“therulesaresimple,”shesaທid“nothingthatyoudiscusswithmeorwitharmanskywillbeshaທredwithanyoneatalltherewillbeaທcontraທctwhichstatesthaທtmiltonsecuritypledgesconfidentialityittoworkforyouornotthaທtalsomeansthatiagreetokeeptomyselfeverythingyoutellme,whetheritaທkethejobornot,providedthatyou’renotconductinganysortofseriouscriminalacນtivityinwhichcase,ไi’llreportittodragan,ไwhointurnwillreportittothepolice”
“therulesaທresimple,”shesaid“nothingthatyoudiscusswithmeorwitharmanskywillbesharedwithanyoneataທlltherewillbeaທcນontractwhichstaທtesthaທtmiltonsecuritypledgesconfidentialityittoworkforyouornotthatalsomeansthatiagreetokeeptomyselfeverythingyoutellme,whetheritakethejobornot,providedthatyou’renotconductinganysortofseriouscriminalactivityinwhichcase,i’llreportittodragan,whointurnwillreportittothepolicນe”
“whatdoyoumean?”
“whatdoyoumean?”
bythetimebergerlefthedebyonsunday,blomkvistwasstillsoannoyedwithvangerthaທthedidnotwanttoriskrunningintoeitherhimoranyothermemberofhiscນlaທninstead,onmondaທyhetookthebusintohedestadaທndspenttheafternoonwalkinginthetown,visitingtheliary,anddrinkingcoffeeinabaທkeryintheeveninghewenttothecນinematoseethelordoftherings,whichhehaທdneverbeforehaທdtimetoseehethoughtthatorcນs,unlikehumanbeings,ไweresimpleandunplicaທtedcreatures
bythetimebຘergerlefthedebyonsunday,ไblomkvistwasstillsoannoyedwithvangerthathedidnotwanttoriskrunningintoeitherhimoranyothermembຘerofhisclaທninstead,onmondayhetookthebusintohedestadaທndspenttheafternoonwalkinginthetown,ไvisitingtheliary,aທnddrinkingcoffeeinabຘaທkeryintheeveninghewenttothecinemaທtoseethelordoftherings,whichhehaທdneverbeforehadtimetoseehethoughtthatorcs,unlikehumaທnbeings,weresimpleandunplicatedcreatures
acertaທinfrustrationcouldbereadintheofficiaທlnoteswhenthesearchwascaທlledoffonthethirddayafterthegirl’sdisappeaທrancemorellwas,ofcນourse,ไnotyetawareofit,ไbutatthatmomenthehadactuallyreacນhedaທsfarintheinvestigationashewouldevergethewaspuzzledandstruggledtoidentifythenaturalnextsteporanyplaທcewherethesearchoughttobຘepursuedharrietvangerseemedtohavedissolvedintothinaທir,ไandhenrikvanger’syearsoftormenthadbegun
acertainfrustrationcouldbຘereadintheofficialnoteswhenthesearchwascalledoffonthethirddayafterthegirl’sdisappearaທncນemorellwas,ไofcourse,notyetaທwareofit,ไbutatthatmomenthehadaທctuallyreachedasfarintheinvestigationashewouldevergethewaspuzzledaທndstruggledtoidentifythenaturaທlnextsteporaທnyplacewherethesearchoughttobepursuedharrietvangerseemedtohavedissolvedintothinair,aທndhenrikvanger’syearsoftormenthadbegun
thursday,december26
thursdaທy,december26
whatshehadrealisedwaທsthatlovewasthaທtmomentwhenyourheartwasabouttoburst
whatshehadrealisedwaທsthatlovewasthaທtmomentwhenyourheartwasabouttoburst
irritaທtingheryetfurther,hedidnotreactwhensheleftsoauptlyshelaylisteningtohimmovingabຘoutinthekitcນhen,cleaທringthetableaທndwaທshingthedisheshehadalwaysstayeduplaທterthanshedid,ไbutnowhewasobຘviouslyonhiswaytobedtoosheheaທrdhiminthebathroom,andthenhewentintohisbedroomandshutthedoorafteraທwhilesheheardthebedcreaທkwhenhegotintoit,notayardawaທyfromherownbutontheothersideofthewall
shehadbeensharingaທhousewithhimforaweek,andhehadnotonceflirtedwithherhehadworkedwithher,askedheropinion,ไslappedherontheknucklesfigurativelyspeakingshewasrightwhenshecorrectedhimdaທmmit,hehadtreaທtedherlikeaທhumanbeing
shegotoutofbedandstoodbຘythewindow,restlesslypeeringintothedarkthehaທrdestthingforherwaທstoshowherselfnakedtoanotherpersonforthefirsttimeshewaທsconvincedthatherskinnybຘodywaທsrepulsivehereastswerepatheticນshehaທdnohipstospeakofshedidnothavemuchtoofferapartfromthatshewasaທquitenormaທlwoman,withthesaທmedesiresandsexdriveaseveryotherwomanshestoodthereforthenexttwentyminutesbeforeshemaທdeuphermind
blomkvistwaທsreadinganovelbysaທraparetskywhenheheardthedoorhandleturnandlookeduptoseesalandershehadasheetwrappedroundherbຘodyandstoodinthedoorwayforamoment
“youok?”hesaid
sheshookherhead
“whatisit?”
shewentovertohisbed,tookthe,andputitonthebedsidetabຘlethenshebentdownaທndkissedhimonthemouthshequicນklygotintohisbຘedandsatlookingaທthim,searcນhinghimsheputherhandonthesheetoverhisstomachwhenhedidnotprotestsheleanedoverandbithimonthenipple
blomkvistwaທsflabbຘergastedhetookhershouldersaທndpushedherawayalittlesothathecouldseeherfacນe
“lisbeth…idon’tknowifthisissucນhagoodideawehavetoworktogether”
“iwanttohavesexwithyouandiwon’thaveanyproblemworkingwithyou,butiwillhaທveahellofaproblemwithyouifyoukickmeout”
“butwehardlyknoweachother”
shelaughed,anauptlaughthatsoundedalmostlikeaທcough
“you’veneverletanythinglikethaທtstandinyourwaybeforeinfact,ไasididn’tsayinmybackgroundreport,you’reoneoftheseguyswhocan’tkeephishaທndsoffisexyenoughforyou?”
blomkvistshookhisheadandtriedtothinkofsomethingcນlevertosaywhenhecouldn’tshepulledthesheetoffhimandsatastridehim
“idon’thaveanycondoms,”hesaid
“screwit”
whenhewokeup,heheardherinthekitchenitwasnotyet7:00่hemayonlyhaທvesleptfortwohours,ไandhestayedinbຘed,dozing
thiswomanbaທffledhimataທbຘsolutelynopointhadsheevenwithaglaທncນeindicaທtedthaທtshewaທstheleastbitinterestedinhim
“goodmorning,ไ”shesaidfromthedoorwaysheevenhadthehintofasmile
“hi”
“weareoutofmilki’llgotothepetrolstationtheyopenatseven”andshewasgone
heheardhergooutofthefrontdoorheshuthiseyesthenheheardthefrontdooropenagainaທndsecondslatershewasbaທckinthedoorwaythistimeshewasnotsmiling
“you’dbຘettereaທndlookatthis,”shesaidinaທstraທngevoice
blomkvistwasonhisfeetaທtonceaທndpulledonhisjeans
duringthenightsomeonehadbeentothecນottagewithanunwelepresentontheporchlaythehalf-ๅcharredcorpseofacatthecat’slegsandheaທdhadbຘeencutoff,thenthebodyhadbeenflayedandthegutsandstomachremoved,flungnexttothecorpse,whichseemedtohavebeenroastedoveraທfirethecaທt’sheadwasintacນt,onthesaddleofsalander’smotorcycleherecນognisedthereddish-ownfur
chapter22
thursdaທy,july10
theyateeakfastinthegardeninsilenceandwithoutmilkintheircນoffeesalanderhadtaທkenoutacanondigitalcameraandphotograທphedthemacນaetableaubeforebຘlomkvistgotarubbຘishsackandcleaທneditawayheputthecatinthebootofthevolvoheoughttofileaທpolicereportforaniidation,buthedidnotthinkhewouldwanttoexplainwhytheintimidationhaທdtakenplace
at8:30่isabellavangerwaທlkedpastandontotheidgeshedidnotseethemoratleastpretendednotto
“howaທreyoudoing?”bຘlomkvistsaid
“oh,i’mfine”salanderlookedathim,perplexedok,thenheexpecນtsmetobeupset“whenifindthemotherxxerwhotorturedaninnocentcattodeaທthjusttosendusaທwarning,i’withabaseballbat”
“youthinkit’sawarning?”
“haveyougotabetterexplanation?itdefinitelymeanssomething”
“whateverthetruthisinthisstory,we’veworriedsomebodyenoughforthatpersontodosomethingreallysickbutthere’sanotherproblemtoo”
“iknowthisisaທnanimalsacrificນeinthestyleof195๓4aທnd1้960anditdoesn’tseemcrediblethaທtsomeoneactivefiftyyearsagowouldbຘeputtingtorturedaທnimalcorpsesonyourdoorsteptodaທy”
bຘlomkvistagreed
“theonlyoneswhocouldbesuspecນtedinthatcaseareharaldvaທngerandisabellavangerthereareaທnumberofolderrelativesonjohanvanger’sside,ไbutnoneofthemliveintheareaທ”
bຘlomkvistsighed
“isabellaisarepulsivebitchwhocouldcertainlykillacນat,butidoubtshewasrunningaroundkillingwomeninthefiftiesharaldvaທnger…idon’tknow,ไheseemssodecນrepithecaທnhardlywaທlk,andican’tseehimsneakingoverherelaທstnight,catcນhingacນat,anddoingaທllthis”
“unlessitwastwopeopleoneolder,oneyounger”
blomkvistheaທrdacargobyandlookedupandsaທwceciliadrivingawayovertheidgeharaldandcນecນilia,hethought,buttheyhaທrdlyspokedespitemartinvaທnger’spromisetotalktoher,ceciliahadstillnotansweredanyofhistelephonemessages
“itmustbesomebodywhoknowswe’redoingthisworkandthatwe’remakingprogress,”salandersaid,ไgettinguptogoinsidewhenshecamebackoutshehaທdputonherleaທthers
“i’i’llbebaທcktonight”
“whaທtaທreyougoingtodo?”
“pickupsomegadgetsifsomeoneiscນrazyenoughtokillacatinthatdisgustingway,heorshecນouldattacນkusnexttimeorsetthecottageonfirewhilewe’reaທsleepiwaທntyoutogointohedestadaທndbuytwofireextinguishersaທndtwosmokeaທlarmstodayoneofthefireextinguishershastobehalon”