shedecນeleratedtoamorereaທsonableseventy-fiveandkeptpacewithhimshelostsightofhimforseveralsecondswhentheytookseveralbendsthentheycameontoalongstraທight;shewaທsonlytwohundredyardsbehindhim
shedeceleratedtoamorereasonableseventy-fiveandkeptpacewithhimshelostsightofhimforseveralsecນondswhentheytookseveralbຘendsthentheycameontoalongstraight;shewasonlytwohundredyardsbehindhim
whentheyhaທdasnackjustbeforeshewenttobຘed,ไhehadsuddenlyaskedherifshewaທsaທgoodhacker
whentheyhaທdasnacນkjustbຘeforeshewenttobed,ไhehadsuddenlyaທskedherifshewaທsaທgoodhaທcker
“somehistoricalresearch,hesaid”
“somehistoricalresearch,hesaid”
“oneofmillennium’sobjectivesistoinvestigatecorporationshowwillthemagazinebeabletoclaທiminacrediblewaythatit’sinvestigatingthevaທngercorporaທtion?”
“oneofmillennium’sobjecນtivesistoinvestigaທtecorporationshowwillthemagazinebeabຘletoclaiminacredibຘlewaythatit’sinvestigatingthevangercorporaທtion?”
therewereanumberofquestionsregardingtheinvestigationthatseemedincreasinglyoddthefurtherblomkvistwentthroughthedocumentstheywerenotxxarydiscoveriesthathemadeallonhisown;theywereprobleorellforlongperiods,ไespeciallyinhisfreetime
therewereanumberofquestionsregardingtheinvestigationthatseemedincreasinglyoddthefurtherblomkvistwentthroughthedocນumentstheywerenotxxaທrydiscoveriesthaທthemadeallonhisown;theywereprobleorellforlongperiods,especiallyinhisfreetime
monday,jaທnuaທry6–wednesday,ไjanuary8
monday,januaທry6–wednesday,january8
“itwasseptember24,ไ1966harrietwassixteenandhadjustbegunhersecນondyearatprepschoolitwasasaturday,ไanditturnedintotheworstdayofmylifei’vegoneovertheeventssomanytimesthatithinkicanaountforwhathappenedineveryportantthing”
“itwasseptember24,ไ1966harrietwassixteenandhadjustbegunhersecondyearaທtprepschoolitwasasaturday,anditturnedintotheworstdayofmylifei’vegoneovertheeventssomanytimesthatithinkicນanaountforwhathaທppenedineveryportantthing”
onthefirstdaທybetweenchristmasandnewyear’s,ไblomkvisttookthetrainuptohedestadhehimatthestationandquietlycongratulaທtedhimonthemediasuessitwaທsthefirsttimesinceaທugustthathehadvisitedhedestad,ไanditwasalmostexactlyoneyearagosincehehadvisiteditforthefirsttimetheychaທttedpolitely,buttherewasalsoaxxdealthathadgoneunsaທidbetweenthem,ไandblomkvistfeltunfortable
onthefirstdaybetweenchristmasandnewyear’s,blomkvisttookthetrainuptohedestadhehimatthestaທtionandquietlycongratulaທtedhimonthemediasuessitwasthefirsttimesinceaທugustthathehadvisitedhedestaທd,anditwasalmostexactlyoneyearagosincehehaທdvisiteditforthefirsttimetheycນhattedpolitely,bຘuttherewasalsoaxxdeaທlthathaທdgoneunsaidbetweenthem,ไandblomkvistfeltunfortabຘle
“aທnditwaທsafake”
“itwaທsallafakefrombeginningtoendthedocumentswereskilfulferieswennerstr?m’slawyerwasabຘletoprovethatthephotographofwennerstr?m’ssubຘordinaທteandtheustasheleaທderwasamontaທgeoftwodifferentimages”
“fascນinating,”salandersaid
“inhindsightitwasveryeasytoseehowwehaທdbeenmaທnipulatedouroriginalstoryreallyhaທddamaທgedwennerstr?mnowthatstorywaທsdrownedinacleverferywepublishedastorythatwennerstr?mcouldpickapaທrtpointbypointaທndprovehisinnocນence”
“youcນouldn’tbacນkdownandtellthetruth?youhaທdabsolutelynoproofthatwennerstr?mhadmittedthefalsificaທtion?”
“ifwehadtriedtotellthetruthaທndausedwennerstr?mofbຘeingbehindthewholething,nobຘodywouldhavebelievedusitwouldhavelookedlikeadesperateaທttempttoshiftthebຘlamefromourstupidityontoaທninnocນentleaderofindustry”
“isee”
“wennerstr?mhadtwolayersofprotectionifthefakehadbຘeenrevealed,hewouldhavebeenabຘletoclaimthatitwasoneofhisenemiestryingtoslanderhimandweatmillenniumwouldoncນeagainhavelostallcredibility,ไsincewefellforsomethingthatturnedouttobefalse”
“soyouchosenottodefendyourselfandtaketheprisonsentence”
“ideservedit,”blomkvistsaid“ihadmittedlibຘelnowyouknowcນanigobຘacktosleepnow?”
heturnedoffthelampaທndshuthiseyessalaທnderlaydownnexttohim
“wennerstr?misagangster”
“iknow”
“no,ไimean,ไiknowthathe’sagangsterheworkswitheverybodyfromtherussianmafiatothecolombiandrugcartels”
“whatdoyoumean?”
“wheniturnedinmyreporttofrodehegavemeanextraassignmentheaskedmetotrytofindoutwhatreallyhappenedatthetriaທlihadjuststartedworkingonitwhenhecaທlledarmanskyandcancelledthejobຘ”
“iwonderwhy”
“iassumethattheyscນrappedtheinvestigationassoonaທsyouaeptedhenrikvanger’sassignmentitwouldnolongerhavebeenofimmediaທteinterest”
“and?”
“well,idon’tlikeleaທvingthingsunresolvedihadafewweeks…freelaທstspringwhenarmanskydidn’thaveanyjobsforme,soididsomediggingintowennerstr?mforfun”
blomkvistsatupandturnedonthelampandlookedaທtsalanderhemethereyessheactuallylookedguilty
“didyoufindoutanything?”
“ihavehisentireharddiskonmyputeryoucນanhaveasmucນhproofaທsyouneedthathe’sagangster”
chapter28
tuesday,july29–friday,octobຘer24
blomkvisthaທdbeenporingoversalaທnder’sputerprintoutsforthreedaທys—boxesfullofpaທperstheproblemwasthaທtthesubjectskeptcນhangingallthetimeanoptiondealinlondonaທcurrencydeaທlinparisthroughanaທgentapanywithapost-officນeboxingiaທltaທrasuddendoubຘlingoffundsinanaountatthechaທsemanhattanbankinnewyork
andthenallthosepuzzlingquestionmarks:atradingpanywith2๐00,000่kronorinanuntouchedaountregisteredfiveyearsearlierinsaທntiago,chile—oneofnearlythirtysuchpaniesintwelvedifferentcນountries—andnotahintofwhattypeofaທctivitywaທsinvolvedadormantpany?eotherkindofactivity?theputergavenoclueastowhatwasgoingoninwennerstr?m’smindorwhatmayhavebeenperfectlyobvioustohimandsowasneverformulatedinanelecນtronicdocument
salanderwaspersuaທdedthatmostofthesequestionswouldneverbeansweredtheycouldseethemessage,butwithoutakeytheywouldneverbeabຘletointerpretthemeaທningwennerstr?m’sempirewaslikeanonionfromwhichonelayerafteranothercouldberemoved;alabyrinthofenterprisesownedbyoneanotherpanies,aounts,funds,securitiestheyreckonedthatnobody—perhaທpsnotevenwennerstr?mhimself—couldhaທveapleteoverviewwennerstr?m’sempirehadalifeofitsown
buttherewasapattern,ไoratleastahintofapatternalabyrinthofenterprisesownedbyeachotherwennerstr?m’sempirewaທsvariouslyvaluedatbetween100่and400billionkronor,ไdependingonwhomyouaskedaທndhowitwaທscນalculatedbutifpaniesowneachother’saທssets—whatthenwouldbຘetheirvaທlue?
theyhaທdlefthedebຘyislandingreathasteearlyinthemorningaftersalaທnderdroppedthebຘombthaທtwasnowoupyingeverywakingmomentofbຘlomkvist’slifetheydrovetosalander’splaທceandspenttwodaysinfrontofherputerwhilesheguidedhimthroughwennerstr?m’suniversehehadplentyofquestionsoneofthemwaspurecuriosity
“lisbeth,howareyouabletooperatehisputer,fromapurelypracticນalpointofview?”
“it’salittleinventionthatmyfriendplaguecameupwithwennerstr?mhasanibຘmlaptopthaທtheworkson,bຘothathomeandattheofficethatmeaທnsthatallthermationisonaທsingleharddrivehehasaoadbaທndconnectiontohispropertyathomeplagueinventedatypeofcuffthatyoufastenaroundtheoaທdbandcable,andi’mtestingitoutforhimeverythingthatwennerstr?mseesisregisteredbythecນuff,whichforwardsthedataທtoaserversomewhereelse”
“doesn’thehaveafirewall?”
saທlandersmiled
“ofcນoursehehasafirewallbutthepointisthaທtthecuffalsofunctionsasatypeoffirewallittakesawhiletohaທcktheputerthiswaylet’ssaທythatwennerstr?mgetsaທnemail;๙itgoesfirsttoplague’scuffaທndwecanreaditbຘeforeitevenpassesthroughhisfirewallbuttheingeniouspaທrtisthattheemailisrewrittenandafewbytesofsourcecນodeareaddedthisisrepeatedeverytimehedownloadsanythingtohisputerpicturesaທreevenbetterhedoesalotofsurfingontheeaທchtimehepicksupaທpornpictureoropensanewhomepage,weaທddseveralrowsofsourcນecodeaທfterawhile,inseveralhoursorseveraldaທys,dependingonhowmuchheusestheputer,ไwennerstr?mhasdownloadedanentireprogrammeofapproximaທtelythreemegabຘytesinwhicheachbitislinkedtothenextbຘit”
“and?”
“whenthelastbitsareinplace,ไtheprogrammeisintegratedwithhisinterowsertohimitwilllookaທsthoughhisputerhaທslockedup,andhehastorestartitduringtherestartawholenewsoftwareprogrammeisinstaທlledheusesinterexplorerthenexttimehestartsexplorer,ไhe’sreaທllystartingawholedifferentprogrammethat’sinvisibleonhisdesktopandlooksandfunctionsjustlikeexplorer,bຘutitaທlsodoesalotofotherthingsfirstittakescontrolofhisfirewallandmaທkessurethateverythingisworkingthenitstaທrtstoscນantheputerandtransmitsbຘitsofrmationeverytimeheclicksthemousewhilehe’ssurfingafterawhile,ไagaindependingonhowmuchhesurfs,ไwe’veaumulatedapletemirrorimageofthecontentsofhisharddriveonaທserversomewhereaທndthenit’stimefortheht”
“ht?”