remembered that he had booked himself a room in City Hotel.

She saw that it was 5
She saw that it was 5.K. We haven??t had a report yet of any car thefts in the area this morning. Objectively. I??m perfectly aware that this is going to create difficulties in the office. and then ?? I need about a fortnight off to recharge my batteries. He sat down again. he would have known how to tie proper knots.?? Modig said in apology.?? ??It??s in the daily memo.?? ??But now we??re getting a little too close to poaching on S?po??s preserves. Holmberg had been tasked to work out how Bj?rck had died. He takes divide-and-rule as his job description. ??Hello. The Prime Minister had begun to talk about how. but not what it was. I explained that I wanted information in advance on all proposed articles. But it can??t go to the prosecutor until just before the trial. It was tight. Blomkvist could find no such enquiry in Ekstr?m??s email. the journalist who was murdered. Here in the kitchen.?? ??Me too.

What do we know about the building on Artillerigatan??? ??Not a lot yet. You can??t call and say that it was a mistake.?? Cortez said. When she looked up she saw Jonasson closing the door. One question he could not answer ?C based on the existing documentation ?C was who in S?po. ??I thought you??d be dead by now. And he killed a policeman tonight. and she realized to her dismay that she had not even thought about him for several weeks and that she missed him terribly.?? ??How many in the Section are still here from my day??? ??Apart from me ?? only Otto Hallberg and Georg Nystr?m are still here. but what I have to tell you is very important. Curt. People who could bug an apartment as easily as get into one without breaking a lock. He found himself. established cover companies outside the building in the ??50s and ??60s. ??That means that our adversary is well organized. He had other whores. Gullberg pushed open the door to room fourteen and stepped quickly inside. She isn??t the type to ask anyone for help. Be there in five minutes. where the contacts were made through personal friendship and trust. That meant they had been dead maybe twenty-four hours. particularly in the Malm? area.20.

said.?? ??I see. a passport. She emailed him a brief reply and thanked him for the upgrade.?? he said. She got up from the bed and made for the shower. blond man with a crewcut who wore a black leather jacket. Niedermann is my priority at the moment.?? ??He is forbidden to talk about it. I went to the reception desk and showed my I. the police and hospital administration had agreed that Salander should remain in room eighteen for the time being. but decided it was too late.?? ??No. Are you satisfied with Millennium??s contribution??? Edklinth nodded reluctantly. Her friend sighed. Before you take one single positive action I want to be informed. If fifty of the world??s foremost hackers decided to launch a coordinated attack against an entire country.?? Figuerola said ??What??s that??? ??Evert Gullberg. with the fact that Blomkvist was his wife??s lover. and parallel to the rest of the Security Police. not to be discussed. in the form of convicts. he has to be treated as a madman.

?? ??What do you want??? ??What do you think??? Gullberg pulled up the chair and sat down. Can I buy you a cup of coffee??? ??Tell me what it??s about. But if we aren??t careful I could end up in one hell of a conflict with your colleagues. ??Well ?? you could just accept a friendly personal invitation. cleaned the brushes. and rejected various options. ??O. bad cop.?? ??This is a disastrous coincidence.?? ??It all sounds a bit ?? I don??t know. I??ve killed that idea.?? ??Could it be that Blomkvist made some of it up??? Nystr?m laughed. But they were every one of them computer wizards. get in your car and meet me in S?dert?lje. while she and Karim were expected to do all the spadework for the next issue of a magazine that had not had any real leadership since Berger left.?? Sellberg said with a polite smile.?? Blomkvist hesitated before he said: ??Can I trust you??? ??How do you mean exactly??? ??Are you on Salander??s side or not? Can I believe that you want the best for her??? ??I??m her friend.?? Erlander scrutinized the man opposite him.?? ??Fair enough. Berger was editor-in-chief and therefore one of the few people who could demand that information from him. You have a beach at the back of the house and a few large houses in the immediate vicinity. ??The important thing is that. like writing a column in a trade journal every week.

I??ve been considering bringing him in here. When the hook came out and his body fell. Just before they reached Alings?s. She gave him a quick look and turned on to Grev Turegatan. ??You do know that I could get into very deep water for this. have you ever wondered if the two of us aren??t completely nuts??? ??What do you mean??? ??It??s true for me. This did not please Torsten Edklinth. Nieminen did not trust Niedermann for one second. re: narcotics bust in S?dert?lje.iv Blomkvist had spent Saturday night with Berger. Lisbeth Salander is not psychotic.?? The Security Police did not normally spend time investigating robberies of groceries. it will take longer. were of the kind that were never going to be proven. ??Say that again??? ????diot.?? Ghidi said. was freelancing at Millennium.A. ??Nor do I.?? ??O. It had taken him all day to work out that her room was two doors down the corridor to the right. Through all these storms Berger had been the rock that nothing seemed capable of shifting. to drive over to the Nossebro road.

??I have an appointment to meet someone I know here. Lottie Karim was notoriously afraid of the dark and would never for the life of her have agreed to be by herself overnight at the office. and then gone back to the staff bedroom to try to rest for a while.?? ??So when are you actually going to sit down with a pen and paper and write this statement??? ??You??ll have it in a few days.?? ??No. She looked up at her police colleagues.?? ??Second.iv ?C Saturday. 11.?? ??Well. She used Mace and kicked Lundin in the balls and face with such aggression that she crushed one of his testicles and then broke his jaw. he was the only one in whom she felt a measure of trust. possession of illegal weapons. She caught herself thinking over and over about Salander. He outlined the strategy that Giannini had already explained to her. congratulations seem to be in order rather than any weeping or gnashing of teeth. I??ve sent a team of externals to tail her. But I got the offer just before Dag and Mia were shot. Since April he had not even plugged in the broadband cable to his own machine.?? ??I know. Erlander knew from long experience that there were plenty of nutters out there. presumably more or less simultaneously with the writing of the original report. she had been strapped down in a stimulus-free room at St Stefan??s.

?? ??She was shot.I. I was posted to Egypt. it is. Dakota wrote. The dental surgery is about 150 metres from the spot where the patrol car was found. A nice-looking man.?? ??Do you know anything about how Salander is? I??ve been sound asleep since I last saw you. Now it turns out that you??re the last one in the office to find out. washed up her coffee mug.?? ??Alright ?? but we??re talking about low-wage countries. but he bent down and kissed her on the cheek. with an apologetic glance at Blomkvist.?? he said. but there??s no sign of him. and then our car in Nacka takes over. She took hold of his shirtsleeve. she would get the same dialog box again ?C for years and years. Gullberg had objected to telling the government at all. There would be some ulterior motive. And somewhere the idea seems to have popped up that she might have been involved in selling steroids. ??No.?? Zalachenko turned his head away from his visitor.

He picked up the telephone and called the Minister of Justice. It was doable. ??Niedermann seems to have been swallowed up by the earth. Eleven rooms and apparently a bit of a snazzy joint. And don??t rock the boat. But I need to have a few words with him. and she was not ?C so far as he could judge ?C working. She wanted to get to know Salander. Edklinth can decide for himself what he can share with you within the framework of his assignment.?? ??That??s correct. Salander concluded that his I. attempting to eavesdrop could be measured in economic terms. He poured himself the miniature Glenfiddich. He stopped in surprise. They went straight to the front desk. Whoever did the falsification was extremely well informed. who managed to spring her loose.?? ??Goddamnit. wary look.?? ??It sounds as if there are revolving doors into the place. Cortez wrote feverishly. He??s actually in worse shape than you are.?? ??I consider the source to be totally reliable.

Edklinth nodded. Edklinth grimaced. ??Which pub are they in??? Blomkvist told her.?? Trinity said. or die. I??m here for Bj?rck??s S?po report.. is that it??? ??Not exactly ?? I mean ?? geez.?? ??There are also a number of different ways to get into the house. For five days Plague. He had nothing better to do on this May Day Sunday than humour his wayward publisher. and the glass partition to the corridor was covered by curtains. But why doesn??t he react? A normal person would react. Hiding behind the arras in this situation is a wildly overrated tactic in view of all that has been written about you since Easter. Apparently he was a tax lawyer. And Bj?rck??s report is in it. or whether I have possibly misinterpreted something. She chose a black blouse and put on a jacket. The constitution had been established by the parliament. which corresponded to the letters K-A-L-L-E. You??ll have to accept what I??m saying. ??Fru Berger.?? ??Just to say that I??d be on very thin ice if my superiors found out about this visit.

she thinks it??s embarrassing and doesn??t quite know what to do. the computer had reacted to three keywords ?C immigrant. a delegate for the Centre in the ??70s and ??80s. The first time it was parked near the entrance to his building on Bellmansgatan on Wednesday morning when he left to walk to the office. Erika Berger. ??You should have the answer to that question quite soon. She had?? He could not remember a thing when he came to.?? ??Rubbish. The board approved every measure I proposed.?? Giannini understood Dr Jonasson??s reasoning. As it was growing light an observant police officer found traces of blood on the ground behind the woodshed. Salander looked at him. He was twenty-six years old and had been at Millennium for four years. And if need be you can always come to me or Christer. The Section was faced with its worst crisis since the day he had created it.S. I??m on my way.00 on Tuesday morning. It rang three times before Berger answered. all sorts of complaints. He took the lift up to the reception on the fourth floor and was immediately shown into a conference room. And I??m going to write a full account in time for Lisbeth??s trial.000 a month to live in those crappy dumps in Hammarbyhamnen? Because the construction companies don??t give a damn about keeping prices down.

such as the Formation of Government and the Right to Freedom of Organization.?? ??To my certain knowledge. A certain Lisbeth Salander. who??s in the neighbouring rooms. making her feel like a teenager being quizzed on her homework. part of the routine at S. At the age of seventy-nine. But that won??t work for the rest of us. and it??s potentially as serious a threat as Zalachenko.C. Borgsj? is going to be persona non grata. He did not know a word of Swedish. cares about it. I was the victim of attempted murder myself last night. He jogged home to Bellmansgatan and up the stairs. She had been working at S. The report was then given to the district court.?? ??Of course I do. ??Oh yes. He looked Wadensj?? in the eye and handed him a stack of fax copies. was given a liquid lunch.?? ??It was my uncle Mahmut. One reason for this was the expenses incurred by Blomkvist in connection with the Salander story.

??Sorry. It was always a shock to meet him in person. On Friday the Volvo was back. Her name is Lisbeth Salander. to take over as editor-inchief.?? ??But we may have a problem. She wondered what the video ??of a personal nature?? contained. I don??t want to turn it over to Annika without your approval. He had a serious talk with Giannini and explained that she could have access to Salander for one hour a day. there might be a case for that. Figuerola spent the afternoon gathering information. Martin Thomasson was therefore the third guest of the day at Zalachenko??s sickbed.?? ??I??ve taken care of her since she was twelve. In addition. When Gullberg formally retired in 1992. master. Suddenly he found it difficult to sleep. ??I went to see him.?? ??And he was the person with primary responsibility for Zalachenko when he defected. ??I have to know what happened in G?teborg. Then there were a hundred other details. If the government was not informed. Then she picked up her mobile and called Blomkvist.

S.?? ??She attacked a paedophile???? ??Precisely.?? Edklinth took off his glasses and polished them thoroughly with paper napkin. Dinner??? ??I don??t have time today. You were injured and you??re waking up after an operation. ??He made a formal complaint against Salander.?? ??Do you want to take the chance? Let??s say Zalachenko talks. and for more than a year two positions have remained unfilled. during the time when the impeccably mannered Georg Thulin was head of the third division of S?po.10.?? she said. There was a lot of mysterious traffic around Blomkvist??s address that morning.?? He looked at her and mumbled something. * Holmberg parked his father??s Ford in the drive of former Prime Minister Thorbj?rn F?lldin??s house in ?s just outside Ramvik in H?rn?sand county. She bent down and bit him on the ear. When it came to Agneta Sofia Salander. She called home first and then rang Lillian Josefsson. He??ll understand. Presumably because of the threat of revelations about his sexual deviations.?? ??Where do you want me to begin??? ??Start with the simple things. He had tried to kill her. but the glass was her only reachable weapon. Then a crime would have been committed and led to a prosecution.

??We just have to discover what it was they really were doing. Their service weapons and the marked police car were gone. Millennium is sitting on a scoop that will turn the Salander story on its head. ??May I come in??? Salander studied her without expression. You can give him what you??ve found. If you have information to that effect you should take action.?? ??She attacked a paedophile???? ??Precisely. There he would spend almost two years. It depends on her rate of recovery.?? Clinton propped his elbow on the arm of the sofa and rested his head on his hand. But we??re no longer involved with those investigations. no question.?? Salander had in the end described to her lawyer almost everything that had happened at Stallarholmen. ??Annika. he also got voiceprints that Plague could process. an official high up in S. was that an organization assigned to spy on citizens must remain under strict public scrutiny. but he could get out of his bed and begin to make himself mobile.?? Morander held out his hand. you talked to him yesterday.00 the next morning. But their proposal to shut down the Swedish government was not an idle threat. ??You all know Fredrik Clinton.

?? ??You??ve got to let things settle down. ??Bj?rck.?? ??How did you find out Niedermann was in Gosseberga??? Blomkvist shrugged. Sweden has got to know her through police reports and press releases and the headlines in the evening papers.?? ??A little too fast. Could you possibly write it??? Magnusson hesitated a moment but then said.?? ??I promise. He should have called Bublanski himself and asked him to intervene.?? ??But that??s nothing new. He was one of the elite. He took the late afternoon train to G?teborg. ??It??s Jonasson. to shoot you too??? ??I have no way of knowing. thrown her on to her stomach on the bed. Edklinth lacked the legal authority to initiate a preliminary investigation. that??s gratitude for you. I??m Annika Giannini.?? ??That was Margareta Orring??s article.M. Strangely enough. He came back with sushi and light beer and passed the food around the conference table.?? ??I can do complicated. At which Paulsson swiftly arrested Blomkvist for possession of an illegal weapon.

and all of a sudden you??re mixed up in a shootout with that slut the law are after.?? Gullberg drew a series of concentric circles on his notepad. I wish he had left a letter.?? ??I found it yesterday at Lisbeth Salander??s apartment when I finally worked out where she was. He was a bit of a legend. ??So you aren??t going to tell us how you heard about the meeting??? ??I??ve already told you that I won??t.M.?? ??I didn??t think you were or you wouldn??t have slept here last night. Thomasson accepted at once. exiting from almost the middle of the back of her neck. ??Careful. ??The X2000 to G?teborg leaves at 5.?? ??What would it cost exactly??? ??You??d have to negotiate that with her. He began by making coffee and sandwiches before he went into Salander??s office and booted up her PowerBook. The Danish police have been informed about G?ransson??s car. During surgery the night before. or if you prefer. He would never regain full health.?? ??But that??s nothing new. In the United States you can cross-examine members of the government in a normal court of law. ??Within these four walls.?? she said.?? ??I see.

?? ??Call me Erika. Salander was extremely aggravated by the time he had finished. Armansky had contributed this information.?? Blomkvist looked around the room. we were talking about him as if he were some sort of a hired killer. presumably more or less simultaneously with the writing of the original report. which she had not done since she got the hand-held. ??The first two were members of the Zalachenko club in the ??80s. Lottie Karim was notoriously afraid of the dark and would never for the life of her have agreed to be by herself overnight at the office. ??You look tired. Do you want me to come back and look in on you again??? Salander thought for a moment. as you are all aware. but when she got to the corner. In the end she had to admit that the folder was gone. I thought he could protect me ?? but he has actually taken over my life. but the editor. Anders.?? Gullberg said. ??It??s Jonasson.P. The list was made up largely of the better-known reporters. He paid with a credit card and took a taxi to G?teborg Central Station. but he??s on disability leave.

She felt sick. By all known reckoning she should have been dead. if a little stupid. listening.S. He said there was nothing to indicate that the murder was other than the impulsive act of a sick human being. Blomkvist did not say anything about the implications of what she told him.?? ??Oh. ??I??d like permission to go through the personnel files from the ??50s. Agneta Sofia Salander would necessarily disappear into an institution for long-term care. Through all these storms Berger had been the rock that nothing seemed capable of shifting. scanner that the hospital had lately acquired. I won??t. had called eleven times. and what sort of background they have. There are sites on the Net that you can use to send anonymous mail. She has been called a psychopath.P.?? The rabbi offered him a kippa for his head. She waited until the woman reached the crossing in front of her.?? ??Do you have your car nearby??? ??The last time I checked it was in the parking space outside.?? Cortez scratched his ear. ??And you spy on the Zalachenko club.

?? Edklinth took off his glasses and polished them thoroughly with paper napkin. which had a photograph of Niedermann and the headline POLICE KILLER HUNTED IN DENMARK.?? ??Who answered if you called the number??? ??I don??t know. told him that it was the most sensitive military secret Sweden possessed ?? that there was nothing in Swedish military intelligence that was anywhere near as important. I can??t believe Salander knows anything about it. It??s irresistible. Gullberg began to believe that Zalachenko was not quite right in the head. so you could let me have the opportunity to visit her on medical grounds.?? ??What??s this about. He drank a glass of mineral water. it??s the truth.. And in corridor 11C the staff were security-conscious after the killing of Zalachenko; they were familiar with her situation. Is that alright with you two??? ??That??s fine.?? said the detective responsible for Stallarholmen on behalf of the S?dert?lje police. we found nothing to distinguish it from any other farmhouse. Right now we have about thirty officers working directly on the investigation. she won??t be able to do the research she needs to do to prepare her defence. ??Have you got a couple of minutes??? she said. There??s something very sick about this whole story. and a prosecutor intended to charge her with attempted murder and grievous bodily harm. who took pity on him and vouchsafed that. but they had ditched the gun.

??Evert Gullberg. And he could not resist going to intensive care to look in on the patient whose brain he had rootled around in early that morning. I mean. I would never. I know that you??re not a psychiatrist. But Ekstr?m??s the boss.15 and rolled out of Salander??s bed. I can??t believe Salander knows anything about it. I won??t. The prosecutor??s office offered him legal assistance in the form of a public defence lawyer. and checking how she swallowed. He spoke with a thick accent. ??How long has this been going on??? ??A couple of weeks. did not have any teenagers on its staff. She wanted to get to know Salander. got a good hold on it. staring at the ceiling above Figuerola??s bed. plump man in his fifties with a reddish goatee. to get up. He isn??t one of us.?? ??So where do the toilets come into the picture??? Malm said. And the reasoning among the board was to bring in the most improbable editor-in-chief they could think of. 2.

There??s the world of difference.?? ??All I ask is that you hear me out. We have Karl Axel Bodin??s own testimony from the officers who interviewed him. the social contract that makes up the framework of a civilized society.?? Figuerola looked at the photograph of Gullberg and Francke standing side by side.00 in the afternoon.I. If the newspaper were stable and bringing in a tremendous profit.?? Blomkvist said. of course. The attack alarm consists of two buttons that you press simultaneously and hold down for three seconds. He looked startled. ??I can assure you. ??No. ??There??s always a choice.00 p. But I don??t discuss my patients with journalists. He had never been arrested.?? ??I know. which corresponded to the letters W-A-S-P on the keyboard. and he had never been in prison. It was a devastating blow. She was advised to contact her local station in the morning.

??In other words. was pleased. I??m crazy with desire. a coup has taken place. that??s a fee I??ll gladly pay. For three years you??ve been working in S. It meant that the creation of the Section appeared to be just another routine matter. but they chose to protect Zalachenko because he was a source of valuable information. but stopped short. The government has the power to adopt a wide range of measures in the event that breaches of the constitution are threatened. and she knew it inside out. ??Could you tell Malin that I??ll be back in two hours??? ??What??s going on??? ??I think I??ve got a lead on a story. How else can we explain the report from 1991 ending up in the hands of Advokat Bjurman??? ??Another man who spends his time with prostitutes??? Gullberg said. and some bright spark at the Rescue Service got the message.?? ??You??d think he and Lundin were themselves the victims of a crime in Stallarholmen. that??s a fee I??ll gladly pay. The Soviet Union had ceased to exist and Zalachenko??s usefulness was definitively on the wane.?? he said. pointing to her foot. I am. The P.?? ??Mikael. ??You suspect that there??s a conspiracy within the Security Police that is acting outside its constitutional mandate.

If there??s a crisis and you need help. That was such a monstrous crime that Edklinth felt yet more apprehensive. Erika had me to lean on. I??ve visited her three times and offered to talk with her. If Niedermann talked. Then he heard movement behind him and felt his knees buckle. Then he picked up the telephone.?? ??He says he??s never been to the Nykvarn warehouse and that he just happened to be out with Lundin on a motorcycle ride. ??O. even if she did not sleep.?? ??It was just that sort of bureaucratic procedure I wanted to avoid. but you sat in your office for a while and didn??t know in which direction to go. which contradicted all law and justice and which would result in a disastrous scandal if it were ever discovered. and Zalachenko.?? Baksi went to his desk and opened an address book. taking a folder from his briefcase.?? ??Yes. refugee camps had been attacked. He did not seem to take in anything that Blomkvist said. she would see them. she hit back and threw a Molotov cocktail at him as he sat in his car. Go through the apartment centimetre by centimetre. and then he remembered that he had booked himself a room in City Hotel.