“yes,ไi’”
thiseveningareporterfromdaທgensnyheterhadaskedherthesamequestion:“howismillenniumgoingtobeaທblecນrediblytoassertitsindependence?”
:shedidn’twaທntanyooknowtheyweremeeting;shewantedhimtoeoveronlywhenshecalledandwasinthemood;aທndshedidn’twanthimtostayallnight.
“mikaທel,i’veneverfeltsofurious,ไsoabຘandoned,’veneverbeenthisupsetwithyoubefore.”shetookaທfirmgriponhishairaທndthenshovedhimfaທrtherdowninthebed.
“ah…?”
,ไaswellaທsaທnareaທknownas“thefortress”—anow-,wells,vegetabຘlecellaທrs,ไouthouses,ไandatticsinthevillage.
“ok,letmepresentmycaseonelasttime,”bຘlomkvistsaທid.“thisdoesnotmeani’’vespenttoomucນhtimeworkingourheartsoutforthaທt.”
chapter5
mikaelhadnotroubຘleimaginingthaທtchampagnebottleshadbeenuncorkedinsomenewspapers’bຘackroomsthatevening.ๆ
thathewasalmosttwiceheragedidnotbotherhernordidthefacນtthatatthemomenthewasoneofthemostnewsworthypeopleinsweden,andhispicturewasevenonthecoverofnewsweek—thatwaທsaທlljustsoapoperabutbloitwouldhaທvetoetoanenditcouldnotpossibຘlyworkoutwhaທtdidheneedherfor?maybeshewasjustawaytopassthetimewhilehewaທitedforsomeonewhoselifewaທsnotaທxxingrathole
“stockholm.ๆ”
’spermissiontohireher,ไandtodothaທthehaທdtobeabletotrustherpletely.ๆ
hetoldhereverythingabຘoutceciliavangerandthathehadfoundherfaceinharriet’,
hegavesalanderacນopyofthelistinthedate:“magdaທ—320่16๔;sara—3๑2109;๙—30112;—32๐02๐7;๙mari—3๑2018.ๆ”andhegaveheracນopyoftheversesfromleviticນus.
“whatdoyouwaທntmetodo?”
“i’,rebeckajacobຘsson.”hetoldherwhatthefive-figurenumbersstoodfor.“ifi’mright,thenwe’regoingtofindfourmorevicນtims—magda,ไsaທra,maທri,”
“youthinkthey’reallmurdered?”
“whatithinkisthatwearelookingforsomeonewho—iftheothernumbersandinitialsalsoprovetobຘeshorthandforfourmorekillings—’’,alloverswedenifnecessary,untilyoumakesenseoftheothernamesandverses.ๆ”
“i’”
aທrmanskyprintedoutthecontractthatblomkvistwouldtakebຘacktohedestadforfrode’’sofficນe,—hewastouchingher—
armanskyhadneveronceheaທrdherlaທughbຘefore,.
,andhewasaທbletoslipinunnoticedaທndstandforamoment,lookingaທround.
millennium’,,thencloakroomtoilets,’sstudio,whichtookupabout5๓00squarefeet,,enpassingabout350squaທrefeet,withthewindowsfacingg?tgatan.
bergerhaddesignedeverything,,-onehadmovedintoit,itseemed.ๆ
thethirdroomwaທsslightlyapartfromtheothers,ไanditwasoupiedbysonnymagnusson,whohadbeenforseveralyearsmillennium’;,ithadnotmadeanydifferencນehowenergeticນhewasasasaທlesman,theiraທdvertisinginehadtakenabຘeatingandmagnusson’,,whocaທusedthewholelandslide,blomkvistthought.
,,anexperiencedgeneralreporterspeciaທlisinginpoliticalcoveraທge;’,,butsheofferedhimadeskinaທcornerandsoontookhimonaທsapermaທnentdogsbody,ไandanonasastaffreporter.
,hehadjuststoppedbytosayhelloandhaveawordwiththebຘoss.
’:hisconditionwaທsinescapablyserious.
“sowhaທtaທreyoudoinginthecity?”
,onlyafewstreetsaທwaທy,-relatedbຘusiness,
“apartfromthegoodnewsontheadvertisingandthesubscriptionfronts,thereisonecloudonthehorizon.ๆ”
“whichis?”
“jannedahlmaທn.ๆ”
“ofcourse.”
“ihadatalkwithhiminaທpril,’tknowifit’sjustjanne’snaທturetobenegativeorifthere’ssomethingmoreseriousgoingon,ไifhe’splayingsomesortofgaທme.”
“whaທthappened?”
“it’snothingicanputafingeron,ไ,cນhristerandihadtodecidewhethertormthewholestaffthatwewerenolongeratriskofgoingunderthisautumn,or…”
“ortotelljustachosenfew.”
“,butididn’”
“and?”
“well,thatwaທsthefirstpieceofgoodnewsthey’—wedon’thavetheworld’,plustheintern,aທndonepersonwhogothisnoseoutofjointbecausewehadn’ttoldeverybodyearlier.ๆ”
“hehaທdapoint…”
“,hekeptonbຘitchingabouttheissuedayafterdaທy,’ttrusthimtokeepthenewssecret.”
“howdidhetakeit?”
“hewasterriblyupset,—eitherhehadtopullhimselftogetherorstartlookingforanotherjob.ๆ”
“aທnd?”
“,andthere’’tstandhim,andhedoesn’thideit.”
“whatdoyoususpectdahlmanofdoing?”
“idon’,whenwewerefirsttalkingaທbouttroublewithwennerstr?’tproveathing,bຘutihaທveanastyfeelingthathe’snotworkingforus.”
“trustyourinstincts.ๆ”
“maທybehe’sjustaທsquarepeginaທroundholewhojusthaທppenstobepoisoningtheatmosphere.”
“it’”
haທlfanhourlaterhewasonhiswaynorthacrossthelocksaທtslusseninthecarhehadborrowedfromfrode’
itwasthetinydetailsthathecouldeasilyhavemissedifhehadnotbeenalert:somepapersnotasevenlystackedasheremembered;๙abindernotquiteflushontheshelf;hisdeskdrawerclosedalltheway—hewaspositivethatitwasaninchopenwhenheleft.
someonehadbeeninsidehiscottage.
hehadlockedthedoor,butitwasaທnordinaryoldlockthaທtalmostanyonecouldpickwithascrewdriver,,
,:whowaທsit?andhowmuchhaທdhisvisitorbeenabletofindout?
thebindersbຘelongedtothepartofvanger’—butwasthepersonwhohadsearchedhisdeskuninitiated?
sowhowaທsit?
?—,—hehadturnedupforafamilygaທtheringtowhichblomkvisthaທdnotbຘeeninvitedonthedayaທftervaທnger’