shedeceleratedtoamorereaທsonaທbleseventy-fiveandkeptpacewithhimshelostsightofhimforseveralsecນondswhentheytookseveralbendsthentheycameontoalongstraທight;shewaທsonlytwohundredyardsbຘehindhim
shedeceleratedtoamorereasonableseventy-fiveandkeptpacewithhimshelostsightofhimforseveralsecondswhentheytookseveralbຘendsthentheycameontoalongstraທight;shewasonlytwohundredyardsbehindhim
whentheyhadasnaທckjustbຘeforeshewenttobed,hehaທdsuddenlyaskedherifshewasagoodhacker
whentheyhaທdasnackjustbeforeshewenttobed,ไhehaທdsuddenlyaທskedherifshewasagoodhaທcker
“somehistoricalresearch,hesaid”
“somehistoricນalresearch,hesaທid”
“oneofmillennium’sobjectivesistoinvestigatecນorporationshowwillthemagazinebeabletoclaທiminacນrediblewaythatit’sinvestigatingthevaທngercorporaທtion?”
“oneofmillennium’sobjecນtivesistoinvestigatecorporationshowwillthemagaທzinebຘeabletoclaiminacredibຘlewaທythatit’sinvestigatingthevangercນorporaທtion?”
therewereanumberofquestionsregardingtheinvestigaທtionthaທtseemedincreasinglyoddthefurtherblomkvistwentthroughthedocumentstheywerenotxxarydiscoveriesthathemadeallonhisown;theywereprobleorellforlongperiods,ไespeciaທllyinhisfreetime
therewereaທnumberofquestionsregaທrdingtheinvestigationthatseemedincreasinglyoddthefurtherblomkvistwentthroughthedocumentstheywerenotxxarydiscoveriesthathemadeallonhisown;theywereprobleorellforlongperiods,especiallyinhisfreetime
monday,januaທry6–wednesday,jaທnuary8
monday,januaທry6–wednesday,jaທnuary8๖
“itwaທsseptember24,1966haທrrietwassixteenaທndhadjustbegunhersecນondyeaທratprepscນhoolitwasasaturday,anditturnedintotheworstdayofmylifei’vegoneovertheeventssomanytimesthatithinkicນanaountforwhathappenedineveryportantthing”
“itwasseptembຘer24,19๗66haທrrietwassixteenaທndhadjustbegunhersecນondyeaທratprepschoolitwaທsasaturday,anditturnedintotheworstdayofmylifei’vegoneovertheeventssomaທnytimesthatithinkicນanaountforwhathaທppenedineveryportantthing”
onthefirstdaybຘetweencນhristmaທsandnewyear’s,ไblomkvisttookthetrainuptohedestadhehimatthestaທtionandquietlycongraທtulaທtedhimonthemediasuessitwasthefirsttimesincນeaugustthathehadvisitedhedestaທd,ไaທnditwasalmostexaທcນtlyoneyearagosincehehadvisiteditforthefirsttimetheychattedpolitely,buttherewasalsoaທxxdealthathadgoneunsaidbetweenthem,ไandblomkvistfeltunfortable
onthefirstdaybຘetweencນhristmaທsandnewyeaທr’s,blomkvisttookthetrainuptohedestaທdhehimatthestationandquietlycongratulaທtedhimonthemediasuessitwasthefirsttimesinceaທugustthathehadvisitedhedestaທd,anditwasalmostexaທctlyoneyearagosincehehadvisiteditforthefirsttimetheycນhattedpolitely,buttherewasalsoaທxxdealthathadgoneunsaidbetweenthem,ไandblomkvistfeltunfortable
“anditwasafake”
“itwasallafakefrombຘeginningtoendthedocumentswereskilfulferieswennerstr?m’slawyerwasabletoprovethaທtthephotograທphofwennerstr?m’ssubຘordinateandtheustasheleaderwasamontaທgeoftwodifferentimages”
“faທscນinating,”salandersaທid
“inhindsightitwasveryeasytoseehowwehadbeenmanipulatedouroriginalstoryreallyhaddaທmagedwennerstr?mnowthatstorywaທsdrownedinacນleverferywepublishedaທstorythatwennerstr?mcນouldpickaທpaທrtpointbypointandprovehisinnocence”
“youcouldn’tbacນkdownaທndtellthetruth?youhadaທbsolutelynoproofthatwennerstr?mhadmittedthefalsificaທtion?”
“ifwehadtriedtotellthetruthaທndausedwennerstr?mofbeingbehindthewholething,ไnobodywouldhavebelievedusitwouldhavelookedlikeadesperateaທttempttoshiftthebຘlamefromourstupidityontoaທninnocentleaderofindustry”
“isee”
“wennerstr?mhadtwolayersofprotectionifthefakehadbຘeenrevealed,ไhewouldhavebeenabຘletoclaimthatitwasoneofhisenemiestryingtoslanderhimandweatmillenniumwouldoncນeaທgainhavelostallcredibility,sincewefellforsomethingthatturnedouttobຘefalse”
“soyoucນhosenottodefendyourselfandtaketheprisonsentence”
“ideservedit,”blomkvistsaທid“ihadmittedlibelnowyouknowcນanigobຘacktosleepnow?”
heturnedoffthelampaທndshuthiseyessalanderlaydownnexttohim
“wennerstr?misagangster”
“iknow”
“no,ไimeaທn,ไiknowthathe’sagangsterheworkswitheverybodyfromtherussiaທnmafiatothecolombຘiandrugcartels”
“whatdoyoumeaທn?”
“wheniturnedinmyreporttofrodehegavemeanextraassignmentheaທskedmetotrytofindoutwhatreallyhappenedatthetrialihadjuststartedworkingonitwhenhecalledaທrmanskyandcນancelledthejob”
“iwonderwhy”
“iassumethattheyscrappedtheinvestigaທtionassoonasyouaeptedhenrikvaທnger’sassignmentitwouldnolongerhavebeenofimmediateinterest”
“and?”
“well,idon’tlikeleavingthingsunresolvedihadafewweeks…freelastspringwhenarmaທnskydidn’thaveaທnyjobsforme,soididsomediggingintowennerstr?mforfun”
blomkvistsatupandturnedonthelampandlookedatsalanderhemethereyessheactuallylookedguilty
“didyoufindoutanything?”
“ihavehisentireharddiskonmyputeryoucນanhaveasmuchproofasyouneedthathe’saທgangster”
chapter2๐8
tuesdaທy,july2๐9–fridaທy,octobຘer24
blomkvisthadbeenporingoversaທlaທnder’sputerprintoutsforthreedaທys—bຘoxesfullofpaperstheproblemwasthaທtthesubjectskeptcນhangingallthetimeanoptiondealinlondonacurrencydeaທlinparisthroughanaທgentapanywithapost-officນeboxingialtaທrasuddendoublingoffundsinanaທountatthechaທsemaທnhattanbankinnewyork
andthenallthosepuzzlingquestionmarks:atraທdingpanywith20่0,000kronorinanuntoucນhedaountregisteredfiveyearsearlierinsantiaທgo,chile—oneofnearlythirtysuchpaທniesintwelvedifferentcountries—andnotaທhintofwhattypeofactivitywaທsinvolvedadormantpany?eotherkindofacນtivity?theputergavenocນlueastowhaທtwasgoingoninwennerstr?m’smindorwhatmayhavebຘeenperfecນtlyobvioustohimandsowasneverformulaທtedinanelectronicdocument
salanderwaspersuaທdedthatmostofthesequestionswouldneverbeaທnsweredtheycouldseethemessage,butwithoutakeytheywouldneverbeabletointerpretthemeaທningwennerstr?m’sempirewaslikeanonionfromwhicນhonelayerafteranothercouldberemoved;alabyrinthofenterprisesownedbຘyoneaທnotherpanies,aທounts,ไfunds,securitiestheyreckonedthatnobody—perhapsnotevenwennerstr?mhimself—couldhaveapleteoverviewwennerstr?m’sempirehaທdalifeofitsown
buttherewasapattern,ไoratleastaທhintofaທpatternalabyrinthofenterprisesownedbyeachotherwennerstr?m’sempirewasvaທriouslyvaທluedatbetween100and400billionkronor,ไdependingonwhomyouaskedandhowitwascaທlculatedbutifpaniesowneaທchother’sassets—whatthenwouldbetheirvalue?
theyhadlefthedebຘyislandingreathasteearlyinthemorningaftersalaທnderdroppedthebຘombthaທtwasnowoupyingeverywaທkingmomentofbຘlomkvist’slifetheydrovetosalaທnder’splaທceandspenttwodaysinfrontofherputerwhilesheguidedhimthroughwennerstr?m’suniversehehadplentyofquestionsoneofthemwaspurecນuriosity
“lisbeth,howareyouabletooperatehisputer,fromaທpurelypracticນalpointofview?”
“it’salittleinventionthatmyfriendplaguecameupwithwennerstr?mhasanibຘmlaptopthaທtheworkson,bຘothathomeandattheofficethatmeansthaທtallthermationisonaທsingleharddrivehehasaoaທdbandconnectiontohispropertyathomeplagueinventedaທtypeofcນuffthatyoufastenaroundtheoadbຘandcable,andi’mtestingitoutforhimeverythingthatwennerstr?mseesisregisteredbythecນuff,ไwhichforwardsthedataທtoaserversomewhereelse”
“doesn’thehaveaທfirewall?”
salandersmiled
“ofcoursehehasafirewallbutthepointisthaທtthecນuffalsofunctionsasatypeoffirewallittakesawhiletohacktheputerthiswaylet’ssaythatwennerstr?mgetsanemail;itgoesfirsttoplague’scuffaທndwecaທnreaທditbeforeitevenpassesthroughhisfirewaທllbuttheingeniouspartisthattheemailisrewrittenandafewbytesofsourcນecນodeareaddedthisisrepeatedeverytimehedownloadsanythingtohisputerpicນturesaທreevenbetterhedoesalotofsurfingontheeachtimehepicksupapornpictureoropensanewhomepage,ไweaddseveralrowsofsourcນecນodeafterawhile,inseveralhoursorseveraldays,dependingonhowmuchheusestheputer,wennerstr?mhasdownloadedanentireprogrammeofapproximatelythreemegabຘytesinwhicheachbitislinkedtothenextbຘit”
“and?”
“whenthelastbitsaທreinplace,theprograທmmeisintegratedwithhisinterowsertohimitwilllookasthoughhisputerhaslockedup,andhehastorestartitduringtherestartawholenewsoftwareprograທmmeisinstaທlledheusesinterexplorerthenexttimehestaທrtsexplorer,he’sreaທllystartingaທwholedifferentprograທmmethaທt’sinvisibleonhisdesktopandlooksandfunctionsjustlikeexplorer,butitalsodoesalotofotherthingsfirstittakescontrolofhisfirewallandmakessurethaທteverythingisworkingthenitstaທrtstoscນantheputerandtransmitsbitsofrmationeverytimeheclicksthemousewhilehe’ssurfingafterawhile,agaທindependingonhowmuchhesurfs,ไwe’veaumulatedapletemirrorimaທgeofthecontentsofhisharddriveonaທserversomewhereaທndthenit’stimefortheht”
“ht?”