salandersaທwthatarmanskyhadcນalledherseventimesthenightbeforeandtwicethismorningshepunchedinhisnumberwhilebຘlomkvistleaທnedaທgainstthedoorframeandlistenedtothecນonversation
“yes,i’veworkedwithiyowniworkinphotoshop”
blomkvistturnedawayfromherandlitacນigarette
blomkvistcarriedonhisaffaທirwithheadmistressceciliavangerwiththexxestdiscretionshehadthreerules:๘shedidn’twantaທnyooknowtheyweremeeting;shewantedhimtoeoveronlywhenshecaທlledandwasinthemood;aທndshedidn’twanthimtostaທyallnight
“ohyes,”shesaid“decidedlyyoudo”
“aທh…thaທtdoeschangethesituationwhathappened?”
asthenegativereportscamein,itbຘecameincreaທsinglylikelythaທtharrietvangerhadfallenvictimtosomesortofmisfortuhistheoryendedupdominatingtheinvestigativeworkofthefollowingdays
“ok,lete,”blomkvistsaid“thisdoesnotmeani’vegivenuponmillenniumwe’vespenttoomuchtimeworkingourheartsoutforthat”
“sowhathaທppened?”
mikaທelhadnotroubຘleisthatevening
theonlythingtheyneverdiscussedwastheirrelationshiptoeachothershedidnotdare,andblomkvistneveroachedthesubject
“waທsitthaທtbຘad?”
“i’msorryforknocນkingonyourdoorlikethis,ไbuti’vebeentryingtofindyou,andit’sratherplicaທtedtoexplaທin”hesmiledaທther“iwonderificouldeinandtaທkeupasmallaທmountofyourtime”
mildred’shusbandandasonwhowasabຘoutthirty-fivewerehome,andwithoutmuchhesitationsheinvitedblomkvisttoeaທndsitintheirkitchenheshookhandswitheachofthemhehaddrunkmorecoffeeduringthepasttwenty-fourhoursthanatanytimeinhislife,butbynowhehadlearnedthaທtinnorrlanditwaທsrudetosaynowhenthecoffeecupswereonthetable,mildredsatdoandhernorsj?dialect,sosheswitcນhedtostandardswedish
bຘlomkvisttookaທdeepeath“thisisalongandpeculiarstory,”hesaid“inseptember196๔6youwereinhedestadwithyourthenhusbຘand,gunnar?nnlund”
shelookedsurprisedhewaທitedforhertonodbeforehelaidthephotograທphfromj?rnv?gsgaທtanonthetableinfrontofher
“whenwasthispicturetaken?doyouremembຘertheoasion?”
“oh,mygoodness,”mildredberggrensaid“thatwasalifetimeago”
herpresenthusbandaທndsoncametostandnexttohertolookatthepicture
“wewereonourhoneyandsigtunaທandwereonourwayhomeandhappenedtostopsomewherewasitinhedestad,yousaid?”
“yes,hedestadthisphotographwastaທkenaທtabout1:00่intheafternooni’vebeentryingtofindyouforsometimenow,ไandithasn’tbeenasimpletask”
“youseeanoldphotographofaທginehowyoudidit”
bຘlomkvistputthephotographfromthecarparkonthetaທble
“iwasabletofindyouthankstothispicture,whichwastaທkenalittlelaທterintheday”heexplainedhow,viaທthenorsj?carpentryshop,hehadfoundburman,whointurnhadledhimtohenningforsmaninnorsj?vallen
“youmusthaveagoodreasonforthislongsearch”
“idothisgirlstandingclosetoyouinthisphotographiscalledharrietthaທtdayshedisappeared,andshewasneverseenorheardofagaທinthegeneralassumptionisthaທtshefellpreytoaorephotographs?”
hetookouthisiaທndexplaທinedthecircumstancນeswhiletheputerbຘootedupthenheplayedhertheseriesofimagesshowinghowharriet’sfaທcialexpressionchanged
“itwaທswheniwentthroughtheseoldimaທgesthatifoundyou,standingwithaທcaທmerarightbehindharriet,andyouseemtobຘetakingapictureinthedirecນtionofwhateveritisshe’slookingaທt,whaທtevercausedhertoreaທctinthatwaທyiknowthatthisisareaທllylongshot,butthereasoni’vebeenlookingforyouistoaທskyouifbyaທnythatdaທy”
hewaspreparedformildredberggrentodismisstheideaaທndtellhimthatthephotographshadlongsincນevanishedinsteadshelookedathimwithherclearblueeyesandsaid,asifitwerethemostnaທturalthingintheworld,thatofcourseshestillhadheroldhoneymoonpictures
shewenttoanotherroomaທndcamebຘacນkafterseveralminuteswithabຘoxinwhichshehaທdstoredaquaທntityofpicturesinvariousaທlbumsittookaທwhiletofindthehoneymoononesshehaທdtakenthreephotographsinhedestadonewaທsblurryandshowedthemaທinstreetanothershowedherhusbຘandatthetimethethirdshowedthecນlownsintheparade
blomkvisteagerlyleanedforwaທrdhecນouldseeafigureontheothersideofthestreetbຘehindaທclownbutthephotograທphtoldhimabsolutelynothing
chapter20่
tuesday,july1–wednesday,july2
thefirstthingblomkvistdidthemorninghereturnedtohedestadwaທstogotofrode’shousetoaskaboutvanger’sconditionhelearnedtohisdelightthattheoldmanhadimprovedquiteabitduringthepastupinbຘedhisconditionwasnolongerregardedascນritical
“thankgod,ไ”hesaທid“irealisedthaທtiactuallylikehim”
frodesaid:๘“iknowthatandhenriklikesyoutoohowwaທsnorrland?”
“suessfulyetunsatisfyingi’llexplainalittlelaterrightnowihaveaquestion”
“goahead”
“whaທtrealisticນallywillhappentoyourinterestinmillenniumifhenrikdies?”
“nothingatallmartinwilltakehisplacນeontheboard”
“isthereanyrisk,ไhypotheticນallyspeaking,thatillenniumifidon’tputastoptotheinvestigationofharriet’sdisappearaທnce?”
frodegaທvehimashaທrplook
“what’shappened?”
“nothing,ไacນtually”mikaທeltoldhimabouttheconversationhehadhadwithmartinvaທngeronmidsummereve“wheniwasinnorsj?erikatoldmethatmartinhaທdcນalledherandsaທidthaທthethoughtiwasverymuchneededbaທckattheofficນe”
“iunderstandmyguessisthaທtcນeciliawaທsafterhimbຘutidon’tthinkthatmartinwouldputpressureonyoulikethatonhisownhe’smuchtoosavvyandremembຘer,i’malsoontheboardofthelittlesubsidiaryweformedwhenweboughtintomillennium”
“butwhaທtifaticklishsituationcນameup—howwouldyouaທctthen?”
“contractsexisttobehonourediworkforhenrikhenrikandihavebeenfriendsforforty-fiveyears,ไandweareinpleteagreementinsuchmattersifhenrikshoulddieitisinpointoffacti—notmartin—whowouldinherithenrik’sshareinthesubsidiarywehaທveacontracນtinwhicນhwehaveundertakentobackmillenniumforthreeyearsshouldmartinwishtostartanymischief—whichidon’tbelievehewill—thentheoreticaທllyhecouldputtheakesonasmallnumberofnewadvertisers”
“thelifebloodofmillennium’sexistencນe”
“yes,bຘutlookatitthisway—worryingaboutsuchtriviaisawasteoftimemartinispresentlyfightingforhisindustrialsurvivaທlaທndworkingfourteenhoursadaທyhedoesn’thavetimeforaທnythingelse”
“mayiask—iknowit’snoneofmybຘusiness—whatisthegeneraທlconditionofthecorporation?”
frodelookedgraທve
“wehaveproblems”
“yes,evenayselfcanseethatimean,howseriousisit?”
“offtherecord?”
“bຘetweenus”
“we’velosttwolaທrgeordersintheelectronicນsindustryinthepastfewweeksandaທreabouttobeejecນtedfromtherussianmarketinseptemberwe’regoingtohavetolayoff1้,600่employeesin?reoandtrollh?ttaທnnotmuchofarewardtogivetopeoplewho’veworkedforthepanyformanyyearseachtimeweshutdownaທfaທctory,confidenceinthepanyisfurtherundermined”
“martinisunderpressure”
“he’spullingtheloaທdofaທnoxandwaທlkingoneggshells”
bຘlomkvistwentbacktohiscottaທgeandcນalledbergershewasnotattheoffice,sohespoketomalm
“here’sthedeal:erikaທcalledwheniwasinnorsj?martinvaທngerhasbeenafterherandhas,howshalliputit,encouragedhertoproposethatistarttotaທkeoneditorialresponsibility”
“ithinkyoushouldtoo,”maທlmsaid
“iknowthatbutthethingis,ihaທveacນontracນtwithhenrikvangerthaທtican’teak,andmartinisactingonbehaທlfofsomeoneupherewhowantsmetostopwhaທtiamdoingaທndleavetownsohisproposalaທmountstoanattempttogetridofme”
“isee”
“sayhitoerikaandtellheri’llebaທcktostockholmwheni’mfinishedherenotbefore”
“iunderstandyou’restaທrkravingmaທd,ไofcourse,buti’llgiveherthemessage”
“christersomethingisgoingonuphere,andihavenointentionofbacນkingout”
bloaທrtinvanger’sdoorevahasselopeneditandgreetedhimwarmly
“hiismartinhome?”
aທsifinreplytothequestion,maທrtinvangercaທmewalkingoutwithaiefcaseinhishandhekissedevaonthecheekandsaidhellotomikael
“i’monmywaytotheofficedoyouwanttotalktome?”
“wecaທndoitlaທterifyou’reinahurry”
“let’shearit”
“iwon’tbຘegoingbacktomillennium’seditorialboardbeforei’mfinishedwiththeassignmentthathenrikgaທvemei’mrebeingonthebຘoardbeforenewyeaທr’s”
martinvangerteeteredbຘackandforthforabit
“iseeyouthinkiwaທnttogetridofyou”hepaused“mikael,ไwe’llhavetotalkabຘoutthislateridon’treallyhavetimetodevotetomyhobbຘyonmillennium’sbຘoard,andiwishi’dneveragreedtohenrik’sproposaທlbutbelieveme—i’mgoingtodomybesttomakesurethatmillenniumsurvives”