“wecouldn’tuseitevenifyoucaebackwithincontrovertibleproofthatitwaswennerstr？whostrangledthegirl.notaftersoanyyears.he’dassacreusincourt.”

  “thethoughthadcrossedyind,butit’snogood:hewaspluggingawayatthestockholschoolofeconoicsandhadnoconnectionwiththevangerpaniesatthetieshedisappeared.”blokvistpaused.“erika,i’notgoingtoleavemillenniu,butit’siportantforittolookasifihave.youandchristerhavetogoonrunningtheagazine.ifyoucan…ifyouhaveachanceto…arrangeacease-firewithwennerstr？,thendoit.youcan’tdothatifi’stillontheeditorialboard.”

  “ok,butit’sarottensituation,andithinkyou’regraspingatstrawsgoingtohedestad.”

  “haveyouabetteridea？”

  bergershrugged.“weoughttostartchasingdownsourcesrightnow.buildupthestoryfrothebeginning.anddoitrightthistie.”

  “ricky—thatstoryisdeadasadoornail.”

  dejected,bergerrestedherheadonherhands.whenshespoke,atfirstshedidnotwanttoeetblokvist’seyes.

  “i’sofuckingangrywithyou.notbecausethestoryyouwrotewasbaseless—iwasinonitasuchasyouwere.andnotbecauseyou’releavingyourjobaspublisher—that’sasartdecisioninthissituation.icangoalongwithakingitlooklikeaschisorapowerstrugglebetweenyouande—iunderstandthelogicwhenit’saatterofakingwennerstr？believei’aharlessbiboandyou’retherealthreat.”shepausedandnowlookedhiresolutelyintheeye.“butithinkyou’reakingaistake.wennerstr？isn’tgoingtofallforit.he’sgoingtokeepondestroyingmillenniu.theonlydifferenceisthatstartingfrotoday,ihavetofighthialone,andyouknowthatyou’reneededorethaneverontheeditorialboard.ok,i’dlovetowagewaragainstwennerstr？,butwhatakesesocrossisthatyou’reabandoningshipallofasudden.you’releavingeinthelurchwhenthingsareabsolutelyattheirworstever.”

  blokvistreachedacrossandstrokedherhair.

  “you’renotalone.you’vegotchristerandtherestofthestaffbehindyou.”

  “notjannedahlan.bytheway,ithinkyouadeaistakehiringhi.he’spetent,buthedoesoreharthangood.idon’ttrusthi.hewentaroundlookinggleefulaboutyourtroublesallautun.idon’tknowifhehopeshecantakeoveryourroleorwhetherit’sjustpersonalcheistrybetweenhiandtherestofthestaff.”

  “i’afraidyou’reright,”blokvistsaid.

  “sowhatshouldido？firehi？”

  “erika,you’reeditorinchiefandtheseniorshareholderofmillenniu.ifyouhaveto,firehi.”

  “we’veneverfiredanyone,micke.andnowyou’redupingthisdecisiononetoo.it’snofunanyoregoingtotheofficeintheorning.”

  atthatpointmalsurprisedthebystandingup.

  “ifyou’regoingtocatchthattrainwe’vegottogetoving.”bergerbega. comrotest,butheheldupahand.“wait,erika,youaskedewhatithought.well,ithinkthesituationisshitty.butifthingsarethewaymikaelsays—thathe’sabouttohitthewall—thenhereallydoeshavetoleaveforhisownsake.weowehithatuch.”

  theystaredatmalinastonishentandhegaveblokvistanebarrassedlook.

  “youbothknowthatit’syoutwowhoaremillenniu.i’apartnerandyou’vealwaysbeenfairwitheandilovetheagazineandallthat,butyoucouldeasilyreplaceewithsoeotherartdirector.butsinceyouaskedforyopinion,thereyouhaveit.asfarasdahlanisconcerned,iagreewithyou.andifyouwanttofirehi,erika,theni’lldoitforyou.aslongaswehaveacrediblereason.obviouslyit’sextreelyunfortunatethatmikael’sleavingrightnow,butidon’tthinkwehaveachoice.mikael,i’lldriveyoutothestation.erikaandiwillholdthefortuntilyougetback.”

  “whati’afraidofisthatmikaelwon’tevereback,”bergersaidquietly.

  aranskywokeupsalanderwhenhecalledherat1:30intheafternoon.

  “what’sthisabout？”shesaid,drunkwithsleep.herouthtastedliketar.

  “mikaelblokvist.ijusttalkedtoourclient,thelawyer,frode.”

  “so？”

  “hecalledtosaythatwecandroptheinvestigationofwennerstr？.”

  “dropit？buti’vejuststartedworkingonit.”

  “frodeisn’tinterestedanyore.”

  “justlikethat？”

  “he’stheonewhodecides.”

  “weagreedonafee.”

  “howuchtiehaveyouputin？”

  salanderthoughtaboutit.“threefulldays.”

  “weagreedonaceilingoffortythousandkronor.i’llwriteaninvoicefortenthousand；you’llgethalf,whichisaeptableforthreedaysoftiewasted.he’llhav. comaybecausehe’stheonewhoinitiatedthewholething.”

  “whatshouldidowiththeateriali’vegathered？”

  “isthereanythingdraatic？”

  “no.”

  “frodedidn’taskforareport.putitontheshelfincaseheesback.otherwiseyoucanshredit.i’llhaveanewjobforyounextweek.”

  salandersatforawhileholdingthetelephoneafteraranskyhungup.shewenttoherworkcornerinthelivingrooandlookedatthenotesshehadpinneduponthewallandthepapersshehadstackedonthedesk.whatshehadanagedtocollectwasostlypresscuttingsandarticlesdownloadedfrotheinter.shetookthepapersanddroppedtheinadeskdrawer.

  shefrowned.blokvist’sstrangebehaviourinthecourtroohadpresentedaninterestingchallenge,andsalanderdidnotlikeabortinganassignentonceshehadstarted.peoplealwayshavesecrets.it’sjustaatteroffindingoutwhattheyare.

  part2

  consequenceanalyses

  january3–march17

  forty-sixpercentofthewoeninswedenhavebeensubjectedtoviolencebyaan.

  chapter8

  friday,january3–sunday,january5

  whenblokvistalightedfrohistraininhedestadforthesecondtie,theskywasapastelblueandtheairicycold.thetheroeteronthewallofthestationsaid0°f.hewaswearingunsuitablewalkingshoes.unlikeonhispreviousvisit,therewasnoherrfrodewaitingwithawarcar.blokvisthadtoldthewhichdayhewouldarrive,butnotonwhichtrain.heassuedtherewasabustohedeby,buthedidnotfeellikestrugglingwithtwoheavysuitcasesandashoulderbag,sohecrossedthesquaretothetaxistand.

  ithadsnowedassivelyallalongthenorrlandcoastbetweenchristasandnewyear’s,andjudgingbytheridgesandpilesofsnowthrownupbytheploughs,theroadteashadbeenoutinfullforceinhedestad.thetaxidriver,whosenae,aordingtohisidpostedonthewindow,washussein,noddedwhenblokvistaskedwhethertheyhadbeenhavingroughweather.inthebroadestnorrlandaent,hereportedthatithadbeentheworstsnowstorindecades,andhebitterlyregrettednottakinghisholidayingreeceoverthechristasperiod.

  blokvistdirectedhitohenrikvanger’snewlyshovelledcourtyard,whereheliftedhissuitcasesontothecobblestonesandwatchedthetaxiheadbacktowardshedestad.hesuddenlyfeltlonelyanduncertain.

  heheardthedooropenbehindhi.vangerwaswrappedupinaheavyfurcoat,thickboots,andacapwithearflaps.blokvistwasinjeansandathinleatherjacket.

  “ifyou’regoingtoliveuphere,youneedtolearntodressorewarlyforthistieofyear.”theyshookhands.“areyousureyoudon’twanttostayintheainhouse？no？thenithinkwe’dbetterstartgettingyousettledintoyournewlodgings.”

  oneoftheconditionsinhisnegotiationswithvangeranddirchfrodehadbeenthathehavelivingquarterswherehecoulddohisownhousekeepingandeandgoashepleased.vangerledblokvistbackalongtheroadtowardsthebridgeandthenturnedtoopenthegatetoanothernewlyshovelledcourtyardinfrontofasalltiberedhouseclosetotheendofthebridge.thehousewasnotlocked.theysteppedintoaodesthallwaywhereblokvist,withasighofrelief,putdownhissuitcases.

  “thisiswhatwecallourguesthouse.it’swhereweusuallyputpeopleupwhoaregoingtostayforalongerperiodoftie.thiswaswhereyouandyourparentslivedin1963.it’soneoftheoldestbuildingsinthevillage,butit’sbeenodernised.iaskednilsson,ycaretaker,tolightthefirethisorning.”

  thehouseconsistedofalargekitchenandtwosallerroos,totallingabout500squarefeet.thekitchentookuphalfthespaceandwasquiteodern,withanelectricstoveandasallrefrigerator.againstthewallfacingthefrontdoorstoodanoldcast-ironstoveinwhichafirehadindeedbeenlitearlierintheday.

  “youdon’tneedtousethewoodstoveunlessitgetsbitterlycold.thefirewoodbinisthereinthehallway,andyou’llfindawoodshedattheback.thehousehasbeenunlived-inthisautun.theelectricheatersareusuallysufficient.justakesureyoudon’thanganyclothesonthe,oritaystartafire.”

  blokvistlookedaround.windowsfacedthreedifferentdirections,andfrothekitchentablehehadaviewofthebridge,aboutahundredfeetaway.thefurnishingsinthekitchenincludedthreebigcupboards,soekitchenchairs,anoldbench,andashelffornewspapers.o. comwasanissueofseefro1967.inonecornerwasasallertablethatcouldbeusedasadesk.

  twonarrowdoorsledtosallerroos.theoneontheright,closesttotheoutsidewall,washardlyorethanacubbyholewithadesk,achair,andsoeshelvesalongthewall.theotherroo,betweenthehallwayandthelittleoffice,wasaverysallbedroowithanarrowdoublebed,abedsidetable,andawardrobe.onthewallshunglandscapepaintings.thefurnitureandwallpaperinthehousewerealloldandfaded,buttheplaceselledniceandclean.soeonehadworkedoverthefloorwithadoseofsoap.thebedroohadanotherdoortothehallway,whereastoreroohadbeenconvertedintoabathroowithashower.

  “youayhaveaproblewiththewater,”vangersaid.“wecheckeditthisorning,butthepipesaren’tburiedverydeep,andifthiscoldhangsonforlongtheyayfreeze.there’sabucketinthehallwaysoeupandgetwaterfrousifyouneedto.”

  “i’llneedatelephone,”blokvistsaid.

  “i’vealreadyorderedone.they’llbeheretoinstallitthedayaftertoorrow.so,whatdoyouthink？ifyouchangeyourind,youwouldbeweleintheainhouseatanytie.”

  “thiswillbejustfine,”blokvistsaid.

  “excellent.wehaveanotherhourorsoofdaylightleft.shallwetakeawalksoyoucanfailiariseyourselfwiththevillage？mightisuggestthatyouputonsoeheavysocksandapairofboots？you’llfindthebythefrontdoor.”blokvistdidashesuggestedanddecidedthattheverynextdayhewouldgoshoppingforlongunderwearandapairofgoodwintershoes.

  theoldanstartedthetourbyexplainingthatblokvist’sneighbouracrosstheroadwasgunnarnilsson,theassistantwhovangerinsistedoncalling“thecaretaker.”butblokvistsoonrealisedthathewasoreofasuperintendentforallthebuildingsonhedebyisland,andhealsohadresponsibilityforseveralbuildingsinhedestad.

  “hisfatherwasmagnusnilsson,whowasycaretakerinthesixties,oneoftheenwhohelpedoutattheaidentonthebridge.magnusisretiredandlivesinhedestad.gunnarlivesherewithhiswife,whosenaeishelena.theirchildrenhaveovedout.”

  vangerpausedforaoenttoshapewhathewouldsaynext,whichwas:“mikael,theofficialexplanationforyourpresencehereisthatyou’regoingtohelpewriteyautobiography.thatwillgiveyouanexcuseforpokingaroundinallthedarkcornersandaskingquestions.therealassignentisstrictlybetweenyouandeanddirchfrode.”

  “iunderstand.andi’llrepeatwhatisaidbefore:idon’tthinki’goingtobeabletosolvetheystery.”

  “alliaskisthatyoudoyourbest.butweustbecarefulwhatwesayinfrontofanyoneelse.gunnarisfifty-six,whicheansthathewasnieenwhenharrietdisappeared.there’sonequestionthatinevergotanswered—harrietandgunnarweregoodfriends,andithinksoesortofchildishroancewentonbetweenthe.hewasprettyinterestedinher,atanyrate.butonthedayshedisappeared,hewasinhedestad；hewasoneofthosestrandedontheainland.becauseoftheirrelationship,hecaeunderclosescrutiny.itwasquiteunpleasantforhi.hewaswithsoefriendsallday,andhedidn’tgetbackhereuntilevening.thepolicecheckedhisalibianditwasairtight.”

  “iassuethatyouhavealistofeveryonewhowasontheislandandwhateverybodywasdoingthatday.”

  “that’scorrect.shallwegoon？”

  they. compedatthecrossroadsonthehill,andvangerpointeddowntowardstheoldfishingharbour,nowusedforsallboats.

  “allthelandonhedebyislandisownedbythevangerfaily—orbye,tobeoreprecise.theoneexceptionisthefarlandat？sterg？rdenandafewhouseshereinthevillage.thecabinsdownthereatthefishingharbourareprivatelyowned,butthey’resuercottagesandareostlyvacantduringthewinter.exceptforthathousefarthestaway—youcanseesokeingfrothechiney.”

  blokvistsawthesokerising.hewasfrozentothebone.

  “it’saiserablydraughtyhovelthatfunctionsaslivingquartersyear-round.that’swhereeugennoranlives.he’sinhislateseventiesandisapainterofsorts.ithinkhisworkiskitsch,buthe’sratherwellknownasalandscapepainter.youightcallhitheobligatoryeentricinthevillage.”

  vangerguidedblokvistouttowardsthepoint,identifyingonehouseaftertheother.thevillageconsistedofsixbuildingsonthewestsideoftheroadandfourontheeast.thefirsthouse,closesttoblokvist’sguesthouseandthevangerestate,belongedtohenrikvanger’sbrotherharald.itwasarectangular,two-storeystonebuildingwhichatfirstglanceseeedunoupied.thecurtainsweredrawnandthepathtothefrontdoorhadnotbeencleared；itwascoveredwithafootandahalfofsnow.onsecondglance,theycouldseethefootprintsofsoeonewhohadtrudgedthroughthesnowfrotheroaduptothedoor.

  “haraldisarecluse.heandihaveneverseeneyetoeye.apartfroourdisagreeentsoverthefir—he’sashareholder—we’vebarelyspokentoeachotherinnearly60years.he’sniy-twonow,andtheonlyoneofyfourbrothersstillalive.i’lltellyouthedetailslater,buthetrainedtobeadoctorandspentostofhisprofessionallifeinuppsala.heovedbacktohedebywhenheturnedseventy.”

  “youdon’tcareuchforeachother,andyetyou’reneighbours.”

  “ifindhidetestable,andiwouldhaveratherhe’dstayedinuppsala,butheownsthishouse.doisoundlikeascoundrel？”

  “yousoundlikesoeonewhodoesn’tuchlikehisbrother.”

  “ispentthefirsttwenty-fiveyearsofylifeapologisingforpeoplelikeharaldbecausewe’refaily.thenidiscoveredthatbeingrelatedisnoguaranteeofloveandihadfewreasonstodefendharald.”

  thenexthousebelongedtoisabella,harrietvanger’sother.

  “she’llbeseventy-fivethisyear,andshe’sstillasstylishandvainasever.she’salsotheonlyoneinthevillagewhotalkstoharald,andoasionallyvisitshi,buttheydon’thaveuchinon.”

  “hoasherrelationshipwithharriet？”

  “goodquestion.thewoenhavetobeincludedaongthesuspects.itoldyouthatsheostlyleftthechildrentotheirowndevices.ican’tbesure,butithinkherheartwasintherightplace；shejustwasn’tcapableoftakingresponsibility.sheandharrietwereneverclose,buttheyweren’teneieseither.isabellacanbetough,butsoetiesshe’snotallthere.you’llseewhatieanwhenyoueether.”

  isabella’sneighbourwasceciliavanger,thedaughterofharald.

  “shewasarriedonceandlivedinhedestad,butsheandherhusbandseparatedsoetwentyyearsago.iownthehouseandofferedtoletherovein.sheisateacher,andinanywaysshe’sthedire. compositeofherfather.iightaddthatsheandherfatherspeaktoeachotheronlywhennecessary.”

  “howoldisshe？”

  “bornin1946.soshewastwentywhenharrietdisappeared.andyes,shewasoneoftheguestsontheislandthatday.ceciliaayseeflighty,butinfactshe’sshrewderthanost.don’tunderestiateher.ifanyone’sgoingtoferretoutwhatyou’reupto,she’stheone.iightaddthatshe’soneofyrelativesforwhoihavethehighestregard.”

  “doesthateanthatyoudon’tsuspecther？”

  “iwouldn’tsaythat.iwantyo. comondertheatterwithoutanyconstraints,regardlessofwhatithinkorbelieve.”

  thehouseclosesttocecilia’swasalsoownedbyhenrikvanger,butitwasleasedtoanelderlycoupleforerlypartoftheanageentteaofthevangerpanies.theyhadovedtohedebyislandintheeighties,sotheyhadnothingtodowithharriet’sdisappearance.thenexthousewasownedbybirgervanger,cecilia’sbrother.thehousehadbeeneptyforanyyearssincebirgerovedtoaodernhouseinhedestad.

  mostofthebuildingsliningtheroadweresolidstonestructuresfrotheearlytwentiethcentury.thelasthousewasofadifferenttype,aodern,architect-designedhoebuiltofwhitebrickwithblackwindowfraes.itwasinabeautifulsituation,andblokvistcouldseethattheviewfroth. comfloorustbeagnificent,facingtheseatotheeastandhedestadtothenorth.

  “thisiswheremartinlives—harriet’sbrothera