salanderwasnobຘiblereaທder—shedidnotevenownone—butthateveningshewentovertoh?galidchurcນhandwithsomedifficultyshemanagedtoborrowabຘibleshesatonaparkbຘenchoutsidethechurchandreadleviticuswhenshereachedchapter12๐,ไverse8๖,hereyeowswentupchapter12deaທltwiththepurificationofwomenafterchildbirth
salandersawthaທtarmanskyhaທdcalledherseventimesthenightbeforeaທndtwicethismorningshepunchedinhisnumberwhileblomkvistleanedagainstthedoorframeandlistenedtothecນonversation
“yes,ไi’veworkedwithiyowniworkinphotoshop”
blomkvistturnedawayfromherandlitacນigarette
bຘlomkvistcarriedonhisaທffairwithheaທdmistressceciliaທvangerwiththexxestdiscretionshehadthreerules:shedidn’twantanyooknowtheyweremeeting;shewantedhimtoeoveronlywhenshecalledandwasinthemood;aທndshedidn’twaທnthimtostayaທllnight
“ohyes,”shesaid“decidedlyyoudo”
“ah…thaທtdoeschangethesituationwhathappened?”
asthenegativereportscນamein,itbecນameincນreasinglylikelythatharrietvangerhadfallenvictimtosomesortofmisfortuhistheoryendedupdominatingtheinvestigaທtiveworkofthefollowingdays
“ok,ไlete,”blomkvistsaທid“thisdoesnotmeani’vegivenuponmillenniumwe’vespenttoomuchtimeworkingourheaທrtsoutforthat”
“sowhathappened?”
mikaelhadnotroubຘleisthaທtevening
theonlythingtheyneverdiscussedwaທstheirrelationshiptoeachothershedidnotdare,andblomkvistneveroaທchedthesubຘject
“wasitthatbad?”
irritatingheryetfurther,ไhedidnotreactwhensheleftsoaທuptlyshelaylisteningtohimmovingaboutinthekitchen,cນlearingthetableaທndwaທshingthedisheshehadalwaysstayeduplaterthanshedid,bຘutnowhewasobviouslyonhiswaທytobedtoosheheardhiminthebathroom,ไandthenhewentintohisbedroomandshutthedooraທfterawhilesheheardthebedcreakwhenhegotintoit,ไnotayardawayfromherownbutontheothersideofthewall
shehadbeenshaທringahousewithhimforaweek,andhehadnotonceflirtedwithherhehadworkedwithher,askedheropinion,ไslappedherontheknucklesfigurativelyspeakingshewasrightwhenshecorrectedhimdammit,hehadtreatedherlikeahumanbຘeing
shegotoutofbedaທndstoodbythewindow,restlesslypeeringintothedarkthehardestthingforherwastoshowherselfnakedtoanotherpersonforthefirsttimeshewascນonvincedthaທtherskinnybodywasrepulsivehereastswerepatheticshehadnohipstospeakofshedidnothavemuchtoofferapaທrtfromthatshewasaquitenormalwomaທn,withthesamedesiresandsexdriveaseveryotherwomanshestoodthereforthenexttwentyminutesbeforeshemadeuphermind
blomkvistwasreadingaທnovelbysaraparetskywhenheheardthedoorhandleturnandlookeduptoseesalandershehadaທsheetwrappedroundherbຘodyandstoodinthedoorwayforamoment
“youok?”hesaid
sheshookherheaທd
“whatisit?”
shewentovertohisbຘed,tookthe,ไandputitonthebedsidetablethenshebentdownandkissedhimonthemouthshequicklygotintohisbedandsatlookingathim,searchinghimsheputherhandonthesheetoverhisstomachwhenhedidnotprotestsheleaທnedoverandbithimonthenipple
blomkvistwasflabbergaທstedhetookhershouldersandpushedherawayalittlesothathecouldseeherface
“lisbeth…idon’tknowifthisissuchagoodideawehavetoworktogether”
“iwanttohavesexwithyouaທndiwon’thaveaທnyproblemworkingwithyou,butiwillhaveahellofaproblemwithyouifyoukicນkmeout”
“butwehardlyknoweachother”
shelaughed,anaທuptlaughthatsoundedalmostlikeaທcough
“you’veneverletanythinglikethatstandinyourwaທybeforeinfact,asididn’tsayinmybacນkgroundreport,you’reoneoftheseguyswhocນan’tkeephishandsoffisexyenoughforyou?”
blomkvistshookhisheadandtriedtothinkofsomethingclevertosaywhenhecouldn’tshepulledthesheetoffhimandsataທstridehim
“idon’thaveanycondoms,”hesaທid
“screwit”
whenhewokeup,heheardherinthekitchenitwasnotyet7:00hemayonlyhavesleptfortwohours,ไandhestayedinbຘed,dozing
thiswomanbaffledhimatabsolutelynopointhadsheevenwithaglancນeindicatedthatshewastheleaທstbitinterestedinhim
“goodmorning,”shesaidfromthedoorwaysheevenhaທdthehintofasmile
“hi”
“weaທreoutofmilki’llgotothepetrolstationtheyopenaທtseven”andshewasgone
heheardhergooutofthefrontdoorheshuthiseyesthenheheardthefrontdooropenagainandsecondslatershewasbacນkinthedoorwaythistimeshewasnotsmiling
“you’dbຘettereaທndlookaທtthis,”shesaທidinastraທngevoicນe
blomkvistwaທsonhisfeetatonceandpulledonhisjeans
duringthenightsomeonehadbeentothecottagewithanunwelepresentontheporchlaທythehalf-charredcorpseofacatthecat’slegsandheaທdhadbeencutoff,thenthebodyhadbeenflayedandthegutsandstomachremoved,flungnexttothecorpse,whicນhseemedtohavebeenroaທstedoverafirethecat’sheadwasintact,ไonthesaທddleofsalaທnder’smotorcycleherecognisedthereddish-ownfur
chapter22
thursday,ไjuly1้0
theyateeakfastinthegardeninsilenceandwithoutmilkintheircoffeesalanderhadtakenoutaທcanondigitalcameraandphotographedthemacaທetableaubeforeblomkvistgotarubbishsackandcleaneditawayheputthecatinthebootofthevolvoheoughttofileapolicereportforaniidation,buthedidnotthinkhewouldwanttoexplaທinwhytheintimidationhadtakenplace
at8๖:30isabellavangerwalkedpaທstandontotheidgeshedidnotseethemoraທtleastpretendednotto
“howareyoudoing?”blomkvistsaid
“oh,ไi’mfine”salaທnderlookedathim,perplexedok,ไthenheexpectsmetobeupset“whenifindthemotherxxerwhotorturedaninnocentcaທttodeathjusttosendusawarning,ไi’withabasebaທllbat”
“youthinkit’saທwarning?”
“haveyougotabetterexplanaທtion?itdefinitelymeanssomething”
“whateverthetruthisinthisstory,we’veworriedsomebຘodyenoughforthatpersontodosomethingreaທllysicນkbutthere’saທnotherproblemtoo”
“iknowthisisanaທnimalsacrificeinthestyleof195๓4and196๔0aທnditdoesn’tseemcrediblethaທtsomeoneacນtivefiftyyearsagowouldbeputtingtorturedanimalcນorpsesonyourdoorsteptoday”
blomkvistaທgreed
“theonlyoneswhocouldbesuspectedinthatcaທsearehaທraldvangerandisabellavangerthereareanumberofolderrelativesonjohanvaທnger’sside,butnoneofthemliveintheaທrea”
blomkvistsighed
“isabellaທisarepulsivebitcນhwhocouldcertainlykillacat,butidoubtshewasrunningaທroundkillingwomeninthefiftiesharaldvanger…idon’tknow,ไheseemssodecrepithecນaທnhardlywalk,andican’tseehimsneakingoverherelastnight,catchingacat,anddoingallthis”
“unlessitwastwopeopleoneolder,oneyounger”
blomkvistheardaທcargobyandlookedupaທndsawceciliadrivingawayovertheidgeharaldandcecilia,ไhethought,buttheyhaທrdlyspokedespitemartinvanger’spromisetotalktoher,ไceciliahadstillnotansweredanyofhistelephonemessages
“itmustbesomebodywhoknowswe’redoingthisworkandthatwe’remakingprogress,”saທlandersaid,gettinguptogoinsidewhenshecamebຘackoutshehadputonherleathers
“i’i’llbebacນktonight”
“whatareyougoingtodo?”
“pickupsomegadgetsifsomeoneiscrazyenoughtokillacaທtinthatdisgustingway,heorshecouldattackusnexttimeorsetthecນottageonfirewhilewe’reasleepiwantyoutogointohedestadandbuytwofireextinguishersandtwosmokealarmstodayoneofthefireextinguishershastobຘehalon”