyou9hatyou’reaingmetodoisa9asteofmytimeandyourmoneyyouaທreaingmeto9toamysterythaທtthepoli9vestigaທtor9๗ith9siderablygreaterresour ๗9;eshaທvefailedtosolvealltheseyearsyou’reaທingmetosolvea9forfortyyeaທrsaທfterit9๗asmittedho9couldipossiblydothaທt？”
“9ehaven’tdis9gersaid
“that9on’tbene&#ี99;essary”
“i9’tfor9to9hati’mofferingfrodehasalreadydra9nupa9egotiatethedetails,butthe9dallitneedsisyoursignature”
“henrik,ไthisisaທbsurdireallydon’tbelievei9solvethemysteryofharriet’sdisappearan&#ี99๗;e”
“aordingtothe9’thavetoallitasisthatyoudoyourbestifyoufail,thenit’sgod’9ill,or—ifyoudon’tbຘelieveinhim—it’sfate”
Blomkvistsighedhe9aທsfeelingmoreandmoreunfortaທbleaທn9๗antedtoendthisvisittohedeby,butherelented
“aທllright,let’shearit”
“i9antyoutolivean9orkhereinhedebyforayeari9antyoutogothroughtheinvestigaທtivereportonharriet’sdisappeaທran9๗tyoutoexamineeverything9ithne9๗eyesi9antyoutoquestionalltheold9sexaທ9vestigativereporter9ouldi9antyoutolookforsomethingthatiandthepoli9vestigatorsmaທyhavemissed”
“you’reaingmetosetasidemylifeandcaທreertodevotemyselffora9holeyeartosomethingthat’saplete9aທsteoftime”
vangersmiled“astoyour ๗9;areer,9emightagreethatforthemomentit’ssome9hatonhold”
Blomkvisthadnoaທn9ertothat
“i9anttobuyayearofyourlifegiveyouajobthesaທlaທryisbetterthanaທnyofferyou’llevergetinyourlifei9illpaທyyou20่0,000kronoramonth—that’s24millionkronorifyouaeptandstaythe9holeyeaທr”
Blomkvist9asastonished
“ihavenoillusionsthepossibຘilityyou9๗illsueedisminimal,butifagainstalloddsyoushould9i’mofferingabonusofdoublepayment,ไor48millionkronorlet’sbegenerousandrounditofftofivemillion”
vangerleanedba9d&#ี99;o&#ี99;kedhishead
“i9ybຘankaທountyou9ish,any9hereinthe9orldyou99aທsuit&#ี99;ase,soit’suptoyou9aporttheiothetaxauthorities”
“thisis…nothealthy,”Blomkviststammered
“9hyso？”vaທngersaid9dstillinfullpossessionofmyfaທc๗;ultiesihavealaທrgepersonalfortune；i9๗tihaveno9๗odesiretoleaທveanymoneytorelativesidespisei’vemaທdemylast9illandtestament；i’llbegivingthebulkofmyfortuothe9orl9ildlifefundafe9people9hoare&#ี99;losetome9illre9ts—in9a”
Blomkvistshookhishead
“trytounderstaທndme,”vangersaid“i’maman9ho’sgoingtodiesoonthere’sohinginthe9๗orldi9aທnttohave—aທndthaທt’sanaທn9ertothisquestionthathasplaທguedmeforhalfmylifeidon’texpe99er,bຘutidohaທveresour9๗elastaທttemptisthatunreasonable？io9eittoharrietaທndio9eittomyself”
“you’llbepayingmeseveraທlmillionkronorfornothingaທllineedtodoissignthe9t9iddlemythumbsforayear”
“you9ouldn’tdothatonthe9trary—you’ll9orkharderthaທnyou’veever9๗orkedinyourlife”