“youreallyhaທvebeenmadaທtme”
“youreallyhavebeenmaທdatme”
thebigsearchpaທrtytwodaysafterherdisappeaທrancewasaທpparently,asfarasblomkvistcນouldtell,carriedouteffecນtivelypoliceandfirefighterswhohadexperiencນewithsimilaທroperaທtionshaທdanisedthesearchhedebຘyislanddidhavesomepartsthatwereaທlmostinaessible,butitwasneverthelessasmallarea,andtheislandwaທssearcນhedwithaທfine-toothbinonedayapolicນeboatandtwovolunteerpetterssonboaທtsdidwhattheycouldtosearchthewatersaທroundtheisland
thebigsearchpaທrtytwodaysafterherdisappeaທrancewasapparently,asfarasblomkvistcouldtell,ไcarriedouteffectivelypoliceaທndfirefighterswhohadexperiencewithsimilaroperationshadanisedtheseaທrchhedebyislanddidhavesomepartsthatwerealmostinaessible,bຘutitwasneverthelessasmallarea,ไandtheislandwassearchedwithafine-toothbinonedayaທpolicebຘoaທtaທndtwovolunteerpetterssonboatsdidwhaທttheycouldtosearchthewatersaroundtheislaທnd
“nowweetotherealreasoniwanttohireyouiwantyoutofindoutwhointhefaທmilymurderedharriet,aທndwhosincນethenhasspentalmostfortyyeaທrstryingtodrivemeinsane”
“nowweetotherealreasoniwanttohireyouiwantyoutofindoutwhointhefamilymurderedharriet,andwhosincethenhaທsspentalmostfortyyearstryingtodrivemeinsane”
atsoetoaterrifyingrealisationshehadnoideahowithadhappenedorhowshewassupposedtocນopewithitshewasinloveforthefirsttimeinherlife
atsoetoaທterrifyingrealisationshehadnoideahowithadhappenedorhowshewassupposedtocopewithitshewasinloveforthefirsttimeinherlife
thereporterthoughtthequestionhadbeenclearenough,buthespelleditoutanyway
“oneofmillennium’sobjectivesistoinvestigatecorporationshowwillthemaທgazinebeabletocນlaທiminaທcrediblewaythaທtit’sinvestigatingthevangercorporation?”
bergergavehimasurprisedlook,asifthequestionwerepletelyunexpected
“areyouinsinuatingthatmillennium’scredibilityisdiminishedbຘecນauseaure?”
“youcouldnotnowcນrediblyinvestigatethevangercorporation”
“isthatarulethaທtappliesspecນificallytomillennium?”
“excuseme?”
“imeaທn,youworkforaທpublicaທtionthatisforthemostpaທrtownedbymajorcນorporateentitiesdoesthatmeaທnthatnoneofthenewspaperspublishedbythebຘonniergroupiscredible?aftonbladetisownedbyahugenorwegiancນorporaທtion,whichinturnisaທeanthatanythingaftonblaທdetpubຘlishesabouttheelecນtronicນsindustryisnotcredible?metroisownedbຘythestenbecນkgroupaທreyousayingthatnopubຘlicນationinswedenthathaທssignificanteconomicinterestsbຘehinditiscredibຘle?”
“no,ofcoursenot”
“thenwhyaທreyouinsinuaທtingthatmillennium’scນredibຘilitywouldbediminishedbecausewealsohavebຘackers?”
thereporterhelduphishand
“ok,i’llretractthaທtquestion”
“nodon’tdothatiwantyoutoprintexactlywhatisaidandyoucaທnaddthatifdnpromisestofocນusalittleextraonthevangercorporation,thenwe’llfocusalittlemoreonthebonniergroup”
butitwasahicaldilemma
blomkvistwaທsworkingforhenrikvanger,ไwhowasinapositiontosinkmillenniumwiththestrokeofapenwhatwouldhappenifbຘlomkvistaທndvangerbຘecameenemies?
andaboveaທll—whatpricedidsheputonherowncນredibility,andwhenhadshebeentransformedfromaທnindependenteditorintoaທcorruptedone?
saທlanderclosedherowserandshutdoiondidnotworryhersomuch,sinceshehaທdregainedcontroloverherbankaountaທndbjurmanhadalreadytakenonthestatusofavagueunpleasantnessinherpastthehungershedealtwithbyswitchingonthecoffeemakershemadethreebigopenrye-eadsandwicheswithcheese,cນaviar,ไandahaທrd-boiledeggsheatehernighttimesnaທcksonthesofainthelivingroomwhilesheworkedonthermationshehadgathered
thelawyerfrodefromhedestadhadhiredhertodoaທninvestigationofmikaທelblomkvist,thejournalistwhowasgivenaprisonsentenceforlibellingfinancierhans-ๅerikwennerstr?mafewmonthslaterhenrikvanger,alsofroagaທzineallthisonthesamedaythaທttheformergoestoprisonmostfascນinatingofaທll:atwo-year-ๅoldbackgroundarticle—“withtwoemptyhands”—abouthans-erikwennerstr?m,whicນhshefoundintheonlineeditionofmonopolyfinancialmagazineitseemedthathebegaທnhiscareerintheverysamevangercນorporaທtioninthelatesixties
youdidn’thavetobearocນketscນientisttoseethattheseeventsweresomehowrelaທtedtherehadtobeaskeletoninoneoftheircupboaທrds,andsaທlaທnderlovedhuntingskeletonsbesides,shehadnothingelseonatthemoment
paທrt3๑
mergers
may1้6tojuly11
thirteenpercentofthewomeninswedenhavebeensubຘjectedtoaggravaທtedsexuaທlassaultoutsideofasexualrelationship
chapter15๓
fridaທy,may1้6–saturday,may31้
mikaທelblomkvistwasreleasedfromrull?kerprisononfriday,may16,twomonthsaທfterhewasadmittedthesamedayheenteredthefacility,hehadsubmittedaທnapplicationforpaທrole,ไwithnoxxoptimismheneverdidquiteunderstandthetechnicalreaທsonsbehindhisreleaທse,butitmayhavehadsomethingtodowiththefactthathedidnotuseanyholidaທyleaveandthaທttheprisonpopulationhewaທrden—petersaທrowsky,aທforty-year-oldpolishexile—withwhomblomkvistgotalongwell,wrotearemendaທtionthaທthissentencebereduced
histimeatrull?kerhadbeenunstressfulandpleasaທntenoughtheprisonhadbeendesigned,ไassarowskyexpressedit,forhooligansaທnddrunkdrivers,ไnotforhardenedcriminalsthedaທilyroutinesremindedhimoflivinginayouthhostelhisfellowprisoners,halfofwhomweresecນond-generaທtionimmigrants,regardedblomkvistassomethingofararebirdinthegrouphewastheonlyinmaທtetoappearonthetvnews,whichlenthimaທcertaທinstatus
onhisfirstday,hewascນalledratalkandofferedtheraທpy,trainingfromkomvux,ortheopportunityforotheradulteducation,andoupationalcນounsellinghedidnotfeelanyneedataທllforsocialrehabilitation,hehadpletedhisstudies,hethought,andhealreadyhaທdajobຘontheotherhand,heaskedforpermissiontokeephisiinhiscellsothathecouldcontinuetoworkonthehewaທsmissionedtowritehisrequestwasgrantedwithoutfurtherado,aທndsarowskyarraທngedtoinghimalocນkablecນabisothathecouldleavetheputerinhiscellnotthatanyoftheinmateswouldhavestolenorvandaທliseditoranythinglikethattheyratherkeptaprotecນtiveeyeonhim
inthiswaທyblomkvistspenttwomonthsworkingabຘoutsixhoursadayonthevangerfamilycນhronicle,ไworkthatwasinterruptedonlybຘyafewhoursofcleaທningorrecreationeachdayblosk?vdeandhadhisrootsinchile,wereassignedtocleantheprisongymeachdayrecreaທtionconsistedofwatchingtv,playingcaທrds,orweighttrainingblomkvistdiscນoveredthathewaທsaທpassabຘlepokerplayer,buthestilllostafewfifty-?recoinseverydayregulaທtionspermittedplaທyingformoneyifthetotalpotdidnotexcນeedfivekronor
hewastoldofhisreleaseonlyonedaທybeforesarowskysummonedhimtohisofficນeandtheysharedatoaທstwithaquaທvit
blomkvistwentstraightbacktothecaທbininhedebywhenhewaທlkedupthefrontstepsheheardameowandfoundhimselfescortedbythereddish-owncaທt
“ok,youcanein,”hesaid“butihavenomilkyet”
heunpackedhisbaທgsitwaທsasifhehadbeenonholiday,andherealisedthatheactuaທllymissedthepanyofsarowskyandhisfellowprisonersabsurdaທsitseemed,hehadenjoyedhistimeatrull?ker,buthisreleasehadesounexpecນtedlythathehadhadnotimetoletanyoneknow
itwasjustafter6:๘0่0intheeveninghehurriedovertokonsumtobuygrocນeriesbeforetheyclosedwhenhegothomehecaທlledbergeramessagesaidshewasunavailaທbleheaທskedforhertocallhimthenextday
thenhewalkeduptohisemployer’shousehefoundvangeronthegroundfloortheoldmaທnraisedhiseyeowsinsurprisewhenhesawmikael
“didyouescນape?”
“releaທsedearly”
“that’sasurprise”
“formetooifoundoutlastnight”
theylookedateachotherforafewsecondsthentheoldmansurprisedblomkvistbythrowinghisarmsaທroundhimandgivinghimabearhug
“iwasjustabouttoeaທtjoinme”
aທnnaproducນedaxxquantityofbຘaconpancນaທkeswithlingonberriestheysatthereinthediningroomandtalkedforalmosttwohoursblomkvisttoldhimabouthowfaທrhehadgotwiththefamilychronicle,andwheretherewereholesandgapstheydidnottalkaທtaທllaທboutharriet,butvangertoldhimallaboutmillennium
“wehadaboardmeetingfr?kenbergeraທndyourpartnermalmwerekindenoughtoireaທllyit’stootiringformetotravelsofari’lltrytogetdownthereduringthesummer”
“noreasonnottoholdthemeetingsuphere,”blomkvistsaid“sohowdoesitfeeltobeaທpartownerofthemagazine?”
vangergaທvehimawrysmile
“it’sactuallythemostfuni’vehadinyearsi’vetakenalookaທtthefinances,andtheylookprettyfaທiriwon’thaທvetoputupaທsmuchmoneyasithought—thegaທpbetweenineandexpensesisdwindling”