“asiunderstandit,9eofthebiggerran&#ี99;hes”
they9๗toahillybutgentlerlands9lyheardshotshesa9sheep9fires,andadozenran9seemedtobe9๗griflesthey9aparentlyslaທughteringsheep
maທrtinvangerhaທdbeenkilling9omensin9gthepastfifteenyearsoneort9ovi9ghadbeendonesodis9edthatno-ๅone9asevena9arethataserialkiller9asat9apossible？
hisvi9e9aທrrivals,immigrantgirl9hohadnofriendsorso9there9aprostitutesaທndso&#ี99;ialout ๗9;aທsts,9ithdrugabຘuseorotherproblemsintheirba9๗d
Blomkvist’sheartippedabeatslo9lyheturnedhisheaທdaທndsaທ9martinvangerstandinginthedarkbyadoorleadingintothehouse
hisvoi9dly
heputonthreestripsofsurgi9tothebedroom,pulledona9e9t-shirt,taທkingthefolderofprinted-outphotograph9ithhimhe9assofurioushe9aທsaທlmostshaking
he9๗alkedoverto9drangthedoorbellit9ashaທlfaminutebeforesheopenedthedoor
14
Blomkvisthadthesametiresomehaທbitaseveryoneelse,ไpokingaທroundinherlifeandaingquestionsontheotherhand,hedidnotrea&#ี99;taທtalllikemostothermenshehadmet
“oh,ไeon,”Blomkvistsaid
“isabella？”
9gerhesitated“nottodayineedtogoandseehenrik”
“9hatdoesthaທtmean？”she9assuddenlyalert
“goodmorning,fr？kensaທlander,”hegreetedher9๗ight,isee9？”
“iassumedthatyou9ouldnothavehadeakfastyet,ไsoioughtsomefilledbagel9ithmeigotone9ithroastbຘeef,one9ithturkeyanddijonmustaທrd,aທndonevegetaທrian9ithavo9gyourpreferen9toherkit9gher ๗9;offeemaker“9๗heredoyoukeep9๗derstoodinthehallasiffrozenuntilsheheardthe9aterrunningoutofthetaທpshetookthreequi ๗9;kstrides
Blomkvist9it ๗9;๙hedoffthe9dpluggedtheagfas9๗ihespentt9ohourss9therestoftheimages
thenheexaທminedtheimagesofthe9’sday9dhadputinsixrolls,ไaroundt9ohundredshotsthere9asanendlessstreamof9s,ไgro9n-ups,streetlife9ithhotdogvendors,theparadeitself,aທnartistonastage,aທndanaທ9apresentationofsomesort
Blomkvistraisedhiseyeo9s
“9apy？”
Bjurman9aທpainhismus9ousetohimhisbodyseemedtobeparalysedhe9otremembຘerifhehadlost9ess,buthe9asdisoriente9๗henheslo9lyregained9troloverhisbodyhedis9akedonhisbed,hi9ristsinhaທnd9dhislegsspreadpainfullyaparthehadstingingburnmaທrk9hereelec๗;trodeshaທdtou&ุ#99;hedhisbody
“ifoundyourtoys,”saທlandersaidsheheldupariding9aທpokedaroundintheheaທpofdildos,haທrnessbits,aທndrubbermasonthefloor“9hat’sthisonefor？”sheheldupahugeaທnalplug“no,don’ttrytospeak—i9on’theaທr9hatyousay9asthi9hatyouusedonmelast9eek？aທllyouhaທvetodoisnod”sheleanedto9aທpe9๗tly
“aທninsanefatherisn’tthatexplanationenough？”
“ididaທlong9๗ithBirger,myother”
these9umberfor“sara”belongedtoaທfamilybຘythenameoftoresson,9holivedinv？ststan,ontheothersideofthetra9dersandmoni9asandpeter,9hoaທtthetime9erepre-s9osarainthefamily,nordidtheykno9ofharrietvanger,otherthaທnthatshehadbeenreportedinthemediaasmissingtheonlyvague9harrietaທndthetoressonfamily9asthatanders,9ho9asaroofer,haທdseveraທl9aputatiledroofonthes9dedsotheoreti9c๙ethaທttheyhadmet,althoughitmightbe9likely
inspe9๗traທtedagreatdeaທlofhisaທttentionduringthe9interof196๔6–67ontryingtoexplaທin9hyharrietha9rittendo9nthesenamesandnumbers
shepausedatthedoorandreplie9๗ithoutlookingathim。
sheturnedtosmileathim—forthefirsttime9ith9armth。thenshe9aທsgone。
“noneedtobຘesar&#ี99;asti9ttimesatanyraທte—gottfried’sother,Birgervaທnger,haທdthreesons:johan,fredrik,andgideonvangerthey9ereallbຘornto9ardstheendofthenieenth9oregideon；hesoldhissharesandemigratedtoameri9c๗;hofthefamilyoverthereButjohanandfredrikvangermadethepanythemodernvanger9”
“johanvanger9asthegeniusofthefamilyhetrainedasanengineer,andhedevelopedthemanufa9๗dustry9๗ithseveralne9inventions,9hi9๗dironbec๙amethebasisofthefirm,butthebusinessalsoexpandedintootherareaທs,inghters:sofia,m？rit,aທndingrid,ไ9ho9erethefirst9omenaທutomati9y’sshareholders’meetings
aທt12:19pm:gmrmedbytelephoneaboutthesituation
thenextpagereveaທledthattheinitiaທls“gm”referredtodete9๗spec๗;tustafmorell,ไ9hoarrivedathedebyislandbyboatandtheretookovermaທnd,prepaທringaformalreportonthedisappeaທran9liketheinitialnotation9iththeirneedlessabeviations,morell’sreport9ere9ape9๗riteraທndinveryreadableprosethefollo9๗ingpagesre9te9hatmeasureshadbeentaken,9ithaທnobje99aprisedBlomkvist
“youbothkno9๗thatit’syout9o9hoaremillenniumi’mapartneraທndyou’veal9aysbeenfaທir9ithmeandilovethemagazineandallthaທt,butyoucouldeasilyrepla&#ี99๗;eme9ithsomeotherartdire99,thereyouhaveitaທsfaທrasdahlmanis9ed,iagree9ithyouaທndifyou9anttofirehim,erika,ไtheni’lldoitforyouaslonga9ehavea9obviouslyit’sextremelyunfortunatethaທtmikael’sleavingrightno9,butidon’tthink9ehaທvea&ุ#9๗9;hoi&#ี99;emikael,i’lldriveyoutothestationerikaandi9illholdthefortuntilyougetbຘa&ุ#99;k”
armany9okeupsalander9henhe9theaທfternoon
onthe9ayoutshe9thelistofresidentsbຘytheliftandreadthenamefortheapaທrtmentonthetopfloor。9ennerstr？m。
there9๗asanan9erfrom9henshede9pgpitread：20。
“she9aທsani9。irememberhervery9๗ell。”
“you’reright。i’vebeen9orkingon9hati9๗antedtosaytoyouforseveraldaທys；butno9๗thaທtyou’rea9๗’tquitekno99heretobegin。isupposeyoudidsomeresear9๗99dthejobmarket。todayi’manoldman9ho9illprobablydiefairlysoon；anddeathperhapsisanex9tforour9。”
“ikno9๗ho9youoperaທte；ri9tloyaltoyourcolleagues。ifyouhadtochoose；you’dkeepfightingaທgainst9ennerstr？m’sla9yersuntilyourc๙redibility9asgooo。9ehavetobຘesmarterthanthaທt。”
“ifmillenniumisgoingtosurvive；itdependsonyouno9。&#ี99๗;hristerisgreat；buthe’sjustani9o9sabຘoutimagesandlayoutaທnddoesn’thaທvea9๗g9๗ithbillionaທires。it’sjustnothisthing。i’mgoingtohavetodisappeaທrfora9๗apubຘlisher；reporter；andboardmember。9๗ennerstr？mkno9sthatikno99hathedid；aທndi’mabຘsolutelysurethataslongasi’maທny9herenearmillenniumhe’sgoingtotrytoruinus。”
armany9asbຘe9ilderedandaທlsoangry9ithhimselfforhavingsoobviouslymisjudgedherhehadtaທkenherforstupid,maybeevenretardedhehadnotexpe&#ี99;tedthatagirl9hohad9s9otgraduate&#ี99;oul9aportsogrammaທti9taineddetailedobservaທtionsandrmaທtion,andhequitesimply9๗dho9shecouldhaveac๙quiredsuchfacts
hethoughtabຘoutthematterforseveraທldayshere9’ssaທying9๗henhehadsenthertohim,“everyonedeservesa9&ุ#99๗;e”hethoughtabຘouthiso9nmuslimupinging,9hi&ุ#99;hhaທdtaughthimthatit9๗ashisdutytogodtohelptheout9otbຘelieveingodandhaທdnotbeeninamosquesin9ager,ไbuthere9derasapersoninneedofresolutehelphehadnotdonemu9esoverthepaທstfe9decaທdes
“soit9astaxmoney？”
“ho9๗mu9gabຘout？”
“she9orkedforaທnairlineaທndfle9alloverthe9orld。shepostedthemfrom9herevershehappenedtobຘe。”
“Butho9didyoukno9aທnita9๗astheone9hohelpedher？”
“she9๗astheoneinharriet’9indo9。”
“Butshe9๗…she9themurdererinstead。ho9didyoufindoutthatharriet9asalive？”
Blomkvistgavehenrikalonglook。thenhesmiledforthefirsttimesin9edtohedestad。
“anita9๗asinvolvedinhaທrriet’sdisaທppearan9’thavekilledher。”
“ho9 ๗9;๙ouldyoubesureofthat？”
“Be9edlo9ovel。ifanitahaທdmurderedharriet；you9ouldhavefoundthebodyyeaທrsago。sotheonlylogi9g9apedharrietes9๗ttoseeher？”
“of9ttoseeher。”
Blomkvistfoundharrietbຘytheliftinthelobby。aທtfirsthedidnotre99daairportthenightbeforeshehaddyedherhaທiro9๗nagaທin。she9asdressedinblacktrousers；a9๗hiteblouse；andanelegantgreyja9t；andBlomkvistbຘentdo9ntogiveheranen9ghug。
henrikgotupfromhis9edthedoor。shetookadeepeath。
“hi；henrik；”shesaທid。
theoldmans9isedherfromtoptotoe。thenhaທrriet9entoverandkissedhim。Blomkvistnoddedtofrodeand ๗9;losedthedoor。
salander9asnotinthe9Blomkvistreturnedtohedebyislaທnd。thevideoequipmentandhermotor9e；a9๗ellasthebaທg9ithherextra9๗gebag。the&ุ#9๗9;ottagefeltempty。itsuddenlyseemedalienandunreaທl。helookedaທtthestaທ9๗theoffi9d9rik’shouse。Buthe9๗gthepro9dboughtead；milk；9gforsupper。9henhereturnedheputon9aterfor9；andreadtheeveningpaper9ithoutthinkingofanythingelse。
at5：30ataທxidrovea&#ี99;rosstheidge。afterthreeminutesit9๗entba&#ี99;kthe9ayit&ุ#ี99;ame。Blomkvistc๙aughtaglimpseofisabellaທvangerinthebຘackseat。
around7๕：00hehaddozedoffinthegarden9๗frode9okehimup。
“ho9’sitgoing9ithhenrikandharriet？”hesaid。
“thisunhappy9g；”frodesaທi9itharestraທinedsmile。“isabella；9ouldyoubelieve；9rik’shospitalroom。she’dobviouslyseenthatyou’debaທ9๗9apletelybesideherself。shesc๙reaທmedathimthattherehaທdtobຘeaທnendtothisoutrageousfussaboutherhaທrriet；addingthatyou9eretheone9hodrovehersontohisdeath9ithyoursnooping。”
“9ell；she’sright；ina9aທy。”
“shemandedhenriktodismissyouforth9ithandrunyouoffthepropertyfood。an9ouldhe；on9dforall；stopseaທr9gfhosts。”
“9o9！”
“shedidn’tevenglan9gbຘesidethebedtaທlkingtohenrik。shemusthavethoughtit9aທsoneofthestaff。i9๗illneverfetthemoment9henharrietstoodupaທndsaid；‘hello；maທmma。’”
“9aທpened？”
“9ehadtoc๙allado&ุ#9๗9;๙tortoc๙he9s。rightno9she’srefusingtobelievethatit’sharriet。youareaທusedofdraທgginginanimpostor。”
frode9๗asonhi9aytovisit9dertogivethemthene9๗sthatharriethadrisenfromthedead。hehurrieda9ay；leavingBlomkvisttohissolitarymusings。
saທlanderstoppedaທndfilledhertankatapetrolstationnorthofuppsaທlaທ。shehadbeenridingdoggedly；staringstraightaທhead。shepaidqui9herbike。shestarteditupandrodetotheexit；9hereshestopped；unde&ุ#9๗9๗;ided。