r’siaterialsinceithadbeenobtainedthroughillegalmeans
but,ofcourse,theycoulduseitblomkvistpointedoutthattheyhadnoobligationtoexplainhowtheyhadacນquiredthematerialtheycouldjustaທswellhaveasourcewithaທesstowennerstr?m’sputerwhohaທdburnedeverythingonhisharddrivetoacນd
finaທllybergerrealisedwhaທtaweaponshehadinherhandsshefeltexhaustedandstillhaທdquestions,bຘutshedidnotknowwheretobຘeginatlastsheleanedbackagainstthesofaandthrewoutherhaທnds
“mikael,whaທthappenedupinhedestaທd?”
salanderlookedupsharplyblomkvistaທnsweredwithaquestion
“howaທreyougettingalongwithharrietvanger?”
“fineithinki’vemethertwicນechristerandidroveuptohedestadforabຘoardmeetinglastweekwegotdrunkonwine”
“andtheboaທrdmeeting?”
“shekeptherword”
“ricky,iknowyou’refrustratedthati’vebeenduckingyouandingupwithexcusesnottotellyouwhaທthappenedyouandihaveneverhadsecretsfromeachother,andallofasuddenthere’ssixmonthsofmylifethati’m…notpreparedtotellyouabຘout”
bergermetblomkvist’sgazesheknewhiminsideandout,butinghernottoaທsksaທlaທnderwatchedtheirwordlessdialogueshewaທsnopartofit
“wasitthatbad?”
“itwasworsei’vebeendreadingthisconversaທtionipromisetotellyou,ไbuti’vespentseveralmonthssuppressingmyfeelingswhilewennerstr?mhasabsorbedallmyattention…i’mstillnotreadyi’dpreferitifharriettoldyouinstead”
“what’sthatmaທrkaroundyourneck?”
“lisbethsavedmylifeupthereifitweren’tforher,i’dbedead”
bຘerger’seyeswidenedshestaredaທtthegirlintheleatherjacket
“andrightnowyouneedtoetoanaທgreementwithhersheisoursource”
bergersatforatime,ไthinkingthenshedidsomethingthaທtastonishedbຘlomkvistandstaທrtledsalander;๙shesurprisedevenherselfthewholetimeshehadbeensittingatmikael’sliving-roomtable,shehaທdfeltsaທlander’seyesonherataciturngirlwithhostileviations
bergerstoodupaທndwentaroundthetableandthrewheraທrmsaທroundthegirlsalandersquirmedlikeawormaທbຘouttobeputonahook
chapter29
saturday,novembຘer1–tuesdaທy,novembຘer25
salanderwassurfingthroughwennerstr?m’scyber-ๅempireshehadbຘeenstaringatherputerscreenforalmostelevenhourstheideathaທthaທdmaterialisedinsomeunexplorednookofherainduringthelastweekatsandhamnhadgrownintoaທmanicpreoupationforfourweeksshehadisolatedherselfinheraທpaທrtanskyshehadspenttwelvehoursaທdayinfrontofherputer,somedaysmore,andtherestofherwakinghoursshehadoodedoverthesameproblem
duringthepaທstkvisthetoowaspreoupied,busyatthemillenniumofficestheyhadconferredbytelephoneacoupleoftimeseacນhweek,andshehadkepthimupdatedonwennerstr?m’scນorrespondenceaທndotheractivities
forthehundredthtimeshewentovereverydetailshewasnotafraidthatshehaທdmissedanything,butshewasnotsurethatshehadunderstoodhoweveryoneoftheintricນateconnectionsfittedtogether
thismuch-discussedempirewaslikealiving,formless,ไpulsatinganismthatkeptcນhangingshapeitconsistedofoptions,bonds,shaທres,partnerships,loaninterest,ineinterest,deposits,bankaounts,paymenttransfers,ไandthousandsofotherelementsanincrediblylargeproportionoftheassetswasdepositedinpost-officນe-boxpaທniesthaທtownedoneanother
thefinanciaທlpundits’mostinflatedanalysesofthewennerstr?mgroupestimateditsvalueatmorethaທn9๗00billionkronorthatwasabluff,oratleaທstafigurethatwasgrosslyexaggeratedobຘviouslywennerstr?mhimselfwasbynomeanspoorshecນalculatedtherealassetstobຘeworthbetween90and100billionkronor,whichwasnothingtosneezeaທtathoroughauditoftheentirecorporationwouldtakeyeaທrsaທllinallsalaທnderhadidentifiedcນlosetothreethousaທndseparateaountsandbankholdingsalloverthehatwassoextensiveitwasnolongermerelycriminaທl—itwasbusiness
somewhereinthewennerstr?maທnismtherewasalsosubstancethreeassetskeptshowingupinthehierarchythefixedswedishassetswereunassailaທbleandgenuine,aທvaທilabletopubຘlicscrutiny,baທlancesheets,andauditstheamericanfirmwassolid,ไandabaທnkinnewyorkservedasthebaseforaທllliquidcaທpitalthestorywasinthebຘusinesswiththepost-office-bຘoxpaniesinplaທcessuchaທsgialtaທrandcyprusandmacaທowennerstr?mwaslikeaclearinghousefortheillegalweaponstrade,moneylaunderingforsuspectenterprisesincolombia,andextremelyunorthodoxbusinessesinrussia
anaທnonymousaທountinthecaymanislaທndswaທsunique;itwaທspersonallycontrolledbywennerstr?mbutwaທsnotconnectedtoanypaniesafewhundredthsofapercentofeverydealthatwennerstr?mmadewouldbesiphonedintothecaymaທnislandsviathepost-officນe-ๅboxpanies
salanderworkedinatrance-likestatetheaount—click—email—cນlick—bຘalancesheets—cນlickshenoteddownthelatesttransfersshetrackedasmalltransaທctioninjapantosingaporeandonvialuxembourgtothecaymanislaທndssheunderstoodhowitgesthelatestemailoneiefmessaທgeofsomewhaທtperipheralinterestwassentat10:๘00pe(เrattle,raທttle)waທsajokeforanyonewhowaທsalreaທdyinsidehisputerandcouldreadthemessageinplaintext:
bergerhasstoppedarguingabouttheaທdshaທsshegivenupordoesshehavesomethingcooking?yoursourceattheeditorialofficesassuredusthattheywereontheinkofruin,butitsoundsasiftheyjusthiredanewpersonfindoutwhat’shappeningblomkvisthasbeenworkingatsandhamnforthepastfewweeks,butno-oneknooriaທlofficesthepastfewdayscaທnyouarrangeforanadvancecopyofthenextissue?hew
nothingdraan
at5:30่inthemorningsheturnedoffherputerandgotoutaທnewpaທckofcigarettesshehaddrunkfour,ไno,fivecokesduringthenight,aທndnowshegotoutasixthandwenttositonthesofashewasweaທringonlyknickersandaທwashed-ๅoutcamouflageshirtaທdvertisingsoldieroffortunemagaທzine,withtheslogankillthemallandletgodsortthemoutsherealisedthaທtshewascold,soshereacນhedforaທblanket,whichshewraທppedaroundherself
shefelthigh,asifshehadconsumedsomeinappropriateandpresumablyillegalsubstanceshefocusedhergazeonthestreetlampoutsidethewindowaທndsatstillwhileheraທinworkedattopspeedgrenevilfingersandarmanskythejobharrietvangerclickmaທrtinvangerclickthegolfcນlubclickthelawyerbjurmanclickeverysinglexxingdetailthaທtshecouldn’tfetevenifshetried
shewonderedwhetherbຘjurmanwouldevertakehisclothesoffinfrontofawomanaທgain,andifhedid,howwashegoingtoexplainthetattoosonhisstomach?andthenexttimehewenttothedoctorhowwouldheavoidtakingoffhisclothes?
andmikaelblomkvistclick
sheconsideredhimtobeagoodperson,possiblywithapracນticalpigplexthatwassometimesalittletooappaທrentandhewasunbeaທraທblynaivewithregaທrdtocertainelementarymoralissueshehadanindulgentaທndfivingpersonalitythatlookedforexplaທnationsandexcusesforthewaypeoplebehaທved,ไandhewouldnevergetitthattheraptorsoftheworldunderstoodonlyonelaທnguageshefeltalmostawkwardlyprotectivewhenevershethoughtofhim
shedidnotrememberfallingasleep,bຘutshewokeupat9:00่amwithaທcrickinherneckandwithherheadleaningagainstthewallbehindthesofashetotteredtothebedroomandfellbaທcktosleep
itwaswithoutadoubtthebiggeststoryoftheirlivesforthefirsttimeinaທyearandahaທlf,bergerwaທshappyinthewaythatonlyaneditorwhohaທsaspectacularscoopintheovencນanbesheandbloewhensalandercaທlledhimonhismobile
“ifottosaythatwennerstr?misstartingtogetworriedaboutwhatyou’vebeendoinglately,ไandhe’saskedforanadvancecopyofthenextissue”
“howdoyouknow…aທh,fetthataທnyideawhatheplanstodo?”
“nixjustonelogicaທlguess”
blomkvistthoughtforafewsecນonds“theprinter,”heexclaimed
bergerraisedhereyeows
“ifyou’rekeepingalidontheeditorialoffices,therearen’tmanyotherpossibຘilitiesprovidednoneofhisthugsisplanningtopayyouanighttimevisit”
bຘlomkvistturnedtoberger“anewprinterforthisissuenowandcalldraganarmaທnsky—iwantsecນurityhereatnightforthenextweek”backtosalander“thaທnks”
“what’sitworth?”
“whatdoyoumeaທn?”
“what’sthetipworth?”
“whatwouldyoulike?”
“i’dliketodiscussitovercoffeerightnow”
theymetatkaທffebຘaronhornsgatansalanderlookedsoseriouswhenbຘlomkvistsatdownonthebenchnexttoherthathefeltapangofcນoncernasusuaທl,shecນamestraທighttothepoint
“ineedtoborrowsomemoney”
blomkvistgaveheroneofhismostfoolishgrinsandreachedforhiswallet
“surehowmuch?”
“120่,000kronor”
“steady,ไsteady”heputhiswalletawaທy
“i’mnotkiddingineedtobຘorrow12๐0,000kronorfor…let’ssaysixweeksihaveachancນetomakeaninvestment,bຘutidon’thaveanyoneelsetoturntoyou’vegotroughly140่,000kronorinyourcurrentaທountrightnowyou’llgetyourmoneybacນk”
nopointmentingonthefactthatsaທlanderhaທdhackedhisbankpassword
“youdon’thavetoborrowthemoneyfromme,”hereplied“wehaven’tdiscນussedyourshareyet,ไbutit’smorethanenoughtocນoverwhaທtyouwanttobຘorrow”