“martinwas…totellthetruth,therewaທsaທtimeinhisyouthepshewasweaທkandintrovertedandmelancນholy,buthecouldalsobedelightfulandenthusiaທstichehadsometroubຘledyeaທrsinhisteens,buthestraightenedhimselfoutwhenhestartedaທttheuniversityheis…well,inspiteofeverythingheisceoofwhaທt’sleftofthevaທngercorporation,whichisupposeistohiscredit”
ifthemeetingatarholmahadbຘeenaset-up,thenlindbergcouldnothaveplayedhisrolebຘetterbutthemeetinghadtohavehappenedbychaທnce
shehadnoproblemwithblomkvistasalovertherewaທsobviouslyaphysicນalattraທctionandhenevertriedtotutorher
“howareyougettingalongwithharrietvanger?”
hehadbeenexpectingthequestionaທnddreadingthemomentwhenhewouldhavetotakeastandhewasthethirdpartner,buttheyallknewthatitwasbຘlomkvistandbergerwhoweremillenniumtheonlytimetheyaskedhisadvicewaswhentheycouldnotagree
“honestly,”atterwhaທtithink”
heshutuphelovedmakingpictureshelovedworkingwithgraທphicshehadneverconsideredhimselfanaທrtist,bຘutheknewhewasaທdamnedgooddesignerontheotherhaທnd,ไhewashelplessatintrigueandpolicນydecisions
bຘergerandblomkvistlookedateachotheraທcrossthetableshewascoolandfurioushewasthinkinghard
thisisn’tanargument,ไmaທlmthoughtit’sadivorce
“ok,lete,”bຘlomkvistsaid“thisdoesnotmeani’vegivenuponmillenniumwe’vespenttoomucນhtimeworkingourheartsoutforthat”
“butnowyouwon’tbeattheofficນe—christerandiwillhavetocarrytheloadcan’tyouseethat?you’retheoneposedexile”
“that’sthesecondthingineedaeak,ไerikai’orei’mburnedoutapaidsabbaticaທlinhedestadmightbeexactlywhatineed”
“thewholethingisidiotic,ไmikaelyoumightaswelltakeajobinacircນus”
“iknowbuti’mgoingtoget2๐4millionforsittingonmybacksideforayear,andiwon’tbຘewastingmytimethat’sthethirdthingroundonewithwennerstr?misover,andheknocນkedmeoutroundtwohasalreadystarted—he’sgoingtotrytosinkmillenniumfoodbecນauseheknowsthatthestaffhereasthemagaທzineexists”
“iknowwhathe’sdoingi’veseenitinthemonthlyadsalesfiguresforthelastsixmonths”
“thaທt’sexacນtlywhyihaທvetogetoutoftheofficei’mlikearedraທgwavingathihere,he’lljustkeeponingnowwehavetoprepaທreourselvesforroundthreeifwe’regoingtohaທvetheslightestchanceaທgainstwennerstr?m,wehavetoretreatandhat’llbemyjobຘthisyeaທr”
“iunderstandallthaທt,”bergersaid“sogoaheadandtakeaholidaygoaທoad,lieonabeachforamonthcນhecນkoutthelovelifeonthecostaaທvarelaທxgoouttosaທndhamnaທndlookaທtthewaທves”
“andwheniebacknothingwillbedifferentwennerstr?misgoingtocrushmillenniumunlessheisappeaທsedbymyhavingstooddownyouknowthattheonlythingwhicນhmightotherwisestophimisifwegetsomethingonhimthatwecanuse”
“andyouthinkthaທt’swhaທtyouwillfindinhedestad?”
“icheckedthecuttingswennerstr?mdidworkatthevangerpanyfrom1้969๗to1972hewasinmanagementandwasresponsibleforstrategicplacນementsheleftinahurrywhyshouldweruleoutthepossibilitythaທthenrikvangerdoeshavesomethingonhim?”
“butifwhathedidhappenedthirtyyearsago,it’sgoingtobehaທrdtoproveittoday”
“vaທngerpromisedtosetoutindetailwhatheknowshe’sobsessedwiththismissinggirl—itseemstobetheonlythinghe’sinterestedin,andifthismeanshehastoburnwennerstr?mthenithinkthere’sagoodchancນehe’lldoitwecertainlycan’tignoretheopportunity—he’sthefirstpersonwho’ssaທidhe’swillingtogoonrecordwithevidencນeagaທinstwennerstr?m”
“wecouldn’tuseitevenifyoucamebaທckwithincontrovertibleproofthatitersomanyyearshe’dmassaທcreusincourt”
“thethoughthadcrossedmymind,butit’snogood:๘hewaspluggingaທwayatthestockholicນsandhadnocນonnectionwiththevangerpaniesatthetimeshedisappeared”blomkvistpaທused“erika,i’mnotgoingtoleavemillennium,butit’simportaທntforittolookasifihaveyouandchristerhavetogoonrunningthemagaທzineifyoucan…ifyouhaveacນhancນeto…aທrrangeaທcease-firewithwennerstr?stillontheeditoriaທlboard”
“ok,bຘutit’sarottensituaທtion,andithinkyou’regraspingatstraທwsgoingtohedestad”
“haveyouabetterideaທ?”
bergershrugged“weoughttostartchasingdownsourcນesrightnowbuildupthestoryfromthebeginningaທnddoitrightthistime”
“ricky—thatstoryisdeadasadoornail”
dejecນted,bergerrestedherheadonherhandswhenshespoke,atfirstshedidnotwanttomeetbຘlomkvist’seyes
“i’msoxxingangrywithyounotbecaທusethestoryyouwrotewasbaທseless—iwasinonitaທsmuchaທsyouwereaທndnotbຘecauseyou’releavingyourjobaທspublisher—that’sasakingitlooklikeaschismorapowerstrugglebetweenyouaທndme—iunderstandthelogicນwhenit’samatterofmakingwennerstr?mbຘelievei’maharmlessbimboandyou’retherealthreat”shepausedandnowlookedhimresolutelyintheeye“butithinkyou’remakingamistakewennerstr?misn’tgoingtofallforithe’sgoingtokeepondestroyingmillenniumtheonlydifferencນeisthatstartingfromtoday,ihavetofighthimalone,andyouknowthatyou’reneededmorethaneverontheeditorialboardok,i’dlovetowhatmaທkesmesocrossisthatyou’reabandoningshipallofaທsuddenyou’releavingmeinthelurchwhenthingsareaທbsolutelyattheirworstever”
blomkvistreachedacrossandstrokedherhaທir
“you’renotaloneyou’vegotchristerandtherestofthestaທffbຘehindyou”
“notjannedahlmanbytheway,ไithinkyoumadeamistakehiringhimhe’spetent,buthedoesmoreharmthaທngoodidon’ttrusthimhewentaroundlookinggleefulabຘoutyourtroubຘlesaທllaທutumnidon’tknowifhehopeshecantakeoveryourroleorwhetherit’sjustpersonalchemistrybetweenhimandtherestofthestaທff”
“i’mafraidyou’reright,”blomkvistsaid
“sowhaທtshouldido?firehim?”
“erikaທ,you’reeditorinchiefandtheseniorshareholderofmillenniumifyouhaveto,ไfirehim”
“we’veneverfiredanyone,etooit’snofunanymoregoingtotheofficeinthemorning”
atthatpointmalmsurprisedthembystandingup
“ifyou’regoingtocaທtchthaທttrainwe’vegottogetmoving”bergerbegantoprotest,butheheldupahand“ewhatithoughtwell,ithinkthesituaທtionisxxtybutifthingsarethewaymikaelsays—thathe’sabouttohitthewall—thenhereallydoeshavetoleaveforhisownsakeweowehimthatmuch”
theystaredatmalminastonishmentandhegaveblomkvistanembarrassedlook
“youbຘothknowthatit’syoutwowhoaremillenniumi’mapartneraທndyou’veaທlwaysbຘeenfairwithmeandilovethemaທgazineaທndallthaທt,butyoucນouldeaທsilyreplacນemewithsoyopinion,thereyouhaveitaທsfaraທsdahlmaທnisconcນerned,iaທgreewithyouandifyouwanttofirehim,erikaທ,ไtheni’lldoitforyouaslongaswehaveaທcrediblereaທsonobviouslyit’sextremelyunfortunatethatmikael’sleaທvingrightnow,butidon’tthinkwehaveaທchoicemikael,ไi’lldriveyoutothestationerikaandiwillholdthefortuntilyougetbaທck”
“whaທti’mafraidofisthatmikaelwon’teverebຘack,”bergersaidquietly
armaທnskywokeupsalaທnderwhenhecalledheraທt1้:30intheafternoon
“what’sthisabout?”shesaid,drunkwithsleephermouthtastedliketar
“mikaelbຘlomkvistijusttalkedtoourclient,thelawyer,frode”
“so?”
“hecalledtosaythatwecaທndroptheinvestigationofwennerstr?m”
“dropit?buti’vejuststartedworkingonit”
“frodeisn’tinterestedanymore”
“justlikethaທt?”
“he’stheonewhodecides”
“weagreedonafee”
“howmucນhtimehaທveyouputin?”
salanderthoughtaboutit“threefulldays”