第 35 部分阅读
“you’vedoneafantasticjobofdiggingupthesefactsinsuchashorttie,”hesaid.“thanks.andthanksalsoforbeingniceenoughtoeuphereandreportonit.”
“whathappensnow？”salanderwantedtoknow.
“i’goingtotalktodirchfrodetoorrowandarrangeforyourfeetobepaid.”
“thatwasn’twhatieant.”
blokvistlookedather.
“well…ireckonthejobihiredyouforisdone,”hesaid.
“i’notdonewiththis.”
blokvistleanedbackagainstthekitchenwallandethergaze.hecouldn’treadanythingatallinhereyes.forhalfayearhehadbeenworkingaloneonharriet’sdisappearance,andherewasanotherperson—anexperiencedresearcher—whograspedtheiplications.headethedecisiononipulse.
“iknow.thisstoryhasgotunderyskintoo.i’lltalktofrode.we’llhireyouforaweekortwooreas…aresearchassistant.idon’tknowifhe’llwan. comaythesaeratehepaystoaransky,butweshouldbeabletoarrangeabasiclivingwageforyou.”
salandersuddenlygavehiasile.shehadnowishtobeshutoutandwouldhavegladlydohejobforfree.
“i’fallingasleep,”shesaid,andwithoutfurtheradoshewenttoherrooandclosedthedoor.
twoinuteslatersheopenedthedoorandputoutherhead.
“ithinkyou’rewrong.it’snotaninsaneserialkillerwhoreadhisbiblewrong.it’sjustaonorgardenbastardwhohateswoen.”
chapter21
thursday,july3–thursday,july10
salanderwasupbeforeblokvist,around6:00.sheputonsoewaterforcoffeeandwenttotakeashower.whenblokvistwokeat7:30,shewasreadinghissuaryoftheharrietvangercaseonhisi.hecaeouttothekitchenwithatowelroundhiswaist,rubbingthesleepoutofhiseyes.
“there’scoffeeonthestove,”shesaid.
helookedoverhershoulder.
“thatdocuentwaspasswordprotected,dait,”hesaid.
sheturnedandpeeredupathi.
“ittakesthirtysecondstodownloadaprograefrothethatcancrackword’sencryptionprotection.”
“weneedtohaveatalkonthesubjectofwhat’syoursandwhat’sine,”hesaid,andwenttotakeashower.
whenhecaeback,salanderhadturnedoffhisputerandputitbackinitsplaceinhisoffice.shehadbootedupherownpower.blokvistfeltsurethatshehadalreadytransferredthecontentsofhisputertoherown.
salanderwasanrationjunkiewithadelinquentchild’stakeonoralsandethics.
hehadjustsatdowntobreakfastwhentherewasaknockatthefrontdoor.martinvangerlookedsosolenthatforasecondblokvistthoughthehadetobringthenewsofhisuncle’sdeath.
“no,henrik’sconditionisthesaeasyesterday.i’hereforaquitedifferentreason.couldieraoent？”
blokvistlethiin,introducinghito“yresearchassistant”lisbethsalander.shegavethecaptainofindustrybarelyaglanceandaquicknodbeforeshewentbacktoherputer.martinvangergreetedherautoaticallybutlookedsodistractedthathehardlyseeedtonoticeher.blokvistpouredhiacupofcoffeeandinvitedhitohaveaseat.
“what’sthisallabout？”
“youdon’tsubscribetothehedestadcourier？”
“no.butsoetiesiseeitatsusanne’sbridgecafé.”
“thenyouhaven’treadthisorning’spaper.”
“youakeitsoundasifioughtto.”
martinvangerputtheday’spaperonthetableinfrontofhi.hehadbeengiventwocolunsonthefrontpage,continuedonpagefour.“convictedlibeljournalisthidinghere.”aphotographtakenwithatelephotolensfrothechurchhillontheothersideofthebridgeshowedblokvistingoutofthecottage.
thereporter,torsson,hadcobbledtogetherascurrilouspiece.herecapitulatedthewennerstr？affairandexplainedthatblokvisthadleftmillenniuindisgraceandthathehadrecentlyservedaprisonter.thearticleendedwiththeusuallihatblokvisthaddeclinedtoenttothehedestadcourier.everyself-respectingresidentofhedestadwasputonnoticethatanolypic-classshitfrostockholwasskulkingaroundthearea.noneoftheclaisinthearticlewaslibellous,buttheywereslante. comresentblokvistinanunflatteringlight；thelayoutandtypestylewasofthekindthatsuchnewspapersusedtodiscusspoliticalterrorists.millenniuwasdescribedasaagazinewithlowcredibility“bentonagitation,”andblokvist’sonfinancialjournaliswaspresentedasacollectionof“controversialclais”aboutotherorerespectedjournalists.
“mikael…idon’thavewordstoexpresswhatifeltwhenireadthisarticle.it’srepulsive.”
“it’saput-upjob,”blokvistsaidcally.
“ihopeyouunderstandthatididn’thavetheslightestthingtodowiththis.ichokedonyorningcoffeewhenireadit.”
“thenwhodid？”
“iadesoecalls.thistorssonisasuerworkexperiencekid.hedidthepieceonordersfrobirger.”
“ithoughtbirgerhadnosayinthenewsroo.afterall,heisacouncillorandpoliticalfigure.”
“technicallyhehasnoinfluence.buttheeditorinchiefofthecourierisgunnarkarlan,ingrid’sson,who’spartofthejohanvangerbranchofthefaily.birgerandgunnarhavebeencloseforanyyears.”
“isee.”
“torssonwillbefiredforthwith.”
“howoldishe？”
“totellyouthetruth,idon’tknow.i’veneverethi.”
“don’tfirehi.whenhecalledehesoundedlikeaveryyoungandinexperiencedreporter.”
“thiscan’tbeallowe. comasswithoutconsequences.”
“ifyouwantyopinion,thesituationseesabitabsurd,whentheeditorinchiefofapublicationownedbythevangerfailygoesontheattackagainstanotherpublicationinwhichhenrikvangerisapartownerandonwhoseboardyousit.youreditor,karlan,isattackingyouandhenrik.”
“iseewhatyouean,andioughttolaytheblaewhereitbelongs.karlanisapartownerinthecorporationandhasalwaystakenpot-shotsate,butthisseesorelikebirger’srevengebecauseyouhadarun-inwithhiatthehospital.you’reathorninhisside.”
“ibelieveit.that’swhyithinktorssonisthelastpersontoblae.ittakesalotforaninterntosaynowhenthebossinstructshitowritesoethinginacertainway.”
“icoulddeandthatyoubegivenanapologytoorrow.”
“betternot.itwouldjustturnintoalong,drawn-outsquabblethatwouldakethesituationworse.”
“soyoudon’tthinkishoulddoanything？”
“itwouldn’tbeanyuse.karlanwouldkickupafussandintheworstcaseyou’dbepaintedasavillainwho,inhiscapacityasowner,istryingtostaponthefreedoofexpression.”
“pardone,mikael,butidon’tagreewithyou.asaatteroffact,ialsohavetherighttoexpressyopinion.myviewisthatthisarticlestinks—andiintendtoakeyownpointofviewclear.howeverreluctantly,i’henrik’sreplaceentonmillenniu’sboard,andinthatroleianotgoingtoletanoffensivearticlelikethisonepassunchallenged.”
“fairenough.”
“soi’goingtodeandtherighttorespond.andifiakekarlanlooklikeanidiot,hehasonlyhiselftoblae.”
“youustdowhatyoubelieveisright.”
“fore,it’salsoiportantthatyouabsolutelyunderstandthatihavenothingwhatsoevertodowiththisvitriolicattack.”
“ibelieveyou,”blokvistsaid.
“besides—ididn’treallywanttobringthisupnow,butthisjustservestoillustratewhatwe’vealreadydiscussed.it’siportanttore-installyouonmillenniu’seditorialboardsothatwecanshowaunitedfronttotheworld.aslongasyou’reaway,thegossipwillcontinue.ibelieveinmillenniu,andi’convincedthatwecanwinthisfighttogether.”
“iseeyourpoint,butnowit’syturntodisagreewithyou.ican’tbreakycontractwithhenrik,andthefactisthatiwouldn’twanttobreakit.yousee,ireallylikehi.andthisthingwithharriet…”
“yes？”
“iknowit’sarunningsoreforyouandirealisethathenrikhasbeenobsessedwithitforanyyears.”
“justbetweenthetwoofus—idolovehenrikandheisyentor—butwhenitestoharriet,he’salostoffhisrocker.”
“whenistartedthisjobicouldn’thelpthinkingthatitwasawasteoftie.butithinkwe’reonthevergeofabreakthroughandthatitightnowbepossibletoknohatreallyhappened.”
blokvistreaddoubtinmartinvanger’seyes.atlastheadeadecision.
“ok,inthatcasethebestthingwecandoistosolvetheysteryofharrietasquicklyaspossible.i’llgiveyouallthesupporticansothatyoufinishtheworktoyoursatisfaction—and,ofcourse,henrik’s—andthenreturntomillenniu.”
“good.soiwon’thavetofightwithyoutoo.”
“no,youwon’t.youcanaskforyhelpwheneveryourunintoaproble.i’llakedansurethatbirgerwon’tputanysortofobstaclesinyourway.andi’lltrytotalktocecilia,tocalherdown.”
“thankyou.ineedtoaskhersoequestions,andshe’sbeenresistingyatteptsatconversationforaonthnow.”
martinvangerlaughed.“perhapsyouhaveotherissuestoironout.butiwon’tgetinvolvedinthat.”
theyshookhands.
salanderhadlistenedtotheconversation.whenmartinvangerleftshereachedforthehedestadcourierandscannedthearticle.sheputthepaperdownwithoutakinganyent.
blokvistsatinsilence,thinking.gunnarkarlanwasbornin1948andwouldhavebeeneighteenin1966.hewasoneofthepeopleontheislandwhenharrietdisappeared.
afterbreakfastheaskedhisresearchassistanttoreadthroughthepolicereport.hegaveherallthephotographsoftheaident,aswellasthelongsuaryofvanger’sowninvestigations.
blokvistthendrovetofrode’shouseandaskedhikindlytodrawupanagreeentforsalanderasaresearchassistantforthenextonth.
bythetiehereturnedtothecottage,salanderhaddecapedtothegardenandwasiersedinthepolicereport.blokvistwentintoheatupthecoffee.hewatchedherthroughthekitchenwindow.sheseeedtobeskiing,spendingnoorethantenorfifteensecondsoneachpage.sheturnedthepagesechanically,andblokvistwasaazedatherlackofconcentration；itadenosense,sinceherownreportwassoeticulous.hetooktwocupsofcoffeeandjoinedheratthegardentable.
“yournotesweredonebeforeyoukneewerelookingforaserialkiller.”
“that’strue.isiplywrotedownquestionsiwantedtoaskhenrik,andsoeotherthings.itwasquiteunstructured.upuntilnowi’vereallybeenstrugglinginthedark,tryingtowriteastory—achapterintheautobiographyofhenrikvanger.”
“andnow？”
“inthepastalltheinvestigationsfocusedonhedebyisland.nowi’surethatthestory,thesequenceofeventsthatendedinherdisappearance,startedinhedestad.thatshiftstheperspective.”
salandersaid:“itwasaazingwhatyoudiscoveredwiththepictures.”
blokvistwassurprised.salanderdidnotseethetypetothrowplientsaround,andhefeltflattered.ontheotherhand—froapurelyjournalisticpointofview—itwasquiteanachieveent.
“it’syourturntofillinthedetails.howdiditgowiththatpictureyouwerechasingupinnorsj？？”
“youeanyoudidn’tchecktheiagesinyputer？”
“therewasn’ttie.ineededtoreadtherésués,yoursituationreportstoyourself.”
blokviststartedhisiandclickedonthephotographfolder.
“it’sfascinating.thevisittonorsj？wasasortofprogress,butitwasalsoadisappointent.ifoundthepicture,butitdoesn’ttellusuch.
“thatwoan,mildredberggren,hadsavedallherholidaypicturesinalbus.thepictureiwaslookingforwasoneofthe.itwastakenoncheapcolourfilandafterthirty-sevenyearstheprintwasincrediblyfaded—withastrongyellowtinge.but,wouldyoubelieve,shestillhadthenegativeinashoebox.sheleteborrowallthenegativesfrohedestadandi’vescannedthein.thisiswhatharrietsaw.”
heclickedonaniagewhichnowhadthefilenaeharriet/bd-19.eps.
salanderiediatelyunderstoodhisdisay.shesawanunfocusediagethatshowedclownsintheforegroundofthechildren’sdayparade.inthebackgroundcouldbeseenthecornerofsundstr？’shaberdashery.abouttenpeoplewerestandingonthepaveentinfrontofsundstr？’s.
“ithinkthisisthepersonshesaw.partlybecauseitriedtotriangulatewhatshewaslookingat,judgingbytheanglethatherfacewasturned—iadeadrawingofthecrossroadsthere—andpartlybecausethisistheonlypersonwhoseestobelookingstraightintothecaera.meaningthat—perhaps—hewasstaringatharriet.”
whatsalandersaasablurryfigurestandingalittlebitbehindthespectators,alostinthesidestreet.hehadonadarkpaddedjacketwitharedpatchontheshouldersanddarktrousers,possiblyjeans.blokvistzooedinsothatthefigurefrothewaistupfilledthescreen.thephotographbecaeinstantlyfuzzierstill.
“it’saan.he’saboutfive-footeleven,noralbuild.hehasdark-blond,sei-longhairandisclean-shaven.butit’sipossibletoakeouthisfacialfeaturesorevenestiatehisage.hecouldbeanywherebetweenhisteensandiddleage.
“youcouldanipulatetheiage…”
“ihaveanipulatedtheiage,dait.ievensentacopytotheiageprocessingwizardatmillenniu.”blokvistclickedupanewshot.“thisistheabsolutebesticangetoutofit.thecaeraissiplytoolousyandthedistancetoofar.”
“haveyoushownthepicturetoanyone？soeoneightrecognisethean’sbearingor…”
“ishowedittofrode.hehasnoideawhotheanis.”
“herrfrodeprobablyisn’ttheostobservantpersoninhedestad.”
“no,buti’workingforhiandhenrikvanger.iwanttoshowthepicturetohenrikbeforeicastthewider.”
“perhapshe’snothingorethanaspectator.”
“that’spossible.butheanagedtotriggerastrangeresponsefroharriet.”
duringthenextseveraldaysblokvistandsalanderworkedontheharrietcasevirtuallyeverywakingoent.salanderwentonreadingthepolicereport,rattlingoffonequestionafteranother.therecouldonlybeoruth,andeachvagueansweroruncertaintyledtooreintenseinterrogation.theyspentonewholedayexainingtietablesforthecastofcharactersatthesceneoftheaidentonthebridge.
salanderbecaeoreandoreofanenigatohi.despitethefactthatsheonlyskiedthedocuentsinthereport,shealwaysseeedtosettleontheostobscureandcontradictorydetails.
theytookabreakintheafternoons,whentheheatadeitunbearableoutinthegarden.theywouldswiinthechannelorwalkuptotheterraceatsusanne’sbridgecafé.susannenowtreatedblokvistwithanundisguisedcoolness.herealisedthatsalanderlookedbarelylegalandshewasobviouslylivingathiscottage,andthat—insusanne’seyes—adehiadirtyoldiddle-agedan.itwasnotpleasant.
blokvistwentouteveryeveningforarun.salanderadenoentwhenhereturnedoutofbreathtothecottage.runningwasobviouslynotherthing.
“i’overforty,”hesaid.“ihavetoexercisetokeepfrogettingtoofataroundtheiddle.”
“isee.”
“don’tyoueverexercise？”
“iboxonceinawhile.”
“youbox？”
“yeah,youknow,withgloves.”
“whatweightdoyouboxin？”hesaid,whenheeergedfrotheshower.
“noneatall.isparalittlenowandthenagainsttheguysinaclubins？der.”
whyisthatnosurprise？hethought.butatleastshehadtoldhisoethingaboutherself.heknewnobasicfactsabouther.howdidsheetobeworkingforaransky？whatsortofeducationdidshehave？whatdidherparentsdo？assoonasblokvisttriedtoaskaboutherlifesheshutuplikeacla,answeredinsinglesyllablesorignoredhi.
oneafternoonsalandersuddenlyputdownabinder,frowning.
“whatdoyouknowaboutottofalk？thepastor.”
“notuch.ietthepresentincubentafewtiesearlierintheyear,andshetoldethatfalklivesinsoegeriatrichoeinhedestad.alzheier’s.”
“wheredidheefro？”
“frohedestad.hestudiedinuppsala.”
“hewasunarried.andharriethungoutwithhi.”
“whydoyouask？”
“i’justsayingthatmorellwentprettyeasyonhiintheinterview.”
“inthesixtiespastorsenjoyedaconsiderablydifferentstatusinsociety.itwasnaturalforhitoliveouthereontheisland,closetothepowerbrokers,sotospeak.”
“iwonderhowcarefullythepolicesearchedtheparsonage.inthephotographsitlookslikeitwasabigwoodenhouse,andthereusthavebeenplentyofplacestohideabodyforawhile.”
“that’strue,butthere’snothingintheaterialtoindicatethathewouldhaveanyconnectiontotheserialurdersortoharriet’sdisappearance.”
“actually,thereis,”salandersaid,withawrysile.“firstofallhewasapastor,andpastorsorethananyoneelsehaveaspecialrelationshiptothebible.second,hewasthelastpersonknowntohaveseenandtalkedwithharriet.”
“buthewentdowntothesceneoftheaidentandstayedthereforseveralhours.he’sinlotsofthepictures,especiallyduringthetiewhenharrietusthavevanished.”
“allright,ican’tcrackhisalibi.butiwasactuallythinkingaboutsoethin