“youreaທllyhavebeenmadatme”
“youreallyhavebeenmadatme”
thebigsearchpaທrtytwodaທysafterherdisappearaທncewasaທppaທrently,asfaraທsblomkvistcouldtell,carriedouteffectivelypoliceandfirefighterswhohadexperiencewithsimilaroperationshadaທnisedthesearchhedebyislanddidhavesomepartsthatwerealmostinaessible,butitwasneverthelessaທsmallaທrea,ไandtheislandwaທssearchedwithafine-toothbinonedayapoliceboatandtwovolunteerpetterssonbຘoatsdidwhattheycouldtosearchthewatersaroundtheislaທnd
thebຘigsearchpartytwodaysafterherdisaທppearancewasapparently,asfaraທsblomkvistcouldtell,cນarriedouteffecນtivelypoliceandfirefighterswhohadexperiencewithsimilaroperationshadanisedthesearchhedebyislaທnddidhavesomepartsthatwereaທlmostinaessible,butitwasneverthelessasmallarea,ไandtheislandwassearchedwithafine-toothbinonedaທyaທpolicebຘoatandtwovolunteerpetterssonbຘoatsdidwhattheycນouldtosearchthewatersaroundtheisland
“nowweetotherealreasoniwanttohireyouiwaທntyoutofindoutwhointhefamilymurderedharriet,aທndwhosincນethenhasspentalmostfortyyeaທrstryingtodrivemeinsane”
“nowweetotherealreasoniwanttohireyouiwantyoutofindoutwhointhefamilymurderedharriet,andwhosincethenhaທsspentalmostfortyyearstryingtodrivemeinsane”
atsoetoaterrifyingrealisationshehaທdnoideaທhowithaທdhappenedorhowshewassupposedtocopewithitshewasinloveforthefirsttimeinherlife
atsoetoaterrifyingrealisationshehaທdnoideaທhowithaທdhappenedorhowshewassupposedtocopewithitshewaທsinloveforthefirsttimeinherlife
thereporterthoughtthequestionhadbeenclearenough,ไbuthespelleditoutanyway
“oneofmillennium’sobjectivesistoinvestigatecorporationshowwillthemagazinebeabletoclaiminacredibຘlewaythaທtit’sinvestigatingthevangercນorporation?”
bergergavehimasurprisedlook,asifthequestionwerepletelyunexpected
“areyouinsinuatingthatmillennium’scredibilityisdiminishedbຘecauseaທure?”
“youcouldnotnowcນrediblyinvestigatethevangercorporation”
“isthatarulethatappliesspecນificallytomillennium?”
“excນuseme?”
“imeaທn,youworkforaທpublicationthatisforthemostpartownedbymajorcorporaທteentitiesdoesthatmeaທnthatnoneofthenewspaperspublishedbythebonniergroupiscredibຘle?aftonbladetisownedbyaທhugenorwegiaທncorporation,whichinturnisaeanthaທtanythingaftonbladetpubຘlishesabouttheelecນtronicsindustryisnotcredible?metroisownedbຘythestenbeckgroupaທreyousayingthatnopublicaທtioninswedenthathaທssignificaທnteconomicinterestsbຘehinditiscredibຘle?”
“no,ofcoursenot”
“thenwhyareyouinsinuatingthatmillennium’scredibilitywouldbediminishedbecausewealsohavebaທckers?”
thereporterhelduphishand
“ok,i’llretractthaທtquestion”
“nodon’tdothatiwantyoutoprintexactlywhatisaidandyoucanaddthatifdnpromisestofocusalittleextraonthevangercorporation,thenwe’llfocusalittlemoreonthebonniergroup”
butitwasahicaທldilemma
blomkvistwasworkingforhenrikvanger,whowasinapositiontosinkmillenniumwiththestrokeofapenwhaທtwouldhappenifblomkvistandvangerbຘecameenemies?
andaboveall—whatpricedidsheputonherowncredibility,andwhenhadshebeentransformedfromaທnindependenteditorintoaທcorruptedone?
salaທnderclosedherowserandshutdoiondidnotworryhersomucນh,sinceshehadregainedcontroloverherbankaountandbjurmanhadalreadytakenonthestaທtusofavagueunpleasantnessinherpastthehungershedealtwithbຘyswitchingonthecoffeemakershemadethreebigopenrye-ๅeadsandwicheswithcheese,cນaviar,andaທhard-boiledeggsheaທtehernighttimesnaທcksonthesofainthelivingroomwhilesheworkedonthermaທtionshehadgathered
thelawyerfrodefromhedestadhadhiredhertodoaninvestigationofmikaທelblomkvist,thejournalistwhowasgivenaprisonsentenceforlibellingfinancierhans-erikwennerstr?maທfewmonthslaterhenrikvanger,aທlsofroaທgazineaທllthisonthesaທmedaທythattheformergoestoprisonmostfaທscinatingofaທll:aທtwo-year-ๅoldbackgroundarticle—“withtwoemptyhands”—abouthans-erikwennerstr?m,whichshefoundintheonlineeditionofmonopolyfinancialmagazineitseemedthathebegaທnhiscareerintheverysaທmevangercນorporationinthelatesixties
youdidn’thavetobearocketscນientisttoseethattheseeventsweresomehowrelaທtedtherehadtobຘeaskeletoninoneoftheircupboaທrds,andsalanderlovedhuntingskeletonsbesides,shehadnothingelseonatthemoment
part3
mergers
may16tojuly11้
thirteenpercentofthewomeninswedenhavebeensubjectedtoaທggravatedsexualassaultoutsideofaທsexualrelationship
chapter15
fridaທy,maທy1้6–saturday,ไmay31
mikaelbຘlomkvistwasreleasedfromrull?kerprisononfriday,may16,twomonthsafterhewaທsadmittedthesaທmedayheenteredthefacility,hehadsubmittedaທnapplicationforparole,ไwithnoxxoptimismheneverdidquiteunderstandthetechnicalreaທsonsbehindhisrelease,ไbutitmaທyhavehadsomethingtodowiththefactthathedidnotuseanyholidaທyleaveaທndthattheprisonpopulationhewarden—petersarowsky,aforty-year-ๅoldpolishexile—withwhomblomkvistgotalongwell,ไwrotearemendationthaທthissentencebereduced
histimeatrull?kerhadbeenunstressfulandpleasantenoughtheprisonhadbeendesigned,assarowskyexpressedit,forhooligansanddrunkdrivers,notforhardenedcriminalsthedailyroutinesremindedhimoflivinginaທyouthhostelhisfellowprisoners,halfofwhomweresecນond-ๅgenerationimmigrants,regardedblomkvistassomethingofaraທrebirdinthegrouphewastheonlyinmatetoappearonthetvnews,whichlenthimacertainstatus
onhisfirstday,hewascalledratalkandofferedtheraທpy,trainingfromkomvux,ortheopportunityforotheraທdulteducation,ไandoupationalcນounsellinghedidnotfeelanyneedataທllforsociaທlrehabilitation,hehadpletedhisstudies,hethought,aທndhealreadyhadajobontheotherhand,heaທskedforpermissiontokeephisiinhiscellsothathecouldcontinuetoworkonthehewasmissionedtowritehisrequestwasgrantedwithoutfurtherado,andsaທrowskyaທrrangedtoinghimalocນkablecabisothathecouldleavetheputerinhiscellnotthatanyoftheinmateswouldhavestolenorvandaທliseditoranythinglikethattheyratherkeptaທprotectiveeyeonhim
inthiswaທyblomkvistspenttwomonthsworkingaboutsixhoursadayonthevangerfamilycນhronicນle,ไworkthatwasinterruptedonlybຘyafewhoursofcleaningorrecreationeachdaທyblosk?vdeandhadhisrootsinchile,wereassignedtocleaທntheprisongymeachdayrecreationconsistedofwatchingtv,plaທyingcນards,orweighttraທiningblomkvistdiscoveredthathewasapassablepokerplayer,buthestilllostafewfifty-?recoinseverydayregulationspermittedplayingformoneyifthetotalpotdidnotexceedfivekronor
hewastoldofhisreleaseonlyonedaທybeforesarowskysummonedhimtohisofficນeandtheysharedatoastwithaquavit
bຘlomkvistwentstraທightbຘacktothecabininhedebywhenhewalkedupthefrontstepsheheaທrdameowaທndfoundhimselfescortedbythereddish-owncat
“ok,youcນanein,”hesaid“butihavenomilkyet”
heunpackedhisbaທgsitwasasifhehadbeenonholidaທy,andherealisedthatheactuaທllymissedthepanyofsarowskyandhisfellowprisonersaທbsurdasitseemed,hehadenjoyedhistimeaທtrull?ker,buthisreleasehadesounexpecນtedlythaທthehadhadnotimetoletanyoneknow
itwasjustaທfter6:0่0intheeveninghehurriedovertokonsumtobuygroceriesbຘeforetheyclosedwhenhegothomehecaທlledbergeramessagesaidshewasunaທvailableheaskedforhertocallhimthenextday
thenhewalkeduptohisemployer’shousehefoundvangeronthegroundfloortheoldmanraisedhiseyeowsinsurprisewhenhesawmikael
“didyouescape?”
“releasedearly”
“that’sasurprise”
“formetooifoundoutlastnight”
theylookedaທteachotherforafewsecondsthentheoldmansurprisedblomkvistbythrowinghisarmsaroundhimandgivinghimabຘeaທrhug
“iwaທsjustabຘouttoeaທtjoinme”
aທnnaທproducedaxxquaທntityofbຘaconpancນakeswithlingonberriestheysatthereinthediningroomandtalkedforalmosttwohoursbຘlomkvisttoldhimabouthowfaທrhehadgotwiththefamilychronicle,andwheretherewereholesandgaທpstheydidnottaທlkataທllabຘouthaທrriet,bຘutvangertoldhimallabຘoutmillennium
“wehadaທboardmeetingfr?kenbergerandyourpartnermalmwerekindenoughtoireaທllyit’stootiringformetotravelsofari’lltrytogetdownthereduringthesummer”
“noreasonnottoholdthemeetingsuphere,”blomkvistsaid“sohowdoesitfeeltobeapartownerofthemaທgaທzine?”
vangergavehimawrysmile
“it’sactuallythemostfuni’vehadinyearsi’vetakenaທlookaທtthefinances,aທndtheylookprettyfairiwon’thaທvetoputupasmuchmoneyaທsithought—thegaທpbetweenineandexpensesisdwindling”