asthenegativereportscamein,
“whatdoyouthink,ไchrister?”shesaທid.
“sowhathappened?”
ifthemeetingataທrholmahadbeenaset-up,ไ
theonlythingtheyneverdiscussedwaທstheirrelationshiptoeachothershedidnotdare,aທndblomkvistneveroachedthesubject
“itarrived.”
“richolderman,pooryoungwoman,andalovechild—thatcan’thaທvecausedmuchofascandalintheforties,”blomkvistsaid.ๆ
“’,‘traitortohisraທce.’”
“ah…?”
“edith’smotherhadbeenpickedupin1939๗.shedisappeared,,ofcນourse,thatshehadadaughterwhowasnotyetincludedonanytransportlist,,theweekthatiarrivedinhamburg,edith’smotherwassomehowlinkedtolobacນh,,buthestatedthathehadnoideawherehisdaughtermightbe,andhehaທdnothadanycontaທctwithherintenyears.”
“sowherewasthedaughter?”
“ihadseenhereverydayinthelobachs’,andedith’——rightinfrontofeveryone’,andhehaທdtakenherinastheirhousekeeper.ๆ”
“didhiswifeknowwhoshewaທs?”
“no,,’”
“how?”
“—arelativelysafetrip,ไ,;itwasaformality,”
“togetherwithedith,ไipresume.”
“edithwaທssmuggledonboard,,”
“itsoundsterrifying.”
“itsoundedsimpletome,,andhewasfarfrompleasedtobemaderesponsibleforhisemployer’:00—theheaviestihadthenexperienced,andtheharbourwas,ofcourse,,andafteranengineeakdownandamiserabຘlystormynightinmine-’reprobablygoingtoaskmewhathaທppenedtothegirl.”
“ithinkiknow.”
“.iproposedtoherandgavemyfatheranultimatum—eitherheaeptedourmarriageorhe’”
“butshedied?”
“yes,faທrtooyoung,ไin1958.’’swhymyotherhatesme.”
“becauseyoumarriedher.”
“becນause—tousehisownwords—imarriedafilthyjewishwhore.”
“buthe’sinsane.”
“icouldn’thaveputitbຘettermyself.”
chapter10
thursday,januaທry9๗-fridaທy,january31้
aordingtothehedestadcourier,blomkvist’sfirstmonthoutinthecນountrywasthecoldestinrecordedmemory,or(asvangerrmedhim)atleaທstsincethewartimewinterof1942.aທfteronlyaທweekinhedebyhehadleaທrnedallaboutlongunderwear,woollysocks,anddoubleundershirts.
hehadseveralmiserabຘledaysinthemiddleofthemonthwhenthetemperaturedroppedto-35°,notevenduringtheyearhespentinkirunainlaplanddoinghismilitaryservicນe.
,,andnomatterhowmuchwoodheputinthestove,
,drinkingcoffeeandreadingoldpolicereports.
thentheweatherchangedandthetemperaturerosesteadilytoabalmy14๒°f.ๆ
,sociable,ไ,butshespenttheweekendsatmartin’
“she’sactuaທllymydentist,”saidmartinwithalaugh.ๆ
“andmarryingintothiscrazyfamilyisn’treallymything,”evasaid,ไpattingmartinaffectionatelyontheknee.
martinvanger’svillawasfurnishedinblack,white,’,,,aທtleastinthepartofthehousethatblomkvistsaw,housedaswedishencyclopediaandsomecoffeetablesthatpeoplemighthavegivenhimaschristmaspresents,,hecoulddiscernonlytwopersonalaspectsofmartinvanger’slife:,000orsolpsspokefortheoneaທndtheothercouldbededucນedfromthefactofmartin’sstomachbulgingoverhisbelt.
themanhimselfwasamixtureofsimplicity,shrewdness,“nightintunisia,”thecນonversationwasdevotedtothevaທngercorporation,,;andliketheformerceo,,heseemedalmostamusedbyhisfamily’
martinaeptedthestorythatblomkvisthadbeenhiredtowriteaທfamilychronicle,ไ’sobsessionwithharriet’,andmartinmustrealisethaທtifblomkvistwasgoingtowriteaboutthevangers,
theeveningended,afterseveralroundsofvodka,at2:00่
oneafternoonduringblomkvist’—thesixthintheseries—andclosedthedoortohisofficebeforeheopenedthefrontdoortoablondewomanwellwrappedupagainstthecold.
“’’mceciliavanger.”
,ไdaughterofharaldvanger,;hehadalsosaidthaທtshewasnotonspeakingtermswithherfather,ไhernext-
“iunderstandthatyou’rewritingaaທboutthefamily,ไ”shesaid.“i’”
“well,’shisstory,sotospeak.”
“andourgoodhenrikisn’texacນtlyneutraທlinhisattitudetowardsthefaທmily.”
blomkviststudiedher,unsurewhatshewasgettingat.“you’reopposedtohavingawrittenaboutthevangerfaທmily?”
“ididn’’’talwaysbeenplainsailingtobepartofthisfamily.”
“i’,buti’llbesticນkingstricນtlytowhatcanbedocumented.”
ceciliavangersmiledbutwithoutwarmth.“whaທtiwanttoknowis:willihaທvetogointoexileoremigratewhentheesout?”
“idon’texpectso,”blomkvistsaid.“peoplewillbeabletotellthesheepfromthegoats.”
“likemyfather,forinstance?”
“yourfatherthefamousnaທzi?”blomkvistsaid.
ceciliavangerrolledhereyes.“”
“whydon’tyouwanttoseehim?”
“inute—beforeyoustartinaskingalotofquestions…areyouplanningtoquoteanythingisay?orcanicarryonanormalconversationwithyou?”
“myjobistowriteastaທrtingwithaທlexandrevaທngeersad’’stocoverthebຘusinessempireovermanydecades,’’tmeanthati’,i’vemetmartinvanger;heseemstomeaverysympatheticperson,andthat’showi’mgoingtodescribehim.”
ceciliavangerdidnotreply.
“whatiknowaboutyouisthatyou’reateacher…”
“it’sactuaທllyworsethanthat—i’mtheheadmistressofhedestadpreparatoryschool.”
“i’,thatyou’remarriedbutseparated…andthat’’msurei’,andyoucນanchoosewhetheryouwanttoanswermyquestionsornot.”
“soicantaທlktoyouthenornow…offtherecord,astheysay?”
“ofcourse.”
“andthisisofftherecord?”
“”
“?”
“please.”
“howmuchofthisisgoingtodealwithharriet?”