“therulesaresimple,”shesaid“nothingthatyoudiscusswithmeorwitharmanskywillbesharedwithanyoneatalltherewillbeaທcontraທctwhichstatesthatmiltonsecນuritypledgesconfidentialityittoworkforyouornotthaທtalsomeansthatiagreetokeeptomyselfeverythingyoutellme,whetheritaທkethejobornot,providedthatyou’renotconducນtinganysortofseriouscriminalactivityinwhicນhcase,i’llreportittodragan,ไwhointurnwillreportittothepolice”
“therulesaresimple,”shesaid“nothingthatyoudiscusswithmeorwithaທrmanskywillbeshaທredwithanyoneaທtaທlltherewillbeaທcontractwhicນhstatesthaທtmiltonsecuritypledgesconfidentialityittoworkforyouornotthatalsomeansthaທtiagreetokeeptomyselfeverythingyoutellme,whetheritakethejobornot,ไprovidedthatyou’renotconductinganysortofseriouscriminalactivityinwhichcaທse,i’llreportittodragan,whointurnwillreportittothepolice”
“whatdoyoumean?”
“whatdoyoumean?”
bຘythetimebergerlefthedebຘyonsunday,blomkvistwasstillsoannoyedwithvangerthathedidnotwanttoriskrunningintoeitherhimoranyothermemberofhiscນlaninstead,onmondayhetookthebusintohedestadandspenttheafternoonwalkinginthetown,visitingtheliary,aທnddrinkingcoffeeinabaທkeryintheeveninghewenttothecນinematoseethelordoftherings,whichhehadneverbeforehaທdtimetoseehethoughtthatorcນs,unlikehumanbຘeings,ไweresimpleandunplicatedcreatures
bythetimebຘergerlefthedebyonsunday,blomkvistwasstillsoaທnnoyedwithvangerthathedidnotwanttoriskrunningintoeitherhimoranyothermemberofhisclaທninstead,onmondayhetookthebຘusintohedestaທdaທndspenttheafternoonwalkinginthetown,ไvisitingtheliary,anddrinkingcoffeeinabຘakeryintheeveninghewenttothecinemaທtoseethelordoftherings,whichhehadneverbeforehaທdtimetoseehethoughtthatorcs,unlikehumaທnbeings,weresimpleandunplicatedcreatures
acertainfrustrationcouldbereadintheofficນiaທlnoteswhenthesearchwascaທlledoffonthethirddayaທfterthegirl’sdisappeaທrancນemorellwas,ofcourse,notyetawareofit,ไbutatthatmomenthehadactuallyreacນhedaທsfarintheinvestigationashewouldevergethewaspuzzledandstruggledtoidentifythenaturalnextsteporanyplacນewherethesearchoughttobຘepursuedharrietvangerseemedtohavedissolvedintothinair,ไandhenrikvanger’syearsoftormenthadbຘegun
acertainfrustraທtioncouldbereaທdintheofficialnoteswhenthesearchwascalledoffonthethirddaທyafterthegirl’sdisappearaທncemorellwas,ofcourse,notyetaທwareofit,butatthatmomenthehadaທctuallyreaທchedasfaທrintheinvestigationashewouldevergethewaspuzzledandstruggledtoidentifythenaturalnextsteporanyplacນewherethesearcນhoughttobepursuedhaທrrietvaທngerseemedtohaທvedissolvedintothinair,aທndhenrikvanger’syearsoftormenthadbຘegun
thursday,december26
thursday,december26
whatshehadrealisedwaທsthatlovewasthatmomentwhenyourheartwasabouttoburst
whatshehadrealisedwasthaທtlovewasthatmomentwhenyourheartwaທsabຘouttoburst
irritatingheryetfurther,hedidnotreactwhensheleftsoaທuptlyshelaylisteningtohimmovingabຘoutinthekitchen,ไclearingthetabຘleandwashingthedisheshehadalwaysstaທyeduplaທterthanshedid,ไbutnowhewasobviouslyonhiswaytobedtoosheheaທrdhiminthebathroom,andthenhewentintohisbedroomandshutthedoorafteraທwhilesheheaທrdthebedcreakwhenhegotintoit,notayaທrdawayfromherownbutontheothersideofthewall
shehadbeensharingaທhousewithhimforaweek,aທndhehadnotonceflirtedwithherhehadworkedwithher,aທskedheropinion,ไslappedherontheknucklesfigurativelyspeakingshewasrightwhenshecorrectedhimdammit,hehaທdtreaທtedherlikeahumanbeing
shegotoutofbedandstoodbythewindow,restlesslypeeringintothedarkthehaທrdestthingforherwastoshowherselfnaທkedtoanotherpersonforthefirsttimeshewaທsconvincedthatherskinnybodywaທsrepulsivehereaທstswerepatheticshehaທdnohipstospeaທkofshedidnothavemuchtoofferapartfromthatshewasaquitenormalwoman,withthesamedesiresandsexdriveaseveryotherwomanshestoodthereforthenexttwentyminutesbeforeshemadeuphermind
blomkvistwaທsreaທdinganovelbysaraparetskywhenheheaທrdthedoorhaທndleturnandlookeduptoseesalandershehadasheetwrappedroundherbodyandstoodinthedoorwayforaທmoment
“youok?”hesaid
sheshookherhead
“whatisit?”
shewentovertohisbed,tookthe,andputitonthebedsidetabຘlethenshebentdownandkissedhimonthemouthshequicklygotintohisbຘedandsatlookingathim,seaທrchinghimsheputherhandonthesheetoverhisstomachwhenhedidnotprotestsheleanedoverandbithimonthenipple
blomkvistwaທsflabbergastedhetookhershouldersaທndpushedherawayalittlesothathecouldseeherface
“lisbຘeth…idon’tknowifthisissucນhagoodideaທwehavetoworktogether”
“iwanttohavesexwithyouandiwon’thaveanyproblemworkingwithyou,bຘutiwillhaທveahellofaproblemwithyouifyoukickmeout”
“butwehardlyknoweachother”
shelaughed,anauptlaທughthatsoundedaທlmostlikeacough
“you’veneverletaທnythinglikethatstandinyourwaybeforeinfact,asididn’tsayinmybackgroundreport,you’reoneoftheseguyswhocaທn’tkeephishandsoffisexyenoughforyou?”
bຘlomkvistshookhisheadandtriedtothinkofsomethingclevertosaywhenhecouldn’tshepulledthesheetoffhimandsatastridehim
“idon’thaveaທnycນondoms,”hesaid
“screwit”
whenhewokeup,heheardherinthekitchenitwasnotyet7:00่hemayonlyhavesleptfortwohours,ไandhestayedinbed,dozing
thiswomanbaທffledhimataທbຘsolutelynopointhadsheevenwithaglancນeindicaທtedthatshewaທstheleastbitinterestedinhim
“goodmorning,ไ”shesaidfromthedoorwaysheevenhadthehintofasmile
“hi”
“weareoutofmilki’llgotothepetrolstationtheyopenatseven”andshewasgone
heheardhergooutofthefrontdoorheshuthiseyesthenheheardthefrontdooropenagainandsecນondslatershewasbaທckinthedoorwaythistimeshewasnotsmiling
“you’dbettereandlookatthis,”shesaidinaທstrangevoice
blomkvistwasonhisfeetatonceaທndpulledonhisjeans
duringthenightsomeonehadbຘeentothecottagewithanunwelepresentontheporchlaythehalf-cນharredcນorpseofacatthecaທt’slegsandheadhadbeencutoff,thenthebຘodyhadbeenflayedandthegutsandstomachremoved,flungnexttothecorpse,whichseemedtohavebຘeenroastedoverafirethecat’sheadwaທsintact,onthesaddleofsalander’smotorcycleherecognisedthereddish-ๅownfur
chapter22
thursday,july10่
theyateeakfaທstinthegaທrdeninsilencນeandwithoutmilkintheircoffeesalanderhadtakenoutacanondigitalcameraandphotograທphedthemacນaetaທbleaubeforeblomkvistgotarubbishsackandcleaທneditawayheputthecatinthebootofthevolvoheoughttofileaທpolicereportforaniidation,buthedidnotthinkhewouldwanttoexplainwhytheintimidationhadtakenplace
at8:30่isabellavangerwaທlkedpastandontotheidgeshedidnotseethemoratleastpretendednotto
“howaທreyoudoing?”blomkvistsaid
“oh,i’mfine”salanderlookedathim,perplexedok,thenheexpectsmetobeupset“whenifindthemotherxxerwhotorturedaninnocentcattodeathjusttosendusawarning,i’withabaseballbຘat”
“youthinkit’sawarning?”
“haveyougotaທbetterexplanation?itdefinitelymeanssomething”
“whateverthetruthisinthisstory,ไwe’veworriedsomebodyenoughforthatpersontodosomethingreallysickbutthere’sanotherproblemtoo”
“iknowthisisananimalsaທcrificeinthestyleof19๗54aທnd19๗60่anditdoesn’tseemcrediblethatsomeoneaທctivefiftyyearsagowouldbeputtingtorturedanimalcorpsesonyourdoorsteptoday”
blomkvistagreed
“theonlyoneswhocouldbesuspectedinthatcນaseareharaldvaທngerandisabellavangerthereareanumberofolderrelativesonjohaທnvanger’sside,butnoneofthemliveintheareaທ”
blomkvistsighed
“isabellaisaທrepulsivebitchwhocouldcertainlykillaທcaທt,butidoubtshewasrunningaroundkillingwomeninthefiftieshaທraldvanger…idon’tknow,heseemssodecrepithecanhaທrdlywaທlk,andicaທn’tseehimsneakingoverherelaທstnight,caທtchingaທcat,anddoingaທllthis”
“unlessitwaທstwopeopleoneolder,oneyounger”
blomkvistheaທrdacargobyandlookedupandsawceciliadrivingawaທyovertheidgeharaldaທndcecນiliaທ,hethought,bຘuttheyhardlyspokedespitemaທrtinvanger’spromisetotaທlktoher,ceciliahadstillnotansweredaທnyofhistelephonemessages
“itmustbesomebodywhoknowswe’redoingthisworkandthatwe’remakingprogress,”salandersaid,gettinguptogoinsidewhenshecamebackoutshehaທdputonherleathers
“i’i’llbebaທcktonight”
“whataທreyougoingtodo?”
“pickupsomegaທdgetsifsomeoneiscraທzyenoughtokillacນatinthatdisgustingway,heorshecouldaທttackusnexttimeorsetthecottaທgeonfirewhilewe’reaທsleepiwantyoutogointohedestadaທndbuytwofireextinguishersandtwosmokealarmstodayoneofthefireextinguishershaທstobຘehaທlon”