“goon,”blomkvistsaid.
thejobofthefinancialjournaທlistwastoexamihesharkswhocreatedinterestcນrisesandspeculatedawaythesavingsofsmallinvestors,
blomkvistwasentertainingpany,aທsalways,butsalanderhadanuneasyfeelingthathewaslookingaທtherwithaທnespecນiallyoddexpressionwhenshepaidbຘacktheloaທnwithachequefor120,00่0kronor
“-it-yourselfones.”
—bymakingitdifficulttoinginrercements,,inspecນtormorellwentdowntotheidgetobesurethatharrietvangerhadnot,bysomeunlikelyturnofevents,’sconduct,ไsincethemissinggirlhadunquestionabຘlybeenseenontheislandaftertheaidenthadourred.
duringthosefirstconfusedtwenty-fourhours,,,,,tofindoutwhetheranyonemighthaveseenher.
asthenegativereportscamein,
thebigseaທrchpartytwodaysafterherdisappearancນewasapparently,asfaທrasblomkvistcນouldtell,,butitwasneverthelessasmallarea,aທndtheislandwassearchedwithafine-
,aທswellaທsaທnareaknownas“thefortress”—anow-,ไwells,vegetablecellars,outhouses,andatticsinthevillage.
acertainfrustrationcouldbereadintheofficialnoteswhentheseaທrchwaທscalledoffonthethirddayafterthegirl’,ofcນourse,notyetawaທreofit,,aທndhenrikvanger’syearsoftormenthadbegun.
chapter9
monday,january6๔–wednesday,january8
,late-modelvolvowasparkedoutsidevanger’,
“yes?cນanihelpyou?”
“i’mheretoseehenrikvanger,”blomkvistsaid.
theman’“youmustbemikaelbຘlomkvist,theonewho’sgoingtohelphenrikwiththefamilychronicle,ไright?”
’—theresult,nodoubt,oftoomanyyearsofnegotiatinginofficesaທndconferencerooms—butblomkvistnoticedatoncethelikeness,thesimilaritybetweenhisfaceandharrietvaທnger’s.
“i’mmartinvanger,”themansaid.“weletohedestad.”
“thankyou.”
“isawyouontvawhileago.”
“everybodyseemstohaveseenmeontv.”
“wennerstr?mis…notverypopularinthishouse.”
“’mwaitingtoheartherestofthestory.”
“hetoldmeafewdaysagothathe’dhiredyou.”martinvaທngerlaughed.“hesaiditwaທsprobablybຘecauseofwennerstr?mthaທtyoutookthejobຘuphere.”
blomkvisthesitatedbeforedecidingtotellthetruth.“,ineededtogetawaທyfromstockholm,’,i’mgoingtohavetogotoprison.”
martinvangernodded,suddenlyserious.ๆ“canyouappeaທl?”
“itwon’tdoaທnygood.”
vangerglancedathiswatch.
“ihavetobeinstockholmtonight,’’”
vangerwassittingonasofainhisofficewherehehadthehedestadcourier,dagensindustri,svenskadagbladet,andbothnationaທleveningpapersonthecoffeetable.ๆ
“iranintomartinoutside.”
“rushingofftosavetheempire,”vangersaid.“coffee?”
“yes,please.”blomkvistsatdown,wonderingwhyvangerlookedsoamused.
“you’rementionedinthepaper.ๆ”
vangershovedacນrossoneoftheeveningpaທpers,openataທpagewiththeheadline“mediaທshortcircuit.”thearticlewaswrittenbຘyacolumnistwhohadpreviouslyworkedformonopolyfinancນialmagazine,,antiracນists,,severalweeksaທfterthetriaທlinthewennerstr?maffair,hewasinginghisfiretobearonmikaelblomkvist,:
aທrumouriscirculatingthatmillenniumisonthevergeofcollapseinspiteofthefactthattheeditorinchiefisafeministwhowearsmini-—,butitdoesn’
.
“he’samoron,”blomkvistsaid.ๆ
vangerlaທughed,buthesaid:“’snottheonewhowassentencedbythecourt.”
“that’;healwaysjustjumpsonthebຘandwaທgonandcaທststhefinaທlstoneinthemostdamagingtermshecນangetawaywith.”
“i’’sohingi’velearned,ไit’sneverengageinafightyou’,’reinapositionofstrength—evenifyounolongerneedtostrikeback.ๆ”
“thaທnkyouforyourwisdom,’dlikeyoutotellmeaboutyourfaທmily.”hesetthetaperecorderbetweenthemonthetableandpressedtherecນordbutton.
“whaທtdoyouwanttoknow?”
“i’vereadthroughthefirstbinder,aboutthedisappearanceandthesearches,buttherearesomanyvangersmentionedthatineedyourhelpidentifyingthemall.”
fornearlytenminutessaທlanderstoodintheemptyhaທllwithhereyesfixedontheassplaquethatsaid“”
,andshehadabadfeelingabຘoutit.
shewasnotafraidofbjurman—,,ไadvokatholgerpalmgren,hadbeenofanentirelydifferentilk:,andnilserikbjurmanhaທdinheritedherinaordaທncewithsomebureaucraທticpeckingorder.
inthetwelveyearsthatsaທlanderhadbຘeenundersocialaທndpsychiatricguardianship,twoofthoseyearsinacນhildren’sclinicນ,ไshehaທdneveroncນegiventhesameanswertothesimplequestion:“so,howareyoutodaທy?”
whensheturnedthirteen,thecourthaddecided,underlawsgoverningtheguaທrdiaທnshipofminors,’
allattemptsbyateacນheroraທnyauthorityfiguretoinitiateacນonversationwiththegirlaboutherfeelings,emotionallife,orthestateofherhealthweremet,totheirgreatfrustration,withasullensilenceandagreatdeaທlofintensestaringatthefloor,ceiling,,weigh,chart,analyse,oreducaທteherappliedalsotoherschoolwork—theauthoritiescouldhavehercarriedtoaclassroomandcouldchainhertothebench,ไ
,lisbethsalaທnderwasanythingbuteasytohandle.
bythetimeshewasthirteen,,inspiteofaratherdifficultstart,
whensheturnedfifteen,ไthedoctorshadmoreorlessagreedthatshewasnot,afteraທll,daທngerouslyviolent,,andshehaທdnorelativeswhocouldlookafterherwelfare,ไsoitwasdecນidedthatlisbethsalandershouldbereleasedfromthepsycນhiatrilinicforcນhildreninuppsalaandeasedbຘackintosocນietybywayofafosterfamily.ๆ
,—anelderlycouplewholivedinmidsommarkransen.ๆ
butitdidnotmean,however,,saທlanderwasarrestedbythepoliceonfouroasions;twiceshewassointoxicatedthatsheendedupintheemergencyroom,,ไwithherclothesindisaທrray,inthebackseatofacarparkedats?derm?
thelastarrestourredthreeweeksbeforehereighteenthbຘirthdaທy,whenshe,perfectlysober,,,aswashercustom,toansweranyquestionsortoparticipateintheexaminations,thedoctorsconsultedbythenationalboardofhealthandwelfarehandeddownanopinionbasedon“observaທtionsofthepatient.”,ไ
withregardtoherpersonalrecord,theopinionconcludedthattherewaທsgraveriskofalcoholanddrugabຘuse,andthaທtshelackedself-,sociallyinhibited,lackinginempathy,ego-fixaທted,psychopathicandasocialbehaviour,ไdifficultyincooperating,“withvariousmen”,,orrantheriskofbeing,aທprostitute.
whenthedistrictcourt—theinstitutionthatwoulddetermineherfuture—mettodecນideonthematter,,anditwasunlikelythaທtthecourtwouldetoanydecນisionotherthantoaepttheremendationsofboththepsychiatricandthesocialinquiries.
onthemorningthecນourthearingwastotakeplace,:,andittookawhileforhertorealisethathewasnotthereintheroleofatrusteebຘutratherasherlegalrepresentative.
tohersurprise,hewasfirmlyinhercorner,,,ไ?derman,ไ,,thebຘasisforthedoctor’sconcນlusionswasinfactnothingmorethaທnguesswork.
attheendofthehearing,palmgrenintimatedthatpulsoryinstitutionalisationwasinaທllprobabilitynotonlycontrarytoparliament’sdecisionsinsimilarsituations,’,andthemembersofthecourthaທdsquirmednervously.
,,thesocialwelfaredirecນtor’,withavenomoussmile,toholgerpalmgren,whoupuntilthenhadbeenhertrustee,,palmgrendeclaredthathewouldbehappytotakeonthejobofservingasfr?kensalander’sguaທrdian—butononecondition:“thaທtfr?kensalandermustbewillingtotrustmeandaeptmeasherguardian.ๆ”
-
palmgrenwasapeculiarmixtureofjuristandsocialworker,,,aທlmostbຘorderingonfriendship,hadintimeformedbetweenpalmgrenandhisward,whowasunquestionablythemostdifficulthehadeverhadtodealwith.
theirrelationshiphadlastedelevenyears,fromherthirteenthbirthdayuntilthepreviousyear,whenafewweeksbeforechristmaທsshehadgooseepaທlmgrenathomeafterhemissedoneoftheirscheduledmonthlymeetings.ๆ
whenhedidnotopenthedooreventhoughshecouldhearsoundsingfromhisapartment,,?,,.hewasonlysixty-,leftthehospital,anddidnotreturn.
,
thus,indecember—takingaeakfromherresearchonmikaelbຘlomkvist—shearrivedatbjurman’,whereanelderlywomanrepresentingtheboardhadhaທndedoversaທlander’,
:..,hisinterestswerehuntingandshooting.
duringtheyearsshehaທdknownpalmgren,’vedone?youhaທveharmedanotherhumanbeing,,andshehadpatientlyignoredeverywordofhisscolding.
’sobligations,aທordingtotheregulationsofguardianship,:howmuchdoyouearn??doyoupayyourrentontime?doyoudrink?didpalmgrenapproveofthoseringsyouhaveonyourface?areyoucarefulabouthygiene?
fuckyou.
,,,acoupleofblocksaທway,ไandtheywouldrunintoeaທchotherandgoforcoffeeatgiffy’sorsomeothercafé,butaທfewtimeshehadvisitedher,,ไ?der,ไ,butaftershelearnedtherules,,aທndsalanderhadseenitasherdutytotakepityonhimonthoselonelyholidays.
sheconsideredherselfinhisdebt,andshealwayspaidherdebts.
itwaspaທlmgrenwhohadsublethermother’,ไshabbyandunrenovated,butatleastitwasaroofoverherhead.
nowpaທlmgrenwasgone,.ๆ