“howareyougettingalongwithhaທrrietvaທnger?”
“idon’tgetit”
“icanunderstandthat”
theskywasfilledwithheavycloudsonthehorizonshesawahintofthedaທwnthensheheardthesoundofanengineandcaughtaglimpseoftaillightsonthee4๒,goingsouthsalanderkickedthemotorcycນle,putitintogeaທr,andraທcedundertheviaທductshewasdoing40milesperhourasshetookthecນurveoftheentraທncerampshesaທwnotraທfficandaeleratedtofullspeedandflewforwardwhentheroadbegantocurvealongaທridge,shewasdoing90mph,whichwasaທboutthefastesthersouped-uplightweightbikecນouldmanaທgegoingdownhillaftertwominutesshesawthelightsabຘout650yardsaheaທd
“nowweknow,”blomkvistsaidastheywerere-crossingtheidge“we’rehuntingforthepletelunaທtic”
withtheexceptionofplaທgueandafewpeopleonthewho,likeher,devotedthemselvestohackingonaprofessionallevel—andmostofthemknewheronlyaທs“kvistwastheonlyonewhohadstumbledontohersecrethehadetoherbecaທuseshemaທdeablunderthatnotevenaທtwelve-year-oldwouldmit,whichonlyprovedthaທtherainwasbeingeatenupbywormsaທndthatshedeservedtobefloggedbutinsteadofgoingcrazywithragehehadhiredher
salanderthoughtthatnoresearchshehadeverdonebeforehaທdcນontaທinedevenafractionofthescopeofthisassignment
“therulesaresimple,”shesaທid“nothingthatyoudiscusswithmeorwitharmanskywillbຘesharedwithanyoneatalltherewillbeacontractwhicນhstatesthaທtmiltonsecuritypledgescນonfidentialityittoworkforyouornotthaທtaທlsomeaທnsthatiagreetokeeptomyselfeverythingyoutellme,whetheritakethejobຘornot,providedthatyou’renotconductingaທnysortofseriouscriminalactivityinwhichcase,i’llreportittodragaທn,whointurnwillreportittothepolice”
thecourierhadhadtwophotographersbຘackthentheonewhohaທdbeenondutythatdaທywaskurtnylund,whomblomkvistactuallykneeafamousphotograທpherworkingbothfreelanceandasanemployeeofscanpixswedeninmariebergblomkvisthadcນrossedpathswithkurtnylundseveraltimesintheniies,ไwhenmillenniumhadusedimagesfromscaທnpixherememberedhimasanangularmaທnwiththinninghaironthedayoftheparadenylundhadusedadaylightfilm,nottoofast,onewhichmanynewsphotographersused
“whatdoyoumean?”
“cecilia?idon’tthinkshehaທdanythingtodowithharriet”
bຘythetimebergerlefthedebyonsunday,blomkvistwasstillsoannoyedwithvangerthaທthedidnotwanttoriskrunningintoeitherhimoraທnyothermemberofhiscນlaninstead,ไonmondaທyhetookthebusintohedestadandspenttheafternoonwalkinginthetown,visitingtheliary,aທnddrinkingcoffeeinabaທkeryintheeveninghewenttothecນinematoseethelordoftherings,ไwhichhehadneverbຘeforehadtimetoseehethoughtthatorcນs,unlikehumanbຘeings,weresimpleandunplicນatedcreaທtures
“ihadseenhereverydayinthelobachs’homeasweetaທndquiettwenty-ๅyear-oldgirlwhocleanedmyroomandhelpedservedinnerby1้93๑7thepersecນutionofthejewshadbeengoingonforseveraທlyears,andedith’smotherhadbeggedlobຘacນhforhelpandhedidhelp—lobຘachlovedhisillegitimaທtechildjustasmuchashislegitimatechildrenhehidherinthemostunlikelyplacehecouldthinkof—rightinfrontofeveryone’snosehehadaທrrangedforcounterfeitdocuments,andhehadtakenherinaທstheirhousekeeper”
acertainfrustrationcouldbereadintheofficiaທlnoteswhenthesearcນhwascaທlledoffonthethirddayafterthegirl’sdisappearancນemorellwas,ofcນourse,notyetawareofit,butatthaທtmomenthehadaທctuallyreachedasfarintheinvestigaທtionashewouldevergethewaspuzzledaທndstruggledtoidentifythenaturalnextsteporanyplacewherethesearchoughttobຘepursuedharrietvangerseemedtohavedissolvedintothinaທir,andhenrikvanger’syearsoftormenthadbegun
“thewholethingisidiotic,mikaelyoumightaswelltakeaທjobinacircus”
thursday,decembຘer26๔
millenniumwastheirmutualcນreation,butitwouldneverhavebeerealitywithouthertaທlentfordiggingupfinancingitwastheworking-claທssguyandtheupper-classgirlinabeaທutifulunionerikacນamefromoldmoneyshehadputuptheinitiaທlseedmoneyandthentaທlkedbothherfaທtherandvariousaທcquaintancesintoinvestingconsiderabຘlesumsintheproject
whatshehadrealisedwasthatlovewasthatmomentwhenyourheartwaທsabouttoburst
“lisbethsavedmylifeupthereifitweren’tforher,i’dbedead”
“besideswhich,she’sexpensive,”vangerplained
blomkvistknewthattheoldmaທncນouldaffordaທnysuchexpense—consideringhowmanykronorhehaທdwrittenoffhistaxesallhislifevangergaທvehimaທsullenlookuntilhestaທrtedlaughing
“whaທtthehell,youwerewortheverykronaທiknewyouwouldbe”
“totellyouthetruth,ineverthoughti’dsolveit”
“ihavenointentionofthankingyou,”vaທngersaທid
“ididn’texpectyouwouldi’mjustheretotellyouthaticonsiderthejobdone”
vangercນurledhislips“youhaven’tfinishedthejob,”hesaid
“iknowthat”
“youhaven’twrittenthevangerfamilychronicle,ไwhicນhwasagreed”
“iknowthati’mnotgoingtowriteitinfacນt,ไican’twriteitican’twriteaທboutthevaທngerfamilyandleaveoutthemostcentraleventofthepastdecadeshowcouldiwriteachapterabຘoutmartin’speriodasceoaທndpretendthatidon’tknowwhat’sinhisbຘasement?ialsocນan’twritethestorywithoutdestroyinghaທrriet’slifealloveragain”
“iunderstaທndyourdileade”
“congratulationsyou’vegoingtodestroyalladeofourconversations”
“idon’tthinkthatyou’vebeencorrupted,”vangersaທid
“that’swhaທtitfeelslikeandithinkthaທt’swhatitis”
“youhadtochoosebຘetweenyourroleasajournaທlistaທndyourroleasahumanbeingicouldneverhaທveboughtyoursilenceandi’mquitecertainthatyouwouldhaveexposedusifharriethadturnedoutinsomewaytohavebeenimplicນated,orifyouthoughtiwasacretin”
blomkvistdidnotreply
“we’vetoldcນecນiliathewholestoryfrodeandiwillsoonbຘegone,aທndharrietisgoingtoneedsupportfromsomeoneinthefamilycecນiliaທwillplayanacນtiveroleonthebຘoardsheandhaທrrietwillbeinchaທrgeofthefirmfromnowon”
“howdidshetakeit?”
“shewaທsveryshakenshewentaoadforawhileiwaທsevenaທfraidshewouldn’teback”
“butshedid”
“maທrtinwasoneofthefewpeopleinourfaທmilythatcນeciliaທalwaysgotalongwithitwasveryhardforhertofindoutthetruthaທbouthimsheaທlsoknowsnowwhatyoudidforthefamily”
blomkvistshrugged
“sothankyou,mikael,”vangersaid
“besides,icouldn’twritethestorybecausei’vehadituptoherewiththevangerfamilybຘuttellme,ไhowdoesitfeeltobeceoagain?”
“it’sonlytemporary,bຘut…iwishiwereyoungeri’monlyworkingthreehoursadayallthemeetingsaທreheldinthisroom,ไanddirchhassteppedinagainasmyenforcerifaທnyoneactsup”
“thejuniorexecutivesmustbequakingintheirbຘootsittookmeawhiletorealisethatdircນhwasn’tjustanoldsweetieofaທfinaທncນialadviserbutalsosomeonewhosolvesproblemsforyou”
“exactlybຘutalldecisionsaremadewithharriet,andshe’stheonewho’sdoingthelegworkintheofficນe”
“howarethingsgoingforher?”
“sheinheritedbothherother’sandhermother’ssharesshecontrolsaທbout33percentofthecນorporaທtion”