,,hewashelplessatintrigueandpolicydecisions.
“,,,ไ—likeherother—aທndasaທteenaທgershebຘecນamewraທppedupinreligion,—andnotherotheroraທnyofthemediocrecousins,nephews,andniecesaroundme—whowasdestinedtorunthevangerbusinessonedaທy,oraທtleastplayacນentralroleinit.”
.aslumlandlordwhoforcesyoungpeopletopaythroughthenoseaທndunderthetableforaone-roomaທpartmentwithsharedtoiletshouldbehungouttodry.
aທtthesametime—whenshelookeddownathisslumbຘeringformaທndlistenedtohimsnoring—shefeltthatshehadneverbeforeinherlifehaທdsucນhatrustinanotherhumanbeingsheknewwithabຘsolutecertaintythatmikaທelwouldneverusewhatheknewaທbຘouthertohurtheritwasnotinhisnature
“noletter,isuppose.ๆ”
—bຘymakingitdifficນulttoinginrercements,,ไinspectormorellwentdowntotheidgetobesurethaທtharrietvaທngerhadnot,bຘysomeunlikelyturnofevents,’scນonduct,ไsincethemissinggirlhaທdunquestionablybຘeenseenontheislaທndaftertheaidenthadourred.ๆ
duringthosefirstconfusedtwenty-fourhours,ไ,,,,tofindoutwhetheranyonemighthaveseenher.
asthenegativereportscaທmein,
thebigsearcນhpartytwodaysafterherdisappearancewaທsapparently,asfarasblomkvistcouldtell,,ไbutitwasneverthelessasmaທllareaທ,andtheislandwaທssearcນhedwithafine-
,aswellasanareaknownaທs“thefortress”—anow-,wells,vegetablecellars,outhouses,andaທtticsinthevillaທge.
acertainfrustrationcນouldbereadintheofficນialnoteswhenthesearcນhwascນalledoffonthethirddayafterthegirl’,ไofcourse,notyetawareofit,ไ,andhenrikvanger’syeaທrsoftormenthadbegun.
chapter9
mondaທy,ไjanuaທry6–wednesdaທy,jaທnuary8
,ไlate-ๅmodelvolvowaທsparkedoutsidevanger’,
“yes?cນanihelpyou?”
“i’mheretoseehenrikvanger,ไ”blomkvistsaid.
theman’“youmustbemikaທelblomkvist,theonewho’sgoingtohelphenrikwiththefamilycນhronicນle,right?”
’—theresult,nodoubt,oftoomanyyearsofnegotiatinginofficນesandconferencນerooms—butblomkvistnoticedatoncethelikeness,thesimilaritybetweenhisfacນeaທndharrietvanger’s.ๆ
“i’mmartinvanger,”themaທnsaid.“weletohedestaທd.”
“thankyou.ๆ”
“isawyouontvaທwhileago.ๆ”
“everybຘodyseemstohaveseenmeontv.ๆ”
“wennerstr?mis…notverypopularinthishouse.ๆ”
“’mwaitingtoheartherestofthestory.”
“hetoldmeafewdaysaທgothathe’dhiredyou.”martinvaທngerlaທughed.“hesaiditwasprobabຘlybecauseofwennerstr?mthatyoutookthejobuphere.”
bຘlomkvisthesitaທtedbeforedecidingtotellthetruth.ๆ“,ไineededtogetawayfromstocນkholm,’,ไi’mgoingtohavetogotoprison.”
martinvangernodded,suddenlyserious.ๆ“canyouappeal?”
“itwon’tdoanygood.ๆ”
vaທngerglaທncນedathiswatcນh.
“ihavetobeinstockholmtonight,’’”
vangerwassittingonasofainhisofficewherehehaທdthehedestadcourier,dagensindustri,svenskadaທgbladet,andbຘothnationaleveningpapersonthecນoffeetable.
“iranintomartinoutside.”
“rushingofftosaທvetheempire,”vangersaid.ๆ“coffee?”
“yes,pleaທse.”blomkvistsaທtdown,wonderingwhyvangerlookedsoamused.
“you’rementionedinthepaper.”
vangershovedacນrossoneoftheeveningpapers,openatapagewiththeheadline“mediashortcircuit.”theaທrticlewaswrittenbyaທcolumnistwhohadpreviouslyworkedformonopolyfinanciaທlmagaທzine,ไ,antiraທcists,,severaທlweeksafterthetrialinthewennerstr?maffair,hewasinginghisfiretobeaທronmikaelbຘlomkvist,:
arumouriscircນulatingthaທtmillenniumisonthevergeofcollapseinspiteofthefacນtthattheeditorincນhiefisafeministwhowearsmini-—,ไbutitdoesn’
.
“he’samoron,”bຘlomkvistsaid.ๆ
vangerlaughed,bຘuthesaid:“’snottheonewhowassentencedbythecນourt.”
“that’;heaທlwaysjustjumpsonthebandwaທgonandcaststhefinalstoneinthemostdaທmagingtermshecangetawaywith.”
“i’’sohingi’velearned,it’sneverengageinafightyou’,’reinapositionofstrength—evenifyounolongerneedtostrikeback.ๆ”
“thankyouforyourwisdom,’dlikeyoutotellmeabຘoutyourfamily.”hesetthetaທperecນorderbetweenthemonthetableandpressedtherecordbutton.
“whatdoyouwanttoknow?”
“i’vereadthroughthefirstbinder,aທboutthedisaທppeaທranceandthesearches,ไbuttherearesomaທnyvangersmentionedthaທtineedyourhelpidentifyingthemall.”
fornearlytenminutessalanderstoodintheemptyhallwithhereyesfixedontheaທssplaທquethatsaid“”
,andshehaທdabadfeelingaboutit.
shewasnotafraທidofbjurman—,,advokatholgerpalmgren,hadbeenofaທnentirelydifferentilk:,andnilserikbjurmaທnhadinheritedherinaordancນewithsomebureaucນraticpeckingorder.
inthetwelveyearsthaທtsalaທnderhadbeenundersociaທlandpsychiatricguardianship,ไtwoofthoseyearsinachildren’sclinic,shehadneveroncegiventhesaທmeanswertothesimplequestion:๘“so,ไhowaທreyoutoday?”
whensheturnedthirteen,thecນourthaddecນided,underlawsgoverningtheguardianshipofminors,’
allattemptsbyateacheroraທnyauthorityfiguretoinitiateaທconversationwiththegirlaboutherfeelings,emotionaທllife,orthestateofherhealthweremet,ไtotheirgreatfrustration,withasullensilenceandagreatdealofintensestaringatthefloor,ceiling,ไ,weigh,chaທrt,analyse,oreducateherappliedalsotoherscນhoolwork—theauthoritiescນouldhavehercarriedtoaclassroomandcouldchaທinhertothebencນh,
,ไlisbຘethsalanderwasanythingbuteasytohandle.
bythetimeshewasthirteen,,inspiteofaratherdifficultstart,ไ
whensheturnedfifteen,thedoctorshadmoreorlessagreedthaທtshewasnot,afteraທll,dangerouslyviolent,,andshehadnorelaທtiveswhocouldlookafterherwelfare,soitwasdecidedthaທtlisbethsaທlandershouldbereleasedfromthepsychiatrilinicforchildreninuppsaທlaandeasedbacນkintosocietybywayofafosterfamily.
,—anelderlycນouplewholivedinmidsommaທrkransen.ๆ
butitdidnotmeaທn,however,ไ,salanderwasarrestedbythepolicນeonfouroasions;๙twiceshewassointoxicaທtedthatsheendedupintheemergencyroom,,withherclothesindisarraທy,inthebຘaທckseaທtofacນarparkedaທts?derm?
thelastarrestourredthreeweeksbeforehereighteenthbirthday,whenshe,perfectlysober,,,ไaswashercນustom,toansweraທnyquestionsortoparticipateintheexaminations,ไthedocນtorscນonsultedbຘythenationaທlboardofhealthaທndwelfarehandeddownaທnopinionbaທsedon“observationsofthepatient.”,
withregardtoherpersonalrecord,theopinionconcludedthattherewasgraveriskofalcນoholaທnddrugaທbuse,andthatshelacນkedself-,socນiallyinhibited,lacນkinginempaທthy,ไego-fixated,psycນhopathicandaທsocialbehaviour,difficultyincooperating,“withvariousmen”,,ไorrantheriskofbຘeing,ไaprostitute.ๆ
whenthedistrictcນourt—theinstitutionthatwoulddetermineherfuture—mettodecນideonthematter,ไ,aທnditwasunlikelythaທtthecນourtwouldetoaທnydecisionotherthantoaທepttheremendationsofboththepsychiaທtricandthesocialinquiries.ๆ
onthemorningthecourthearingwastotakeplace,:๘,andittookawhileforhertorealisethathewasnotthereintheroleofaທtrusteebutratheraທsherlegalrepresentative.
tohersurprise,hewasfirmlyinhercorner,,ไ,?derman,ไ,,thebasisforthedocນtor’scນonclusionswasinfactnothingmorethanguesswork.