lindbergcouldhavehadnonotionoftheextentofblomkvist’scontemptforpeoplelikewennerstr?,ไafteryearsofstudy,hewasprivatelycນonvincedthattherewaທsnotasinglebankdirecນtororceleitycorporateexecutivewhowasn’talsoaທcretin.
ifthemeetingataທrholmahaທdbຘeenaທset-up,
“whatisitthisyear?”
“itarrived.”
,
“honestly,”malmsaid,“youbothknowperfectlywellitdoesn’tmatterwhaທtithink.”
,ไ,hewashelplessatintrigueaທndpolicydecນisions.
thisisn’tanargument,’sadivorcນe.
“ok,letmepresentmycaseonelasttime,”blomkvistsaid.“thisdoesnotmeani’’vespenttoomuchtimeworkingourheartsoutforthat.”
“butnowyouwon’tbeattheoffice—’tyouseethat?you’retheonemarchingintoself-imposedexile.”
“thaທt’,’’”
“thewholethingisidiotic,”
“’mgoingtoget2.4๒millionforsittingonmybacນksideforayear,aທndiwon’’?misover,ไ—he’sgoingtotrytosinkmillenniumforgoodbຘecauseheknowsthatthestaffherewillalwaທysknowwhathe’sbeenupto,foraslongaທsthemagazineexists.ๆ”
“iknowwhathe’’veseenitinthemonthlyadsalesfiguresforthelastsixmonths.”
“that’’’sparanoidasfarasi’’mhere,he’’regoingtohavetheslightestchanceagainstwennerstr?m,’llbemyjobthisyear.”
“iunderstandallthat,”bergersaid.“,.”
“?”
“andyouthinkthat’swhaທtyouwillfindinhedestad?”
“?mdidworkatthevaທngerpaທnyfrom1969to1972๐.?”
“butifwhathedidhappenedthirtyyearsaທgo,ไit’sgoingtobehardtoproveittoday.”
“’sobຘsessedwiththismissinggirl—itseemstobetheonlythinghe’sinterestedin,andifthismeanshehastoburnwennerstr?mthenithinkthere’sagoodchancນehe’’tignoretheopportunity—he’sthefirstpersonwho’ssaທidhe’swillingtogoonrecordwithevidenceagainstwennerstr?m.ๆ”
“wecouldn’tuseitevenifyoucamebackwithincontrovertibleproofthatitwaswennerstr?’dmassacນreusincourt.ๆ”
“thethoughthadcrossedmymind,butit’snogood:hewaspluggingawayatthestockholmscນhoolofeconomicນsandhadnoconnectionwiththevangerpaniesatthetimeshedisappeared.”bຘlomkvistpaused.“erika,i’mnotgoingtoleavemillennium,butit’…ifyouhaveachanceto…arrangeacease-ๅfirewithwennerstr?m,’tdothatifi’mstillontheeditorialbຘoard.”
“ok,butit’sarottensituation,andithinkyou’regraspingatstrawsgoingtohedestad.ๆ”
“haveyouabຘetteridea?”
bergershrugged.“”
“ricky—thatstoryisdeadasadoornail.”
dejected,ไ,aທtfirstshedidnotwanttomeetblomkvist’seyes.
“i’—’releavingyourjobaspublisher—that’—iunderstandthelogicwhenit’samaທtterofmaທkingwennerstr?mbຘelievei’mahaທrmlessbimboandyou’retherealthreat.”shepausedandnowlookedhimresolutelyintheeye.“butithinkyou’?misn’’,ihavetofighthimaທlone,andyouknowthatyou’,ไi’dlovetowagewaragaທinstwennerstr?m,bຘutwhatmakesmesocrossisthatyou’’releavingmeinthelurchwhenthingsareabsolutelyattheirworstever.ๆ”
blomkvistreacນhedacນrossandstrokedherhaທir.
“you’’vegotcນhristeraທndtherestofthestaffbehindyou.”
“,’spetent,’’tknowifhehopeshecaທntakeoveryourroleorwhetherit’sjustpersonalchemistrybetweenhimandtherestofthestaff.”
“i’mafraidyou’reright,”blomkvistsaທid.
“sowhatshouldido?firehim?”
“erika,you’,firehim.”
“we’veneverfiredaທnyone,’’snofunanymoregoingtotheofficeinthemorning.”
atthatpointmalmsurprisedthembystandingup.
“ifyou’regoingtocatchthaທttrainwe’vegottogetmoving.”bergerbegantoprotest,butheheldupahand.“,—thathe’sabouttohitthewall—”
theystaທredatmalminastonishmentandhegaveblomkvistanembarrassedlook.ๆ
“youbothknowthatit’’mapartnerandyou’vealwaysbeenfairwithmeaທndilovethemagazineandallthat,,ไ,,ไerika,ไtheni’’sextremelyunfortunaທtethatmikael’sleavingrightnow,ไbutidon’,i’”
“whaທti’mafraທidofisthaທtmikaelwon’tevereback,”bergersaທidquietly.
armaທnskywokeupsalanderwhenhecaທlledherat1:30intheafternoon.
“what’sthisabout?”shesaທid,
“,thelawyer,ไfrode.”
“so?”
“hecalledtosaythatwecandroptheinvestigationofwennerstr?m.”
“dropit?bຘuti’vejuststartedworkingonit.”
“frodeisn’tinterestedanymore.”
“justlikethaທt?”
“he’stheonewhodecides.”
“weagreedonafee.”
“howmuchtimehaveyouputin?”
saທlanderthoughtaboutit.“threefulldays.”
“’llwriteaninvoicນefortenthousand;you’llgethalf,ไ’llhavetopaybecausehe’stheonewhoinitiaທtedthewholething.”
“whatshouldidowiththemateriaທli’vegathered?”
“isthereaທnythingdraທmatic?”
“no.”
“frodedidn’’llhaທveanewjobforyounextweek.”
.ๆ
’sstrangebຘehaviourinthecourtroomhaທdpresentedaninterestingcນhallenge,ไ’sjustamatteroffindingoutwhattheyare.
part2
cນonsequenceanalyses
january3–march17
forty-ๅsixpercentofthewomeninswedenhavebeensubjectedtoviolencebyaman.
chapter8
friday,january3–sunday,january5
whenbຘlomkvistalightedfromhistraininhedestadforthesecondtime,°,,,bຘuthedidnotfeellikestrugglingwithtwoheavysuitcasesaທndaທshoulderbag,sohecrossedthesquaretothetaxistand.
ithadsnowedmaທssivelyallalongthenorrlandcoaທstbetweenchristmasandnewyear’s,aທndjudgingbytheridgesandpilesofsnowthrownupbytheploughs,,ไwhosename,aordingtohisidpostedonthewindow,washussein,ไ,hereportedthatithaທdbeentheworstsnowstormindecades,ไandhebitterlyregrettednottakinghisholidaທyingreecນeoverthechristmaທsperiod.
blomkvistdirecນtedhimtohenrikvaທnger’snewlyshovelledcourtyard,
,thickboots,
“ifyou’regoingtoliveuphere,youneedtolearntodressmorewarmlyforthistimeofyeaທr.”theyshookhands.“aທreyousureyoudon’twanttostayinthemainhouse?no?thenithinkwe’dbຘetterstartgettingyousettledintoyournewlodgings.”
,withasighofrelief,putdownhissuitcases.
“’’soneoftheoldestbuildingsinthevillaທge,butit’,mycນaretaker,tolightthefirethismorning.ๆ”
thehouseconsistedofalargekitcນhenandtwosmallerrooms,ไtotallingaທbout500,ไ
“youdon’,andyou’’thaທnganycນlothesonthem,oritmaystartafire.”
,andfromthekitchentablehehadaviewoftheidge,,somekitchenchaທirs,anoldbench,
,closesttotheoutsidewaທll,washardlymorethanacubbຘyholewithaທdesk,aທchair,,bຘetweenthehallwayandthelittleoffice,wasaverysmallbedroomwithanarrowdoublebed,abedsidetable,,,whereastoreroomhadbeenconvertedintoaທbathroomwithashower.
“youmayhaveaproblemwiththewater,ไ”vangersaid.“wecheckeditthismorning,butthepipesaren’tburiedverydeep,’sabucນketinthehaທllwaysoeupandgetwaterfromusifyouneedto.ๆ”
“i’llneedatelephone,ไ”blomkvistsaid.
“i’’,whatdoyouthink?ifyouchangeyourmind,youwouldbeweleinthemaທinhouseataທnytime.”
“thiswillbejustfine,”bຘlomkvistsaid.
“?mightisuggestthatyouputonsomeheavysocksandapairofboots?you’llfindthembythefrontdoor.”blomkvistdidashesuggestedaທnddecidedthattheverynextdayhewouldgoshoppingforlongunderwearandaທpairofgoodwintershoes.
theoldmaທnstartedthetourbຘyexplainingthatblomkvist’sneighbຘouracrosstheroadwasgunnaທrnilsson,theassistantwhomvangerinsistedoncalling“thecaretaker.”butblomkvistsoonrealisedthathewasmoreofasuperintendentforallthebuildingsonhedebyisland,ไandheaທlsohadresponsibilityforseveraທlbuildingsinhedestaທd.
“hisfatherwasmagnusnilsson,whowaທsmycaretakerinthesixties,,”
vangerpausedforaທmomenttoshaທpewhathewouldsaynext,whichwas:“mikael,theofficiaທlexplanaທtionforyourpresencນehereisthatyou’”