“thenyouusethesameequipmentwedo.”
“ricky,vangerisexploitingusinsomesortofprivatevendettaaທgainstwennerstr?m.”
’s,,shewaທswildlypassionate.
“whyintheworldshouldidiscນussitwithyou?youresignedaທspublisher,youlefttheeditorialstaffandtheboaທrd,aທndyouwenttoliveinthewoods.”
“edith’smotherhadbeenpickedupin19๗39.shedisaທppeared,,ofcນourse,thatshehadadaughterwhowasnotyetincludedonanytraທnsportlist,,ไtheweekthatiaທrrivedinhaທmburg,edith’smotherwassomehowlinkedtolobຘach,,buthestatedthathehadnoideawherehisdaughtermightbe,andhehadnothaທdaທnycontactwithherintenyears.”
—bymaທkingitdifficນulttoinginrercements,,inspectormorellwentdowntotheidgetobesurethatharrietvangerhadnot,bysomeunlikelyturnofevents,’sconduct,ไsincethemissinggirlhadunquestionablybeenseenontheislandaftertheaidenthadourred.
“butnowyouwon’tbeattheofficນe—’tyouseethat?you’retheonemarchingintoself-imposedexile.ๆ”
“andhaທrriet?”
erikahaທdthesameattitudetothejournalist’
herproblemwasthaທtshecouldnotinterpretherownfeelingsforhimnotsincebຘeforereachingpubertyhadsheloweredherguardtoletanotherpersongetsocloseaທsshehadwithhimtobequitehonest,ไhehadatryingabilitytoperateherdefencesandtogethertotalkaboutpersonalmaທttersandprivatefeelingseventhoughshehadenoughsensetoignoremostofhisquestions,shetalkedaboutherselfinaທwaythatshewouldnever,evenunderthreatofdeath,haveimagineddoingwithanyotherpersonitfrightenedherandmaທdeherfeelnakedandvulnerabletohiswill
“handwriting?”
’spermissiontohireher,andtodothathehadtobeabletotrustherpletely.
hetoldhereverythingaທboutceciliavangerandthathehadfoundherfacນeinharriet’,
hegavesalanderacນopyofthelistinthedate:“magda—3๑2016;sara—32109๗;—301้1้2;—32027;mari—32018๖.”andhegaveheracopyoftheversesfromleviticus.ๆ
“whaທtdoyouwantmetodo?”
“i’,rebeckajacobsson.”hetoldherwhatthefive-figurenumbersstoodfor.“ifi’mright,thenwe’regoingtofindfourmorevictims—magda,sara,mari,”
“youthinkthey’reallmurdered?”
“whatithinkisthatwearelookingforsomeonewho—iftheothernumbຘersandinitialsalsoprovetobeshorthandforfourmorekillings—’’,aທlloverswedenifnecessary,untilyoumakesenseoftheothernamesandverses.”
“i’”
armanskyprintedoutthecontractthatblomkvistwouldtakebacktohedestadforfrode’’soffice,—hewastouchingher—
armanskyhadneveronceheardherlaughbefore,.
,andhewasabletoslipinunnoticedaທndstandforamoment,ไlookingaround.
millennium’,,thencloakroomtoilets,ไ’sstudio,whichtookupabout500squarefeet,,ไenpassingabout350squarefeet,withthewindowsfacນingg?tgatan.
bergerhaddesignedeverything,,-onehadmovedintoit,itseemed.
thethirdroomwasslightlyapartfromtheothers,ไanditwasoupiedbysonnymagnusson,whohadbeenforseveraທlyearsmillennium’;,ไithadnotmadeanydifferencehowenergetichewaທsasasalesman,theiradvertisinginehadtakenabeatingandmagnusson’,,whocausedthewholelandslide,ไblomkvistthought.
,,anexperiencedgeneraທlreporterspecialisinginpoliticalcoverage;๙’,,butsheofferedhimadeskinacornerandsoontookhimonasapermanentdogsbody,andanonasastaffreporter.
,hehadjuststoppedbytosaທyhelloandhaveawordwiththebຘoss.
’:๘hisconditionwasinescapablyserious.
“sowhatareyoudoinginthecity?”
,onlyafewstreetsawaທy,-relatedbusiness,
“apartfromthegoodnewsontheadvertisingandthesubscriptionfronts,thereisonecloudonthehorizon.”
“whichis?”
“jannedahlman.ๆ”
“ofcourse.”
“ihaທdatalkwithhiminapril,’tknowifit’sjustjanne’snaturetobenegativeorifthere’ssomethingmoreseriousgoingon,ifhe’splaທyingsomesortofgame.”
“whathappened?”
“it’snothingicanputafingeron,,cນhristerandihadtodecidewhethertormthewholestaffthatwewerenolongeratriskofgoingunderthisautumn,or…”
“ortotelljustacນhosenfew.”
“,butididn’”
“and?”
“well,ไthatwaທsthefirstpieceofgoodnewsthey’—wedon’thavetheworld’,plustheintern,andonepersonwhogothisnoseoutofjointbecausewehadn’ttoldeverybodyeaທrlier.”
“hehadapoint…”
“,hekeptonbitchingabouttheissuedayaທfterday,’ttrusthimtokeepthenewssecret.”
“howdidhetakeit?”
“hewasterriblyupset,ไ—eitherhehadtopullhimselftogetherorstartlookingforanotherjobຘ.”
“and?”
“,andthere’’tstandhim,andhedoesn’thideit.”
“whaທtdoyoususpectdahlmanofdoing?”
“idon’,ไwhenwewerefirsttalkingabouttroublewithwennerstr?’tproveathing,ไbutihaveanastyfeelingthathe’snotworkingforus.”
“trustyourinstincts.”
“maybehe’sjustasquarepeginaroundholewhojusthappenstobepoisoningtheatmosphere.ๆ”
“it’”
halfanhourlaterhewasonhiswaynorthacrossthelocksatslusseninthecນarhehadborrowedfromfrode’
itwasthetinydetailsthathecouldeasilyhavemissedifhehadnotbeenalert:somepapersnotasevenlystaທckedasheremembered;abindernotquiteflushontheshelf;hisdeskdrawerclosedalltheway—hewaທspositivethatitwasaninchopenwhenheleft.
someonehaທdbeeninsidehiscottage.
hehadlockedthedoor,butitwasanordinaryoldlockthatalmostanyonecouldpickwithaທscrewdriver,,
,:whowasit?andhowmuchhadhisvisitorbeenabletofindout?
thebindersbelongedtothepartofvanger’—butwaທsthepersonwhohadsearcນhedhisdeskuninitiated?
sowhowasit?
?—,—hehadturnedupforafaທmilygatheringtowhichblomkvisthadnotbຘeeninvitedonthedayaftervanger’
whomhadfrodetalkedto?whatmighthehaທveletslipthistime?howmanyoftheanxiousrelativeshadpickeduponthefactthatblomkvisthadmadeaeakthroughinhisinvestigation?
itwasafter8:00.:30thatnightandinstaທllanewdeadboltlock.
blomkvistdrovetofrode’,
frodeshookhishead.ๆ
“”
theythoughtaboutthisforawhileastheydranktheirpilsners.
“youhaທven’ttalkedtohim,isuppose?”
“’?”