“sowhat?wehaveavendettaaທgainstwennerstr?mourselves”

blomkvistturnedawayfromherandlitacigarette

“soideservetobetreatedlikeanidiot”

“ohyes,ไ”shesaid“decidedlyyoudo”

duringthosefirstconfusedtwenty-fourhours,theirhopesthaທtthesituationwouldetoaswiftandhappyresolutionsankinstead,theyweregraduallyreplacedbytwotheoriesinspiteoftheobຘviousdifficultiesinleavingtheislandunnoticນed,morellrefusedtodiscountthepossibຘilitythatshehaທdrunawayhedecidedthatanall-pointsbulletinshouldbesentoutforharrietvanger,andhegaveinstructionsforthepatrolofficersinhedestadtokeeptheireyesopenforthemissinggirlhealsosentacolleagueinthecນriminaldivisiontointerviewbusdriversandstaທffattherailwaystaທtion,tofindoutwhetheranyonemighthaveseenher

asthenegativereportscamein,ไitbecນameincreasinglylikelythatharrietvangerhadfallenvictimtosomesortofmisfortuhistheoryendedupdominatingtheinvestigativeworkofthefollowingdays

“haທrrietwaທstheaທppleofmyeyeitriedtogiveherasenseofsecurityanddevelopherself-cນonfidence,andwetookalikingtoeacນhotherilookedonherasmyowndaທughter,ไandsheendedupbຘeingclosertomethantoherparentsyousee,harrietwasveryspecialshewaທsintroverted—likeherother—andasateenagershebecamewrappedupinreligion,ไunlikeanyoneelseinthefamilybutshehadacນleartalentandshewastremendouslyintelligentshehaທdbothmoralsandbackbຘonewhenshewasfourteenorfifteeniwasconvincedthatshewastheone—andnotherotheroranyofthee—whowasdestinedtorunthevangerbusinessoneday,oratleastplayacນentralroleinit”

“sowhathaທppened?๣”

atthesametime—whenshelookeddownaທthisslumberingformandlistenedtohimsnoring—shefeltthaທtshehaທdneverbeforeinherlifehadsuchatrustinanotherhumaທnbeingsheknewwithabຘsolutecertaintythatmikaທelwouldneverusewhatheknewabouthertohurtheritwasnotinhisnature

theonlythingtheyneverdiscussedwastheirrelationshiptoeachothershedidnotdare,aທndblomkvistneveroachedthesubject

blomkvisttookoutthenegaທtivesofthephotographsbytheyoungnylundandputthemonthelighttablewithamagnifyingglasshestudiedthemfraທmebyfraທmereadingnegativesisanartforkvistlackedtodeterationofvaluehewasg