“wedon’?”
“howdowegoaboutthis?”blomkvistsaid.“ireallyneedtositatalighttableaທndbeabletomakecopiesofanythingthatmightbຘeofinterest.”
butthatsortofthingcouldbearranged.
,onepossibilityremainedthatstartedtolookmoreandmoreattracນtive—.ๆthecatchwasthatnotevendisgustingfifty-three-ๅyear-ๅoldmenhaທdheartattacksatherbeckandcall.
“’,‘traitortohisrace.’”
“richolderman,pooryoungwoman,andalovechild—thatcan’thavecausedmuchofascນandalintheforties,ไ”blomkvistsaid.
thisisn’tanargument,’sadivorcນe.
,forone,—hewasalwaystheoneinvitedtomentwheneveranyceowascaughtwithagoldenparachuteworthbillions.
thejobofthefinancialjournaທlistwastoexamihesharkswhocreaທtedinterestcrisesandspeculaທtedawaythesaທvingsofsmaທllinvestors,
“postmark?”
“-it-yourselfones.”
“i’msorryforknockingonyourdoorlikethis,buti’vebeentryingtofindyou,ไandit’sratherplicatedtoexplaທin.”hesmiledather.“iwonderificນouldeinandtakeupasmallamountofyourtime.ๆ”
mildred’shusbandandaທsonwhowaທsaboutthirty-fivewerehome,-fourhoursthanatanytimeinhislife,,ไ?dialect,sosheswitchedtostandardswedish.
blomkvisttookaທdeepeath.“thisisalongaທndpecນuliarstory,”hesaid.“inseptember19๗6๔6youwereinhedestadwithyourthenhusband,gunnaທr?nnlund.”
?rnv?gsgatanonthetableinfrontofher.
“whenwasthispicນturetaken?doyouremembertheoaທsion?”
“oh,mygoodness,”mildredbຘerggrensaid.“thatwasalifetimeago.”
herpresenthusbandaທndsoncametostandnexttohertolookatthepicture.
“,yousaid?”
“yes,:0่0’vebeentryingtofindyouforsometimenow,andithasn’tbeenasimpletask.”
“’timaginehowyoudidit.”
blomkvistputthephotograທphfromthecarparkonthetable.
“iwasabຘletofindyouthankstothispicture,whichwastakenalittlelaterintheday.”heexplainedhow,viathenorsj?cນarpentryshop,hehadfoundburman,whointurnhadledhimtohenningforsmaທninnorsj?vaທllen.
“youmusthaທveagoodreasonforthislongsearch.ๆ”
“,?”
’sfacialexpressionchanged.
“itwaswheniwentthroughtheseoldimagesthatifoundyou,standingwithacamerarightbຘehindharriet,ไandyouseemtobetakingapictureinthedirectionofwhateveritisshe’slookingat,ไ,butthereasoni’vebeenlookingforyouistoaທskyouifbyanymiracleyoustillhaທvethepicturesfromthatday.”
,asifitwerethemostnaທturaທlthingintheworld,thaທtofcourseshestillhadheroldhoneymoonpictures.
.
chapter20
tuesday,july1–wednesday,july2
thefirstthingblomkvistdidthemorninghereturnedtohedestadwastogotofrode’shousetoaskaboutvanger’,andfragile,
“thankgod,ไ”hesaid.ๆ“irealisedthatiaທctuallylikehim.”
frodesaid:“?”
“’”
“goahead.”
“whatrealisticນallywillhappentoyourinterestinmillenniumifhenrikdies?”
“”
“isthereanyrisk,hypotheticallyspeaking,thatmartinmightcreateproblemsformillenniumifidon’tputastoptotheinvestigationofharriet’sdisappearance?”
frodegavehimasharplook.ๆ
“what’shappened?”
“nothing,ไactually.”mikaeltoldhimaທboutthecນonversationhehaທdhadwithmartinvangeronmidsummereve.“wheniwasinnorsj?erikatoldmethatmartinhadcalledherandsaidthathethoughtiwasverymuchneededbackattheofficນe.ๆ”
“’’,i’malsoontheboaທrdofthelittlesubsidiaທryweformedwhenweboughtintomillennium.”
“bຘutwhatifaທticklishsituationcameup—howwouldyouaທcນtthen?”
“-ๅfiveyears,—notmaທrtin—whowouldinherithenrik’—whicນhidon’tbຘelievehewill—thentheoreticallyhecouldputtheakesonasmaທllnumberofnewadvertisers.”
“thelifebloodofmillennium’sexistence.”
“yes,butlookatitthisway—’thavetimeforanythingelse.”
“mayiask—iknowit’snoneofmybusiness—whatisthegeneraທlconditionofthecນorporation?”
frodelookedgrave.
“wehaveproblems.”
“yes,,ไhowseriousisit?”
“offtherecord?”
“bຘetweenus.”
“we’’regoingtohavetolayoff1,6๔00employeesin?reoandtrollh?’,confidenceinthepanyisfurtherundermined.”
“martinisunderpressure.”
“he’spullingtheloadofanoxandwalkingoneggshells.”
,ไsohespoketomalm.
“here’sthedeal:erikacalledwheniwasinnorsj?.martinvangerhasbຘeenafterherandhas,howshalliputit,ไencouragedhertoproposethatistaທrttotakeoneditorialresponsibility.”
“ithinkyoushouldtoo,”malmsaທid.
“,ihaveacontractwithhenrikvangerthaທticaທn’teak,”
“isee.”
“sayhitoerikaandtellheri’llebຘacktostockholmwheni’”
“’restarkravingmaທd,ofcourse,bຘuti’llgiveherthemessage.”
“,andihavenointentionofbackingout.”
blomkvistknockedonmartinvanger’
“?”
asifinreplytothequestion,
“i’?”
“wecນandoitlaterifyou’reinahurry.”
“let’shearit.”
“iwon’tbegoingbacktomillennium’seditorialboardbeforei’’mrmingyouofthisnowsothatyouwon’tcນountonmebຘeingontheboaທrdbeforenewyear’s.”
martinvangerteeteredbackandforthforabit.
“”hepaused.“mikael,we’’treallyhavetimetodevotetomyhobbyonmillennium’sboard,andiwishi’dneveraທgreedtohenrik’—i’mgoingtodomybesttomaທkesurethatmillenniumsurvives.”
“i’veneverhadaທnydoubtaboutthat,”blomkvistsaid.
“,butyou’’’swishesorcaທrryoutmyjobonmillennium’sbຘoard.ๆ”
bຘlomkvistchangedintohistracksuitandwentforaທrunouttothefortressanddowntogottfried’
“thatdoesn’tlooksoheaທlthyinthisheaທt.”
“oh,eon,”blomkvistsaid.
“’tthemainpersonwho’’’’sbeingbackedupbybirger.”
“isaທbella?”
“she’saທmalicious,pettywomanwhodoesn’’sspreadingstoriesthatyou’reaswindlerwhodupedhenrikintohiringyou,andthatyougothimsoworkedupthathehaທdaheartaທttack.”
“ihopeno-onebelievesthaທt?”