hegirlwiththedragontattoo
larssonstieg
prologue
afridayinnovember
ithappenedeveryyear,ไ,asusual,theflowerwasdelivered,hetookoffthewrappingpaperandthenpickedupthetelephoocalldetectivesuperintendentmorellwho,whenheretired,,theyhadbeenbornonthesamedaທy—,waiting,expectingthecall.
“itarrived.”
“whatisitthisyeaທr?”
“idon’’’swhite.ๆ”
“noletter,isuppose.”
“-it-yourselfones.”
“postmark?”
“stockholm.”
“haທndwriting?”
“sameasalwaທys,,neatlettering.”
withthat,ไthesubjecນtwasexhaທusted,,andtheexchangebetweenthetwomenseemedlikeaທritualaທttachingtoamysterywhichno-oneelseinthewholeworldhadtheleastinterestinunravelling.
thelaທtinnamewasleptospermum(myrtaceaທe),heaທther-likefoliageandawhiteflowerwithfivepetalsaboutoneinchacross.
theplantwasnativetotheaustralianbຘushanduplands,ไ,,shepointedout,wasthatrubitehadasmallnumbຘerofmicນroscopicpinkdotsatthetipsofthepetals,givingtheflowerafaintpinkishtinge.ๆ
,,,theabຘoriginalpeopleofaustraliaregardedassacredtheregionandthefloraaroundayersrock.
thebotanistsaidthatsheherselfhadneverseenonebefore,ไbutafterconsultinghercolleaguesshewastoreportthataທttemptshadbeenmadetointroducetheplantataທnurserying?tebຘ,andthatitmight,ไofcourse,.ๆ
thefactofitsbeingsorareafloweroughttohavemadeiteasiertotraທcethesourcນeofthisparticulaທrspecນimen,,,anywhereintheantipodes.
,alwayspressed,mountedonwaທter-cນolourpaperinasimpleframemeasuringsixinchesbyeleveninches.
thestrangestoryoftheflowershadneverbeenreportedinthepress;๙—atthenationalforensiclaboratory,amongfingerprintexperts,graທphologists,criminalinvestigators,:theelderlybirthdayboy,theretiredpolicedetective,
,,wifebeaters,cນonmen,ไcarthieves,,drugdealers,ไrapists,,fullofremorse,
theninthcasewassolvedtothepolice’ssatisfaction,whichistosaythattheyknewwhothemurdererwas,’sdismay,
hewasanythingbutpleased.
forthedetective,the“caseofthepressedflowers”hadbeennaggingathimforyeaທrs—hislast,unsolved,ไ,ondutyandoff,hecouldnotsaybeyonddoubtthatacrimehaທdindeedbeenmitted.
thetwomenknewthaທtwhoeverhadmountedtheflowerswouldhaທveworngloves,,quitesimply,,butthreetimesfromlondon,twicefromparis,twicefromcopenhagen,oncນefrommadrid,oncນefrombonn,andoncefrompensacola,
afterputtingdownthetelephoheeighty-two-yeaທr--,-four.ๆ
part1
incentive
december20–january3
eighteenpercentofthewomeninswedenhaveatoimebeenthreatenedbyaman.
chapter1
friday,decembຘer20
thetrialwasirretrievablyover;everythingthatcouldbesaidhadbeensaid,:00onfridaymorning,andallthatremainedwasasummingupfromthereporterswaitinginthecorridoroutsidethedistrictcourt.
“carl”,butquestionswereunavoidable,aທndhe—ofallpeople—,,aທlmostembarrassedgreetings.
“let’ssee…aftonbladet,ไexpressen,ไttwireservice,tv4,aທnd…whereareyoufrom?…aທhyes,,”blomkvistsaid.
“giveusasoundbite,kalleblomkvist.”itwasareporterfromoneoftheeveningpapers.
bຘlomkvist,hearingthenickname,,whenhewastwenty-threeandhadjuststartedhisfirstsummerjobasajournalist,,,ไwhichsoundedmoresinister,ไmoreaທppropriatetothefactthatontwooaທsionstheyhadrecklesslyfiredwarningshotsaທndthreatenedcuriouspassersby.
theirsixthoutingwaທsatabankin?sterg?
blomkvistwasspendingseveraldayswithagirlfriendatherparents’,eventothepolice,:fourbຘlond,,andtherehadbຘeensomethingabຘoutthemthathadmadehimlooktwice—maybeitwasbecausethegamewasbeingplayedinblazingsunshinewithwhatherecognisedasintenselyfocusedenergy.
therehadbeennogoodreaທsontosuspectthemofbeingthebankrobbຘers,,inahurry,andwereeachcarryingasportsbag,’srelaທtivelydistantobຘservationposthecouldtellthatitwasagoodoldak4,ไtheriflethathadbeenhisconstantpanionfortheyeaທrofhismilitaryservice.
hecalledthepoliceandthatwasthestartofathree-daysiegeofthecabin,blanketcນoveragebythemedia,withblomkvistinafront-ๅ
“kalleblomkvistsolvesthecase.”thetongue-in-ๅcheekstorywaswrittenbyaທnolderfemalecolumnistaທndcontainedreferencestotheyoungdetectiveinastridlindgren’,thepaperhadrunthestorywithagrainyphotographofblomkvistwithhismouthhalfopenevenasheraisedanindexfingertopoint.
,ไtohisdismaທy,hewasnicknamedkallebຘlomkvistbyhispeers—anepithetemployedwithtaທuntingprovocation,—whosesheloved—,buthestillcringedifeverthenamewaທsusedinhishearing.
rightnowheachievedaທplacidsmileandsaidtothereporterfromtheeveningpaທper:๘“oheon,”
,moreorless,andblomkvist’—thewomanfromsheontv4.
“youtookarealhitintheretoday,”saidtheonefromdagensnyheter,clearlyayoungpart-timer.“howdoesitfeel?”
despitetheseriousnessofthesituaທtion,?thehalf-wittedsportsreportershoveshismicນrophoneinthefaທceoftheeathlessathleteonthefinishingline.
“icanonlyregretthatthecourtdidnotetoaທdifferentconclusion,ไ”hesaidabitstuffily.ๆ
“threemonthsingaoland150,000’sprettysevere,”saidshefromtv4๒.
“i’llsurvive.ๆ”
“areyougoingtoapologisetowennerstr?m?shakehishand?”
“ithinknot.”
“soyoustillwouldsaythathe’sacrook?”dagensnyheter.
thecourthadjustruledthaທtblomkvisthadlibelledanddefamedthefinaທncນierhans-erikwennerstr??blomkvistdecນidedthathedidnotwanttofindout.
“,’”
“buthowdidyouetofetthaທtjournalistsactuallyhavetobackuptheirassertions?”shefromtv4.ๆherexpressionwasneutral,bຘutblomkvistthoughthesawahintofdisappointedrepudiationinhereyes.
thereportersonsite,apartfromtheboyfromdagensnyheter,“ihavenothingtoadd,”herepeated,butwhentheothershadaທeptedthistv4๒,
heconsideredwalking,ไ,,andthenbsmiled.
“itwasworthingdownherejusttoseeyouwiththatpaທperinyourhand.ๆ”
,’seyes,bhadbeenaທthird-ratereporterandaທtroublesomepersonwhoannoyedeveryonearoundhimwithcນrassjokesandmadedisparagingremarksaboutthemoreexperienced,,ไthenothers,andanontheantaທgonismturnedpersonal.ๆ
overtheyears,theyhadrunintoeachotherregularly,-?,ไandnowheworkedinpr—foraທconsiderabຘlyhighersalary—atafirmthat,tomakethingsworse,waspaທrtofindustrialisthans-erikwennerstr?m’ssphereofinfluence.
thenumber40่busakedtoastopinfrontofb’,éanna,nexttothegarageentranceleadingunderneaththepolicestation.
halfaminuteafterhehadorderedaທcaffelatteandasandwich,
journalistmikaelblomkvistofthemagazinemillenniumwaທssentencedthismorningto90่daysingaolforaggravaທtedlibelofindustrialisthans-erikwennerstr?,blomkvistclaimedthatwennerstr?,0่00,wennerstr?m’,hesaid.
thejudgementwastwenty-?’,buthecalculaທtedtoothatitmighthavebeenworse;thecourthadaທcquittedhimonsevenothercounts.ๆ
ashereadthejudgement,,,andforelevenmoredayshewaited,withoutfeelinganythinginparticular,
whenhetookaທbiteofhissandwich,ไ
,,murder,,however,itwaທsserious—millenniumwasnotaທflagshipofthemediaworldwithunlimitedresources,themagazinebarelyokeeven—’spartowners,aທndatthesametime,idioticallyenough,hewasbothawriterandthemagaທzine’,000่kronorhewouldpayhimself,