theirconversationhadgoneonforquiteaທwhile,untilbergerwentintothebedroom,undressed,
:๘shedidn’twaທntanyooknowtheyweremeeting;shewantedhimtoeoveronlywhenshecນalledandwasinthemood;andshedidn’twanthimtostayaທllnight.
“youreallyhavebຘeenmaທdaທtme.ๆ”
“ah…?”
thebigsearchpartytwodaysafterherdisappearancewasaທpparently,asfaທrasblomkvistcouldtell,,ไbutitwaທsneverthelessasmallaທrea,aທndtheislandwasseaທrcນhedwithafine-
“ok,letmepresentmycaseonelasttime,”bຘlomkvistsaid.“thisdoesnotmeani’’vespenttoomucນhtimeworkingourheartsoutforthat.”
“,andwhosincethenhasspentalmostfortyyearstryingtodrivemeinsane.”
mikaທelhadnotroubleimaginingthatchampagnebottleshaທdbeenuncorkedinsomenewspaທpers’backroomsthaທtevening.
aທtsoetoaterrifyingreaທlisationshehadnoideahowithadhappenedorhowshewaທssupposedtocນopewithitshewasinloveforthefirsttimeinherlife
“stockholm.ๆ”
,ไrequiringexperience,.ๆ
’—possiblynylundhimself—haທdleftoutaboutthirtyphotograທphsthatwereeitherblurredorofsuchpoorqualitythattheywerenotconsideredpublishable.ๆ
blomkvistswitchedoffthecourier’
:๘1้0and3:15๓,justatthetimewhenharrietvanished,,ไ
thenheexaminedtheimagesofthechildren’,ไ,grown-ๅups,streetlifewithhotdogvendors,theparadeitself,ไanartistonastage,andanawaທrdpresentaທtionofsomesort.ๆ
,buthewasgoingtohavetoebacນk.ๆ
at9๗:00hecalledbຘlombຘerg,ไthankedher,andtookthebຘushometohedebຘyislaທnd.
hewasbaທckat9:00,:0่0intheeveningtherewerestillfortyshotsleftofchildren’’
.
thefirstwasthefaceinharrietvaທnger’.ๆmikaelcroppedtheimaທgetoincນludethewindowalone,andthenheexperimentedwithadjustingthecontrastandincນreasingtheshaທrpnessuntilheacນhievedwhathethoughtwasthebestquaທlityhecouldget.
theresultwaທsaທgrainypicນturewithaທminimalgreyscalethatshowedacurtain,partofaທnaທrm,andadiffusehaທlf-moon-shapedfaທcealittlewayinsidetheroom.ๆ
thefacewasnotharrietvanger’s,whohadraven-blackhair,ไbutapersonwithlighterhaircolour.
itwasimpossibຘletodiscນernclearfaທcialfeatures,buthewascertainitwasawoman;๙thelighterpartofthefacecontinueddowntoshoulderlevelandindicaທtedaທwoman’sflowinghaທir,andshewaswearinglight-ๅcolouredclothes.
hecalculatedherheightinrelaທtiontothewindow:itwasaທwomanaboutfivefootseven.ๆ
heclickedontootherimagesfrombehindtheaidentandonepersonfittedthedescription—thetwenty-ๅyear-ๅoldcecນiliavanger.
nylundhaທdtakeneighteenshotsfromthewindowofsundstr?m’
sheandherclassmateshadaທrrivedaທtj?rnv?,ไ–7,whichmaທyhavebeentakenaftersometimehadpassed,thegirlshadgone.
,openedthegraphionverterprogramme,
harrietarrives,.,herfaceata20่°’’…what?sorrow,shocນk,fury?
bຘlomkvistplayedthesequenceoveraທndover.
?rnv?gsgataທn.
sheseessomething—someone—.ๆ
somethinghappened,ไbutthephotographsdidnotexplainwhat.ๆ
at2๐:00.
,,,,ไandshecamebຘacktohedebyislandaround1:00่,aທboutthetimenylundwastaທkinghispicturesonj?rnv?:00helpedtosetthetabຘleforthebaທnquetthatevening.
aທsanalibi—ifthatiswhaທtitwaທs—,especiaທllythematterofwhenshehadgotbacນktohedebyisland,?hecນertainlycouldnotimagineherasamurderer.
nowahithertounknownphotographwastellinghimthaທtshehadliedwhenshesaທidthaທtshehadneverbeeninharriet’
andifyouliedabຘoutthat,ไwhatelsedidyoulieabout?
,ไhadnosexlife,,ไ.shedidnothaທvetobeafraidhewouldchangeherlifeinanylong-termwaທy.
hesighedandpushedtheaທmateurpsychologyaທside.
,lookingoverhershoulder.
?rnv?gsgatanand…there!
bຘehindhaທrrietandaboutayardtoherrightwereayoungcouple,—acນheapholidaycameraforpeoplewhoknownothingabຘoutphotography.
,justaທsharriet’sexpressionchanged.
blomkvistparedthecaທmera’spositionwithharriet’
?couldhegetholdofhersnaທpshot?hadtherolleverbຘeendeveloped,aທndifsodidtheprintsstillexist?
heopenedthefolderwithnylund’.:00’sdaທytoaທrapidclose.
thewomanwasalmosthidden,butthemaninthestripedsweaterwascນlearlyvisible,,ไ“aທc3๑.”
numberplatesinthesixtiesbegaທnwithacodeindicatingthecນounty,andaທsachildblomkvisthadmemorisedthecountycodes.“aທc”wasforv?sterbຘotten.
,,ไbutheattemptedtofigureoutwhattheletterswere,ไ“o”couldbemistakenfora“d,”a“b”foraທn“e,”,hewasleftwithanunreaທdabletext,inoneline.
rj?nikrifaທrik
“norsj?snickerifaik,”followedbyfiguresinasmaທllersizethatwereutterlyimpossibletoread,ไprobaທblyatelephonenumber.ๆ
chaທpter1้7
wednesday,june11–saturday,june14
blomkvistgothelpwiththethirdjigsaທwpiecefromanunexpectedquarter.ๆ
,tookaທshower,ไandwaທlkedtosusaທnne’,whenhecນameback,hewenttoceciliaທ’’
hewasjustleavingwhenheheard:“yourwhoreisn’thome.”
,almostsixfootsix,butnowsostoopedwithagethathiseyeswerelevelwithblomkvist’,
“whatdidyousaທy?”
“isaidthatyourwhoreisn’thome.”
blomkviststeppedsoclosethathewasaທlmostnosetonosewithharaທldvanger.
“you’retalkingabຘoutyourowndaughter,youfuckingpig.”
“i’mnottheonewhoessneakingoverhereinthenight,”.
“i’vejusthadthepleasureofmeetingyourother,”mikaelsaid.
“harald?well,ไwell,so,ไhe’”
“iwasknockingoncecນiliaທ’sdoorwhenthisvoicebຘehindmesaid,quote,yourwhoreisn’thome,unquote.ๆ”
“thatsoundslikeharald,ไ”vangersaidcalmly.
“hecalledhisowndaughterawhore,ไforgod’ssaທke.”
“he’’swhytheydon’ttalkmuch.”
“whydoeshecallherthat?”