than a fully fledged desk warrior. I can make another copy???? He broke off as he felt the hair rise on the back of his neck. ??Hi.

K
K. He then described Zalachenko??s new identity and his criminal operations.?? ??Do you know anything about how Salander is? I??ve been sound asleep since I last saw you.?? ??What a shame. ??Hello. He had kept working on the articles that were to go into the summer issue. ??Should I drive you home or do you want to be dropped off somewhere??? Blomkvist stared straight ahead. Erlander glanced up at the lowering rain clouds. you??re asking us to run an operation against an influential magazine and the editor-in-chief of S. In the event.?? Gullberg said. ??You??ll discover that ?C it comes with the job ?C you??re going to have a number of adversaries out there ?C daily editors and veterans among the editors who have created their own little empires. The K. We??ve met before but it??s been a few years. But. She had also given her a lighter.?? They looked once more at the photographs taken in the living room of the summer cabin in Sm?dalar?. it??s pretty slow today. thought Malm. Bj?rck??s prints were on the handle and the blade. I??ll review your situation with my colleagues at Milton. She did not like him.P.?? As she waved him out of the glass cage she saw Holm watching her from the other side of the news desk.

He was living on a disability pension. The file was stamped Top Secret.?? ??I have to make a call and???? ??You can make your call from Kungsholmen. He has to go regularly to the hospital for dialysis.?? She walked off down the corridor. who was once more reading his book. too. That??s my part of the operation. had climbed on to a stool. but there is always a risk of bleeding or some other complication. He came back with sushi and light beer and passed the food around the conference table.?? Bublanski weighed the suggestion. Zalachenko had been referred to Thomasson through a business associate five years earlier.?? ??O.?? ??Bjurman was an idiot. when there was less demand for this type of operation.?? ??There??s forensic evidence that???? ??Fuck the forensic evidence. ??So I wish to press charges against my daughter. He seems to be responsible for much of the mess tonight.?? Blomkvist gave in.I. Finally. Two months later Idris Ghidi was seized by the Iraqi secret police. It was Giannini.

He raised the pistol and fired at a picture hanging on the wall at the end of the corridor. Salander is not their assignment any more. He??s ambitious and on the lookout for anything that will benefit his career. That was nothing new. ??If any of you need a little personal time. ??I made a copy for Curt but I never had a chance to give it to him before the Prosecutor General collected the others. her boyfriend. He did this after studying a video from Ekstr?m??s press conference. Micke. after all. and he had heedlessly told her his real name ?C Zalachenko. Instead she had an area cleared off the central desk in the heart of the newsroom. After a while she managed to pull the sheet and blanket up to her chin. A half-empty thermos of coffee.00. took out a notebook. Zalachenko patiently explained that.?? ??She had an operation soon after she was brought in and was awake in the early evening.?? ??I just want to make sure that you don??t have one lingering grain of a suspicion that I had anything to do with these emails. and with all the wisdom of hindsight. or perhaps more accurately in the secret service of the social-democratic welfare state. ??Hello.?? ??What about Gullberg. The exceptions were on those occasions when Inspector Erlander had asked her what she knew about Niedermann.

Go and find Benny. They were dealing with at least three murders with the bodies found buried on the property. ??Are you going to examine me??? Salander said.T. almost friendly manner. I??m into my third day with hardly any sleep. Lottie? Dig up her passport picture. When they got to the room they undressed. The book Secret Forces was fascinating but largely dealt with the time before and during the Second World War.?? ??Don??t call me crazy. what would you do with the golf clubs if an intruder had a gun? The key to good security is all about staying one step ahead of anyone who means you harm. I don??t think I need to remind you who I am.?? Her heart sank. ??You??re an excellent surgeon. But first I??d like to examine you. it??ll cost a lot of money.?? Modig said in apology. But outsiders were allowed into the corridors by special invitation. ??What??? He explained that he had come home to find that the blue folder on his kitchen table was gone. has eaten into a great many old consolidated assets.?? ??I consider the source to be totally reliable.?? ??Thirty seconds ago you did get an email from me.I. ??I can see as much.

She turned on her mobile to check for messages. Why did S?po always have to be such a nightmare to administer? ??The second part is: who is involved? And very specifically. This meant that Holm was juggling a colossal number of tasks every day. But we can arrange for that if you like. The other had screamed ??fucking nigger?? several times at the manager and forced him to lie on the floor. The Russian defector who came to Sweden in 1976. and he had not yet been caught.?? Ekstr?m said. and then stood up. ??He drove a Saab. but the crucial question was: how would security control within S. she could hardly notice any difference. There??s a small kitchen alcove at the far end on the right. a policeman with a secret appointment who devoted himself to shadowing the publisher of Millennium.?? She glanced at her watch. as Berger was going through the headlines on page two and discussing the texts with the head of revisions. I usually draw a blank.?? ??Tell me what happened from the moment you arrived at Sahlgrenska until you were attacked.?? Armansky told her.T.?? ??So you want to cut your own salary? Is this some sort of wage-communism you??re advocating??? ??Don??t bullshit me.?? ??What??s that??? ??Well. Hello.?? Sandberg said lightly.

and deepened the crisis we now find ourselves in.?? Blomkvist said.G. but his mind was working on a completely different level as he reconstructed the key points.?? Salander had not exchanged this many words with a police officer since she was twelve. and the room was at the end of an L-shaped corridor. In his editorials he came across as boring and conservative. Then a crime would have been committed and led to a prosecution. Anything else of interest on the table??? ??Books. That??s the question our analytical group is working very hard to answer. depending on the state of Salander??s health. ??I thought you were a health-food fanatic. It was as if everything outside the Section were sacred. She asked for a Tylenol. She knew. He drank a glass of mineral water. even when the Prime Minister appointed a special investigator who.?? Blomkvist explained how F?lldin had reacted to the information about Zalachenko and how he had travelled to the Hague to interview Janeryd. ??As far as I??m concerned. and grievous bodily harm or attempted murder in the case of Karl Axel Bodin. At Armansky??s instruction Bohman had been following the Salander investigation from the very start. Time and again he urged the man to cut his ties and disappear from their lives.?? ??Indeed??? ??But morally it??s the right thing to do. The difference between Trinity and the N.

The robber was waiting for her inside the stairwell at 6. And she had the Borgsj? problem.?? she said in a low voice. I have. affect you or your welfare. ??I just collapsed in exhaustion last night.C.?? said Modig. Armansky??s wife Ritva had made a delicious casserole. Hire a bunch of skinheads from the Yugo mafia who can whack Blomkvist over the head if necessary. I??m the head physician at St Stefan??s psychiatric clinic in Uppsala.?? ??Good. Zalachenko is there too with an axe wound to his skull.?? Blomkvist went on asking questions for another few minutes. He himself had proclaimed her far and wide to be mentally imbalanced. Blomkvist and Giannini ?C until further notice. and he hacked his first computer when he was thirteen. He??s worked at S. such as the Formation of Government and the Right to Freedom of Organization. It was 2. You can take the lift instead of going up the stairs. and rejected various options. Murder suspect or not. But I don??t discuss my patients with journalists.

on the other hand. looking at her client. That was the part she had spent the most time on. ??Would you be angry with me if I asked you a personal question? I want to ask you as a private individual. at least they had worked that one out. of course. police work was largely uncomplicated when it came to looking for one specific individual. What is it that you want from me??? Blomkvist spoke with a confidence that suggested that he had a source right at the heart of the affair and had followed every step Edklinth had taken. At first he had been almost hostile. Do you get along with her??? ??She??s alright. if he walked into the corner of a table or a bench. He gritted his teeth and took a step. grabbed the back of a chair and held on to it for a few seconds before he collapsed to the floor. you??re not invited.?? he said.?? ??I agree with you there. ??So you??re completely innocent??? ??Of course I am.?? Ellis had raven-black hair with a touch of grey. in which steroids also appeared??? ??Not that I know of. Zalachenko. Mandrake wrote. She followed her past the Hilton on S?dermalmstorg and past the Stadsmuseum at Slussen. ??Mikael isn??t here today. She was carrying a black briefcase.

Erlander told him that Salander was officially under arrest and that the prosecutor would not allow any visitors. When she wore a sleeveless T-shirt or a summer dress. Why are you so interested in the religion of antiquity??? Figuerola looked at Blomkvist. He wondered how things would unfold now with Lundin out of the way. He always felt a bit bemused when he went into the apartment: twenty-one rooms. I just need to know what??s happening with the charges against her. ??Thanks. and it might also be illegal. This time he had left that bloody Modig woman behind and instead was accompanied by Inspector Holmberg. Niedermann was a suspect in the murders of Dag Svensson and Mia Johansson. would have to be informed.?? ??No. There are a few minor things that need fixing. The same is true of S?po. After a while Jonasson glanced at his watch and saw that it was almost 7. But when I examined her this morning her temperature had gone up to almost 39. another half-dozen citizens had come online and welcomed back Wasp before joining the debate. So she borrowed his identity and went into S.30 in the afternoon.?? ??This is serious.?? he said. And you send a couple of village policemen to arrest him as if he were some Saturday night drunk.?? ??Stuff and nonsense. He??s actually in worse shape than you are.

Maybe you should call a press conference. He held it up to the light for a few seconds and saw that it appeared intact; then he dropped it into a bowl. He was English and lived in London. ?str?m had enlisted him to proofread and give Black/White some editorial support.?? ??You can arrest whoever you want. Now! Teleborian is meeting Jonas at the Ring in Central Station at 3. She was in luck.?? Blomkvist said.Thursday. Then I??ll tell you here and now that until Fr?ken Salander says otherwise. new mobile telephones and the like. The autobiography was a fiction in the sense that she had not. and Lisbeth Salander was unlucky enough to have him as her father. both of them had said they would be in her corner. The patrol car that Niedermann is thought to have driven away was found in Alings?s this morning. Zalachenko would give his word. was studying for a test in three weeks?? time. * Salander was happy. ever since a woman Member of Parliament had received death threats. If the king.I.?? Blomkvist folded the letter and was putting it into his jacket pocket when Modig grabbed his hand.m. after all.

Blomkvist calls them ??the Zalachenko club??.?? ??You don??t have to apologize for the actions of some idiot.K. has called in all copies until the matter is investigated. I became a police officer because I thought. There aren??t many people who are as stubborn as Mikael about not being available when you need him. if a little stupid.M.?? ??Again. without back-up. a van pulled out and left a parking space on Bellmansgatan at the corner with Tavastgatan.?? They saw a tall man with a narrow moustache who was wearing a hat. and then in the ??50s he vanished into thin air. and he??s going to assist Ekstr?m. There was a report today that she??s going to be the new editor-in-chief at Svenska Morgon-Posten. but her breathing was not quite normal. could hardly get her thoughts in order. and which might provide some protection if he ended up in political hot water. even if the person in question is so stupid that he sends it from his home computer. He was working on a story about sex trafficking. which he did in broken English.?? He nodded curtly once before he went out and locked the door. Then she retreated slowly to the bed. and he had never been in prison.

But this is going to take some legwork.?? Gullberg said. she was the one who would have to live with herself. When the X-rays came through he studied them intently. We??re not going to kill the article. ??Hello.S.00. all of which had contained the word ??whore. while Berger and assistant editor Peter Fredriksson met the sports editors so that she could get to know her colleagues and find out how they worked.?? ??I??m Dr Helena Endrin.?? Blomkvist had said.?? Bublanski said nothing for a long while. Well. The mailbox had one message. On the other.00. No Jonas. Our former I. ?str?m had looked at the front page and said: ??God Almighty.I. ??We??re working on an analysis here in C. Don??t push me away. and this feels exactly like the time you disappeared to Hedestad two years ago.

??We??ll introduce ourselves properly in a while. Then a crooked grin spread across her face. If she had been charged with the murders of Dag and Mia. ??That??s correct. who works there. Dad??s doing fine.v Figuerola woke at 6. Nieminen did not need the help of a pathologist to work out how they had died.?? She nodded. nor was it clear to him how he was going to be able to use it ?C several more vehicles containing both uniformed officers and technical personnel arrived at the Gosseberga farm. Because this had been going on for many years ?C at least since 1976. I don??t doubt that there are excellent people working in S?po.?? ??It seems to be a modest group. She opened her handbag and unfolded a map of Stockholm which she placed on the passenger seat. which normally he hated. Or else she could stay overnight. ??If you want me to be your lawyer. I???? She interrupted him.I. but I was waylaid by you.5 steps. But someone with Niedermann??s distinctive appearance is not going to go unnoticed for long. But I??m only talking about a couple of days until we have all the installations ready. He crossed Sveav?gen on the viaduct at M?ster Samuelsgatan and went straight down to Klara Norra.

It took him several minutes. I??m asking you to cooperate in the interests of the country. Forty-seven. She paused at the front door to think. and if clashes between various interests threaten to arise. ??Within these four walls. a week.Wednesday. Despite the fact that he had a reasonable grasp of what had happened. She was not at all sure right now that she was the person to lead the sprawling organization that comprised S. ??That would probably be me. With all good intentions. ??I just collapsed in exhaustion last night. It will turn our whole plan upside down.?? she said. If the attack alarm is sounded. She was spending a good part of her time evaluating the people she might be able to count on and could then make part of her new regime. A total of twelve. and a navy blue jacket. it??s time. Annika. Millennium is sitting on a scoop that will turn the Salander story on its head.M. handing him the letter from F?lldin.

Anita Kaspersson. She says that the murderer was a man in his seventies. it is not merely a criminal conspiracy ?C it is a threat to national security. He knows what he??s doing.K. When they started plying him with questions about his possible involvement in trafficking and other criminal activities.?? ??I never believed you sent them. It??s not a casual question ?C he??s concerned that you??re going to spring something that could result in repercussions ?? in the media. kill the whole story? Orring turned in a good piece. She could not call Blomkvist because he had not given her the number of his Ericsson T10. Sometimes three. And you don??t have to answer if you don??t want to. But the elderly man who came in at the same time as you is critical but out of danger. It had been a pretty wonderful holiday. whose task it was to handle the most sensitive of the sensitive. Lisbeth??? Go away. where she belongs. As long as Giannini did not mention the matter. He wondered whether he was becoming paranoid. and pulled out a 9 mm Smith & Wesson with a gold-plated butt. But instead of the usual assignment at sea that he had anticipated. Rationally she understood it. And we haven??t dug up the third yet. but you??re an intelligent and sensible person.

Edklinth thought him taciturn.?? ??I understand.?? Trinity said. I??m out. we??ll keep the lid on S?po??s involvement for the time being. ??It also tells us something about the character of our adversary. At lunchtime on Monday she had a visit from Dr Jonasson. Zalachenko patiently explained that. They were not dramatic sums. and it??s driving me crazy that I can??t go public with it.00 he ordered a cranial X-ray. There was no time to act. He considered himself a democrat. They were not dramatic sums. Strangely enough. To raise the matter with the chief of Secretariat might be to chuck a very large stone into a pond.??s G?ransson. Finally she opened the last one. or he cracks the Section wide open. Consequently. we changed your bedroom door today. ??You wouldn??t happen to have a cigarette. There must be chiefs. was in and delighted to see him.

Salander saw at once that she had the same eyes as Blomkvist. ??Clinton is tired.?? ??I??ll do my best. He said there was nothing to indicate that the murder was other than the impulsive act of a sick human being. So go to your superior and tell him what I??ve said.?? Silence descended once again.?? ??You don??t have to apologize for the actions of some idiot. ??Should I go now or should I wait for you??? ??Would it be O.K. feel that something had changed at Millennium.00 p.?? ??What kind of weapon is it??? Jervas said. Second.?? ??Naturally. but again in vain. Accordingly. but they both act as if they??re publishers and editors-in-chief. And there??s a connection to Niedermann there too.?? Gullberg said. But now he had a great need for her skills in that field. nodded. She had heard him offering his I. which seemed not to trouble him. I??m on my way to Kungsholmen right now.

patients and visitors.?? he said at last. But those two copies have to be recovered. The next morning. It was Gullberg whom Bj?rck notified when he sounded the alarm. ??We??ve got a deadline now. ??I??m still in shock that Erika is gone and you want me to take her place. In fact I had a third copy that I was going to give to Armansky.A. Torsten. the patient might die or perhaps wake up disabled for life. the nigger was not allowed to clean inside the prisoner??s room ?C that was done by two cleaning women in the morning ?C and besides. He noticed that the other reporters were taking notes as feverishly as he was. Stig Wennerstr?m flanked by two police officers on his way into Stockholm district court. of course not.?? ??Who??? ??I don??t think he??s involved in the case.?? Olsson was not born yesterday. Salander smiled. and a taxi driver.I. Bonuses should be paid to people who do something to strengthen S. They nodded to each other. but you??re closer. Inspector Figuerola must have been misinformed.

but he seemed peripheral. whatever it may be. ??Can I buy you breakfast??? ??Can one get pancakes and jam anywhere round here??? ??Waffles. That would have required extensive access to the Swedish cable network.06 in the evening. Blomkvist had no reason to believe that she had anything to do with the Zalachenko club. He had tried to kill her. Margareta Orring. She clicked hesitantly on Answer. You??ll be asleep before I??m done.B. A police dog followed the trail to a narrow trench in a clearing in a wood about four hundred metres north-east of the farmhouse. I never would have dreamed that???? ??Where??s the sister today? Camilla Salander.?? ??Alright. She never felt that he was giving her strange looks. People greeted her as she limped past the central desk. I??m beginning to think that I made a colossal mistake taking on the job. but it did not look so good now. They were to find out if there was any truth to Blomkvist??s story that a man was sitting in a ditch there. By this time Ghidi had learned Swedish and obtained treatment for his shattered hip. If Niedermann talked. I??m asking you to cooperate in the interests of the country. an elite force that any defence organization in the world would have paid enormous sums to use for cyber-military purposes.00.

M. Then he gently raised her shoulder and located the entry wound in her back. how??? ??Tell me what you want to know. She found the assessment Rosin had carried out of Berger??s house.v Salander spent most of Wednesday night and early Thursday morning reading Blomkvist??s articles and the chapters of the Millennium book that were more or less finished.I. wondering whether to leave the office.?? ??Where??? ??Outside Seglora. She thought for a moment and then went into Armansky??s hard drive. This is about people who spied formerly within the Soviet Union ?C no regime in the world would stand for that. Ultimately Zalachenko decided to restructure his entire operation in a new corporation that would be owned by Niedermann and himself.?? ??There are also a number of different ways to get into the house. this is a fine mess we??ve landed in. SisterJen. Over the following years Gullberg kept Bjurman under discreet but regular surveillance. drumming her fingertips in annoyance. and we all have to adapt to them. said. It was nothing to him if people wanted to dress up in costume. which right now is a nightmare. She had mixed feelings. or whether this would go on being the preserve of the Immigration Division.I.?? he said.

and he was looking forward to that assignment. close to twelve thousand fulltime agents. we have to keep tabs on all three of them ?C Berger.?? ??But. And she was exceptionally fit. Did anyone ask Lisbeth Salander her opinion??? ??Quite frankly ?? we haven??t had the opportunity to speak with her yet. She looked down and saw blood. formerly Senior Administrative Officer at the Security Police. and then within the Constitutional Protection Unit as an analyst and administrator. Above all.?? ??Was she angry. his whole cover. We??ll arrange for Faste to be assigned to investigate Salander.?? Modig said. I can??t promise that.M. Salander??s story was pretty much done. ??I??m fearing the worst. He called Figuerola. His injuries seem to be similar to those of a car crash victim ?C it??s hardly credible that anyone could do such damage with his bare hands: a broken leg.?? She handed Carlsson the printout. shaking hands with his former chief. don??t do that again. for one.

BuckRogers. It had been developed by the U. not exactly. Malm and Armansky.?? ??What??s that??? ??Well.) So.Sunday. Niedermann must have bloodied his knuckles pretty badly during the beating. Right now. Ms Salander has already received a good deal of negative publicity ?? Let me deal with the situation. ??Hi. and then he remembered that he had booked himself a room in City Hotel. and present documentation that annihilates the prosecution??s game. And yet it was her life that was going to be turned inside out. We found a woman??s body in a second trench ?C she??s still unidentified. and one of the few she had rewritten several times before she was satisfied.G. Jonasson sat in the visitor??s chair. Say for tonight. She knew right away that it was not one of the night nurses. The exact same. It must be some insult. migraines. ??Maybe you??re just bothered by seeing a girl with muscles.

Blomkvist emerged at 9. He could be in Oslo by now.?? After that ?str?m had designed the logo that was on Black/White??s masthead for fifteen years before Black/White magazine went to its grave and became the book publishing house Black/White. We get access tomorrow. a white top. Then she clocked out and went to the gym at St Eriksplan. ??I don??t understand. With respect to the graves in Nykvarn. to push through their own headlines and angles. but Jesus. They have no record of a Jonas Sandberg on their staff. She pulled her head back in and slammed the door shut. But the media jumped all over the Security Police whenever anything improper or foolish came to light. ??M?rtensson works for S?po. which is utter insanity for a newspaper that can??t add a job to its sports desk. He reached out a finger to touch the woman whose name he could not remember. He sat down again. S. I transferred to the foreign ministry and became a diplomat.?? Sandberg said. was not switched on. ??There??s an American professor from Boston called Frank Ellis. this is going to be tough. Is it O.

Then Dr Jonasson and Blomkvist had upset her plans by smuggling in her Palm. the night nurse looked in. For trying to kill me. the media will either tear you to pieces or describe you as an honest civil servant who made the best of an impossible situation. He was given a part-time job managing a cleaning crew at Sahlgrenska hospital. and we know for sure that he didn??t take any of the ferries. But I can??t pay before I have access to the Internet. could you smuggle me in a hand-held computer so that I can keep in touch with people online??? ??No. to bring some clarity to the fog in which Paulsson was apparently enveloped. Both Holger and I have accepted your plan and are co-operating with you. The question is.?? ??He was once one of the very best we had here in the Section. she would see them. She parked on Bergsgatan. Even the spouses of his colleagues were not permitted in the corridors of S. And now I have the world??s worst guilty conscience.?? ??Oh. ??You were lucky. Two months later Idris Ghidi was seized by the Iraqi secret police. I??m old and handicapped.?? ??You mean ???? ??Jerker and I have discussed it. which meant that she was still more of a real police officer than a fully fledged desk warrior. I can make another copy???? He broke off as he felt the hair rise on the back of his neck. ??Hi.