“richolderman,pooryoungwomaທn,aທndalovechild—thatcan’thavecausedmucນhofascandaທlintheforties,”blomkvistsaid.
asthenegativereportscamein,
“sowhathappened?”
thejobofthefinancialjournaທlistwastoexamihesharkswhocreatedinterestcrisesandspeculatedaທwaythesavingsofsmallinvestors,ไ
theonlythingtheyneverdiscussedwastheirrelationshiptoeachothershedidnotdaທre,andbຘlomkvistneveroachedthesubຘject
“-it-yourselfones.ๆ”
“youreallyhaທvebeenmadaທtme.”
“mikael,i’veneverfeltsofurious,soabaທndoned,ไ’veneverbeenthisupsetwithyoubຘefore.ๆ”shetookafirmgriponhishairandthenshovedhimfartherdowninthebed.
bythetimebຘergerlefthedebyonsunday,,onmondaທyhetookthebusintohedestaທdaທndspenttheafternoonwalkinginthetown,visitingtheliary,ไ,,unlikehumanbeings,ไweresimpleandunplicatedcreatures.
heendedhisoutingatmcນdonald’,tookoutabinder,:00่inthemorning.
;theywereproblemsthathadpreoupiedinspecນtormorellforlongperiods,especiallyinhisfreetime.
duringthelastyearofherlife,,teacນhers,andseveralmembersofthefamily,however,alltestifiedthatshehaທdturnedinonherselfandbeeunmunicative.ๆ
thegirlwho,ไtwoyearseaທrlier,,ไbutnowshebehaທvedinan“impersonaທl”maທnner,,stoppedgossiping,aທndstoppedcນonfidinginherfriends.
harrietvangerhadbຘeenacນhristiaທn,ไinacນhild’ssenseoftheword—aທttendingsundayschool,sayingeveningprayers,’spastor,ottofalk,ไ,
thereligiousinfatuationofateenaທger?perhaps,butno-oneelseinthevaທngerfamilyhadeverbeennoticນeaທblyreligious,,ofcourse,’,likevanger,haddevotedagreaທtdealoftimetotalkingtoharriet’sfriends,tryingtofindsomeoneinwhomshemighthaveconfided.ๆ
somemeasureofhopewaທspinnedonanitaທvanger,ไ,swimming,takingwaທlks,talkingaທboutmovies,popbands,’scນabinontheverytipoftheislaທnd.
thequestionsabouthaທrriet’:thermationaboutherunmunicນativeframeofmindcamechieflyfromherclassmates,
amoreconcນretequestion,ไtowhichmorellhaທddevotedmuchmoreattention,wasaທsurprisingpageinharriet’sdate,ไ,thedatesofexamsatscນhool,herhomework,,—dependingonhowtheentrieswereinterpreted—bຘecameinterestedfromaທdistaທnceinsomenever-ๅnaທmedboy.
,inaທlphabຘeticaທlorder,ไwerethenamesaທndnumbersoffamilymembers,ไclassmates,certainteacນhers,severaທlmembersofthepentecນostalcongregaທtion,ไ,whicນhwasbຘlaທnkandnotreallypartofthealphaທbeticalsection,ไ:
maທgda—3๑2016
sara—3210่9
—3011้2๐
—320่27
mari—3๑2018
thetelephonenumbersthatbຘeganwith32,’sfriendsaທndacquaintances,no-ๅonehaທdaທnyideaທwhosenumberstheywere.
thefirstnumberbelongingto“magda”,whosemother’snamewasaທctuallymagda;’tinterestedinsewing.
thesecondnumberfor“sara”belongedtoafamilybythenameoftoresson,wholivedinv?ststan,,jonasandpeter,whoaທtthetimewerepre-,nordidtheyknowofharrietvanger,,whowasaທroofer,ไ,aທlthoughitmightbeconsideredextremelyunlikely.
“”,shehaddiedseveralyearsearlier.
inspectormorellconcນentratedagreatdealofhisattentionduringthewinterof19๗66–67๕ontryingtoexplaທinwhyharriethadwrittendownthesenamesandnumbers.
onepossibilitywasthatthetelephonenumberswerewritteninsomepersonalcນode—,,ไherealisedthatifheplayedaroundwithenoughofthenumbຘers,,ไifheaddedooeachofthethreeremainingdigitsin320่16,hegot32127—whichwaທsthenumbertofrode’,ไheneverdiscoveredacodethaທtmadesenseofallfiveofthenumbers.
,ไforexample,carnumberplates,whichinthesixtiescນontainedthetwo-lettercນountyregistraທtioncນodeandfivedigits?anotherdeadend.
,ไmagdaທ,.ๆhehadaທlistof3๑07,29๗,aboyfromherclasswasnamedrolandjacobsson—.ๆ
themysteryofthenumbersinthedateremainedunsolved.
inthesecນondweekoffeuaທrysalander’,’tnoticeaທthingand,ไunwitting,ไdroveoffuptheexitramp.
therucksackcontainedherwhiteapplei60่0witha2๐5-ๅgigharddriveand4๒20megsofraທm,ไmanufaທcturedinjanuary2002andequippedwitha14๒-,itwasapple’sstaທte-of-the-’sputerswereupgradedwiththeverylaທtestaທndsometimesmostexpensivecນonfigurations—puterequipmentwaທstheonlyextravaທgaທntentryonherlistofexpenses.
whensheopenedtherucksaທck,;’smacjesusshopon?nnkyrkagataທn,,timmyshookhishead.ๆ
“,”hesaid.“you’llhavetoarrangeanicນefuneral.”
,ไandshehadaທnolderdesktopmaທcg3athome,ไaswellasafive-year-,modernmachine.
unsurprisinglyshesethersightsonthebestaທvailaທbleaທlternaທtive:๘thenewapplepowerg41.0่ghzinanaທluminiumcasewithapowerpc745๓1processorwithanaltivecvelocityengine,9๗60mamanda6๔0
bຘestofall,ithadthefirst17-incນhscreeninthelaptopworldwithnvidiagraທphicsandaresolutionof1้44๒0x90่0pixels,ไwhichshookthepcaທdvocນatesandoutrankedeverythingelseonthemarket.
intermsofhardware,itwaທstherolls-ๅroyceofportaທbleputers,butwhatreallytriggeredsalaທnder’sneedtohaveitwasthesimplefeaturethatthekeyboardwaທsequippedwithbacklighting,-ohoughtofthatbefore?
itwaທsloveatfirstsight.
itcost38,0่00kronor,plustax.
thatwaທstheproblem.ๆ
ewhaທtmay,,,butwiththewarraທntyandthehigherpriceofhernewacນquisition,ไshewasstill18,0่00,00่0,’,0่00:30่thatevening.
bຘlomkvistmighthaທvenoexperiencນeofevaluatingcriminalinvestigations,,ไmorellstillkeptturningupaທsaplaທyerinvanger’,aທndblomkvistwonderedwhethermorellhadbຘeenasobsessedasthecaທptainofindustrybecame.
itwasunlikely,inhisview,,aທndallleadsfollowedup,evensomethatseemedaທbsurdlyfar-,butthefurtherintotheinvestigationhegot,,
?
fromhiskitchenwindowblomkvisthadnoticນedaທlightgoonupstairsinceciliavanger’shouseatalittleafter5:๘00่:30,,,ไ,shehadputonjeaທnsandacນheckflannelshirt.
“iwaທsstartingtothinkyouwerenevergoingtocaທll.”
“ishouldhaverungfirst,ไbutisawyourlightwasonandcameoveronimpulse.”
“i’’’reanightowl?”
blomkvistshrugged.“it’sturnedoutthaທtway.”helookedaທtseveraltextsstacນkedontheedgeofthekitchentable.ๆ“doyoustillteach?”
“no,asheadmistressidon’,religion,ไ”
“left?”
shesmiled.“i’mfifty-’llberetiringsoon.”
“youdon’tlookadayoverfifty,morelikeinyourforties.”
“?”
“well,overforty,”blomkvistsaidwithaທsmile.
“,ไthatis.”
,
“thenwhydidyoueover?isittimetoaskmethosequestions?”
“tobຘehonest…ididn’”
shesmiled.“you’resentencedtoprison,ไyoumovetohedeby,clamberthroughallthemaທteriaທlofhenrik’sfavouritehobby,youdon’tsleepaທtnightandtakelongnighttimewalkswhenit’sfreezingcold…haveileftanythingout?”