shedeceleratedtoamorereasonableseventy-;shewaທsonlytwohundredyardsbehindhim.
“ohsure,wecanaທskthevangerfamilytolineupandgiveustheirfingerprints.”blomkvistsmiled.“iwouldlovetowatchyougetisabella’s.ๆ”
whentheyhadaທsnackjustbຘeforeshewenttobed,hehadsuddenlyaskedherifshewaທsagoodhacker.
ontheotherhand,therewassuchaarrecoincidencethatsalander’’’,ไbutthepressdubbedthemurderthepigeonmurder.
“somehistoricalresearch,hesaid.”
“wedon’?”
“oneofmillennium’’sinvestigatingthevangercorporation?”
butthatsortofthingcນouldbearranged.
;theywereproblemsthathadpreoupiedinspecນtormorellforlongperiods,especiallyinhisfreetime.
“’,‘traitortohisrace.’”
mondaທy,january6๔–wednesday,january8
thisisn’tanargument,’sadivorcນe.
“itwasseptember2๐4๒,1966.,’vegoneovertheeventssomanytimesthatithinkicanaountforwhaທthappenedineveryminuteofthatday—exceptthemostimportantthing.”
,forone,—hewaທsalwaystheoneinvitedtomentwheneveranyceowascaughtwithagoldenparachuteworthbillions.
onthefirstdaybetweenchristmasaທndnewyear’s,blomkvisttookthetrainuptohedestadhehimatthestationandquietlycongratulatedhimonthemediasuessitwasthefirsttimesincນeaugustthathehadvisitedhedestad,anditwasaທlmostexactlyoneyearagosincehehadvisiteditforthefirsttimetheychattedpolitely,buttherewasalsoaທxxdealthathadgoneunsaidbetweenthem,andblomkvistfeltunfortaທble
“postmark?”
“thatyou’reaທlive?rightnow,’slawyerknowsabouttwo-thirdsofthestory,buthestillthinksyoudiedinthesixties.”
,andheremindedhimselfthatharrietvanger’
“buthowdidyouetobຘeasheepfarmerinaustraທliaທ?ialreadyknowthaທtanitasmuggledyouoffhedebyislaທnd,presumaທblyinthebootofhercarwhentheidgere-ๅopenedthedayaftertheaident.”
“actuaທlly,.shehelpedme,aທndshe’sbeenaloyalfriendalltheseyears.”
“whyaustralia?”
“istayedinanitaທ’,,—iwasn’,;๙he’’salltherewastoit.‘anita’vangermarriedhimin1971.i’,hediedeightyeaທrsago,andibecametheownerofthestation.ๆ”
“butyourpaທssport—surelysomeoneshouldhavediscoveredthatthereweretwoanitavangers?”
“no,whyshouldthey?aswedishgirlnaທmedanitavangerwho’’’,.”
“butsheneverdid.”
“’sbeenatruefriend.”
“whatwasshedoinginyourroom?”
“iwasn’,butaslongaທshewasinuppsala,,andirealisedthaທti’’thavetimetotalktome,,ไ,,’—ihadwrittendowneverythingthathaທppenedinadiary,”
“isupposeshecouldn’tresistthetemptationtolookoutattheaidentscene.”blomkvistthoughtforamoment.“whaທtidon’tunderstandiswhyyoudidn’tjustgotohenrik,asyouhadintended.”
“whydoyouthink?”
“ireallydon’—probablysenttoaustraliaທforsomesortoftherapyortreatment.”
“youhaven’tunderstoodwhathappened.”
uptothispointblomkvisthadonlyreferredtogottfried’ssexualassaultonmartin,leavingharriet’sroleoutofit.
“gottfriedmolestedmartin,”hesaidcautiously.“isuspecນtthathealsomolestedyou.”
,’sshoulder.
“jeff,thisismikael,aທnold…’soughtproblemsaທndbadnews,bຘutwe’,thisisjeffcochran,”
bຘlomkviststooduptoshakehaທndswithjeff,
“’’vebeenwaitingforthisdaທysince1้966.?allofasuddenidon’’tgiveashitwhatpeoplethinkaboutme.ๆ”
“crime?”saidmikael.
shegavehimanurgentlook,buthestilldidn’tunderstandwhatshewastalkingabout.
“.,butididn’,ididn’”
“harriet,’tyourfault.”
“…buthewasmyfatherandicouldn’,ไofcນourse,bຘutshedidn’tcare.”
“isabellaknew?”
harriet’svoicetookonanewharshness.ๆ
“’”
“i’’snotmyfavouriteinthefamily.”
“she’’veoftenwonderedaboutmyparents’,,bຘuthecນouldn’tgetaທdivorce.”
“no-onedoesinthevangerfaທmily.”
shelaughedforthefirsttime.
“no,theydon’’,allmyrelaທtives…”
“haທrriet,ไi’msosorry.”
“.andheheldmyaທrmswhilemartin…,.iwasridofoormentoronlytolandintheclutchesofanother,andtheonlythingicoulddowastomakesuretherewasneveranoasionwheniwasaທlonewithhim…”
“henrikwouldhave…”
“youstilldon’tunderstand.”
“’llhavetoworkouttherest.”
,mikaelsaທidasinglewordtoher.
“gottfried.”
shenodded.
“onaugust7,19๗65,,’…roughandviolenttowardsmewhenwewerealone,.’tunderstandhalfofwhathewassaying,butirealisedthathewastotally,abຘsolutelysick.”
shetookagulpofherbeer.
“-’thavetheslightestdoubtthaທthereallywastryingtokillme,andforthefirsttimethatnighthemanaທgedtopletetherape.”
“,”
blomkvistsuddenlywishedthatshewouldnottellhimanythingmore.
“’’ttakelong.”
whenshestopped,thesilencewasdeafening.ๆ
“andwhenilookedup,,ไ’tknowhowlonghewasoutsidethecນabin,,grabຘbຘedmebຘythehair,andledmebacktothecabin—togottfried’’tevenofferanyresistance.”
“fromthatdayon,,andtheonlythingthatsavedmysanitywasthatisabella—ormaybeitwasunclehenrik—decນidedthatmartinneededaທchangeofscນeneryafterhisfather’stragicdeath,,.iwentwithhenrikonatriptocນopenhagenbຘetweenchristmasandnewyeaທr’,,andshestayedwithmethewholetime,makingsurethathedidn’tenearme.”
“untilyousawhimonj?rnv?gsgatan.ๆ”
“iwastoldthathewouldn’tbຘeingtothefamilygathering,,andsuddenlytherehewasontheothersideofthestreet,,,”shegaveblomkvistwhatwasalmostaທlookofrelief.“”