pushed the telephone as far into the vent as he could. and Helsingborg.

She was in luck
She was in luck. So ?C S?po. I??m something as old-fashioned as a democrat. On page thirty-four there is a paragraph in which Bj?rck appears to suggest that Salander be branded psychotic. Lennart Torkelsson. Salander herself was critically injured and at Sahlgrenska hospital in G?teborg. I ?C or rather. But no amount of speculating could change the fact that the crime scene investigation offered no grain of support to the theory that a third party had helped Bj?rck on his way. Then a week went by before the emails started coming again. Trinity did not even consider trying to bug Ekstr?m??s work telephone at police H.?? he said.?? he said.?? ??M?rtensson. Then her I. and we don??t know yet whether it is connected to any known crime in Sweden..?? Jonasson sat for a while. He used clamps to secure the opening. out and we??ve alerted the police in Norway and Denmark.?? he said to Edklinth. there is no doubt that Lisbeth Salander was shot and buried alive on his property in Gosseberga. What am I supposed to do??? ??I??m persuaded that you quoted him accurately. I need to consult a psychiatrist or some other professional who??s approved to handle classified information. and be the news editor??? ??I wouldn??t do it for anything.

her army scattered. forty-seven. listening out for sounds in the vicinity. Policemen aren??t supposed to think in those terms. can you help me out??? ??I spent the evening in the company of good friends. ??There are several parts to this problem. Right now I just feel like shit.??.?? Ellis said.?? Edklinth said. If you can??t manage a simple job like that then you might as well sit here with your thumb up your backside until the constitutional committee comes knocking on your door. As far as Millennium is concerned.M. but did not doubt the truth of it. He refers to it as the Zalachenko club.?? ??Is there a story in that??? ??Wait. yes.?? They paid a short visit to Salander??s sickbed. and there was nothing new in Aftonbladet online.I. The only practical decision they made was that Modig should return to G?teborg the next day to see whether Salander had anything to say.?? Malm sat motionless for a few seconds. She sat paralysed and tried to work out from which direction the sharp reports had come. They copied their bronze breastplates and armour from the Greeks.

who with thirty thousand female soldiers and three thousand female cavalry swept through Egypt and Syria and all the way to the Aegean. But what did she have to lose? Berger followed the instruction. and ask yourself whose interests it might serve... You remember when Mikael was up in Hedestad sulking for almost a whole bloody year. how the healing in her brain was progressing. There??s the world of difference. thinks that Bjurman raped Salander. Only a woman who had killed a man in battle was allowed to give up her virginity. When he passed ?rstabron he took out a ballpoint pen and a plain paper pad.?? sent apparently by someone at a well-known media outlet in Sweden. ??Can I buy you breakfast??? ??Can one get pancakes and jam anywhere round here??? ??Waffles. But in practice two assistant chiefs know of our existence. ??I agree with Sonja. It has to stay that way. And Wasp was one of its citizens. Shall we go and have some coffee??? Berger sat up. When they passed Ikea at Kungens Kurva in Sk?rholmen. hit the return key. You??re a victim. ??Thanks. which corresponded to the word P-I-P-P-I ?C Pippi Bloody Longstocking. That??s never happened.

?? ??Probably. It was the most horrendous thing I??ve ever experienced. That??s never happened. ??Hello. Goddamnit Wadensj??! She knew who her father was and could have told Bjurman at any time. ??How does Bjurman come into the story in the first place? You say he was the one who started the whole thing by contacting Zalachenko and asking him to kill Salander. He seemed to be interested only in how her muscles were working. He did not ask any questions about Niedermann or Zalachenko. The trail ends there for the moment. with you??? ??It??s completely O. He??s going to be right up there with the directors of Skandia.?? Wadensj?? said. Zalachenko. but Zalachenko was guilty of repeated assault against his girlfriend.. They were not dramatic sums. The alternative is a person who wants to take some sort of revenge and sabotage my life for personal reasons.?? ??That??s what I wanted to discuss with you. While he waited for the helicopter. Edklinth had worked as a prosecutor and then twenty-one years ago joined the Security Police. The batteries. despite the fact that he poked at her and fussed over her fever chart. but since I had already filed a report. we sent for a copy of her file from St Stefan??s.

With the authorization from the highest level. Drive up to Stockholm and pick them up in person if necessary.?? Gullberg said. I want G?ransson and his bitch to be found as soon as possible. then with me. and then ?? I need about a fortnight off to recharge my batteries. With difficulty she propped herself up.45 p. Neither Teleborian nor Faulsson ?C especially not Faulsson ?C had any position inside S. At last she raised the stylus and tapped out a few more lines of text. He also says that the forgery is a good one and that the content is a clever blend of truth and fantasy.?? ??And since she went into your building I assume that Milton has put in some sort of hidden surveillance of your flat. According to the green numerals on the digital clock on her bedside cabinet. Their service weapons and the marked police car were gone. I??m not some temp. and we don??t know yet whether it is connected to any known crime in Sweden. He thought about the fact that his daughter was very close by. But that lifeline could also be a trap.K.?? ??The police suspect that I am involved. Probably he would go to Tallinn. and the rest of them were somehow excluded. Then he turned to F?lldin. she lay awake and worried.

It??s irresistible. After a while she pinged Blomkvist on I. and not chasing political mirages. ??May I help you??? ??Thank you. She had a headache again.?? ??Deterioration??? ??Compared with when she was receiving qualified care as a teenager. It sounds a little cryptic. He took her left elbow and raised the arm. and some bright spark at the Rescue Service got the message.?? Salander said. Dragan. but a great many institutions and phenomena also fell within the bailiwick of the division. The police had released nothing about Salander??s condition. She did notice improvements. Berger realized that several of her new colleagues were looking at her. He wished Sandberg had ordered Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes and lingonberries. we won??t know anything until she wakes up. Zalachenko??s biography was still vague ?C all he had was what he had blackmailed Bj?rck to reveal.I. only women were allowed to hold high office. we need to have clear documentation of all the measures we have taken.?? ??Perfectly understood. when he had to use a drill to enlarge the hole in the skull.m.

that the police existed to prevent crimes like that.G. Naturally he has stayed in contact with the Section throughout. and the price that the work of a newspaperman can sometimes exact. When she closed the door he arduously sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. Then she skipped month to month and read only the subject lines. He would have to hurry to make the last ferry. tied a rope to the lamp hook. coming and going as he pleased. He honestly did not give a damn about the man.?? the assistant chief of the Violent Crimes Division concluded.M. Today we have what??s called an internal and an external organization. And here in the Section we function principally as report recipients. but he??s irreplaceable. and the room was at the end of an L-shaped corridor.S. ??It??s a long story. whenever that might be. Use your famous good judgement. If death was the black emptiness from which she had just woken up. about two hours later than usual. After the war. He would never be able to tell anyone what had happened in Stallarholmen.

??What??ll we do about Sonny Nieminen??? Fransson leafed through to the section on Nieminen in the papers on her desk. The sisters had not seen each other for several years when Lisbeth Salander ran Camilla to ground and tried to persuade her to tell her what she knew.P. which described the problems encountered by the former Swedish ambassador to France when he was commissioned to examine S?po in the wake of the Palme assassination and the Ebbe Carlsson affair. I??m a friend.?? ??But he??s alive. she called the duty officer at Nacka Integrated Protection. The prosecutor has forbidden my client to have visitors. Jan. We??ve just fine-tuned it. Promise me. mostly seem to sit and kill time.?? Modig said in apology. I gather that there was a very considerable difference of opinion between Faste and Bublanski. Now go. He felt a great weight on his shoulders. Then he bought envelopes and stamps and posted the letters in a box with a 9. Then a series of notes claiming that Salander was paranoid and a schizophrenic. hoping to get rid of the daughter. no doubt about it. ??But none of this solves the basic problem. It??s status quo all the way. Which Blomkvist by definition had actually done. ??Let me guess.

and to have the strength to get up and finish the job once and for all. Jan. On her side of the wall there was presumably a similar screwed-on cover.?? Ellis gave a dismissive wave. When he got up to the room he went straight to the bathroom. but there was no alternative. but they had ditched the gun. Now it was time to express herself more clearly. He had only one. sharp training sessions. Then he gave Zalachenko a long. the journalist Dag Svensson. and Nystr?m is turning sixty. department store. She returned moments later with a cup of coffee.G. Her client was in much worse shape than she had been led to believe. Andersson had seen the body through a window and called in the alarm. I don??t usually agree to this sort of unscheduled meeting. ??Your editor-in-chief??s untimely departure will create problems in the newsroom. During the night the fever subsided; she was almost back down to normal and I thought the episode had passed. The real problem is here.?? ??Benny Karlsson??? Nieminen yelled. ??I hope all??s well with your father.

That unnamed individuals in government circles had great confidence in him implied that he could count on their gratitude if he played his cards right. it??s Berger. Berger was editor-in-chief and therefore one of the few people who could demand that information from him. Why don??t we concentrate on what we??ve discovered??? ??I don??t like loose ends.A. He needed to talk to Berger.?? ??He??s turning down Holl?ndargatan. but he??s usable. Zalachenko is there too with an axe wound to his skull. Perfect dramaturgy with a bad guy who swindles Swedish tenants through the system ?C which is legal ?C but who is so greedy and so bloody stupid that he outsources to this company in Vietnam. looking at him with amused affection.B. Generally there aren??t any decisions that are 100 per cent right or wrong. We have to decide what to do. She isn??t the type to ask anyone for help. the better. Zealous. She explained what she needed to have done. I know roughly what??s behind it all. The person who bears this letter is working unofficially and has my trust.?? Blomkvist told her the details of the story that Cortez had compiled. which was mostly figuring out what was going on on the other side of the Baltic. Figuerola noted the time. Maybe Figuerola had a point.

which prompted the newspaper to speculate about her mental state. let??s say ?C could publish selected excerpts from it. She??s under arrest and all visitors are prohibited. (2) Neither Lundin or Sonny Nieminen has said a word about what happened at Stallarholmen.W. She was interrupted when the Securitas guard put the key in the door to let in Dr Jonasson. He remembered him as thin with a narrow moustache. ??But since I knew that??s what you would say. A certain Lisbeth Salander. He had come on board recently to clean up the shambles of what was known as the Internal Bureau affair.?? ??First name??? ??Fredrik. Gullberg paid his hotel bill and went out to the street. Instead. Earlier in the day he had enquired about Lisbeth Salander??s condition.?? ??We??? ??Listen ?? the story was slated to run in the July issue.?? Edklinth nodded. or Swedish Internal Security ?C S.?? Sandberg said at last. three emails from Fredriksson updating her on developments in the day??s lead story. ??I need to know what you and Blomkvist have cooked up to help her.H.?? ??You??ll get only one guarantee from me. picked up his laptop case. He would never regain full health.

in accordance with his own paranoid delusions. Since they had been searching for me in vain for a while on behalf of Zalachenko and Niedermann. When they started plying him with questions about his possible involvement in trafficking and other criminal activities. ??I must admit ?? just between us ?? that sometimes I worry about Niedermann. for example. Then Giannini crossed the room and pulled open the door.00. He had ended up in the same situation as during the Wennerstr?m affair. ??That was the crucial part of the evidence. And while I??m on this topic ?? I??ll be writing editorials from time to time. and finally he used flattery to bolster Bjurman??s feeling of importance. but???? ??I can??t wave a magic wand and conjure up the contents of a daily newspaper by sitting in my glass cage and just wishing for things. She had wiped her hard drive clean before she left for Gosseberga and the confrontation with Zalachenko. which included a short whip.00 he had a brief visit from a representative of the prosecutor??s office. The work was routine. what??s the situation??? Andersson shook his head. The woman who crushed Wennerstr?m??s empire. and the head of Secretariat.?? ??His own shop??? ??He became a consultant in security for industry.?? He greeted Edklinth without shaking hands and said hello to two colleagues who were apparently part of his team. The real problem is here.?? ??Armansky. Erlander glanced up at the lowering rain clouds.

Goddamnit Wadensj??! She knew who her father was and could have told Bjurman at any time. ??You want to bring charges against the Zalachenko club. She turned to look at Enrico. ??Yes??? ??It??s just that when we talked to Teleborian. I can??t break the law. and now we have to reach some sort of agreement about what??s going to happen. He??s the entire operations department and I don??t think Wadensj?? has the drive to do what needs to be done. There were psychopaths and conspiracy theorists. Reassigned to a secret post abroad in 2000. Instead she went to bed with a history of the ancient world.?? There was a long silence. ??Hans Faste. ??We??ll introduce ourselves properly in a while. the media will either tear you to pieces or describe you as an honest civil servant who made the best of an impossible situation. ??We??ve got a problem. They were dealing with at least three murders with the bodies found buried on the property. We have him in the Secret State Police from the early ??50s to 1964.20 before Cortez called. The only glimmer of light in the darkness was that Salander had been carried to the helicopter. ??Nothing today. Everybody??s off work. ??Thanks. Niedermann must not be captured alive. I assure you that I will exercise the utmost discretion.

Let??s start with Clinton and von Rottinger. She had to remind him that he was at the Slussen Hilton.?? ??The eternal vicious circle. I didn??t even know that his name was Zalachenko. on the other hand.?? ??I??m beginning to have strong reservations about Ekstr?m. She took out the Palm and connected to the Net. would have to be informed. They went from room to room. 1991); Power Struggle for S?po by Erik Magnusson (Corona. nothing urgent. You could turn the trial to your advantage or let them convict you. It??s a typical pre-emptive retaliation to undermine potential complaints from Blomkvist. 27. If Sweden had a constitutional court. At 2. He would have to hurry to make the last ferry. but Ekstr?m could not know that. To be honest. but he was starting to get a line on how the letters should be expressed. Blomkvist??s problem was that the account still had gaping holes in it. He previously worked in western Europe for the Soviet military intelligence service G.V. the woman who had been shot.

and smelled coffee from the kitchen where his wife was already about her morning chores. wore only his underpants. If I had been a suspect. Their affair was carried on with his assent. He was furious. ??What was he like??? ??Much as he is today. He went there off his own bat. Sonja.?? ??But that doesn??t quite fit with our reconstruction of what happened. Zalachenko is at most a medium. You??ve asked for an extension of your temporary job. agents. but it came in waves instead of being constant.?? He kissed her cheek and headed for the bus stop on Fridhemsplan. They??re a reputable manufacturer. Personal Protection had the smallest budget of any unit in the Security Police. ??I know.M. either openly or covertly.?? ??How old are you??? ??Twenty-seven.

We think it??s an organization inside the organization. but you??ve given your word not to take any initiatives that could interfere with the investigation. What??s it about??? ??I??ll tell you when I see you. ??And how are you doing this evening??? ??I have a splitting headache and I feel feverish. Edklinth was holding his breath. ??How many killings do you reckon this case involves??? Holmberg rubbed his eyes wearily. He sat down and looked at Figuerola. 19. Run!?? Giannini watched as the two nurses took cover in the room next to Salander??s. Assistant Chief Fredrik Clinton.?? They sat in silence. but she lacked experience and the gravitas of Berger. Then she opened a notebook and took a pen from her jacket pocket. You can??t call and say that it was a mistake. No Teleborian. as he often did. because Gullberg had made specific death threats against Karl Axel Bodin. ??This is really cool. and the growth in readers in their twenties is almost zero. ??It??s Anders.

the logical thing for Ekstr?m to do would have been to contact the general director of the Security Police to determine who Zalachenko actually was. who took charge immediately. but there wasn??t anywhere else to park. We put out the paper. right above a stool that was usually in the kitchen. She turned to the first page. But as long as he risks being busted.?? Jonasson said when the call was finally answered. so I??ll put her on.?? ??What you don??t understand is that our shareholders bought stock in the paper because they want to make money..?? or merely ??the Division?? ?C but never ??S?po??. She had not.?? ??Hello.?? Erlander closed his mobile. He shook hands with ArmanskyWednesday. Gullberg had approved the operation. K. Mogren was a carpenter and bodybuilder and had been her training partner off and on for three years. A genuine scoop for Millennium.

which was even now disappearing over the treetops in the direction of G?teborg. he must have chosen a simple password. What an excellent tool the Internet was for freaks. This would be her last Saturday lunch at Sahlgrenska.?? ??Harsh words. ??Hello. Someone who was trying to cover Zalachenko??s tracks.??* ??I??m not Ebbe Carlsson. The victim of the incident was a middle-aged man. ??Here we are again. The business section has one. ??The others are on their way. You came from Borl?nge and you??ve worked with the Uppsala police. Berger??s boss is a bloody crook.?? ??And he spent his sick leave running around with prostitutes??? Gullberg said. Karl Axel Bodin was brought up by an uncle living in Norway. There could have been a Russian agent inside S. He very seldom called in sick.?? Malm muttered his assent and then said: ??Millennium functioned because you and Mikael were a good balance for each other. Now.

??I was hired to turn this downward trend around. which normally he hated. she had encouraged him to think for himself. She made two slices of toast with cheese. ??She was obviously hired by Blomkvist. and that won??t be until August. at least. When he got up to the room he went straight to the bathroom. He was the one who recruited you. and if you were to sell it you??d probably get a million and a half for it. whenever that might be. and telecommunications. and she directed the investigation with a force that matched her physical appearance. including bow and arrow. He did his military service in the ??40s and became an accountant or some such. Cortez exhaled in relief. She knew right away that it was not one of the night nurses. some sort of authority is needed to guarantee the observance of these laws. and no matter how effective he was in that respect.?? ??As things now stand.

?? ??Who got in first??? ??We got in more or less at the same time. It cannot be ruled out that there is a minor bleed that is not visible on the images. He had spent much of Monday night and the early hours of Tuesday morning reading or at least skimming the books. gentlemen. SixOfOne wrote. Zalachenko. ??The defector had operated in other countries and knew nothing about Sweden. What would his next step be??? ??He has to get out of Sweden. the total budget of the secret police was 2. The blinds were down. It was in an upstairs room used by Niedermann. He was living on a disability pension. but soon gave up. She knew her brother. peeling off a large part of the flesh on the right side of his face and tugging at his eye socket. even if the friend was impossible and obviously flawed. He gave the driver an address in the suburb of Bromma. ??You certainly have a way with headlines. ??It??s going to involve a lot of surveillance.?? Gullberg said.

Then she looked at him.?? Karim said. The same rules apply as in your day. That??s when normal rules no longer apply. and vigorous. It was Friday. ??Now let me say my piece. If he won??t say anything.R. When it was explained to F?lldin how serious this preliminary investigation was.?? She thought about that.?? ??Probably. He sat down again.?? ??All food is decent. ??What??? ??I??m free tomorrow morning as well. If such a word occurred. and the Section had in fact been instrumental in the very formation of the group. some sort of authority is needed to guarantee the observance of these laws. said they would fix it first thing in the morning. but he had a short fuse and was a dangerous man.

??Forgive me for pointing this out. And I??m dead tired. His head was wrapped in so many bandages that you could see only his left eye and a narrow slit of mouth. to gather documentation about its extent. ??O. Nor did Giannini tell him anything of what she and her client discussed.?? She nodded.?? ??I??ll be sending a man out this morning.I.S. And your entire investigation has to be carried out without a single person other than me knowing anything at all about it. It contained the findings of Olsson.M.15 he introduced himself on the entry phone and was buzzed inside. the worst possible thing I could do in this situation would be to try to influence the shape or content of your story. he would apologize and resign from his positions on various boards. blond man with a crewcut who wore a black leather jacket.?? Zalachenko felt elated and would have burst out laughing had he not been so trussed up. In the organization. ??Never seen them before.

You might be able to trace the I. it might be better if we didn??t call. Richard Ekstr?m. and he was proud of what had been achieved that night when Salander was brought into A.S. but that was no longer possible. Someone had left a pencil there. She??s Blomkvist??s sister. He had had a miserable formal education. He opened them again and gave the policeman an angry glare.?? ??Thanks. And there??s something wrong with him.D. There??s a room in the connecting corridor to the right of the reception area that would be better from a security point of view. But. then you??ll be my sources ?C with all the enduring anonymity that implies.?? ??Now you??ve got me worried. and in such detail. ??And Zalachenko? Have you questioned him??? ??Yes. Not everyone can afford security.

I became a police officer because I thought. lifted him off the ground. She walked slowly past the entrances to the buildings. She had experienced the same thing at St Stefan??s.?? Zalachenko turned his head away from his visitor.?? ??She attacked a paedophile???? ??Precisely. Two days later he was released into his uncle??s custody. Now it seemed all wrong. and all else it takes to publish a newspaper. Figuerola changed gear and turned up Vasagatan. but situations do crop up. Those three had formed an inner circle and were always shutting themselves in Berger??s office ?? well. I have to know whether you really do want me to be your lawyer. little girl.S. You met him down in G?teborg.?? ??I??m not trying to evade your question. and its purpose is to damage Salander before the trial. He pushed the telephone as far into the vent as he could. and Helsingborg.