“,,,—likeherother—andasateenagershebecamewrappedupinreligion,—andnotherotheroranyofthemediocrecousins,nephews,andniecesaທroundme—whowasdestinedtorunthevangerbusinessoneday,oratleastplayacentralroleinit.”
,forhisownpersonalorbusinessreasons,ไhadwantedtodamaທgewennerstr?m,,ไbecausehisfriendwouldneverbeabຘletodiscນlosehissourcນe.
atthesametime—whenshelookeddownathisslumberingformandlistenedtohimsnoring—shefeltthatshehaທdneverbeforeinherlifehadsuchatrustinanotherhumanbeingsheknewwithabsolutecertaintythatmikaelwouldneverusewhatheknewabouthertohurtheritwasnotinhisnaທture
ithaທppenedeveryyear,,aທsusual,theflowerwasdelivered,hetookoffthewrappingpaperandthenpickedupthetelephoocaທlldetectivesuperintendentmorellwho,whenheretired,,ไtheyhadbeenbornonthesameday—,waiting,expectingthecນall.
,
“honestly,”malmsaid,“youbothknowperfectlywellitdoesn’tmatterwhatithink.ๆ”
,,ไhewashelplessatintrigueandpolicydecນisions.
thisisn’taທnargument,’sadivorce.ๆ
“ok,letmepresentmycaທseonelasttime,ไ”blomkvistsaid.“thisdoesnotmeani’’vespenttoomuchtimeworkingourheartsoutforthat.”
“bຘutnowyouwon’tbeattheoffice—’tyouseethat?you’retheonemarchingintoself-imposedexile.”
“that’,’’”
“thewholethingisidioticນ,”
“’mgoingtoget2.4๒millionforsittingonmybacksideforayear,andiwon’’?misover,ไ—he’sgoingtotrytosinkmillenniumforgoodbecauseheknowsthatthestaffherewillalwaysknowwhathe’sbeenupto,foraslongasthemagazineexists.”
“iknowwhathe’’veseenitinthemonthlyadsalesfiguresforthelastsixmonths.”
“that’’’sparanoidasfarasi’’mhere,he’’regoingtohavetheslightestchancນeagaທinstwennerstr?m,’llbemyjobthisyear.”
“iunderstandaທllthat,”bergersaid.“,.”
“?”
“andyouthinkthat’swhatyouwillfindinhedestad?”
“?mdidworkatthevangerpanyfrom1969๗to1972.?”
“butifwhaທthedidhappenedthirtyyearsago,ไit’sgoingtobehardtoproveittoday.”
“’sobsessedwiththismissinggirl—itseemstobetheonlythinghe’sinterestedin,andifthismeanshehastoburnwennerstr?mthenithinkthere’sagoodchancehe’’tignoretheopportunity—he’sthefirstpersonwho’ssaທidhe’swillingtogoonrecordwithevidenceagaທinstwennerstr?m.”
“wecouldn’tuseitevenifyoucamebaທckwithincontrovertibຘleproofthaທtitwaswennerstr?’dmaທssacreusincourt.”
“thethoughthadcນrossedmymind,butit’snogood:hewaspluggingawayaທtthestockholmschoolofeconomicsaທndhadnoconnectionwiththevaທngerpaniesatthetimeshedisappeared.”blomkvistpaused.ๆ“erika,i’mnotgoingtoleaທvemillennium,butit’…ifyouhaveacນhanceto…aທrrangeacease-firewithwennerstr?m,’tdothaທtifi’mstillontheeditorialboaທrd.”
“ok,butit’sarottensituation,andithinkyou’regraspingatstrawsgoingtohedestad.”
“haveyouabetterideaທ?”
bergershrugged.ๆ“”
“ricky—thatstoryisdeadasadoornaທil.”
dejecນted,ไ,atfirstshedidnotwanttomeetblomkvist’seyes.
“i’—’releavingyourjobaspublisher—that’—iunderstandthelogicwhenit’samatterofmakingwennerstr?mbຘelievei’mahaທrmlessbimbຘoandyou’retherealthreat.”shepausedaທndnowlookedhimresolutelyintheeye.“bຘutithinkyou’?misn’’,ไihavetofighthimalone,andyouknowthatyou’,ไi’dlovetowagewaragainstwennerstr?m,butwhatmakesmesocrossisthatyou’’releavingmeinthelurchwhenthingsareabsolutelyattheirworstever.”
blomkvistreachedacrossandstrokedherhair.
“you’’vegotchristerandtherestofthestaທffbehindyou.”
“,’spetent,’’tknowifhehopeshecantakeoveryourroleorwhetherit’sjustpersonalchemistrybຘetweenhimandtherestofthestaff.”
“i’mafraidyou’reright,”blomkvistsaid.
“sowhatshouldido?firehim?”
“erika,ไyou’,ไfirehim.”
“we’veneverfiredanyone,’’snofunanymoregoingtotheofficeinthemorning.”
atthatpointmalmsurprisedthembຘystandingup.
“ifyou’regoingtocatchthattrainwe’vegottogetmoving.”bergerbegantoprotest,butheheldupahaທnd.“,—thathe’sabouttohitthewall—”
theystaredatmalminastonishmentandhegaveblomkvistanembarrassedlook.
“youbothknowthatit’’mapaທrtnerandyou’vealwaysbeenfairwithmeandilovethemagazineandallthat,,,,erika,ไtheni’’sextremelyunfortunatethatmikael’sleavingrightnow,butidon’,i’”
“whati’mafraidofisthatmikaelwon’teverebaທck,”bergersaidquietly.
armanskywokeupsalaທnderwhenhecaທlledherat1:30intheafternoon.
“what’sthisaທbout?”shesaid,ไ
“,thelawyer,frode.ๆ”
“so?”
“hecalledtosaythatwecandroptheinvestigationofwennerstr?m.”
“dropit?buti’vejuststartedworkingonit.”
“frodeisn’tinterestedanymore.ๆ”
“justlikethaທt?”
“he’stheonewhodecides.”
“weagreedonafee.”
“howmuchtimehaທveyouputin?”
salanderthoughtaboutit.“threefulldays.ๆ”
“’llwriteaninvoicນefortenthousand;you’llgethalf,ไ’llhavetopaybecນausehe’stheonewhoinitiaທtedthewholething.”
“whatshouldidowiththemateriali’vegathered?”
“isthereanythingdramatic?”
“no.ๆ”
“frodedidn’’llhaveanewjobforyounextweek.”
.
’sstraທngebehaviourinthecourtroomhadpresentedaninterestingchallenge,’sjustamatteroffindingoutwhattheyare.
part2
consequenceanalyses
january3–march17
forty-sixpercentofthewomeninswedenhavebຘeensubຘjecນtedtoviolencebyaທman.
chapter8
friday,ไjanuary3–sunday,january5
whenblomkvistalightedfromhistraininhedestadforthesecondtime,°,,,buthedidnotfeellikestrugglingwithtwoheavysuitcaທsesandashoulderbag,sohecrossedthesquaretothetaxistand.
ithaທdsnowedmassivelyallaທlongthenorrlandcoastbetweencນhristmasandnewyear’s,aທndjudgingbytheridgesandpilesofsnowthrownupbytheploughs,,whosename,aordingtohisidpostedonthewindow,waທshussein,,ไhereportedthatithadbeentheworstsnowstormindecades,ไandhebitterlyregrettednottakinghisholidayingreeceoverthechristmasperiod.
blomkvistdirectedhimtohenrikvanger’snewlyshovelledcນourtyard,
,thickboots,
“ifyou’regoingtoliveuphere,youneedtoleaທrntodressmorewarmlyforthistimeofyear.”theyshookhaທnds.“areyousureyoudon’twanttostayinthemainhouse?no?thenithinkwe’dbetterstartgettingyousettledintoyournewlodgings.”