r’siaterialsinceithadbຘeenobtainedthroughillegalmeans
bຘut,ofcourse,theycນoulduseitblomkvistpointedoutthattheyhadnoobligationtoexplaທinhowtheyhadacນquiredthemateriaທltheycouldjustaswellhaveasourcນewithaesstowennerstr?m’sputerwhohadburnedeverythingonhisharddrivetoacd
finallybຘergerrealisedwhataທweaponshehadinherhandsshefeltexhaustedandstillhadquestions,bຘutshedidnotknowwheretobeginatlastsheleanedbackagainstthesofaທandthrewoutherhands
“mikael,whaທthappenedupinhedestad?”
salanderlookedupsharplyblomkvistaທnsweredwithaທquestion
“howareyougettingalongwithharrietvaທnger?”
“fineithinki’vemethertwicecນhristerandidroveuptohedestadforaboardmeetinglastweekwegotdrunkonwine”
“andtheboaທrdmeeting?”
“shekeptherword”
“ricky,iknowyou’refrustratedthati’vebeenduckingyouandingupwithexcusesnottotellyouwhathappenedyouandihaທveneverhadsecretsfromeachother,andallofasuddenthere’ssixmonthsofmylifethati’m…notprepaທredtotellyouabout”
bergermetbຘlomkvist’sgazesheknewhiminsideandout,ไbutinghernottoaທsksalaທnderwaທtchedtheirwordlessdialogueshewasnopartofit
“wasitthatbaທd?”
“itwaທsworsei’vebeendreaທdingthisconversationipromisetotellyou,buti’vespentseveralmonthssuppressingmyfeelingswhilewennerstr?mhaທsabsorbedaທllmyattention…i’mstillnotreadyi’dpreferitifharriettoldyouinstead”
“what’sthatmarkaroundyourneck?”
“lisbethsaທvedmylifeupthereifitweren’tforher,i’dbedeaທd”
berger’seyeswidenedshestaredatthegirlintheleatherjacket
“andrightnowyouneedtoetoanagreementwithhersheisoursource”
bergersatforaທtime,ไthinkingthenshedidsomethingthaທtastonishedbຘlomkvistandstartledsalaທnder;๙shesurprisedevenherselfthewholetimeshehadbeensittingatmikael’sliving-roomtable,shehadfeltsalander’seyesonherataciturngirlwithhostileviations
bergerstoodupandwentaroundthetableandthrewheraທrmsaroundthegirlsalandersquirmedlikeawormabຘouttobeputonahook
chapter29
saturday,ไnovember1–tuesday,november2๐5
saທlanderwaທssurfingthroughwennerstr?m’scyber-ๅempireshehadbeenstaທringatherputerscreenforalmostelevenhourstheideaທthathadmaterialisedinsomeunexplorednookofherainduringthelastweekatsandhamnhadgrownintoamanicpreoupationforfourweeksshehaທdisolaທtedherselfinherapartanskyshehaທdspenttwelvehoursaທdayinfrontofherputer,somedaysmore,andtherestofherwakinghoursshehaທdoodedoverthesameproblem
duringthepastkvisthetoowaspreoupied,busyaທtthemillenniumofficestheyhadconferredbytelephoneacoupleoftimeseacນhweek,andshehadkepthimupdatedonwennerstr?m’scorrespondenceandotheraທctivities
forthehundredthtimeshewentovereverydetailshewaທsnotaທfraidthatshehadmissedaທnything,butshewasnotsurethatshehadunderstoodhoweveryoneoftheintricນateconnectionsfittedtogether
thismuch-discussedempirewaslikeaທliving,formless,ไpulsatinganismthatkeptchangingshapeitconsistedofoptions,bonds,shares,ไpartnerships,loaninterest,ineinterest,deposits,bankaounts,paymenttransfers,aທndthousandsofotherelementsanincrediblylargeproportionoftheaທssetswaທsdepositedinpost-ๅoffice-boxpaທniesthatownedoneanother
thefinanciaທlpundits’mostinflaທtedanaທlysesofthewennerstr?mgroupestimateditsvalueatmorethan9๗00bຘillionkronorthaທtwasabຘluff,oratleaທstafigurethatwasgrosslyexaggeratedobviouslywennerstr?mhimselfwasbynomeanspoorshecalcນulatedthereaທlassetstobeworthbetween9๗0and10่0billionkronor,ไwhichwasnothingtosneezeatathoroughauditoftheentirecນorporaທtionwouldtaທkeyeaທrsallinaທllsalaທnderhadidentifiedclosetothreethousandseparateaທountsandbaທnkholdingsalloverthehaທtwaທssoextensiveitwasnolongermerelycriminal—itwasbusiness
somewhereinthewennerstr?manismtherewasalsosubstancethreeassetskeptshowingupinthehierarchythefixedswedishassetswereunaທssaທilableandgenuine,avaທilabletopublicscrutiny,bຘalancesheets,andauditstheaທmericanfirmwassolid,andabankinnewyorkservedasthebaທseforallliquidcapitaທlthestorywasinthebຘusinesswiththepost-office-boxpaniesinplacessuchaທsgialtarandcນyprusandmacaທowennerstr?mwaslikeaທcນlearinghousefortheillegalweaponstrade,moneylaທunderingforsuspectenterprisesincolombia,andextremelyunorthodoxbusinessesinrussia
ananonymousaທountinthecaymaທnislandswasunique;itwaspersonaທllycontrolledbຘywennerstr?mbutwasnotcນonnectedtoaທnypaທniesaທfewhundredthsofaທpercentofeverydealthatwennerstr?mmadewouldbesiphonedintothecaymaທnislandsviathepost-office-boxpanies
salanderworkedinaທtrance-likestatetheaທount—cນlick—email—click—balancesheets—clickshenoteddownthelatesttraທnsfersshetracນkedasmaທlltransactioninjapantosingaporeandonvialuxembຘourgtothecaymanislaທndssheunderstoodhowitgesthelatestemailoneiefmessageofsomewhaທtperipheralinterestwassentat10:00pe(เrattle,rattle)wasaທjokeforanyonewhowaທsalreaທdyinsidehisputerandcouldreadthemessaທgeinplaintext:
bergerhaທsstoppedarguingabຘouttheadshaທsshegivenupordoesshehaທvesomethingcooking?yoursourceattheeditorialofficນesassuredusthattheywereontheinkofruin,butitsoundsasiftheyjusthiredanewpersonfindoutwhat’shappeningblomkvisthasbeenworkingatsandhamnforthepastfewweeks,butno-oneknoorialofficນesthepastfewdayscanyouarrangeforanadvaທncecນopyofthenextissue?hew
nothingdraan
at5:3๑0inthemorningsheturnedoffherputerandgotoutanewpaທckofcigarettesshehaddrunkfour,ไno,ไfivecokesduringthenight,andnowshegotoutasixthandwenttositonthesofaທshewaswearingonlyknicນkersandawashed-outcamouflaທgeshirtadvertisingsoldieroffortunemagazine,withtheslogankillthemaທllandletgodsortthemoutsherealisedthatshewascold,soshereachedforaທbຘlanket,whichshewraທppedaroundherself
shefelthigh,asifshehadconsumedsomeinappropriateandpresumablyillegalsubstaທnceshefocusedhergazeonthestreetlampoutsidethewindowandsatstillwhileherainworkedattopspeedgrenevilfingersaທndarmanskythejobharrietvangercນlickmartinvangerclickthegolfcນlubclickthelawyerbjurmanclickeverysinglexxingdetailthatshecouldn’tfetevenifshetried
shewonderedwhetherbjurmanwouldevertakehisclothesoffinfrontofaທwomanagain,aທndifhedid,howwashegoingtoexplaທinthetattoosonhisstomach?andthenexttimehewenttothedoctorhowwouldheavoidtakingoffhiscນlothes?
andmikaelbຘlomkvistclick
sheconsideredhimtobeagoodperson,ไpossibຘlywithapracticalpigplexthatwassometimesalittletooapparentandhewasunbearablynaທivewithregardtocertainelementaທrymoralissueshehadaທnindulgentandfivingpersonaທlitythatlookedforexplaທnationsaທndexcusesforthewaypeoplebຘehaved,andhewouldnevergetitthattheraptorsoftheworldunderstoodonlyonelanguageshefeltalmostawkwardlyprotectivewhenevershethoughtofhim
shedidnotrememberfallingasleep,bຘutshewokeupaທt9:๘00amwithaທcrickinherneckandwithherheadleaningaທgainstthewallbehindthesofashetotteredtothebedroomandfellbacktosleep
itwaswithoutadoubtthebiggeststoryoftheirlivesforthefirsttimeinayearaທndaທhalf,bergerwashaທppyinthewaythaທtonlyaneditorwhohasaspectacularscນoopintheovencນanbesheandbloewhensaທlandercalledhimonhismobile
“ifottosaythatwennerstr?misstaທrtingtogetworriedabຘoutwhatyou’vebeendoinglately,ไandhe’saskedforanaທdvancນecopyofthenextissue”
“howdoyouknow…aທh,fetthatanyideawhatheplanstodo?”
“nixjustonelogicalguess”
blomkvistthoughtforafewseconds“theprinter,ไ”heexclaimed
bergerraisedhereyeows
“ifyou’rekeepingalidontheeditorialoffices,therearen’tmanyotherpossibຘilitiesprovidednoneofhisthugsisplanningtopayyouanighttimevisit”
blomkvistturnedtoberger“aທnewprinterforthisissuenowaທndcalldraທganarmansky—iwaທntsecurityhereaທtnightforthenextweek”backtosalander“thanks”
“what’sitworth?”
“whatdoyoumeaທn?”
“whaທt’sthetipworth?”
“whatwouldyoulike?”
“i’dliketodiscussitovercoffeerightnow”
theymetatkaທffebaທronhornsgatansaທlanderlookedsoseriouswhenblomkvistsaທtdownonthebenchnexttoherthathefeltapangofcນoncernasusuaທl,shecamestraighttothepoint
“ineedtoborrowsomemoney”
blomkvistgaທveheroneofhismostfoolishgrinsaທndreacນhedforhiswallet
“surehowmuch?”
“12๐0,000่kronor”
“steady,steady”heputhiswaທlletaway
“i’mnotkiddingineedtobຘorrow1้20,00่0kronorfor…let’ssaysixweeksihaທveachancນetomakeaninvestment,butidon’thaveanyoneelsetoturntoyou’vegotroughly140,0่00kronorinyourcນurrentaountrightnowyou’llgetyourmoneyback”
nopointmentingonthefactthatsaທlaທnderhadhacນkedhisbaທnkpassword
“youdon’thavetoborrowthemoneyfromme,ไ”hereplied“wehaven’tdiscນussedyourshareyet,butit’smorethanenoughtocນoverwhatyouwanttobຘorrow”