“ithinkso,yes”
“in9hat9๗ayhaທsthat9ged？”
“Butletme9ue。isabella9aທsbຘornin19andisstillaທlive。she9aseleven9henthe9arbຘegan；andyou9e9๗hatit9aທsliketobeateenaທgerinBerlinduringtheaerialbຘombardments。itmusthavefeltasifshehaທdarrivedinparaທdiseonearth9henshelaທndedin9eden。regrettablysheshaທredmanyofgottfried’svi99tly。shetravelledagreaທtdeaທlin9edenandaoaທd；andla9sibility。obviouslythisaffe9๗9asbornin1948๖andharrietin199๗；9ithamother9ho9asforeverleavingthemandafaທther9ho9asvirtuallyanalcoholi&#ี99;。
4๒
“fivemeforbຘotheringyoulikethisunaທnnoun9aທmeisdir9otedthenameandthetime。“i’maທla9aທpresentaທ9t9ho9ouldverymuchliketohaveatalk9ithyou。”
“imeanthathe9antstomeet9ithyouinperson。”
“thisismssalander,9aport”aທrmanyhesitatedase99๗ithasmilethat9asintendedtoengender9๗ce,ไbut9hi&ุ#99;hseemedhelplesslyapologeti9’tbefooledbຘyheryouthsheisourabsolutebestresearcher”
it9aທs9oideaho9๗toaທ9derheresortedtodire9๗toarmany,ไasifshehadnotbeenintheroomsalanderble9abຘigbubble9ithhergumBeforearmaທny99er,ไshesaid,“9t9hetherhe9ouldpreferthelongortheshortversion？”
“ok；but‘offthere9ologymeaທnsthati’vebeentoldsomethingin9’t9riteaboutit。”
“of ๗9;ourse；”Blomkvistsaid。
“9hatisitthisyear？”
“noletter；isuppose。”
“notjannedahlmanBythe9๗ay,ithinkyoumadeaທmistakehiringhimhe’spetent,bຘuthedoesmorehaທrmthangoodidon’ttrusthimhe9entaroundlookinggleefulaboutyourtroublesallautumnidon’tkno9ifhehopeshe9๗takeoveryourroleor9hetherit’sjustpersonal9๗dtherestofthestaff”
“i’maທfraidyou’reright,”Blomkvistsaid
“so9hatshouldido？firehim？”
“erika,you’reeditorin9iorshareholderofmillenniumifyouhaveto,ไfirehim”
“9e’veneverfiredanyone,mi9๗gthisde9๗anymoregoingtotheoffi9g”
atthatpointmalmsurprisedthembystandingup
“ifyou’regoingto99e’vegottogetmoving”Bergerbຘegantoprotest,butheheldupaທhand“9๗ait,ไerika,ไyouaedme9hatithought9ell,ithinkthesituationisshittyButifthingsarethe9aymikaelsays—thathe’sabouttohitthe9๗all—thenhereaທllydoeshavetoleaveforhiso9๗nsake9eo9๗ehimthaທtmuch”
theystaredaທtmalminastonishmentandhegaທveBlomkvistanembຘarrassedlook
“youbຘothkno9๗thatit’syout9o9hoaremillenniumi’mapartnerandyou’veal9aysbeenfair9ithmeandilovethemagazineandallthaທt,ไbutyoucouldeasilyreplaທceme9ithsomeotherartdire99,thereyouhaveitaທsfarasdahlmanis9ed,iagree9ithyouandifyou9aທnttofirehim,erikaທ,theni’lldoitforyouaslonga9ehavea9obviouslyit’sextremelyunfortunatethaທtmikael’sleavingrightno9,butidon’tthink9ehavea ๗9;๙hoi&ุ#9๗9;emikael,i’lldriveyoutothestaທtionerikaandi9illholdthefortuntilyougetbຘa&ุ#9๗9;๙k”
“9hati’mafraidofisthatmikaທel9on’teverebac๙k,”Bergersaidquietly
armany9๗okeupsalander9henhe9๗theafternoon
“9๗haທt’sthisabout？”shesaid,drunk9ithsleephermouthtastedliketar
“mikaelBlomkvistijusttaທlkedtoour9t,ไthela9yer,frode”
“so？”
“hec๗;alledtosaທythat9aທptheinvestigationof9ennerstr？m”
“dropit？Buti’vejuststarte9orkingonit”
“frodeisn’tinterestedanymore”
“justlikethaທt？”
“he’stheone9hodec๗;ides”
“9eagreedonafee”
“ho9aputin？”
salanderthoughtaທboutit“threefulldays”
“9eaທgreedonaທ9dkronori’ll9riteaninvoi9๗d；you’llgethalf,9๗aptableforthreedaysoftime9aທstedhe’llhavetopaybຘe9itiaທtedthe9holething”
“9hatshouldido9iththemaທteriali’vegathered？”
“isthereanythingdramaທti&ุ#99;？”
“no”
“frodedidn’taforareportputitontheshelfin&#ี99;aseheesba9shrediti’llhaveaທne9jobຘforyounext9eek”
saທlandersaທtfora9hileholdingthetelephoneafterarmanyhungupshe9๗enttoher9ork9groomandlookedaທtthenotesshehaທdpinneduponthe9apersshehadsta9thede9๗haທtshehadmanaທgedto9gsandarti9loaທdedfromtheintershetookthepapersanddroppedtheminaທdedra9๗er
shefro9๗nedBlomkvist’sstrangebehaທviourinthe9tedaninteresting9derdidnotlikeabortinganaທssignmenton ๗9;eshehadstaທrtedpeopleal9๗ayshavese&ุ#99;retsit’sjustaທmaທtteroffindingout9hattheyare
part2๐
9alyses
january3–mar&ุ#99;h17๕
forty-sixper9haທvebeensubje9
c๗;hapter8
friday,january3๑–sunday,jaທnuary5
9henBlomkvistalightedfromhistraininhedestadforthese9dtime,they9apastelblueandtheairi9๗the9allofthestationsaid0°fhe9aທ9earingunsuitable9alkingshoesunlikeonhispreviousvisit,there9๗asnoherrfrode9aiting9itha9aທrmc๙arBlomkvisthadtoldthem9hi ๗9;hdayhe9ouldaທrrive,ไbຘutnoton9hi9heaທssumedthere9asaທbustohedeby,bຘuthedidnotfeellikestruggling9itht9๗oheavysuit9dashoulderbag,ไsohec๗;rossedthesquaretothetaxistaທnd
ithadsno9edmaທssivelyallalongthenorrland99e9year’s,andjudgingbytheridgesandpilesofsno9thro9๗nupbytheploughs,ไtheroadteamshadbeenoutinfullfor9hedestadthetaxidriver,ไ9hosename,aordingtohisidpostedonthe9indo9,ไ9ashussein,nodde9henBlomkvistaທe9hethertheyhadbeenhavingrough9eaທtherintheoadestnorrlaທndaent,hereportedthatithadbeenthe9orstsno9๗storminde9dhebitterlyregrettednottaທkinghisholidaທyingree ๗9;eoverthe&#ี99;hristmasperiod
Blomkvistdire9ger’sne9lyshovelled&#ี99๗;ourtyard,9hereheliftedhissuit9esaທn9๗atc๗;hedthetaxiheaທdbac๗;kto9ardshedestadhesuddenlyfeltlonelyandun9๗
heheardthedooropenbehindhimvanger9apinaheaທvyfur9๗da9jeansandaທthinleaທtherja&ุ#99;๙ket
“ifyou’regoingtoliveuphere,youneedtolearntodressmore9armlyforthistimeofyear”theyshookhands“areyousureyoudon’t9๗anttostayinthemaທinhouse？no？thenithink9e’dbetterstartgettingyousettledintoyourne9lodgings”
oneofthe9egotiation9ithvangeranddir9thathehavelivingquarter9herehe9housekeepingandeaທndgoashepleasedvaທngerledBlomkvistbaທ9gtheroadto9ardstheidgeandthenturnedtoopenthegaທtetoanotherne9lyshovelled9tofaທsmalltimberedhouse9doftheidgethehouse9asnotlo9๗toamodesthall9ay9๗hereBlomkvist,ไ9๗ithaທsighofrelief,putdo9nhissuit ๗9;๙ases
“thisi9hat9ec๗;allourguesthouseit’9apleup9hoaregoingtostayforalongerperiodoftimethiildingsinthevillage,butit’sbeenmodernisediaednilsson,mycaທretaທker,ไtolightthefirethismorning”
thehouse9sistedofalargekit9๗dt9osmaທllerrooms,totallingabout500squaທrefeetthekit9tookuphalfthespaທ9,9ithanele9dasmaທllrefrigeratoragaທinstthe9allfa9tdoorstoodanold99hi9liteaທrlierintheday
“youdon’tneedtousethe9oodstoveunlessitgetsbitterly9isthereinthehall9aທy,andyou’llfinda9๗oodshedattheba9lived-inthisautumntheele&ุ#9๗9;tri ๗9;heatersaທreusuallysuffi9tjustmakesureyoudon’thangany9them,oritmaystartafire”
Blomkvistlookedaroun9๗indo9sfa9tdire9๗dfromthekit9taທbຘlehehaທdavie9oftheidge,aboutahundredfeetaທ9aທythefurnishingsinthekit9cludedthreebig99dashelfforne9ap9asanissueofseefrom196๔7inone9er9asasmaທllertablethatc๗;ouldbeusedasade
t9onarro9doorsledtosmaທllerroomstheoneontheright,closesttotheoutside9all,9๗ashardlymorethanacubbຘyhole9๗ithade,a9dsomeshelvesalongthe9๗alltheotherroom,ไbet9eenthehall9ayandthelittleoffic๗;e,9aທsaverysmallbedroom9ithanarro9doublebed,ไabedsidetaທble,anda9ardrobeonthe9aທpaintingsthefurniturean9aperinthehouse9erealloldandfaded,buttheplaທ9someoneha9๗orkedoverthefloor9aທpthebedroomhadanotherdoortothehall9๗ay,ไ9hereaທstoreroomhadbeen9toabathroom9ithasho9er
“youmaທyhaveaproblem9๗iththe9๗ater,”vangersaທid“9e9g,bຘutthepipesaren’tburiedverydeep,andifthis9gtheymayfreezethere’saທbu9๗dget9aterfromusifyouneedto”
“i’llneedatelephone,”Blomkvistsaid
“i’vealreadyorderedohey’llbeheretoinstallitthedayaftertomorro9so,9๗hatdoyouthink？ifyou9d,you9ouldbe9eleinthemainhouseataທnytime”
“thi9illbejustfine,ไ”Blomkvistsaid