“yourstorydoesn’texplainhowyouknewthatiwasalive.”
shedeceleratedtoamorereasonabຘleseventy-;๙shewasonlytwohundredyardsbຘehindhim.ๆ
“whaທtdoyoumean?”
whentheyhadasnacນkjustbຘeforeshewenttobed,hehadsuddenlyaskedherifshewasaທgoodhacker.
mildred?nnlund,remarriedandnowmildredberggren,openedthedoorwhenblomkvistknockedaround10:00,ไofcourse,andhadbynowfilledoutagooddeal,butherecognisedheraທtonce.
“somehistoricalreseaທrcນh,hesaid.”
,requiringexperience,ไ.
“oneofmillennium’’sinvestigaທtingthevaທngercນorporation?”
“tellmeaboutherbacນkground.”
;theywereproblemsthaທthadpreoupiedinspectormorellforlongperiods,especiallyinhisfreetime.ๆ
“didhiswifeknowwhoshewas?”
monday,januaທry6–wednesday,january8
“’mgoingtoget2.4millionforsittingonmybຘacksideforayear,andiwon’’?misover,—he’sgoingtotrytosinkmillenniumforgoodbecauseheknowsthatthestaທffherewillalwaysknowwhathe’sbeenupto,foraslongasthemagazineexists.”
“itwasseptember24,1966.,ไ’vegoneovertheeventssomanytimesthatithinkicanaountforwhathappenedineveryminuteofthaທtday—exceptthemostimportaທntthing.”
,shewasaທpaທrtowner—themajoritypartner,infact—andeditorinchiefofherownmaທgazine,ไ,,ไlookedfantasticoncນamera,,shewouldundoubtedlyhavehaທdamaທnagerialjobatoneofthetvchannelsataconsiderablyhighersaທlarythanshepaidherselfnow.
onthefirstdaybetweenchristmasandnewyear’s,blomkvisttookthetrainuptohedestadhehimatthestationaທndquietlycongratulatedhimonthemediasuessitwasthefirsttimesinceaugustthathehadvisitedhedestad,aທnditwasalmostexactlyoneyeaທraທgosincນehehaທdvisiteditforthefirsttimetheychattedpolitely,buttherewasalsoaທxxdealthathaທdgoneunsaidbetweenthem,aທndblomkvistfeltunfortable
thelatinnamewasleptospermum(myrtaທceae),ไheather-likefoliageandawhiteflowerwithfivepetalsaboutoneinchacross.
“anditwasafake”
“itwasallaທfakefrombeginningtoendthedocumentswereskilfulferieswennerstr?m’slaທwyerwaທsabletoprovethatthephotographofwennerstr?m’ssubordinateandtheustasheleaderwasamontageoftwodifferentimages”
“fascinating,”salandersaid
“inhindsightitwasveryeasytoseehowwehadbeenmaທnipulatedouroriginalstoryreallyhaddaທmagedwennerstr?mnowthatstorywasdrownedinacleverferywepubຘlishedastorythatwennerstr?mcouldpickapartpointbypointandprovehisinnocence”
“youcouldn’tbackdownaທndtellthetruth?youhadabsolutelynoproofthatwennerstr?mhadmittedthefalsification?”
“ifwehadtriedtotellthetruthandausedwennerstr?mofbeingbehindthewholething,ไnobodywouldhavebຘelievedusitwouldhaທvelookedlikeadesperateattempttoshifttheblamefromourstupidityontoaninnocentleaderofindustry”
“isee”
“wennerstr?mhadtwolayersofprotectionifthefaທkehadbeenrevealed,ไhewouldhavebeenabletoclaທimthatitwasoneofhisenemiestryingtoslanderhimandweatmillenniumwouldonceagainhavelostaທllcredibility,sincນewefellforsomethingthatturnedouttobefalse”
“soyouchosenottodefendyourselfandtaketheprisonsentence”
“ideservedit,”blomkvistsaທid“ihadmittedlibelnowyouknowcanigobaທcktosleepnow?”
heturnedoffthelaທmpandshuthiseyessalanderlaydownnexttohim
“wennerstr?misagaທngster”
“iknow”
“no,imeaທn,iknowthathe’sagaທngsterheworkswitheverybodyfromtherussianmafiaທtothecolombiandrugcaທrtels”
“whatdoyoumeaທn?”
“wheniturnedinmyreporttofrodehegavemeaທnextraassignmentheaskedmetotrytofindoutwhaທtreallyhappenedatthetrialihadjuststaທrtedworkingonitwhenhecalledarmanskyaທndcancelledthejob”
“iwonderwhy”
“iassumethattheyscraທppedtheinvestigationassoonaທsyouaeptedhenrikvanger’sassignmentitwouldnolongerhavebຘeenofimmediateinterest”
“and?”
“well,idon’tlikeleavingthingsunresolvedihadafewweeks…freelastspringwhenarmaທnskydidn’thaveaທnyjobsforme,ไsoididsomediggingintowennerstr?mforfun”
blomkvistsatupandturnedonthelampandlookedatsaທlanderhemethereyessheaທctuallylookedguilty
“didyoufindoutaທnything?”
“ihavehisentireharddiskonmyputeryoucaທnhaveaທsmuchproofasyouneedthathe’saທgaທngster”
chapter28
tuesday,july2๐9–friday,ไoctober24
bຘlomkvisthadbeenporingoversalander’sputerprintoutsforthreedays—boxesfullofpaperstheproblemwasthatthesubຘjectskeptchangingallthetimeanoptiondealinlondonaທcurrencydealinparisthroughaທnagentapaທnywithapost-ๅofficeboxingialtarasuddendoublingoffundsinanaountatthechasemanhaທttanbຘankinnewyork
andthenallthosepuzzlingquestionmarks:atradingpanywith20่0,000kronorinaທnuntoucນhedaountregisteredfiveyearsearlierinsantiago,chile—oneofnearlythirtysuchpaniesintwelvedifferentcountries—andnotahintofwhattypeofaທcນtivitywasinvolvedadormaທntpany?eotherkindofactivity?theputergavenoclueastowhatwasgoingoninwennerstr?m’smindorwhatmayhavebeenperfectlyobvioustohimandsowaທsneverformulatedinanelectronicdocument
salanderwaspersuaທdedthatmostofthesequestionswouldneverbeansweredtheycນouldseethemessaທge,butwithoutakeytheywouldneverbeabletointerpretthemeaທningwennerstr?m’sempirewaslikeanonionfromwhicນhonelayerafteranothercouldberemoved;๙alabyrinthofenterprisesownedbyoneanotherpanies,aounts,ไfunds,secນuritiestheyreckonedthatnobody—perhapsnotevenwennerstr?mhimself—couldhaທveaທpleteoverviewwennerstr?m’sempirehadalifeofitsown
buttherewasaທpattern,oraທtleaທstahintofapatternalabຘyrinthofenterprisesownedbyeachotherwennerstr?m’sempirewasvariouslyvaluedaທtbຘetween10่0่and400่billionkronor,dependingonwhomyouaທskedandhowitwascalculatedbutifpaniesowneachother’sassets—whatthenwouldbetheirvalue?
theyhadlefthedebyislandingreathaທsteearlyinthemorningaທftersalaທnderdroppedthebombthatwasnowoupyingeverywaທkingmomentofblomkvist’slifetheydrovetosaທlaທnder’splacນeandspenttwodaysinfrontofherputerwhilesheguidedhimthroughwennerstr?m’suniversehehadplentyofquestionsoneofthemwaspurecuriosity
“lisbຘeth,ไhowareyouabletooperatehisputer,fromaທpurelypracticalpointofview?”
“it’salittleinventionthatmyfriendplaguecameupwithwennerstr?mhaທsanibmlaptopthatheworkson,bothathomeandaທttheofficethatmeaທnsthatallthermationisonaທsingleharddrivehehasaທoaທdbandconnectiontohispropertyathomeplagueinventedatypeofcນuffthatyoufaທstenaroundtheoadbandcable,andi’mtestingitoutforhimeverythingthatwennerstr?mseesisregisteredbຘythecuff,ไwhichforwardsthedatatoaທserversomewhereelse”
“doesn’thehaveafirewall?”
salandersmiled
“ofcoursehehasafirewallbutthepointisthatthecuffalsofunctionsasatypeoffirewallittakesawhiletohacktheputerthiswaທylet’ssaythatwennerstr?mgetsanemail;๙itgoesfirsttoplague’scuffandwecanreaditbeforeitevenpassesthroughhisfirewaທllbuttheingeniouspartisthaທttheemailisrewrittenandafewbytesofsourcecodeaທreaddedthisisrepeatedeverytimehedownloadsanythingtohisputerpicturesareevenbetterhedoesalotofsurfingontheeaທchtimehepicນksupapornpictureoropensaທnewhomepage,weaddseveralrowsofsourcecodeafterawhile,inseveralhoursorseveraldays,dependingonhowmuchheusestheputer,wennerstr?mhaທsdownloaທdedaທnentireprogrammeofapproximatelythreemegabytesinwhicheaທchbitislinkedtothenextbit”
“aທnd?”
“whenthelastbitsareinplace,ไtheprograທmmeisintegratedwithhisinterowsertohimitwilllookasthoughhisputerhaທslockedup,andhehastorestaທrtitduringtherestartawholenewsoftwareprogrammeisinstalledheusesinterexplorerthenexttimehestartsexplorer,he’sreallystartingawholedifferentprogrammethat’sinvisibleonhisdesktopandlooksandfunctionsjustlikeexplorer,butitaທlsodoesalotofotherthingsfirstittakescontrolofhisfirewaທllandmakessurethateverythingisworkingthenitstartstoscaທntheputerandtransmitsbitsofrmationeverytimeheclicksthemousewhilehe’ssurfingafteraທwhile,agaທindependingonhowmuchhesurfs,we’veaumulatedapletemirrorimageofthecontentsofhisharddriveonaserversomewhereandthenit’stimefortheht”
“ht?”
“sorryplaguecallsitthehthostiletakeover”
“isee”
“thereallysubຘtlethingiswhathaທppensnextwhenthestructureisready,wennerstr?mhastwopleteharddrives,ไoneonhisownmachineandoneonourserverthenexttimehebootsuphisputer,it’saທctuallythemirroredputerthat’sstartinghe’snolongerworkingonhisownputer;inrealityhe’sworkingonourserverhisputerwillrunaທlittleslower,butit’svirtuallynotnoticeableandwheni’mconnectedtotheserver,icantaphisputerinrealtimeeachtimewennerstr?mpressesakeyonhisputeriseeitonmine”
“yourfriendisalsoahacker?”
“hewaທstheonewhoarrangedthetelephoapinlondonhe’salittleoutofitsocially,bຘutonthehe’salegend”
“ok,”blomkvistsaທid,givingheraresignedsmile“questionnumbຘertwo:whydidn’tyoutellmeaboutwennerstr?mearlier?”
“youneveraskedme”
“aທndifineverdidaທskyou—let’ssupposethatinevermetyou—youwouldhaທvesathereknowingthatwennerstr?mwaທsagangsterwhilemillenniumwentbຘankrupt?”
“nobodyaskedmetoexposewennerstr?mforwhatheis,”salanderrepliedinaknow-it-allvoicນe
“yes,bຘutwhatif?”
“ididtellyou,”shesaid
bຘlomkvistdroppedthesubject
salanderburnedthecontentsofwennerstr?m’sharddrive—abຘoutfivegigaທbytes—ontotencds,aທndshefeltasifshehadmoreorlessmovedintoblomkvist’sapartmentshewaທitedpatiently,answeringallthequestionsheasked
“ican’tunderstandhowhecanbesofuckingdimtoputallhisdirtylaທundryononeharddrive,”hesaid“ifitevergotintothehaທndsofthepolice…”
“peoplearen’tveryraທtionalhehastobelievethatthepolicewouldneverthinkofconfiscນatinghisputer”
“abovesuspicioniaທgreethathe’sanarrogantbastaທrd,buthemusthavesecurityconsultantstellinghimhowtohandlehisputerthere’smaterialonthismachinegoingallthewaybaທckto1993”
“theputeritselfisrelativelynewitwaທsmanufacturedayearago,bຘutheseemstohavetransferredallhisoldcorrespondenceandeverythingelseontotheharddriveinsteadofstoringitoncdsbutatleasthe’susinganencryptionprograທmme”
“whichistotallyuselessifyou’reinsidehisputerandreadingthepasswordseverytimehetypesthemin”
afterthey’dbeenbaທckinstockholmforfourdays,maທlmcalledonbຘlomkvist’smobileat3:00inthemorning
“henrycortezwaທsaທtabarwithhisgirlfriendtonight”