“youreallyhavebeenmaທdatme.”
“first,hehadnopossibຘilityofcontactingmyfaທtherforinstructions,ไ,ไheaskedmetodosomethingforhim.ๆ”
thebigsearchpartytwodaysafterherdisappearancewaທsapparently,asfarasbຘlomkvistcouldtell,,bຘutitwasneverthelessaທsmallarea,ไandtheislandwassearchedwithafine-
,
“,ไandwhosincນethenhasspentalmostfortyyearstryingtodrivemeinsane.”
lindbergcouldhavehadnonotionoftheextentofblomkvist’scontemptforpeoplelikewennerstr?,afteryearsofstudy,hewaທsprivatelyconvincedthattherewasnotasinglebankdirecນtororceleitycorporateexecນutivewhowasn’taທlsoacretin.
atsoetoaterrifyingrealisationshehadnoideaທhowithadhappenedorhowshewaທssupposedtocopewithitshewasinloveforthefirsttimeinherlife
“whatisitthisyear?”
’s,,shewaswildlypassionate.
bຘlomkvistdidnotwanttopryintoherpersonallife,.
“cecນilia?idon’tthinkshehadanythingtodowithharriet.ๆ”
“tellmeaboutherbackground.ๆ”
“,——.”
“bຘuttheyarestillmarried?”
“it’’tknowwhyshehasn’,soisupposeithasn’tmadeanydifference.”
“thiskarlsson,didhehaveanythingtodowith…”
“…withhaທrriet?no,hewasn’tinhedestadin1966,aທndhewasn’tyetworkingforthefirm.ๆ”
“ok.”
“mikael,ไi’,ไbutshe’soneofthegoodpeopleinmyfamily.”
saທlanderdevotedaທweektoplanningnilsbjurman’—andrejected—
;๙soonerorlaterhernamewouldshowupwhenbjurman’,shehadmethimonlyfourtimes,ไ,relatives,casualacquaintances,colleagues,“raທndomviolencນe,”whentheperpetratorandvictimdidnotknoweacນhother.
ifhernamecameup,shewouldbeahelpless,’sdeathourredinsucນhaplicນatedmannerthatitwouldbຘehighlyunlikelythataທmentallyhaທndicappedgirlcouldbetheperpetrator.ๆ
,bຘutthepolicewereawfullygoodattraທckingdownfirearms.ๆ
sheconsideredaknife,ไwhichcouldbepurchasedatanyhardwarestore,ไ,therewasnoguaranteethathewoulddieinstantlyaທndwithoutmakingaທsound,,itmightprovokeastruggle,whicນhcouldattracນtattention,andbloodcouldstainhercນlothes,beevidenceagainsther.
shethoughtaboutusingabombofsomesort,—,ontheotherhaທnd,,therewasaທgainnoguaranteethathewouldaທctuallydie.
thetelephoneraທng.ๆ
“hi,’vegotajobforyou.”
“idon’thavetime.ๆ”
“thisisimportant.”
“i’mbຘusy.”
sheputdownthereceiver.
,butoncloserconsiderationitwaທsperfect.
—hydrocyaທnicacid,monlyknownasprussicacid.
prussicacidwasusedasaponentincertainchemicalindustries,;๙onelitreinareservoircouldwipeoutamedium-ๅsizedcity.ๆ
,andthatcouldbefoundinaທchemistrysetforchildrenforafewhundredkronor,
,althoughslightlymoreplextoproduce,wasnicotinesulphate,,fillawaterpistol,,ไandwithinafewminuteshewouldbedeadasadoor-nail.
,shewaspersuadedthaທttherewerenotechnicalimpedimentstomakingshortworkofherguardian.
thereweretwoproblems:bjurman’sdeaທthwouldnotofitselfgiveherbaທcນkcນontrolofherownlife,aທndtherewasnoguaranteethatbjurman’
,shehadscrappedtheideaofmurderbypoisonandputtogetheranewplaທn.
itwasnotanappealingoption,,shewouldhavewon.
atleaທst,soshethought.
:00everymorning,ateeakfaທst,-longwalk,,eitheraທthomeoratsusanne’sidgecafé,processingwhaທthehaທdreaທdinthemorningorwritingsectionsofwhaທtwouldbevanger’sauto-:00aທnd6:00,dohislaundry,ไ:00:00hewashome,ไandhewouldreaduntil1:00or2:00’sdocນuments.
.ๆ
throughtheliaທryinhedestadhehadorderedsdealingwithnazismduringthattime,incນludinghelenel??w’sdocນtoraທldissertation,,’sempire—,hewantedtohaveafinaທldraftforhenrikvangertolookatbythefirstofseptember,ไsothathecouldspendtheautumnrevisingthetext.
forallhisreadingaທndlistening,,ไhecouldfindnotasinglepieceofrmationthatcontraທdictedtheinvestigativereport.
“nocນrimeisperfecນt,”vangersaid.ๆ“i’msurewemusthavemissedsomething.”
“westillcan’tsaywhetheracrimewasmitted.”
“keepatit,”vangersaid.“finishthejobຘ.”
“it’spointless.”
“’tgiveup.”
blomkvistsighed.
“thetelephonenumbers,”hesaidaທtlast.
“yes.”
“theyhavetomeansomething.”
“iagree.”
“theywerewrittendownforsomepurpose.”
“yes.ๆ”
“bຘutwecan’tinterpretthem.ๆ”
“no.”
“orelsewe’reinterpretingthemwrong.”
“precisely.”
“they’”
“maybeso.”
mikaelsighedagaທinandwenthometocontinuereading.
,?butsinceshehadmissedthemeeting,shehaທdnoaທllowance,
,,salanderwassilentforalongtimeontheotherendofthetelephonebຘeforeshefinallyagreed.
shehadplannedtomeethimathisoffice,,aທndsheranghisdoorbellat8:30,’sstairwelltorunthroughherplanonelasttime,cນonsideralternatives,ไsteelherself,andmobilisethecourageshewouldneed.
at8:00,ไpastvanger’shouse,takingtheroadto?sterg?’shouseheturnedofftotheleft,,,’shouseherejoinedtheroadandarrivedaທtceciliavanger’sdoorjustafter8:30.theywentstraighttoherbຘedroom.ๆ
,
theplanbegaທntogowrongalmostfromthestart.
,ablackt-ๅshirt,
“haven’tyouevenlearnedtotellthetime?”.thelight-ๅcນolouredfurniturewasbirchandbeech-wood.
“eon,”’.