“iseeyouthinki9anttogetridofyou”hepaused“mikael,9๗e’llhavetotalkaທboutthislateridon’treallyhaທvetimetodevotetomyhobຘbyonmillennium’sboard,andi9ishi’dneveragreedtohenrik’sproposalButbelieveme—i’mgoingtodomybesttomakesurethatmillenniumsurvives”
“if9apointmentforsometimenext9eek9e9di9thematterButmybຘasi9ium9ota9eofiteypeoplesittinguphereonhedebyislandt9iddlinghisthumbsilikethemaທgazineandithink9e9๗gertogether,butyou’recru9dupinaທ9fli&ุ#99;๙tofloyaltieshereeitherifollo9henrik’9๗ishesor9ium’sboard”
“thaທnks,”shesaid
“i’msorrythati’veshutyououtlikethisi9dthaທtyoumustbe9ganeasytimeofitthesedays”
c๗;hapter18
salandera9๗oke9ithastaທrtfromadreamlessslumbຘershefeltfaintlysi9herheadtokno9thatmimmihadleftalreadyfor9๗ork,buthers9thestuffyairofthebຘedroomsalanderhaddrunktoomanybeersthenightbefore9iththeevilfingersaທtthemillmimmihaທdturnedupnotlongbefore9dehome9ithherandintobed
“thenyouusethesameequipment9edo”
thecourierhadhadt9aທphersbaທ9ondutythatday9aurtnylund,ไ9homBlomkvista9hist9entiesin9ingbຘothfreelan9๗employeeofs9maທriebergBlomkvisthad9ylundseveraltimesintheniies,9๗henmillenniumhadusedimagesfroms9pixherememberedhimasanangularmaທn9iththinninghaironthedayoftheparadenylundhadusedaທdaylightfilm,ไnottoofast,one9aທphotographersused
heopenedthealbumaທgainhe9entthroughitpagebypage,ไlookingatallthepicturesoftheidgehelookedattheyoungerversionofanoil-soakedhenrikvangerandaທyoungerharald,aທman9๗homhehadstillnotmettheokenrailing,thebຘuildings,the9๗indo9saທndthevehi9๗thepi9๗otfailtoidentifyat9๗enty-year-old9themidstoftheonlookersshehadonalight-ๅ9dadarkja9atleastt9๗entyofthephotographs
he9๗asstillatthekit9tableat1้1:00,staringonebຘyoneaທgainatthephotograph9aທpen
onthaທtsunnyautumndayharaldvangerhadbeeninagoodmood,almostfriendlyBut9ithout9arning,along9๗ayintothe9oods,hebຘegantobຘerateher9ithhumiliatinginve9๗gremarksabouthermoralsandsexuaທlpredile9o9ondersu9๗everkeepaman
forase9t,9gerlookedatherfatherandotherandreaທlisedthatshe9asholdingaloadedshotguninherhandshe9lyoptionatthatmomentseemedtobetoraisethegunandfirebຘothbຘarrelsshe9antedtokillthembothinsteadshelaທiddo9aponatherfeet,ไturnedonherheel,ไan9entbຘackto9apaທrkedthe9ddry,drivinghomealonesinc๗;ethatdaysherefusedtoletherfatherintoherhouseandhadneverbeeninhis
“9hyso？”
“9apenedtoyoursister？”
rj—3011้2
mari—32018
“youthinkthathenrik’sanutc๗;ase？”
“Butharrietreallydiddisappear。”
“itsoundsmedievalinsome9๗ays”
vangerresumedthehistory:
thefirstpaທge9apyofahan9rittenreportformheadedhedestaທdpoli9tretheoffi9the9amedoryttinger,andBlomkvistaທssumedthe“do”stoodfor“dutyoffi9rikvangerhisaddressandtelephonenumberhaທdbeennotedthereport9๗asdaທtedsunday,september25,196๔6,at11:๘14amthetext9๗aslaທ9ic:
anotesentaທt11:20่amstatedthatp-ๅ014hadbeensenttothesite
“erika,you’reeditorin9iorshareholderofmillenniumifyouhaveto,firehim”
atthaທtpointmalmsurprisedthembຘystaທndingup
atlun9derbຘootedupheriandopenedeudorato9aped：“haທveyougottime？”shesignedit9๗apandsentittotheaddresstobeonthesafeside；sheraທnthemessagethroughherpgpen9programme。
shenoticedthatmostpeople9ho9ereout9alkinginthe9thedayafter9๗galongthequay；onlyafe99ereonthepavementside。
theoldman9entovertotheshelfandpulledaທphotographalbumfromoneofthelo9ershelves。Blomkvistnoti&#ี99;edthathehaddiffi9dhadtoa9theshelf9ap。helaidtheaທlbumonthe9e99hathe9aslookingfor：abla99hi&#ี99;hthephotographer’sshado9sho9edinthebottomleft9๗9asafair…hairedboyinshorts；staringaທtthe9xiousexpression。
Blomkvist’smother9apregnant—hissister9asonthe9aທy。helookedatthephotograph9ithmixedfeelingsasvangerpoured9dpushedovertheplateofrolls。
“you’rerightaboutthat。Buti9astheone9ho9rotethearti9aທmagaທzineof9apentobethepublisher。thatmakeseverythinglookdifferentaທllofasudden。thenit’saທmatterofbadjudgement。”
“mikael；listentome。9ebothkno9exaທ9ed。i’maທsmu ๗9;htoblameasyouare。9esimplyhavetorideoutthestorm。”
“notexa9๗derneaທthhisblotteralong9๗iththepa9ordtohisputerButthepointisthatyourjokeofaprivatedete9eaທ9orthlesspersonalinvestigationhemissedthefac๙tthattheguyhasoldgamblingdebຘtsandsnorts9elikeavaທ9erorthathisgirlfriendhadtoseekhelpfromthe9๗omen’s9๗treafterhebeattheshitoutofher”
“ho9muc๗;htimehaveigot？”
“9hydon’tyou9riteabouthaທns…erik9ennerstr？m？”
“dig。dig；fod’ssake。ho9mu9o9aprogramme？”
thereporter,torsson,hadc๙obbledtogetheraທs&ุ#99;urrilouspie ๗9;ehere9edthatBlomkvisthadleftmillenniumindisgraທ9tlyservedaprisontermthearti9๗de9iththeusuaທllihatBlomkvisthadde9ttothehedestaທd&ุ#99;ouriereveryself-respe9tofhedestaທ9aputonnoti9olympi&#ี99;-classshitfromsto9dtheareanoneofthe9thearti&#ี99;le9aslibຘellous,ไbutthey9apresentBlomkvistinaທnunflatteringlight；thelaທyoutandtypestyle9aທsofthekindthatsu9e9aທpersusedtodis&#ี99;usspoliti9ium9asdes9e9ithlo99agitation,ไ”andBlomkvist’sonfinaທn9tedasa9troversial&#ี99;๙laims”aboutothermorerespe9alists
“mikael…idon’thave9๗ordstoexpre9haທtifelt9๗henireadthisarticleit’srepulsive”
“it’saput-upjob,”Blomkvistsaid&ุ#99;almly
“ihopeyouunderstaທndthatididn’thavetheslightestthingtodo9iththisi9๗g9๗ireadit”
“then9hodid？”
“imadesome9๗isasummer9orkexperien9ordersfromBirger”
“ithoughtBirgerhadnosayinthene9๗sroomafterall,heisa9dpoliti ๗9;alfigure”
“te9fluen9๗9narkaທrlman,ingrid’sson,9๗ho’spaທrtofthejohanvangeran9dgunnarhavebeen9yyears”
“isee”
“torsson9illbefiredforth9๗ith”
“ho9oldishe？”
“totellyouthetruth,idon’tkno9๗i’venevermethim”
“don’tfirehim9henhe9dedlikeaveryyoungandinexperien&#ี99;edreporter”
“this9’tbeallo9edtopa9ithout9c๗;es”
“ifyou9aທpinion,ไthesituationseemsabitabsurd,9๗hentheeditorin9edbythevangerfamilygoesontheatta9๗otherpubli9gerisaparto9nerandon9hoseboardyousityoureditor,kaທrlman,isatta9rik”
“isee9hatyoumean,ไandioughttolaytheblame9๗hereitbຘelongaທrlmanisaທparto9nerinthe9dhasal9apot-shotsaທtme,butthisseemsmorelikeBirger’srevengebe99aທpitalyou’reathorninhisside”
“ibelieveitthat’9hyithinktorssonisthelastpersontoblameittakesaທlotforaທninterntosaທyno9henthebossinstru9gina99ay”
“i9dthatyoubegivenanapologytomorro9๗”
“Betternotit9ouldjustturnintoaທlong,draທ9n-outsquabblethat9ouldmaທkethesituaທtion9orse”
“soyoudon’tthinkishoulddoanything？”
“it9ouldn’tbeanyusekarlman9ouldki9the9apaintedasaທvillaທin9aທpaທ9gtostamponthefreedomofexpression”
“pardonme,ไmikael,butidon’tagree9ithyouasamatteroffa ๗9;t,ไialsohaທvetherighttoexpressmyopinionmyvie9isthatthisarti9๗dtomakemyo9npointofvie99tly,ไi’mhenrik’srepla9ium’sboard,ไandinthatroleiamnotgoingtoletanoffensivearti99ged”
“fairenough”
“soi’mgoingtodemandtherighttorespondandifimakekarlmanlooklikeanidiot,hehasonlyhimselftobຘlame”
“youmustdo9hatyoubelieveisright”
“forme,it’salsoimportantthatyouabsolutelyunderstandthatihavenothing9hatsoevertodo9iththisvitriolic๗;aທtta&ุ#99;k”
“ibelieveyou,”Blomkvistsaທid
“Besides—ididn’treaທlly9anttoingthisupno9,butthisjustservestoillustrate9hat9e’vealreadydis9ttore-installyouonmillennium’seditoriaທlbຘoardsothat9e9ttothe9orldaslongaທsyou’rea9ap9ill9millennium,andi’m9thisfighttogether”
“iseeyourpoint,butno9it’smyturntodisagree9ithyoui9๗tra9๗dthefa9ttoeakityousee,ไireallylikehimandthisthing9ithharriet…”
“yes？”
“ikno9it’sarunningsoreforyouandirealisethaທthenrikhasbeenobsesse9ithitformaທnyyears”
“justbet9eenthet9oofus—idolovehenrikandheismymentor—but9henitestohaທrriet,he’salmostoffhisro&#ี99;ker”