echelon of the Firm.?? ??It??s called the Hilton now.?? Holmberg said.

unless she had a screwdriver and a ladder
unless she had a screwdriver and a ladder. I just happened to be passing by.?? ??Precisely. I??ll have to call Prosecutor Ekstr?m in Stockholm.?? ??I feel extremely self-conscious. while the Security Police took care of the criminal investigation and paid the bill. We cut off the arrow shaft and put her head in a C. the social contract that makes up the framework of a civilized society. but they were utterly expressionless as she looked at Jonasson. My mother died in 2000. Bj?rck recognized Zalachenko??s importance at once and broke off the interview to install the defector in a room at the Hotel Continental.?? Glum silence. He did not answer either. I??m beginning to think that I made a colossal mistake taking on the job. I only knew him by his cover name. When he reached Slussplan he was badly out of breath. Then we??ll need to hire a new employee. She was a little side project that Lundin was messing around with ?? again commissioned by that bloody Niedermann. the Security Police. who took pity on him and vouchsafed that. then do it. I??ve decided. I was rather young ?? I didn??t know how I should deal with these people. When they were settled in her new Saab 9-5.

We have a suspect. If the government was involved.P. ??Gullberg. where Dr Jonasson received him and immediately initiated a battery of measures to maintain his vital functions. She was looking at the building from the side.03.?? Edklinth gave Blomkvist a look of surprise. south of Bor?s..?? Rosin thought for a moment.T. she was tending towards the theory that stability was overrated. She would be forced to explain herself and to beg for forgiveness because she had defended herself.M. that Blomkvist was up to some sort of funny business.?? ??Does anyone know about Torstensson??s condition??? asked one of the inspectors from Violent Crime. and I would like to be included at an early stage.?? Eriksson said. I asked if she wanted something to read. Figuerola slept late on Friday morning; she did not have time for her morning run. What worried him in the short term was that he could never predict when Niedermann might be struck by his mental paralysis.?? ??I never believed you sent them. He worked as a newspaper boy.

of course I??ll come with you. where all the documentation was being assembled.I. by the way??? ??He took some time off. Being a consultant for industry can mean almost anything at all. and in this case it??s regrettable since it shouldn??t be necessary.S. She showered.?? ??Teleborian is meeting Jonas at the Ring in Central Station at 3. I don??t believe Paulsson??s claim of aggressive resistance for a minute.S. He looked somehow familiar. As a result of this outburst. Their affair was carried on with his assent.?? ??Is it really something to be proud of??? said Blomkvist. I??ve already handed over evidence that Teleborian committed crimes with Bj?rck in 1991. But it can??t go to the prosecutor until just before the trial. gained access. I??ll arrange to hire one that you can trust. Then he turned to the Minister of Justice. Teleborian has just finished writing it.M.?? ??Can he handle it??? ??He??s no idiot. 82 of whom were women.

Then he left her in peace and sat down to watch a repeat of C. the number of readers will drop and the number of advertisers too. He??s a journalist who happened to stumble upon one of the most secret operations ever conducted by Swedish defence. was placed in a foster home in Uppsala. Nieminen drove away all thought of Salander. It has to stay that way. In other words. She looked at her husband and her friend. What have you found out??? ??His name is Jonas Sandberg.?? ??That??s what I thought. Salander found the report. On the other hand. You have to concentrate on getting well. ??I have a plan. that is.?? He felt oddly exhilarated as he left by the main entrance of Sahlgrenska.?? Bublanski shrugged. as far as I can see.?? She turned to Borgsj?. Personally I don??t think S?po is behind this. That??s the question our analytical group is working very hard to answer. What about the defence leadership and the government??? ??We cut off the defence leadership some ten years ago.U. got a good hold on it.

?? ??That??s exactly what I don??t understand. ??As Prime Minister you may not influence the judicial process in any way. It had been a strenuous evening. In shock she stood still for about a minute. are vacant and are being to some extent covered by temps. Torstensson was still alive.?? he said with real sorrow in his voice. He??s perfect as publisher and damned good at editing articles and tying up loose ends in work that is going to be published. My guarantee is this ?? if you don??t wave your magic wand and make all this disappear. and in 1999 he had registered his own company. Ekstr?m was leading two separate preliminary investigations. but in fact I forgot to deliver it to his office before I left. but after weighing all the options he concluded that the problem called for a drastic solution.?? Endrin said.?? ??Does he have any connection to Lisbeth Salander??? ??No. Niedermann and Zalachenko. you would most probably be charged with manslaughter. the paper would have folded long since.?? ??Yesterday I hadn??t yet thought through the matter. and Blomkvist had got himself somehow involved in the killing of a policeman in G?teborg. I??d like to have a word in private with you if you have a moment.?? ??Annika. not 250 metres from the hotel room where he found himself today. What she wanted more than anything was a weapon.

She was a little shaky now that the adrenaline had worn off. the leader of the preliminary investigation could decide to summon you for an interview.?? ??You got him in one. ??Well ?? what is it that??s so urgent??? ??Alexander Zalachenko. I want to be able to go on any talk show on T.?? ??Alright.N. She then related how he had repeatedly committed acts of sexual violence against her. At G?teborg Central Station he tracked down a photocopier and made copies of the letters. and the garage. Christer.M. Blomkvist could not help being fascinated. Figuerola had given him a number of indisputable indications that something was rotten within S. Then they start digging up bodies at our warehouse in Nykvarn. ??Could I have a word??? They went together to the coffee machine in the canteen. she was being unfair. She suddenly felt in a much better mood. Just then he was sober. the police will be alerted automatically. and living in Sk?vde. we had a hell of a lot of work to do here???? ??You??re saying I wasn??t available??? Eriksson nodded. Then identify the people who are allegedly tailing this guy Blomkvist. this Gunnar Bj?rck.

for the attempted murder of Salander. Then there were several lines of text where she identified the implements he had used during the rape.?? Blomkvist said. ??I thought you??d be dead by now.?? ??Then I discovered that you were tailing him using Susanne Linder at Milton Security. at least they had worked that one out. I do what I have to do to survive.S. ??I??m fearing the worst.?? She sat down. You mustn??t ever forget something like that.. That was not a good sign.00 in the evening and Rosin showed her around the house. Modig and Andersson had already arrived. but when she got no response she continued.?? When Salander woke up it was 2. He knew that G?ransson was the one who handled the money. 3. 1. most recently at the editorial meeting on Friday. He stood for a long time looking at his face in the mirror before he turned off the light and went to get dressed. and the events that led to her being locked away in St Stefan??s in Uppsala. Now.

?? Erlander said. Mikael Blomkvist.?? ??Which makes it even stranger that he hasn??t been found. but she learned nothing more about what had happened. which doesn??t bother to turn up at all. Sandberg offered a considerably stronger lifeline.?? she said. she now has a lawyer named Annika Giannini. We??ll arrange for Faste to be assigned to investigate Salander. It took a few seconds before the horror of it sank in. ??The government cannot interfere in an ongoing prosecution case. If Salander talked. And her breasts. It contained no lies that could entangle her.00 in the afternoon she threw up. the kidnapping of Miriam Wu. She sat so that the light from the window fell on her back. ??But none of this solves the basic problem. and Edklinth realized that Armansky??s people not only had the skills for the job. ??I hope all??s well with your father. ??Turn the print over.I. 11. all of these crimes came under county police jurisdiction.

if this had been during the communist days???? ??That??s an illusion.?? ??Well.?? ??He collapsed this morning and was admitted to the hospital suffering from exhaustion. No matter what. You know what it??s all about. ??So you??re completely innocent??? ??Of course I am. I would never.?? ??Yes. ??My name is Annika Giannini. What she wanted more than anything was a weapon. He went back to the cabin as fast as his aching back would permit. He wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand and set off in pursuit of the two men. M?rtensson had left too.?? ??The chief of Secretariat is the only person who could make this sort of arrangement. She took hold of his shirtsleeve. One of the robbers had a mid-length jacket with a Swedish flag shoulder patch. In your case I discovered that you worked for S?po.?? They saw a tall man with a narrow moustache who was wearing a hat. Is that alright with you two??? ??That??s fine. four hours later than usual.?? Ellis said. But. You??re welcome to visit him there. then what Prosecutor Ekstr?m had claimed.

?? Gullberg ignored the insinuation. ??So you??re telling me instead.?? Blomkvist nodded. Stage two is Millennium and Mikael Blomkvist. And at the same time. given that she??s still alive with a slug in her brain. I never used it. Whoops. and she looked miserable.?? ??There is an alternative.P.?? Viktor G?ransson was the club??s treasurer and financial expert. should also be informed.?? ??I thought you were busy looking for a lesbian Satanist gang in Stockholm. I don??t know whether that affects things. shrink-wrapped and sent out with the special summer issue. ??You know??? Wadensj?? yelled. but your decisions are the ones that count. but he did not want to seem very unclever by asking questions. I want to talk to Erika. It was probably one of her punters who beat her up. who told me that they had recently initiated a preliminary investigation against him.?? ??If you want to keep working at S. On the other hand.

She looked up and down the block. He gripped the base of the bullet. Zalachenko is there too with an axe wound to his skull. Let me do it.?? He told her he was going to be at home all day writing. cleaned the brushes. I mean. or running. to see how her pupils contracted and expanded.?? ??I??ll make the decisions and do the surgery.M. All the blood was either in his head ?C the noose having prevented it from running into his body ?C or in the lower extremities. If you need to talk.?? ??I understand. Edklinth nodded and the Minister of Justice poured coffee from a thermos jug. I??ve been here five months ?C this is my last week.000 other mobile telephones within a kilometre of police headquarters. ??You want to run a story on toilets? In Millennium??? Eriksson could not help laughing.?? ??Drottninggatan heading north. Well. He??s charming. Blomkvist realized at once that he was in a position of some strength. Among them. I had to read them the riot act.

Anything else of interest on the table??? ??Books. Ask Paolo Roberto. What??s happened??? ??News. ??We can certainly install an alarm that will work. There must be several others like it.?? ??I see. coupled with the suicide of a man who was dying of cancer. They??re a reputable manufacturer. Or else she could stay overnight. Later that day the forensic team found the lamp hook.?? ??I don??t doubt that. She hobbled over to her glass cage and sank into her chair with relief.?? ??I see. He then engaged Thomasson on a couple of other matters. Unlike Lundin. my life??s goal has been to raise S. We should contact him and put the question to him directly. ??I agree with Sonja. The girl looked terrible. I??ve got the story. and then we??ll also have to have a talk with your husband. ??Keep your distance so he doesn??t spot you. could focus on a specific area to separate out and monitor mobile calls. Do we have a description of the third man??? ??Even better.

A man in advanced old age. the Prime Minister and a state secretary. five times before he was still.?? ??I understand. even though she may have felt a certain frustration that she was not going to be the editor of that particular issue. then do it. It??s a typical pre-emptive retaliation to undermine potential complaints from Blomkvist. 3. psychiatrist Lars Faulsson. But for it to be legal. ??Since I was a teenager. I think. Ideally he should have come under the auspices of the military intelligence service. and right now I??m caught between two loyalties.K. a Mace canister. That meant that Blomkvist had about a month to finish writing and patching up all the holes in his text. This was largely due to the fact that no-one was quite sure who or what should be investigated. She had given up classic gymnastics. Hiding behind the arras in this situation is a wildly overrated tactic in view of all that has been written about you since Easter. Nils Bjurman. Let??s say the price curve for hamburgers had been the same since the ??70s ?C so a Big Mac would cost about 150 kronor or more. They were the ones who had taken care of Zalachenko. his late wife??s name.

and a third to operations. First with Henry and Christer. had landed in because of Salander and Niedermann.. Lundin has been charged for the reasons I mentioned earlier. First of all. Borgsj? would naturally claim that he did not know about the conditions at Fong Soo. Fourteen were from reporters at various newspapers who wanted to talk to him. If Salander was shot in Gosseberga. You??ve asked for an extension of your temporary job. ??How are you??? she said. and with all the wisdom of hindsight.?? ??Come on. who had called out of the blue and insisted on his coming to Sunday dinner at his place on Liding?. who was murdered in your hospital ?C was a Soviet defector.?? ??But you two ?? he??ll publish it??? Armansky gave a curt nod.?? ??It doesn??t have to be a physical attack.I. What should have happened is that you should have taken the information to Holm. still relatively unsure in his role. He was one of the elite. and a message from her dental hygienist suggesting a time for her quarterly visit. Plague. All except for one thing.

He seemed to find it amusing to beat her just to provoke his minders in the Zalachenko group. She wasn??t interested in those. ??Go on. Personally I don??t think S?po is behind this.P. He quoted the newspaper headlines about lesbian Satanists and the media??s apparent hope that the murders might have involved S. Once an intruder comes on to your property ?C and it takes only five seconds to turn off the road and arrive at the rear of the house ?C then the view is completely blocked. he called Figuerola into his office. He rehearsed the psychiatric report of 1991 and explained why Salander had become a threat to certain unknown civil servants who had taken it upon themselves to protect the Russian defector. I??ve decided. Actually I don??t want to talk about it.?? ??But Blomkvist has already been warned ?? they stole Bj?rck??s report from there.?? ??Do you have your car nearby??? ??The last time I checked it was in the parking space outside. the general secretary of the Swedish Helsinki Committee. It was 1. there??s been some reassessment of the case. but then they start challenging me and looking for ways to dominate me. He could not be sure why the Prime Minister had set up a meeting with him in a borrowed apartment in ?stermalm. I??m a lawyer and I??d like to see my client again.?? ??I think you have to do a bit more physio on your shoulder muscles.?? ??Harsh words. Usually he was cool and analytical. The fourth was a copy of Ekstr?m??s email folder made at 2. she was being unfair.

you must turn this information over to the P. They all shook hands. but he seemed peripheral. including the one who called himself SisterJen. Hallberg is in charge of training. He feels no pain. Detective Superintendent Otto Danielsson. ??Good evening. But I can give you the authority to conduct a one-man investigation. took the lift up to Bublanski??s office.?? she said. ??Do you think it??s such a good idea for me to be hanging around at police H. She was in a bad way.M. we are not in agreement. If something went wrong. Berger looked up and searched for the news editor. It was found in Gosseberga outside G?teborg and it has Salander??s prints on it.H against Carl-Magnus Lundin at Stallarholmen ?C i.?? Gullberg repeated. Seven individuals who over the coming years would constitute a special Section within the Section. She took out her mobile and looked at the time display. ??Why should that be a problem??? Eriksson said. but in a week nobody will even remember the name Zalachenko.

But Nurse Agneta had noticed that Dr Jonasson had spent time with the patient who was under arrest and otherwise seemed withdrawn from the world. He was living on a disability pension.M. he did what he could for Salander. you have to get on board with the program. and taped hours and hours of conversations of no interest whatsoever. and password. but we can make a few assumptions. Before you take one single positive action I want to be informed. He was standing about ten metres behind her. And any applications for visits must also be referred in advance to Salander??s lawyer.S. ??He??s pulling out in front of you on Olof Palmes Gata ?? now.?? ??And she lived to tell the tale??? ??Obviously her condition was critical.?? He stood up and gave her a kiss on the cheek. But she waited for him to speak.?? ??What do you mean??? ??I sent Andersson to bring in Bj?rck for a formal interrogation. Conscientious and a teetotaller. He would then take the used batteries home and recharge them overnight. but I was waylaid by you. and that over the years this conspiracy has committed what could be categorized as serious criminal acts. Let me look at the documentation you have. ??I??ve never had to give out information on a story before it??s published.P.

I??m sorry. In addition. I??m being paid a monthly salary of 88. and if he made mistakes he would end up in prison. But the media jumped all over the Security Police whenever anything improper or foolish came to light. Shit. It was not until the end of the ??80s that he stopped monitoring Bjurman. but instead of following the man in the overalls. It was 2. ??What did you say??? he asked in a low voice. then I??ll say so.?? Wadensj?? read the letters with rising astonishment. We should contact him and put the question to him directly.B. ??Could you manage to tell us the whole story from the beginning??? Holmberg said. It was Friday. had come under question more and more in recent years. 1988); Secret Forces by Jan Ottosson and Lars Magnusson (Tiden. A call to the national vehicle register revealed that the car belonged to a G?ran M?rtensson of Vittangigaten in V?llingby. and I can do that only by changing the organization and the work routines. At 8. The later conventional use of the term ??S?po?? was actually something that the potentially subversive communist publication Clart?? had coined as a pejorative name for the communist-hunters within the police force. He??s a journalist who happened to stumble upon one of the most secret operations ever conducted by Swedish defence. Lundin had somehow always managed to keep Nieminen in line.

I.G. damn it.?? Berger said with a smile. a man very aware of his value to Gullberg. he had a rough draft of two articles totalling twenty-one pages. She said she??d read books on the subject before. 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.?? ??Alright ?? but we??re talking about low-wage countries. Otherwise what sounds like a cross-section of middle-class Sweden.?? He grunted. Lundin and Nieminen of the Svavelsj? M. about half a mile further down the road. Prosecution of Gullberg and several other employees of the Section would inevitably follow. She had left school with top marks.?? Viktor G?ransson was the club??s treasurer and financial expert. but he knew that he had one hell of a story. We are now close to the point where we can draw conclusions. ??And the story of why one of our colleagues was murdered because the government didn??t do its job fifteen years ago. Three chatters at once. She watched as M?rtensson walked to the machine to pay his parking fee. do call. but in fact I forgot to deliver it to his office before I left. A defector of Zalachenko??s status would have to be handled with the utmost secrecy.

Start by reading the Bj?rck report. despite the fact that he poked at her and fussed over her fever chart. I??m guessing that such a request will arrive next week. I heard her lecture once.?? Blomkvist said. polite. Someone who was trying to cover Zalachenko??s tracks. as he often did. and for several reasons. I actually met him a couple of times. a forgery??? ??No question about it. hasn??t done any serious coverage of the civil service and government agencies for at least eight years. Can??t we go back to your place and sleep? I don??t have the energy for sex.?? ??Later in the week I??ll change the doors in your study and in a downstairs room too. She??s Blomkvist??s sister.?? Blomkvist had said. the board will have to find somebody else for August. Borgsj? is going to be fired. He went to open it and found the lawyer Annika Giannini. including several from the family which owns the paper. We have to suppose that he switched vehicles.?? she said cheerfully. but she knew that calm discussions and friendly reprimands did not work. What do you want us to do??? Cortez said.

and the garage. If the newspaper were stable and bringing in a tremendous profit. We know the name of the killer. and I??ve spent the last three evenings with you instead of getting on with it. making her feel like a teenager being quizzed on her homework. For most of industry. and then stopped about four centimetres into the brain. Mikael Blomkvist. She worked until 4. He wore a hound??s-tooth jacket and dark-grey trousers. The most worrying aspect of all this was that the command of the Security Police had changed so much that not even the overall chief of S. Lisbeth is not allowed to have visitors.000 kronor. ??These are interesting times we??re living in. and vigorous. ??I understand. She thought for a moment. n??e Sj?lander. If such a word occurred.?? Berger said. We met on Norr M?larstrand a while back. There must be several others like it. Either we ancients step in and do our bit. They were southern European.

born in 1969. These statistics are based on reports filed with local police authorities. He always felt a bit bemused when he went into the apartment: twenty-one rooms. Opinions should be reserved for the editorial page. Five minutes later she propped herself up on her right elbow. That would have required extensive access to the Swedish cable network. He had come on board recently to clean up the shambles of what was known as the Internal Bureau affair.?? Gullberg??s excursion lasted nearly three hours. Nor did Giannini tell him anything of what she and her client discussed.?? She picked up his article and read it one more time. Figuerola sat motionless for thirty seconds. you want the rules of cap italism to apply solely to the employees of S. She bought a tin of Catch Dry snuff and went back out on to S?dermalmstorg and turned right across Katarinav?gen. Blomkvist hung up and rested his gaze on the notebook on his desk. Bj?rck. and deepened the crisis we now find ourselves in. They continued the discussion over their meal.?? ??Because we??re facing a conflict of loyalties too. He turned off both his mobiles and walked through the Galleria to Gustav Adolfs Torg.C.?? Gullberg said.?? Modig tilted her head to one side. You??re a victim. ??She was operated on during the night.

?? ??Unhappily. ran the bath.?? ??So we no longer have the report??? ??No. Armansky studied Malm??s photographs of the men who had followed Blomkvist from the Copacabana. ??Before we begin to discuss anything. He had no local knowledge of the streets in Stockholm county. Detective Superintendent Otto Danielsson. The roster included himself. and we can follow the correspondence that shows how Teleborian is conspiring with Jonas in the same way he conspired with Bj?rck in 1991. By now he was not thinking of anything in particular.?? ??Alright. have been devoting themselves to criminal activity for a long time. Both Holger and I have accepted your plan and are co-operating with you. In his view. Vinge had been dismissed from the service after he had given voice to the view. We have an excellent film of how they break in and go through my papers. The other had screamed ??fucking nigger?? several times at the manager and forced him to lie on the floor. with an apologetic glance at Blomkvist. ??Because while Niedermann was out digging a grave for me. on the other hand. ??We need to talk to you. ??Let??s get the meeting moving again. On the other hand. I want to check a few things.

I mean. a week. And now here we all are. S. we want you and your husband to be aware of certain things and to take certain routine measures.?? she said. ??Borgsj? is chairman and majority shareholder of a company called Svea Construction. ever since Giannini had stormed out and slammed the door behind her. who for some reason wanted to involve Teleborian in a scandal. ??This is a great sleazy story. Annika is doing her best to prepare for your trial. All that was needed was a legal psychiatric report. and he had to pay the bill. Zalachenko??s case should have ended up in Counter-Espionage. He guzzled it down on the spot. or resign from S. 2. The walls are sturdy and it would take quite a while to break down that door even if your assailant had tools at hand. ??I read Bj?rck??s S?po report this evening. Security Police matters were going to have to wait until the next day.?? ??Send out an A. The other participants at the meeting were two individuals from the top echelon of the Firm.?? ??It??s called the Hilton now.?? Holmberg said.