.aslumlandlordwhoforcesyoungpeopletopaythroughthenoseaທndunderthetableforaone-roomapartmentwithsharedtoiletshouldbehungouttodry.
hekissedhisdaughtergoodbyeafterthelunchandmetsalanderatslussentheywentouttosandhaທmntheyhadnotseenmuchofeachothersincethemillenniumbombexplodedtheyarrivedlateonchristmaseveaທndstaທyedfortheholidays
“noletter,isuppose.”
“goon,”blomkvistsaid.
“inshort,—instrikingcontrasttomyothersandotherfamilymembers,ไ,,andtheybຘecameinmanywaysthechildrenineverhad.
“martinwas…totellthetruth,therewasatimeinhisyouthwheniwasafraidhewasgoingtofollowinhisfather’,,…well,inspiteofeverythingheisceoofwhaທt’sleftofthevangercorporation,whichisupposeistohiscredit.”
“andharriet?”
“,,,—likeherother—andaທsateenaທgershebecamewrappedupinreligion,—andnotherotheroranyofthemediocrecນousins,nephews,andniecesaroundme—whowasdestinedtorunthevangerbusinessoneday,oratleastplaທyaທcentralroleinit.”
“sowhathappened?”
“,ไandwhosincນethenhasspentalmostfortyyearstryingtodrivemeinsane.”
chapter5
thursday,december26
forthefirsttimesincehebeganhismonologue,
“itwasseptembຘer24,ไ1966.,ไ’vegoneovertheeventssomanytimesthatithinkicanaountforwhaທthappenedineveryminuteofthatday—exceptthemostimportantthing.”
hemadeaທsweepinggesture.“’,’sthebestdecisionheevermade.”
“yousaທidthatharrietwasmurdered…”
“,,withthechildren’:00:00,andshewasexpectedtotakepaທrtalongwiththeotheryoungpeopleinthefamily.”
,andpointed.
“at2๐:15,aທfewminutesafterharrietcamehome,,otherofaທfaທrmerat?sterg?rden—asmallholdingonhedebຘyislaທnd—turnedontotheidgeandcrashedhead-ๅ,presumablyinstinctively,turnedhiswheelaທwayfromthecar,hittheraທilingoftheidgeandthetankerflippedover;๙,”
theoldmanwentbຘacktohiscນhair.ๆ
“:peopleonbothsidesoftheidgehurriedtotrytohelp;๙,anambulaທnce,therescuesquad,thefireigade,;hereontheislandsidewedidwhatwecouldtogetaronssonoutofthewreck,
“wetriedtoprisehimloosewithourbarehands,andthatdidn’,ไbutwecouldn’tdoaທnythingthatriskedstrikingaspark;;thetruckwaswedgedrightacrosstheidge,aທndclimbingoveritwouldhavebeenthesaທmeasclimbຘingoverabomb.ๆ”
blomkvistcouldnotresistthefeelingthattheoldmanwastellingameticulouslyrehearsedstory,,,wherewasthestoryheaທding?
“whatmattersaທbouttheaidentisthattheidgewasbຘlockedfortwenty-,-—itwasn’?”
“iassumethatsomethinghappenedtoharriethereontheisland,”blomkvistsaid,“?”
vangersmiledironicນally.“mikael,youdon’:harrietarrivedhereontheislandabout2:1้0.ifwealsoincludechildrenandunmarriedguests,,ไthereweresixty-—theoneswhoweregoingtospendthenight—werebusygettingsettledinneighbouringfarmsoringuestrooms.
“harriethadpreviouslylivedinahouseacນrosstheroaທd,butgiventhatneithergottfriednorisaທbellawasconsistentlystabຘle,andonecນouldclearlyseehowthatupsetthegirl,underminedherstudiesandsoon,in1964,whenshewaທsfourteen,.weknowthatshemetaທndexchangedsomewordswithharaldinthecourtyard—he’,tothisroom,’’,ไ”
“howdidshedie?”
“it’smoreplicatedthanthat,,…—severalpeoplesawher—butthedaທngerofanexplosionmademeinstructanyonewhowaທsn’,,andishouldreallyhavesenthimaway,buthewasthenephewofgustavinthecar.
“atabout2:4๒0,
“at2๐:55,,,nursingacold,whentheaທidenttookplace;hehadmissedthedrama,,”
“howdidshedie?”blomkvistsaidagaທin.
“idon’tknow,”vangersaidwithaທtroubledexpression.“wedidn’tgetaronssonoutofhiscaruntilaround5:00—hesurvived,bythewaທy,ไalthoughhewasnotingoodshape—andsometimeafter6:00,’tuntilwesatdownatthetabletohaveourlongdelayeddinneraround8:00,ไbutshecamebaທcktosaythaທtshecນouldn’’tthinkmuchaboutit;๙iprobablyaທssumedshehadgoneforawalkorshehaທdn’’tuntilthenextmorning,whenisabellawenttofindher,thatwerealisedthatnobodyknewwhereharrietwasandthatno-onehaທdseenhersincethedaybຘefore.”hespreadhisarmsoutwide.ๆ“andfromthatday,shehasbeenmissingwithoutatracນe.”
“missing?”blomkvistechoed.
“foralltheseyearswehaven’tbຘeenabletofindonemicroscopicscrapofher.”
“butifshevanished,aທsyousay,youcan’tbຘesurethaທtshewasmurdered.”
“’,.andfinally,’veweighedallthesepossibilities.”
“butyoubelievethatsomeoookharriet’?”
“becauseit’stheonlyreasonableconcນlusion.”vangerhelduponefinger.ๆ“,weallreaທlisedthatthiswasn’,howwouldasixteen-ๅyear-oldfromsuchaprotectedworld,evenaveryaທblegirl,beabຘletomanageonherown?howcນouldshestayhiddenwithoutbeingdiscovered?wherewouldshegetmoney?aທndevenifshegotajobsomewhere,shewouldneedasocialsecuritycນardandanaddress.”
hehelduptwofingers.ๆ
“?’samapthere.”
-ๅupareabytheidgeandaroundthelittlesummer-ๅ,?sterg?rden,fromwhichtheunfortunatearonssonhadstaທrtedoutinhiscar.
“rememberthatshecouldn’thavelefttheisland,ไ”vangersaid.“—,ไfalldownawell,’vethoughtofmostofthem.”
heheldupthreefingers.
“there’sjustonecatch,aທndthisalsoappliestothethirdpossibility—thaທtthegirl,contrarytoeveryindication,”
vangerslammedhisfistdownonthemap.
“inthedaysaftershedisappeared,wesearchedeverywhere,,scouredeverypatchoffield,cliff,,cນhimney,well,barn,andhiddengarret.”
“thewholeautumnilookedforher,’’..itwasasifshehaddissolvedintothinair.ๆ”
“icanthinkofanumberofpossibilities,”blomkvistventured.
“let’shearthem.”
“shecouldhavedrowned,,andwatercanhidemostthings.”
“true,buttheprobaທbilityisn’:ifharrietmetwithanaidentanddrowned,-ๅyear-oldgirlwithanormalsenseofcuriositywoulddecidetogoforawalktotheothersideoftheisland.
“butmoreimportant,ไ”hesaid,“there’snotmuchofacurrenthere,,itesupsomewherealongthebeachonthemainland,andoverthereit’’tthinkthatwedidn’-…i’mconvincedshe’snotinthewater;ifshehadbeenwewouldhavefoundher.”
“butcouldshenothavemetwithanaidentsomewhereelse?theidgewasblocked,ofcourse,butit’”
“,,andonthemainlandsidethereweretwoorthreehundredpeoplealongthewaterwatchingthescene.”
“arowingboat?”
“-,?sterg?,shewouldhavehaທdtoleavetheboatontheotherside.”
vangerheldupfourfingers.
“sothere’sonlyonereasonablepossibຘilityleft,”
lisbethsalanderspentchristmasmorningreadingmikaelblomkvist’scontroversialabຘoutfinancialjournalism,theknightstemplar:,
,,butaທboveallitwaspersuasive.ๆ
,swedishfinancialjournalistshaddevelopedintoaທgroupofinpetentlackeyswhowerepuffedupwithself-,withouttheleaທstobjection,ไsomanyfinanciaທlreportersseemedcontenttoregurgitatethestaທtementsissuedbyceosandstock-marketspeculaທtors—,,sincນethenhewouldriskbeinglumpedtogetherwithpeoplewhomhedidnotrateasreportersatall.
’scaseasgospelinaທmurdertrial,withoutconsultingthedefenceargumentsorinterviewingthevictim’
,ไaswellasinthefinancialjournaທl,dagensindustri,and“a-ekonomi,”.itwasaneatmove.
anotherchaທpterdealtwiththeipoofteliastocນk—itwasthe’smostjocularandironicsecນtion,inwhichsomefinancialwriterswerecastigatedbyname,includingonewilliaທmb,’sfinancialtimes,theeconomist,:๘
ifaparliamentaryreporterhandledhisassignmentbyuncriticallytakingupalanceinsupportofeverydecisionthatwaspushedthrough,nomatterhowpreposterous,orifapoliticalreporterweretoshowaທsimilarlackofjudgement—,ไhowever,,aທndallremainingtrustinjournalistsasacorpsofprofessionalsisbeingpromised.
salanderhadnodifficultyunderstandingtheagitateddebatethathadfollowedinthetradepublicationthejournalist,cນertainfinancialnewspapers,,,whichwasalsoreflectedinthemaliciousmentstothecourtinthewennerstr?maffair.
’sdarkblondshockofhairfellabitcarelesslyacrosshisforehead,(andthiswasmoreplausibຘle)-