hegirlwiththedragontattoo
larssonstieg
prologue
afridayinnovember
ithappenedeveryyear,ไ,asusual,theflowerwaທsdelivered,hetookoffthewrappingpaperandthenpickedupthetelephoocalldetectivesuperintendentmorellwho,whenheretired,,theyhaທdbຘeenbຘornonthesamedaທy—,waທiting,expectingthecaທll.
“itarrived.”
“whatisitthisyeaທr?”
“idon’’’swhite.ๆ”
“noletter,isuppose.”
“-it-ๅyourselfones.”
“postmark?”
“stockholm.ๆ”
“handwriting?”
“sameaທsalwaທys,,neatlettering.”
withthat,ไthesubjectwasexhausted,,ไandtheexchaທngebetweenthetwomenseemedlikeaທrituaທlattaທchingtoamysterywhichno-oneelseinthewholeworldhadtheleastinterestinunravelling.
thelatinnaທmewasleptospermum(myrtaທceae),heather-likefoliageandawhiteflowerwithfivepetaທlsabຘoutoneinchaທcross.
theplantwasnaທtivetotheaustralianbushaທnduplands,ไ,,shepointedout,wasthaທtrubຘitehaທdasmallnumberofmicroscopicpinkdotsatthetipsofthepetals,ไgivingtheflowerafaintpinkishtinge.
,,,theabຘoriginalpeopleofaustraທliaregardedassacredtheregionandthefloraaroundayersrocນk.
thebotanistsaidthatsheherselfhaທdneverseenonebefore,ไbutafterconsultinghercolleaguesshewastoreportthataທttemptshadbeenmadetointroducetheplaທntataທnurserying?teb,aທndthatitmight,ไofcourse,.ๆ
thefacນtofitsbຘeingsorareafloweroughttohavemaທdeiteasiertotraທcethesourceofthisparticularspecimen,ไ,,anywhereintheantipodes.
,ไalwaທyspressed,mountedonwater-colourpaperinasimpleframemeasuringsixinchesbyeleveninches.
thestraທngestoryoftheflowershadneverbeenreportedinthepress;—atthenationaທlforensiclaທboratory,amongfingerprintexperts,graphologists,criminalinvestigators,:๘theelderlybirthdaທybຘoy,theretiredpolicedetective,
,ไ,wifebeaທters,cນonmen,carthieves,,drugdeaທlers,ไrapists,,fullofremorse,
theninthcaທsewassolvedtothepolice’ssatisfaction,ไwhicນhistosaythattheyknewwhothemurdererwas,’sdismay,
hewasanythingbutpleaທsed.
forthedetective,the“cນaseofthepressedflowers”hadbeennaທggingaທthimforyeaທrs—hislast,unsolved,,ondutyandoff,hecouldnotsaybeyonddoubtthatacrimehaທdindeedbeenmitted.
thetwomenknewthatwhoeverhadmountedtheflowerswouldhaveworngloves,,ไquitesimply,ไ,butthreetimesfromlondon,ไtwicນefrompaທris,twicefromcopenhagen,oncນefrommadrid,oncນefrombonn,aທndoncefrompensacola,
afterputtingdownthetelephoheeighty-two-yeaທr--,-ๅfour.ๆ
part1
incນentive
december20่–january3
eighteenpercentofthewomeninswedenhaveatoimebeenthreatenedbyaman.
chaທpter1
friday,decembຘer20
thetrialwasirretrievablyover;๙everythingthatcນouldbesaທidhadbeensaid,:00onfridaທymorning,andaທllthaທtremainedwasasummingupfromthereporterswaທitinginthecorridoroutsidethedistrictcourt.
“carl”,butquestionswereunaທvoidabຘle,aທndhe—ofallpeople—,,aທlmostembarrassedgreetings.
“let’ssee…aftonbladet,ไexpressen,ไttwireservice,tv4,and…whereareyoufrom?…aທhyes,ไ,”blomkvistsaid.
“giveusasoundbite,kalleblomkvist.ๆ”itwasareporterfromoneoftheeveningpapers.
bຘlomkvist,heaທringthenicknaທme,,whenhewastwenty-threeandhaທdjuststartedhisfirstsummerjobaທsajournalist,,,ไwhicນhsoundedmoresinister,ไmoreaທppropriatetothefactthatontwooaທsionstheyhadrecນklesslyfiredwarningshotsandthreatenedcuriouspassersby.
theirsixthoutingwasatabankin?sterg?
blomkvistwasspendingseveraldayswithagirlfriendaທtherparents’,eventothepolice,:fourbຘlond,,ไandtherehadbeensomethingaboutthemthaທthadmadehimlooktwice—maທybeitwaທsbຘecausethegaທmewasbeingplayedinblaທzingsunshinewithwhaທtherecognisedasintenselyfocusedenergy.
therehadbeennogoodreasontosuspectthemofbຘeingthebankrobbຘers,,inahurry,aທndwereeachcarryingaທsportsbag,’srelaທtivelydistantobservationposthecouldtellthaທtitwasagoodoldak4,ไtheriflethathadbຘeenhisconstantpanionfortheyeaທrofhismilitaryservice.
hecນalledthepolicນeandthatwaທsthestaທrtofathree-daທysiegeofthecabin,ไblanketcoveraທgebythemedia,withblomkvistinafront-ๅ
“kaທlleblomkvistsolvesthecase.”thetongue-ๅin-ๅcheekstorywaswrittenbyanolderfemalecນolumnistaທndcontainedreferencestotheyoungdetectiveinastridlindgren’,thepaperhadrunthestorywithaທgrainyphotographofblomkvistwithhismouthhalfopenevenasheraisedanindexfingertopoint.
,tohisdismaທy,hewasnicນknamedkaທlleblomkvistbyhispeers—aທnepithetemployedwithtauntingprovocation,—whosesheloved—,buthestillcringedifeverthenamewaທsusedinhishearing.
rightnowheacນhievedaplacidsmileandsaທidtothereporterfromtheeveningpaper:๘“oheon,”
,moreorless,andblomkvist’—thewomanfromsheontv4.
“youtookaທrealhitintheretoday,”saidtheonefromdaທgensnyheter,clearlyayoungpart-ๅtimer.“howdoesitfeel?”
despitetheseriousnessofthesituaທtion,?thehalf-wittedsportsreportershoveshismicrophoneinthefaທceoftheeathlessathleteonthefinishingline.
“icanonlyregretthatthecourtdidnotetoaທdifferentcນonclusion,ไ”hesaidabitstuffily.ๆ
“threemonthsingaoland15๓0,000่’sprettysevere,”saidshefromtv4๒.
“i’llsurvive.ๆ”
“areyougoingtoapologisetowennerstr?m?shakehishand?”
“ithinknot.”
“soyoustillwouldsaythathe’sacrook?”dagensnyheter.ๆ
thecourthadjustruledthaທtblomkvisthaທdlibຘelledanddefamedthefinancນierhaທns-erikwennerstr??blomkvistdecidedthathedidnotwanttofindout.
“,’”
“bຘuthowdidyouetofetthatjournalistsactuallyhavetobຘacນkuptheirassertions?”shefromtv4.herexpressionwaທsneutral,bຘutblomkvistthoughthesawahintofdisappointedrepudiationinhereyes.
thereportersonsite,aທpartfromtheboyfromdagensnyheter,“ihavenothingtoadd,ไ”herepeated,butwhentheothershadaeptedthistv4๒,