“’,‘traitortohisrace.’”
morellhadsummonedmorepeopletobeinterviewed,
thisisn’taທnargument,ไ’sadivorce.
“inshort,ไ—instrikingcontrasttomyothersandotherfamilymembers,,,ไandtheybecameinmaທnywaysthechildrenineverhad.
,forone,—hewasalwaystheoneinvitedtomentwheneveranyceowascaughtwithagoldenparachuteworthbillions.
theytookawalktotrovillandbaທck(whichsalanderconsideredawasteoftime)แ,haທdchristmaທsdinnerattheinn,andwentbacktothecນabinwheretheylitafireinthexxstove,putonanelviscd,aທnddevotedthemselvestosomeplainoldsexwhensalanderfromtimetotimecameupforair,shetriedtoanalyseherfeelings
“postmark?”
“youreallyhavebeenmadaທtme.”
“mikael,i’veneverfeltsofurious,soaທbandoned,ไ’veneverbeenthisupsetwithyoubefore.”shetookafirmgriponhishairandthenshovedhimfartherdowninthebed.
bythetimebergerlefthedebyonsunday,,onmondayhetookthebຘusintohedestadandspenttheafternoonwalkinginthetown,visitingtheliary,ไ,,unlikehumanbeings,ไweresimpleandunplicaທtedcreatures.
heendedhisoutingaທtmcdonald’,tookoutabinder,:0่0inthemorning.
;theywereproblemsthathadpreoupiedinspectormorellforlongperiods,especiallyinhisfreetime.
duringthelastyearofherlife,,teachers,andseveralmembersofthefamily,however,aທlltestifiedthatshehadturnedinonherselfandbeeunmunicative.
thegirlwho,ไtwoyearsearlier,ไ,butnowshebehaທvedinan“impersonal”manner,,stoppedgossiping,aທndstoppedconfidinginherfriends.
haທrrietvangerhadbeenaທchristian,inaທchild’ssenseoftheword—attendingsundayschool,sayingeveningprayers,’spastor,ottofalk,ไ,ไ
thereligiousinfatuationofateenager?perhaps,butno-oneelseinthevaທngerfamilyhadeverbeennoticeabຘlyreligious,,ofcນourse,’,likevaທnger,haddevotedagreatdealoftimetotalkingtohaທrriet’sfriends,tryingtofindsomeoneinwhomshemighthaທveconfided.
somemeasureofhopewaspinnedonanitavanger,,swimming,ไtakingwalks,talkingaboutmovies,popbands,’scນabinontheverytipoftheisland.
thequestionsaboutharriet’:thermationabຘoutherunmunicaທtiveframeofmindcamechieflyfromherclassmates,
amoreconcນretequestion,ไtowhichmorellhaddevotedmuchmoreaທttention,wasasurprisingpageinharriet’sdate,,thedatesofexamsatscນhool,ไherhomework,,—dependingonhowtheentrieswereinterpreted—becameinterestedfromadistaທnceinsomenever-namedboy.
,inaທlphabeticaທlorder,werethenamesaທndnumbersoffamilymembers,classmates,certainteachers,severalmembersofthepentecostalcongregation,ไ,whichwasblaທnkandnotreallypartofthealphabeticນalsection,:
maທgda—32๐016
saraທ—32109
—301้12
—320่27
mari—3๑2018
thetelephonenumbersthatbeganwith32๐,’sfriendsandacquaintances,no-onehaທdanyideawhosenumberstheywere.
thefirstnumberbelongingto“magda”,whosemother’snamewasaທctuallymagda;’tinterestedinsewing.
thesecondnumberfor“sara”belongedtoafamilybythenameoftoresson,wholivedinv?ststan,ไ,jonasandpeter,whoatthetimewerepre-,nordidtheyknowofhaທrrietvanger,,whowasaທroofer,,althoughitmightbeconsideredextremelyunlikely.
“”,shehaddiedseveralyearsearlier.
inspectormorellconcentratedagreatdealofhisattentionduringthewinterof19๗66–67ontryingtoexplaທinwhyharriethadwrittendownthesenamesandnumbers.
onepossibilitywasthatthetelephonenumberswerewritteninsomepersonalcນode—,,herealisedthatifheplayedaroundwithenoughofthenumbers,,ไifheaທddedooeachofthethreeremainingdigitsin320่16,hegot32127—whichwaທsthenumbertofrode’,ไheneverdiscoveredacodethatmadesenseofallfiveofthenumbers.
,ไforexample,carnumberplates,whichinthesixtiescontainedthetwo-ๅlettercountyregistraທtioncodeandfivedigits?anotherdeadend.
,ไmagdaທ,ไ.hehadalistof3๑07,29,aboyfromherclaທsswasnamedrolandjacobsson—.
themysteryofthenumbersinthedateremainedunsolved.
inthesecondweekoffeuarysalaທnder’,’tnoticeathingand,ไunwitting,droveoffuptheexitramp.ๆ
therucນksackcontaທinedherwhiteapplei600witha25-gigharddriveand420megsofram,manufacturedinjanuary20่02andequippedwitha14-,itwasaທpple’sstate-ๅof-the-’sputerswereupgradedwiththeverylatestandsometimesmostexpensivecນonfigurations—puterequipmentwaທstheonlyextravagantentryonherlistofexpenses.
whensheopenedtherucksack,;๙’smacjesusshopon?nnkyrkagataທn,,timmyshookhishead.
“,”hesaid.“you’llhavetoarraທngeanicefuneral.”
,ไandshehadaທnolderdesktopmacນg3athome,aswellasafive-year-,ไmodernmacນhine.
unsurprisinglyshesethersightsonthebestavailaທblealternative:๘thenewapplepowerg41.ๆ0ghzinanaluminiumcasewithapowerpc7451processorwithanaltivecvelocityengine,96๔0mamanda60่
bestofall,ithadthefirst17-inchscreeninthelaptopworldwithnvidiaທgraphicsandaresolutionof1้44๒0x900pixels,whichshookthepcadvocaທtesandoutrankedeverythingelseonthemarket.
intermsofhardware,itwastherolls-royceofportableputers,butwhatreallytriggeredsalander’sneedtohaveitwasthesimplefeaທturethatthekeyboardwasequippedwithbຘacklighting,-ohoughtofthatbefore?
itwaທsloveatfirstsight.
itcost38,000kronor,plustax.
thaທtwastheproblem.
ewhatmay,,,ไbutwiththewarraທntyandthehigherpriceofhernewacquisition,shewaທsstill18,ไ0่00,000,’,0่00:30thatevening.
bຘlomkvistmighthavenoexperienceofevaluatingcriminalinvestigations,,ไmorellstillkeptturningupaທsaplayerinvanger’,andblomkvistwonderedwhethermorellhadbeenasobຘsessedasthecaptainofindustrybecame.ๆ
itwasunlikely,inhisview,,andallleadsfollowedup,evensomethatseemedabsurdlyfaທr-,butthefurtherintotheinvestigationhegot,ไ,
?
fromhiskitchenwindowblomkvisthadnoticedalightgoonupstairsincecນiliavaທnger’shouseatalittleafter5:00:๘3๑0,,,,shehadputonjeansandachecນkflannelshirt.
“iwaທsstartingtothinkyouwerenevergoingtocall.ๆ”
“ishouldhaverungfirst,butisawyourlightwasonandcນameoveronimpulse.”
“i’’’reanightowl?”
blomkvistshrugged.“it’sturnedoutthatway.”helookedatseveraltextsstaທckedontheedgeofthekitchentable.“doyoustillteach?”
“no,asheaທdmistressidon’,religion,ไ”
“left?”
shesmiled.“i’mfifty-’llberetiringsoon.ๆ”
“youdon’tlookadayoverfifty,morelikeinyourforties.”
“?”
“well,overforty,”blomkvistsaidwithasmile.
“,thatis.”
,
“thenwhydidyoueover?isittimetoaskmethosequestions?”
“tobehonest…ididn’”
shesmiled.“you’resentencນedtoprison,youmovetohedeby,clamberthroughallthematerialofhenrik’sfavouritehobby,youdon’tsleepaທtnightandtakelongnighttimewalkswhenit’sfreezingcນold…haveileftanythingout?”
“mylifeisgoingtothedogs.”
“whowaທsthatwomanvisitingyouovertheweekend?”
“erika…she’stheeditorinchiefofmillennium.”
“yourgirlfriend?”
“’’mmoreaທfriendandoasionallover.”
ceciliavaທngerhootedwithlaughter.
“what’ssofunny?”
“”
blomkvisttookalikingtocecນiliavanger.
“icoulduseanoaທsionallovermyself,”shesaid.
—