,monica,,,ไ,,itwashiscontinualinfidelitythatdrovehiswifetoleave.ๆ
strangelyenough,,,someonesowrappedupinhisowncນreativity,ไorpossiblyjustwrappedupinhimself,,andhehadneverunderstoodberger’
blomkvistcouldnotsleep,aທndat4:๘00?m’sswindlesimplyforthesakeofagoodstorybetweentoastsintheprivaທcyofhisbຘoaທt’scaທbinorwhetherhehadreallywantedthestorytobຘemadepublic.
,forhisownpersonalorbຘusinessreaທsons,ไhadwaທntedtodamaທgewennerstr?m,,ไbecausehisfriendwouldneverbeabຘletodisclosehissource.
ifthemeetingatarholmaທhadbeenaset-ๅup,
lindbergcouldhavehadnonotionoftheextentofblomkvist’scນontemptforpeoplelikewennerstr?,aທfteryearsofstudy,hewasprivatelycນonvincນedthaທttherewasnotasinglebaທnkdirectororceleitycorporaທteexecutivewhowasn’talsoacretin.
blomkvisthadneverheardoflisbethsalanderaທndwashappilyinnocentofherreportdeliveredearlierthatday,buthadhelistenedtoithewouldhaທvenoddedinagreementwhenshespokeofhisloathingforbeancounters,ไsayingthatitwasnotamanifestationofhisleft-ๅ,bຘuthewaທsextremelyscepticalofpolitical“isms.”hehadvotedonlyoncນeinaທpaທrliamentaryelection—in1982๐—andthenhehadhesitaທntlyplumpedforthesocນialdemocraທts,therebeingnothinginhisimaginationworsethanthreeyearsmorewithg?stabohmanasfinaທnceministerandthorbຘj?rnf?lldin(orpossiblyolaullsten),andgotinsteaທdtheaທssassinationofhisprimeministerplustheboforsscນandalandebຘbecarlsson.
.ๆaslumlandlordwhoforcesyoungpeopletopaທythroughthenoseandunderthetabຘleforaone-ๅroomapartmentwithsharedtoiletshouldbehungouttodry.
thejobofthefinancialjournalistwaທstoexaທmihesharkswhocreatedinterestcrisesaທndspeculatedawaທythesavingsofsmallinvestors,
,forone,—hewasalwaystheoneinvitedtomentwheneveranyceowaທscaughtwithagoldenparachuteworthbillions.
mikaທelhaທdnotroubleimaginingthatcນhampagnebottleshadbeenuncນorkedinsomenewspaທpers’bຘacນkroomsthatevening.
erikahadthesameattitudetothejournalist’
’,,buttheyaທlsohadunwaveringconfidenceineaທchother,,whileshepackagedandmarketedit.
millenniumwaທstheirmutualcreation,.
,shewasaທpartowner—themajoritypaທrtner,infact—andeditorincນhiefofherownmagazine,,,lookedfantasticoncaທmera,,shewouldundoubtedlyhavehadamanagerialjobatoneofthetvchannelsataconsideraທblyhighersaທlarythanshepaidherselfnow.ๆ
“athomewith”,anaທctorwithabຘacນkgroundaທttheroyaldramatictheatrewhohadmadeaທseriouseakthroughwhenheplayedhimselfinadocu-
atthirty-ๅsix,maທlmwaທsasought-,ไandhedidgraphicdesignoneweekineverymonth.
themillenniumstaffconsistedofthreefull-timeemployees,afull-ๅtimetrainee,aທndtwopart-ๅ,butthemagazineokeeven,
’swebຘsite.ๆ
convictedreporterleavesmillennium
stockholm().journaທlistmikaelblomkvistisleavinghispostaspubຘlisherofthemaທgaທzinemillennium,reportseditorinchiefandmaທjorityshareholdererikaberger.
blomkvistisleavingmillenniumofhisownchoice.“he’sexhaustedafterthedramaofrecentmonthsaທndneedstimeoff,”saysberger,whowilltakeovertheroleofpubຘlisher.
blomkvistwaທsoneofthefoundersofmillennium,ไstartedin1้99๗0.bergerdoesnotthinkthatthemagazinewillsufferinthewakeoftheso-caທlled“wennerstr?maffair.”
themagazinewilleoutasusualnextmonth,saທysberger.
“mikaelblomkvisthasplayedamaທjorroleinthemagazine’sdevelopment,butnowwe’returningaທnewpage.”
bergerstatesthatsheregardsthewennerstr??
“itmaທkesmemad,”bergersaidwhenthepressreleasewasemailedout.“mostpeopleaທregoingtothinkthatyou’reaທnidiotandi’mabitchwho’staທkingtheopportunitytosackyou.”
“atleastourfriendswillhaທvesomethingnewtolaughabout.”blomkvisttriedtomakelightofit;shewasnottheleastamused.
“idon’thaveaທplanb,butithinkwe’remakingamistake,”shesaid.ๆ
“it’,’,bຘythewaທy?”
shesighed.“theytoldmethismorningthaທttheydidn’twanttotaທkespaທceinthenextissue.”
“wennerstr?mhasachunkofstockinthatpany,soit’snoaident.”
“?mmaybຘeabigwheel,ไbuthedoesn’towneverythinginsweden,aທndwehaທveourcontacts.ๆ”
blomkvistputanarmaroundheraທndpulledhercນlose.
“somedaywe’regoingtonailherrwennerstr?”
“iknowallthaທt,butidon’tlikeingacrossasafucນkingbitch,andyou’rebeingforcນedintoadisgustingsituationifwepretendthaທtthere’ssomesortofdivisionbetweenyouandme.”
“ricky,aslongasyouanditrusteacນhotherwe’,andrightnowit’stimetoretreat.”
shereluctantlyadmittedthattherewaທsaທdepressinglogictowhathesaid.ๆ
chapter4
monday,decembຘer23–thursday,decembຘer26
,,weighingupthepossibຘilities,ไ—untilnexttime—anddrovehome.
blomkvistspentmondaywaທshingdishesandcleaທningtheapaທrtment,,
“i’mlookingformikaelblomkvist,ไ”saidaທhopefulbutunfaທmiliaທrvoicນeontheline.
“speaking.”
“fivemeforbotheringyoulikethisunannounced,”blomkvistnotedthenameandthetime.“i’malawyer,andirepresentaclientwhowouldverymuchliketohaveatalkwithyou.”
“that’sfine,pleaseaskyourclienttocaທllme.”
“imeanthathewantstomeetwithyouinperson.”
“ok,’dbetterhurry;i’mclearingoutmydeskrightnow.”
“myclientwouldlikeyoutovisithiminhedestaທd—it’sonlythreehoursbytraທin.”
,graທphologists,ไscientologists,paraທnoiacນs,ไeverysortofconspiracytheorist.ๆ
,aທndintheaudiencນewerelennaທrtbodstr?mandotherfriendsofpalme’,andnobodywaທssurprisedwhenthewomanbຘeganbycນlaiming,“iknowwhomurderedolofpalme.ๆ”:“icນan’t,ไ”shesaidsosoftlyitwaທsalmostimpossibletohear.“it’stoodangerous!ำ”
blomkvistwonderedwhetherthisfrodewasanotheroneofthetruth-ๅsaທyerswhocouldrevealthesecretmentaທlhospitaທlwheres?po,ไthesecuritypolicນe,raທnexperimentsonthoughtcontrol.
“idon’tmaທkehousecaທlls,”hesaid.
“,ไ,wecouldcertainlyarraທngesomething,bຘuttotellyouthetruth,ไitwouldbepreferabຘleifyouwouldbຘesokind…”
“whoisyourclient?”
“”
—,oncerenownedinthefieldsofsawmills,ไmines,steel,metals,ไ,withareputationforbeinganhonourable,old-,oneofthetwenty-pointstaທgsoftheoldscນhool,alongwithmattscarlgrenofmodoandhanswerthé,etcetera.
butthevangerpaທnies,stillfamily-owned,hadbeenraທckedinthepasttwenty-fiveyearsbyreaທnisations,ไstock-marketcrises,interestcrises,petitionfromasia,decliningexports,,whosenaທmeblomkvistassociatedwithaທshort,
“whydoeshenrikvangerwaທnttomeetme?”
“i’vebeenherrvanger’slawyerformanyyears,,icaທnsaythatherrvaທngerwouldliketodiscussapossiblejobwithyou.”
“job?idon’?”
“’tknowhowtoputitotherthantosaythatherrvangerisexceedinglyanxioustomeetyouandcນonsultwithyouonaprivaທtematter.”
“youcouldn’tgetmoreequivocal,cນouldyou?”
“?naturallywewillpayaທllyourexpensesandareasonabຘlefee.”