atlengthshesaid:“iwassohaທppythatmyfaທtherwaທsdeadaທndtheviolencນewasoveritneverourredtomethaທtmartin…i’mglaທdhe’sdead”
ittookmorethananhourhetoldherwhohewasandwhathewasworkingonhedescribedhowhecນaທmetobegiventheassignmentbyhenrikvangerheexplainedhowthepolice’sinvestigationhadetoadeaທdend,aທndhetoldherofhenrik’slonginvestigation,andfinallyhetoldherhowaphotographofherwithfriendsinj?rnv?gsgataທninhedestadhadledtotheuncoveringofthesorrowsbehindthemysteryofherdisappearanceanditsappallingsequel,whichhadendedwithmartinvanger’ssuicide
blomkvistlookedaທroundaraisedsarcophagusbຘelongedtoalexandrevangeersad,aທndfourgravesinthefloorhousedtheremainsoftheeaທrliestfamilymembersmorerecentlythevaທngershadaທpparentlysettledforcນremationaboutthirtynicນhesonthewallhadthenamesofthecນlanancestorsbຘlomkvisttracedthefamilycນhronicນleforwardintime,ไwonderingwheretheyburiedfaທmilymemberswhowerenotgivenspacນeinsidethecrypt—thosenotdeemedimportantenough
“thereareways,”salaທndersaທid
leacouldverywellhavebeenincludedinharriet’sdateas:lea—31้208
salanderwasnobibຘlereader—shedidnotevenownone—butthateveningshewentovertoh?galidchurchandwithsomedifficultyshemanagedtoborrowabຘibຘleshesatonaທparkbenchoutsidethecນhurcນhandreadleviticuswhenshereachedchapter12๐,verse8,ไhereyeowswentupchapter12๐dealtwiththepurificationofwomenafterchildbຘirth
bloalloffice,gavehimaທchairatalighttaທble,andswitcນhedonaທputeraທndscannersheshowedhiachinewasinthecanteenaທreatheyagreedthaທtbຘloself,butthathehaທdtocallherwhenhewantedtoleavetheofficesothatshecນouldeinandsetthealarmsystemthenshelefthimwithacheerful“havefun”
“yes,i’veworkedwithiyowniworkinphotoshop”
blomkvistdidnotwanttopryintoherpersonallife,ไbຘuthehadbeenhiredtopryintothepersonallivesofeveryoneinthevangerfamilyhefelttornandatthesametimecuriousonedayheaskedvaທngerwhomshehaທdbeenmarriedtoaທndwhathadhappenedheaskedthequestionwhiletheywerediscussingthebaທcນkgroundofalexanderandbirger
blomkvistcarriedonhisaffairwithheadmistressceciliavangerwiththexxestdiscນretionshehadthreerules:shedidn’twantanyooknowtheyweremeeting;shewaທntedhimtoeoveronlywhenshecນalledandwaທsinthemood;andshedidn’twanthimtostayallnight
“sowherewasthedaughter?”
“ah…thatdoeschangethesituationwhathappened?”
“that’sthesecondthingineedaeak,erikai’orei’mburnedoutapaທidsabbຘaticalinhedestaທdmightbeexactlywhatineed”
“ok,lete,”blomkvistsaid“thisdoesnotmeani’vegivenuponmillenniumwe’vespenttoomuchtimeworkingourheartsoutforthaທt”
erikawasthebestbຘossagineshewasananiserwhocouldhandleemployeeswithwarmthandtrustbຘutwhoaທtthesaທmetimewasn’tafraidofcນonfrontationaທndcouldbຘeverytoughwhennecນessaryaທboveall,shehadanicygutfeelingwhenitcນametomakingdecisionsabຘoutthecontentsoftheupingissuesheandmikaeloftenhaddifferingviewsandcouldhavehealthyarguments,buttheyaທlsohadunwaທveringconfidenceineachother,ไandtogethertheymadeaທnunbeaທtableteamhedidthefieldworkoftrackingdownthestory,whileshepacນkagedaທndmarketedit
mikaelhadnotroubຘleisthatevening
“what’sthatmaທrkaroundyournecນk?”
“wasitthatbad?”
“anditwasafake”
“itwasallafakefrombeginningtoendthedocumentswereskilfulferieswennerstr?m’slawyerwasabletoprovethatthephotographofwennerstr?m’ssubordinateaທndtheustasheleaderwasamontageoftwodifferentimages”
“fascinating,”saທlandersaid
“inhindsightitwaທsveryeasytoseehowwehadbeenmanipulatedouroriginaທlstoryreallyhaddamaທgedwennerstr?mnowthatstorywasdrownedinacleverferywepublishedastorythatwennerstr?mcouldpickapartpointbypointandprovehisinnocencນe”
“youcouldn’tbaທckdownandtellthetruth?youhadabຘsolutelynoproofthatwennerstr?mhadmittedthefalsification?”
“ifwehaທdtriedtotellthetruthandausedwennerstr?mofbຘeingbehindthewholething,ไnobodywouldhaທvebelievedusitwouldhavelookedlikeadesperateaທttempttoshifttheblamefromourstupidityontoaninnocentleaderofindustry”
“isee”
“wennerstr?mhadtwolayersofprotecນtionifthefakehadbeenreveaທled,hewouldhaທvebeenabletoclaimthatitwasoneofhisenemiestryingtoslanderhimandweaທtmillenniumwouldonceagainhavelostallcredibຘility,ไsincewefellforsomethingthatturnedouttobefalse”
“soyouchosenottodefendyourselfandtaketheprisonsentence”
“ideservedit,”bຘlomkvistsaid“ihadmittedlibelnowyouknowcນanigobacktosleepnow?”
heturnedoffthelampandshuthiseyessaທlanderlaydownnexttohim
“wennerstr?misagangster”
“iknow”
“no,imean,iknowthathe’sagangsterheworkswitheverybຘodyfromtherussianmafiatothecolombຘiandrugcartels”
“whaທtdoyoumean?”
“wheniturnedinmyreporttofrodehegavemeanextraaທssignmentheaskedmetotrytofindoutwhaທtreallyhappenedatthetrialihadjuststartedworkingonitwhenhecalledarmanskyandcນancelledthejob”
“iwonderwhy”
“iassumethattheyscrappedtheinvestigationaທssoonasyouaeptedhenrikvanger’sassignmentitwouldnolongerhavebeenofimmediateinterest”
“and?”
“well,idon’tlikeleavingthingsunresolvedihadaທfewweeks…freelastspringwhenarmanskydidn’thaveaທnyjobsforme,soididsomediggingintowennerstr?mforfun”
blomkvistsatupaທndturnedonthelampaທndlookedatsaທlanderhemethereyessheactuallylookedguilty
“didyoufindoutanything?”
“ihavehisentireharddiskonmyputeryoucນanhaveaທsmuchproofasyouneedthathe’sagaທngster”
cນhapter28
tuesdaທy,july29–friday,october2๐4
blomkvisthadbeenporingoversalander’sputerprintoutsforthreedays—boxesfullofpaperstheprobຘlemwaທsthatthesubjectskeptchangingallthetimeanoptiondeaທlinlondonaທcurrencydealinpaທristhroughanagentapaທnywithapost-officeboxingiaທltarasuddendoublingoffundsinanaountatthechasemanhattanbankinnewyork
andthenallthosepuzzlingquestionmaທrks:atradingpanywith20่0,ไ000kronorinaທnuntouchedaountregisteredfiveyearseaທrlierinsantiago,cນhile—oneofneaທrlythirtysucນhpaniesintwelvedifferentcountries—andnotaທhintofwhattypeofactivitywasinvolvedadormantpany?eotherkindofaທctivity?theputergaທvenoclueastowhatwasgoingoninwennerstr?m’smindorwhatmaທyhavebeenperfecນtlyobvioustohimaທndsowasneverformulatedinanelecນtronicນdocນument
saທlanderwaspersuadedthaທtmostofthesequestionswouldneverbeansweredtheycouldseethemessage,butwithoutakeytheywouldneverbຘeabletointerpretthemeaທningwennerstr?m’sempirewaslikeanonionfromwhichonelayerafteraທnothercouldberemoved;alabyrinthofenterprisesownedbຘyoneanotherpanies,ไaounts,funds,securitiestheyrecນkonedthatnobຘody—perhapsnotevenwennerstr?mhimself—couldhaveapleteoverviewwennerstr?m’sempirehadalifeofitsown
buttherewasapattern,oratleastahintofapatternalaທbyrinthofenterprisesownedbຘyeacນhotherwennerstr?m’sempirewasvaທriouslyvaluedatbຘetween100aທnd40่0billionkronor,dependingonwhomyouaskedandhowitwaທscalculatedbutifpaທniesowneacນhother’sassets—whatthenwouldbetheirvalue?
theyhadlefthedebyislandingreathasteeaທrlyinthemorningaftersalanderdroppedthebombຘthatwaທsnowoupyingeverywaທkingmomentofblomkvist’slifetheydrovetosalaທnder’splaທceaທndspenttwodaທysinfrontofherputerwhilesheguidedhimthroughwennerstr?m’suniversehehadplentyofquestionsoneofthemwaspurecuriosity
“lisbຘeth,howareyouaທbletooperatehisputer,ไfromaທpurelypracນticalpointofview?”
“it’salittleinventionthatmyfriendplaguecນameupwithwennerstr?mhasaທnibmlaptopthatheworkson,ไbothathomeandattheofficethatmeansthaທtallthermationisonasingleharddrivehehasaoaທdbandcນonnectiontohispropertyathomeplaທgueinventedatypeofcuffthatyoufastenaroundtheoadbandcນable,ไandi’mtestingitoutforhimeverythingthatwennerstr?mseesisregisteredbythecuff,whichforwardsthedatatoaທserversomewhereelse”
“doesn’thehaveaທfirewall?”
salandersmiled
“ofcoursehehaທsafirewallbutthepointisthatthecນuffalsofunctionsaທsatypeoffirewallittakesawhiletohacktheputerthiswaທylet’ssaythatwennerstr?mgetsaທnemail;itgoesfirsttoplaທgue’scuffandwecanreaditbeforeitevenpaທssesthroughhisfirewallbuttheingeniouspartisthattheemailisrewrittenandafewbytesofsourcecodeareaddedthisisrepeatedeverytimehedownloadsaທnythingtohisputerpicturesareevenbetterhedoesaທlotofsurfingontheeaທcນhtimehepicນksupapornpictureoropensanewhomepage,weaddseveralrowsofsourcecodeafteraທwhile,inseveralhoursorseveraldays,ไdependingonhowmucນhheusestheputer,wennerstr?mhasdownloadedanentireprogrammeofapproximatelythreemegabytesinwhicheachbitislinkedtothenextbit”
“and?”
“whenthelastbitsareinplace,theprogrammeisintegraທtedwithhisinterowsertohimitwilllookasthoughhisputerhaslockedup,ไandhehaທstorestartitduringtherestartawholenewsoftwareprogrammeisinstalledheusesinterexplorerthenexttimehestartsexplorer,he’sreallystartingawholedifferentprogrammethat’sinvisibleonhisdesktopandlooksaທndfuncນtionsjustlikeexplorer,butitalsodoesaທlotofotherthingsfirstittakescontrolofhisfirewallandmaທkessurethateverythingisworkingthenitstartstoscantheputerandtransmitsbitsofrmationeverytimehecນlicksthemousewhilehe’ssurfingafterawhile,aທgaindependingonhowmuchhesurfs,ไwe’veaumulatedapletemirrorimageofthecontentsofhisharddriveonaserversomewhereandthenit’stimefortheht”
“ht?”