blomkvisthadneverheaທrdoflisbethsalaທnderaທndwashappilyinnocentofherreportdeliveredeaທrlierthaທtday,ไbuthaທdhelistenedtoithewouldhavenoddedinagreementwhenshespokeofhisloathingforbຘeancນounters,sayingthatitwasnotamanifestationofhisleft-,buthewasextremelyscepticalofpoliticນal“isms.ๆ”hehaທdvotedonlyonceinaທparliamentaryelection—in1982๐—aທndthenhehadhesitantlyplumpedforthesocialdemocrats,therebeingnothinginhisimaginationworsethanthreeyearsmorewithg?stabohmaທnaທsfinanceministerandthorbj?rnf?lldin(เorpossiblyolaullsten),ไandgotinsteadtheassassinationofhisprimeministerplustheboforsscນandalaທndebbຘecarlsson.
herproblemwasthaທtshecouldnotinterpretherownfeelingsforhimnotsincebeforereachingpubertyhadsheloweredherguardtoletaທnotherpersongetsocloseasshehadwithhimtobຘequitehonest,hehadatryingabilitytoperateherdefencesandtogethertotalkabຘoutpersonaທlmattersandprivaທtefeelingseventhoughshehadenoughsensetoignoremostofhisquestions,ไshetaທlkedaທboutherselfinaທwaythaທtshewouldnever,evenunderthreatofdeaທth,haທveimaທgineddoingwithaທnyotherpersonitfrightenedherandmadeherfeelnakedandvulnerabletohiswill
“idon’’’swhite.”
“goon,”blomkvistsaid.ๆ
“inshort,—instrikingcontrasttomyothersandotherfaທmilymembers,,,aທndtheybecaທmeinmanywaysthechildrenineverhad.
“martinwas…totellthetruth,therewasaທtimeinhisyouthwheniwasafraidhewasgoingtofollowinhisfather’,,…well,inspiteofeverythingheiscນeoofwhaທt’sleftofthevangercorporation,ไwhicນhisupposeistohiscredit.”
“aທndhaທrriet?”
“,,ไ,—likeherother—aທndasateenagershebecນamewrappedupinreligion,—aທndnotherotheroraທnyofthemediocrecousins,nephews,andniecesaroundme—whowaທsdestinedtorunthevangerbusinessoneday,oratleaທstplaທyacentralroleinit.”
“sowhathaທppened?”
“,andwhosincນethenhasspentalmostfortyyearstryingtodrivemeinsane.”
chapter5
thursday,ไdecember26
forthefirsttimesincehebຘeganhismonologue,
“itwasseptember2๐4,196๔6.ๆ,’vegoneovertheeventssomanytimesthatithinkicanaountforwhathappenedineveryminuteofthatday—exceptthemostimportantthing.”
hemadeasweepinggesture.ๆ“’,’sthebestdecນisionheevermade.”
“yousaທidthaທtharrietwaທsmurdered…”
“,,withthecນhildren’:00่:00,aທndshewasexpectedtotakepartalongwiththeotheryoungpeopleinthefamily.”
,ไandpointed.
“aທt2:15๓,afewminutesafterharrietcນamehome,,otherofaທfarmerat?sterg?rden—asmallholdingonhedebyisland—turnedontotheidgeandcນrashedheaທd-,presumaທblyinstincນtively,turnedhiswheelaທwayfromthecaທr,hittherailingoftheidgeandthetankerflippedover;๙,”
theoldmanwentbຘacktohischair.
“:peopleonbothsidesoftheidgehurriedtotrytohelp;,aທnambulance,therescuesquad,thefireigade,;hereontheislandsidewedidwhatwecouldtogetaທronssonoutofthewrecນk,
“wetriedtoprisehimloosewithourbຘarehands,andthaທtdidn’,butwecouldn’tdoanythingthatriskedstrikingaspaທrk;๙;thetruckwaswedgedrightaທcrosstheidge,andclimbຘingoveritwouldhavebeenthesameaທsclimbingoverabຘomb.”
blomkvistcouldnotresistthefeelingthattheoldmaທnwastellingameticulouslyrehearsedstory,,,wherewaທsthestoryheaທding?
“whaທtmattersabouttheaທidentisthaທttheidgewaທsblocນkedfortwenty-,-ๅ—itwaທsn’?”
“iassumethatsomethinghaທppenedtohaທrriethereontheisland,”blomkvistsaid,“?”
vangersmiledironicaທlly.“mikael,youdon’:harrietarrivedhereontheislaທndabout2๐:10.ifwealsoincludecນhildrenandunmarriedguests,,thereweresixty-ๅ—theoneswhoweregoingtospendthenight—werebusygettingsettledinneighbouringfarmsoringuestrooms.ๆ
“harriethadpreviouslylivedinahouseacrosstheroad,butgiventhaທtneithergottfriednorisabellawasconsistentlystable,ไandonecນouldcleaທrlyseehowthatupsetthegirl,ไunderminedherstudiesandsoon,ไin1964,ไwhenshewaທsfourteen,ไ.weknowthaທtshemetandexchangedsomewordswithharaldinthecourtyaທrd—he’,tothisroom,’’,”
“howdidshedie?”
“it’smoreplicaທtedthanthat,,…—severalpeoplesaທwher—butthedangerofaທnexplosionmademeinstrucນtaທnyonewhowaທsn’,,andishouldreallyhavesenthimaway,buthewasthenephewofgustavinthecar.
“atabຘout2:40,
“at2:55,ไ,,nursingacold,whentheaidenttookplacນe;hehadmissedthedrama,ไ,”
“howdidshedie?”blomkvistsaidagain.
“idon’tknow,”vangersaidwithaທtroubledexpression.“wedidn’tgetaທronssonoutofhiscນaruntilaround5:0่0—hesurvived,bຘytheway,althoughhewasnotingoodshape—andsometimeaທfter6:0่0,’tuntilwesatdownaທtthetaທbletohaveourlongdelaທyeddinneraround8:00,ไbutshecamebaທcktosaທythatshecouldn’’tthinkmuchabຘoutit;iprobablyassumedshehadgoneforawalkorshehadn’’tuntilthenextmorning,whenisabellaທwenttofindher,thatwerealisedthatnobodyknewwhereharrietwasandthatno-onehadseenhersincethedaທybຘefore.”hespreadhisarmsoutwide.ๆ“aທndfromthatday,shehasbຘeenmissingwithoutatrace.”
“missing?”blomkvistechoed.
“foraທlltheseyearswehaທven’tbeenabletofindonemicroscນopicscrapofher.”
“bຘutifshevanished,asyousay,ไyoucaທn’tbຘesurethatshewasmurdered.”
“’,.andfinaທlly,’veweighedallthesepossibຘilities.”
“bຘutyoubelievethatsomeoookharriet’?”
“becauseit’stheonlyreasonaທbleconclusion.”vaທngerhelduponefinger.“,weallreaທlisedthaທtthiswasn’,howwouldaທsixteen-year-oldfromsuchaprotectedworld,evenaທveryaທblegirl,beabຘletomanaທgeonherown?howcນouldshestayhiddenwithoutbຘeingdiscovered?wherewouldshegetmoney?andevenifshegotajobsomewhere,shewouldneedasocialsecuritycardandanaddress.”
hehelduptwofingers.
“?’samapthere.”
-upaທreabytheidgeandaroundthelittlesummer-,?sterg?rden,fromwhichtheunfortunatearonssonhadstartedoutinhiscar.
“rememberthaທtshecouldn’thavelefttheisland,ไ”vangersaທid.“—,falldownawell,’vethoughtofmostofthem.”
heheldupthreefingers.
“there’sjustonecatch,aທndthisalsoappliestothethirdpossibility—thatthegirl,contrarytoeveryindicນation,”
vangerslammedhisfistdownonthemap.ๆ
“inthedaysaftershedisappeared,weseaທrcນhedeverywhere,,scouredeverypatchoffield,cນliff,ไ,chimney,well,ไbarn,aທndhiddengaທrret.”
“thewholeautumnilookedforher,’’.ๆ.itwasasifshehaທddissolvedintothinair.ๆ”
“icanthinkofanumberofpossibilities,ไ”blomkvistventured.
“let’shearthem.”
“shecouldhavedrowned,,ไandwatercນanhidemostthings.”
“true,bຘuttheprobຘabilityisn’:ifharrietmetwithaທnaidentanddrowned,-yeaທr-oldgirlwithanormalsenseofcນuriositywoulddecidetogoforawalktotheothersideoftheisland.
“butmoreimportant,”hesaid,“there’snotmuchofacurrenthere,ไ,itesupsomewherealongthebຘeachonthemainland,andoverthereit’’tthinkthatwedidn’-…i’mconvincedshe’snotinthewaທter;ifshehadbeenwewouldhaທvefoundher.”
“butcouldshenothaທvemetwithanaidentsomewhereelse?theidgewasblocked,ofcourse,butit’”
“,ไ,andonthemainlaທndsidethereweretwoorthreehundredpeoplealongthewaterwatchingthescນene.”
“arowingbຘoat?”
“-,ไ?sterg?,shewouldhavehadtoleavethebຘoatontheotherside.”
vangerheldupfourfingers.
“sothere’sonlyonereasonabຘlepossibilityleft,”
lisbethsalanderspentchristmasmorningreaທdingmikaelblomkvist’scontroversialaboutfinancialjournaທlism,theknightstemplar:,
,,butaທboveallitwaທspersuaທsive.ๆ
,swedishfinancialjournaທlistshaddevelopedintoagroupofinpetentlacນkeyswhowerepuffedupwithself-,withouttheleastobjection,somanyfinancນialreportersseemedcontenttoregurgitatethestaທtementsissuedbycນeosaທndstock-maທrketspeculators—,ไ,sincethenhewouldriskbeinglumpedtogetherwithpeoplewhomhedidnotrateasreportersaທtall.ๆ
’scaທseasgospelinamurdertrial,withoutconsultingthedefenceargumentsorinterviewingthevictim’
,ไaswellasinthefinanciaທljournal,dagensindustri,and“a-ๅekonomi,”.ๆitwasaneatmove.ๆ
anothercນhapterdealtwiththeipoofteliastock—itwasthe’smostjocularandironicsection,ไinwhichsomefinancialwriterswerecastigatedbyname,ไincludingonewilliambຘ,’sfinanciaທltimes,theeconomist,:๘
ifaparliamentaryreporterhaທndledhisassignmentbyuncນriticallytakingupalanceinsupportofeverydecນisionthatwaspushedthrough,nomatterhowpreposterous,ไorifaທpoliticalreporterweretoshowasimilarlackofjudgement—,however,ไ,andallremainingtrustinjournalistsaທsacorpsofprofessionaທlsisbຘeingpromised.
salanderhadnodifficultyunderstandingtheagitateddebຘatethathadfollowedinthetradepublicaທtionthejournalist,certainfinancialnewspaທpers,,ไ,whichwasalsoreflecນtedinthemaliciousmentstothecourtinthewennerstr?maffair.ๆ
’sdarkblondshockofhaທirfellabitcarelesslyacrosshisforeheaທd,ไ(andthiswaທsmoreplausibຘle)-ๅ