for the trial. the stringer in G?teborg.?? he said. Then he cautiously put his left foot down on the floor.

And he could not help feeling flattered that he was being given information ?C off the record
And he could not help feeling flattered that he was being given information ?C off the record. If Personal Protection had loaned out M?rtensson.?? the P. She isn??t the type to ask anyone for help. in co-operation with her lawyer. Going back down the corridor. He felt strangely uninterested in everything to do with the hunt for Niedermann. ??We made it through the first quarter of this year thanks to a marginal rise in advertising sales and the fact that two senior. alias Karl Axel Bodin. re: narcotics bust in S?dert?lje.?? said the Minister of Justice. ??There was one thing that struck me. Her gaze fell on Holm. get in your car and meet me in S?dert?lje. His spectators vanished as if by magic. It suits you somehow.?? Gullberg raised a hand to forestall Wadensj????s objections. We??ll let it stand the way you??ve decided. And not quite right in the head. I don??t have any idea what we can prove. Without moving her head she glanced at the digital clock: 3. not for S?po alone but probably for intelligence services all over the world. it was. but I think only the Prosecutor General could appoint a preliminary investigation leader in this situation.?? the P.

after careful consideration. Edklinth was wondering what was on Armansky??s mind. He served in G?teborg before he moved to Trollh?ttan. She did not understand what it was about. but the glass was her only reachable weapon.P. Two organizations against child labour.. Then she found the brick in the middle of the living-room floor. including bow and arrow. She gave him a quick look and turned on to Grev Turegatan. ??I hope all??s well with your father. He did meet with the fair-haired man. But it??s like this: not everyone who works there is your enemy. including anal penetration. not vice versa??? ??Exactly. In the trial. But in practice two assistant chiefs know of our existence. or whether the sender was in the building. ??And Zalachenko? Have you questioned him??? ??Yes. ??The killing of the police officer is the main thing right now.?? ??The old bastard had a pistol. He should have been on sick leave. I??m leaving for G?teborg later this afternoon. it??s his knife.

??You don??t understand. But G?ransson and his girlfriend were murdered late on the night of April 9. Remember the Wennerstr?m affair. Her hands are tied. I??m just bringing him in for questioning. she needs this. and S. It would be outside all our formal agreements. slept in her bed. Then he placed his hands gently around her neck and turned her head back and forth and to the sides a few times.?? * Berger went to bed at 11. now Swedish ambassador in the Hague. But she isn??t Zalachenko.I. ??Mikael isn??t here today. But he says that the last time he saw the gun. Finally he shut down the computer and went to bed. It??s no secret that some of my predecessors at S. 3. He works for Karl Axel Bodin. they would have to settle for a black-and-white printer for 8. He spoke with a thick accent. The inquiries had concentrated on finding G?ransson??s car.?? said Bublanski in a darker tone of voice. It might be some sort of flu ???? ??Does she have a fever??? asked Jonasson.

department store. that is. So she can??t tell me what the two of you discuss. The walls are sturdy and it would take quite a while to break down that door even if your assailant had tools at hand. when S. Ekstr?m surreptitiously scanned the stamp. Well ?? no wonder the biggest morning daily had recruited her. Eriksson??s office. Even if they provoke you or accuse you of whatever ?? Can you promise me??? ??I could manage that. They were scrutinizing the results of the preliminary investigation that Holmberg had completed that morning. He instinctively disliked a situation in which private muscle was doing what a government department was supposed to be doing. He??ll be leading the Section??s operations department until the present crisis is over. ??I imagine we??ll have to book appointments with each other. When the name Zalachenko turned up in the preliminary investigation. After long deliberation he had toned down his criticism of Bublanski and his team. In the end the medic stood up and shouted at Paulsson to keep the bloody hell out of his way. But he could not get into the room and he did not have the strength to force the door.?? Inspector Erlander got up from his desk and went upstairs to tell the preliminary investigation leader.00 in the evening. So he must know that M?rtensson is not at Counter-Espionage. It depends on her rate of recovery.?? ??What sort of odd??? ??I??m afraid some idiot is sending really vile emails and he seems to have targeted me. ??I??m taking a big risk here. which he considered a pretty clever idea. Eriksson had only called.

??Give me a couple of minutes. You can??t discuss this with anyone except me. I??ve studied law and political science while I??ve worked for the police. It??s up to you.?? ??Great. It could be if someone is trying to break in or turns up in the garden or something like that. asked him for it. but these were the things that Salander would no doubt prefer not to have fall into the wrong hands. He glanced at the E.?? Blomkvist nodded reluctantly. No. She was pleased and thanked me for taking the trouble. Sweden had voted for a conservative government. He had hung up his jacket and was leaning back in his chair at the conference table. He says he absolutely won??t discuss a person who is not only innocent but who also has had her rights so severely violated. He happened to look into the living room and stopped short in surprise.?? ??You??d think he and Lundin were themselves the victims of a crime in Stallarholmen. This arrangement involves cooperation. A prosecutor decided not to take the case any further. which was already wrapped in bandages.00 p. Having my afternoon beer. And he could keep the mobile when the job was over. If he??s still alive. But he had sent in the charger for her Palm.

?? ??Don??t call me crazy. The first thing he did was to rename it ??Special Analysis??.?? ??But she needs ammunition.00 in the morning. He had not gone back to the woodshed to tend to Zalachenko. They had taken 2. Zalachenko??s answers were much more aggressive and hostile when she asked the questions. Dr Jonasson was pleased with the response he had got. Modig held up her mobile to the gap in the curtains and took two low-res photographs of the group outside Ekstr?m??s door. This meant that Holm was juggling a colossal number of tasks every day. She had never heard those footsteps before. He was given the assignment.?? ??But I have to remind you right from the start that I??m not a criminal lawyer. and you??re not telling me anything. but in reality he had scarcely been seen in the department before the ??90s. 4. and no questions should be asked. I want to know if anything odd happens around 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. I don??t think so.?? ??No.M. On three occasions Zalachenko was arrested by the Swedish police for drunkenness and twice more in connection with fights in bars. has received a number of emails that appear to come from me. had submitted a report which examined the Prosecutor General??s want of initiative over a number of years.

Henry especially.T.S. He opened his iBook again and read through his text. She doesn??t look as though she has the tonnage to take on either Nieminen or Lundin. But if you want to win.?? ??And what??s their stated business??? ??God only knows. She disconnected and looked up at the ceiling. He should have been on sick leave.?? ??I can do complicated. of course not..R. This one was obviously referring to her new job as editor-in-chief.40 that morning. had been shot and killed at Sahlgrenska hospital in G?teborg. And who knows? Maybe he??ll catch Niedermann. In that case. Bambi wrote. Personally I don??t think S?po is behind this.?? he said. Hacker Republic had a total (the last time she was connected) of sixty-two citizens.?? Nystr?m adopted a concerned expression.?? ??In this case ??nothing?? could be quite a lot. But you didn??t see that??? ??No.

and asked him to brief the assembled company. For most of industry. But he??s greedy. it??ll cost a lot of money. Then her eyes fell on a nurses?? table by the wall three metres from her bed. A number of pictures were of infants. First.?? ??Precisely. Blomkvist did not speculate about Bjurman??s motives. She had to be at S. We chatted for a couple of minutes.?? Armansky said. I??m not going to haggle with you.?? She looked around at her colleagues in the cramped editorial office. married to Hans Wilhelm Francke. the Securitas guard. He did not answer either. Then gingerly he closed the door. I think.?? ??What??s that??? ??Well. As long as Giannini did not mention the matter.?? ??I understand. Blomkvist described him as an Olympic-class idiot. female and Lutheran. He had leaked information that would have backed him up in an upcoming trial.

Ownership implies responsibility. and he had saved the life of a four-year-old boy who arrived at the hospital with respiratory failure after swallowing the wheel of a toy car. This will require extraordinary measures. On the other. There was blood on her palm.?? ??It??s still not my problem. She could scarcely believe what she was reading. ??The police didn??t get hold of Bj?rck??s report by themselves ?? they got it from a journalist. and Helsingborg. ??Routine research.?? He fixed his gaze on Wadensj??.I. he received help from your family until he was granted a residency permit. ??The selection of a new editor-in-chief will have to be discussed and made by the board. ??O. or someone close to him. There was an envelope with photographs that had been cool at the time. They were not dramatic sums. but I??ve got a feeling that Micke and Christer Malm and the others will be able to work things out. The source is protected. yes.?? ??That certainly seems to be true in your case. Erlander was a short. ??What??ll we do about Sonny Nieminen??? Fransson leafed through to the section on Nieminen in the papers on her desk. Do you know where you are??? ??Hospital.

but he wasn??t. possibly for the end of this week. He told me to follow up on it.?? Erlander said. ??I??m going to need somebody on the inside I can trust. Lundin should have been ready. She is no longer part of the preliminary investigation so far as we??re concerned. Don??t use your official address. I told you that you would have to handle him like a live grenade. the strangest thing was that he detailed one of the techs to make an inventory of everything in the woodshed ?C where we found the Zalachenko guy??? ??An inventory of what in the woodshed??? Sp?ngberg wanted to know. painkillers. the incoming Prime Minister was fully occupied appointing ministers and negotiating with other conservative parties. Whoops. Figuerola and Blomkvist were waiting for him. What irritated her most was that they kept brushing off her arguments with patronizing smiles. which he at once identified as belonging to the Security Police.K. ??Zalachenko was shot dead at 1. the detectives sat in silence. He says that Salander won??t be in a condition to participate in an interview for several days yet. it was just past 2.10 a. The Ring area was almost deserted. If people in government are mixed up in this. who lived three blocks down the same street.

But we don??t think so. She called the registrar and was informed that no report with that protocol number existed. Inspector Holmberg returned to Stockholm at lunchtime on Sunday. of course. For him the point is to be seen to be tougher than all of us. That??s when normal rules no longer apply. Baksi had been caught in the act by Per-Erik ?str?m ?C the same man who went on to be the paedophile hunter at Save the Children ?C who in the ??80s was the research secretary at the Trades Union Federation.?? ??As I understand it. and I can also say that we had conversations with him about once a month until recently.00??? ??That??ll be fine. A theatre nurse was applying bandages to the gunshot wound on Salander??s hip. But not active. especially when he had been drinking.?? ??Tell me about our relationship to S.R. but we have no proof. These doors are so thin that the bullets would have gone clean through them if he had fired. True. Then the efficient chaos. I should have published the report the day I got it. You??ve had an operation and you??re in the intensive care unit. or various volunteer tasks for Amnesty International and the like. almost too close. But their proposal to shut down the Swedish government was not an idle threat. There are sites on the Net that you can use to send anonymous mail.

Her temperature was steady. Then you can go back to sleep.nu>. They sat down on the sofas as she stayed in the background. ??How long can the paper continue to bleed? How big a deficit can we take before we hit the limit??? Borgsj? pursed his lips. She complained of severe headaches and developed a fever that has been fluctuating up and down. A working group had been formed to explore the matter. ??Only if she loses the trial and appeals to the government can the government step in and pardon her or require the P. Trinity had an antenna constructed by Bob the Dog which had an effective range of about five hundred metres. Right now we have about thirty officers working directly on the investigation. David Rosin was a short. He??ll understand. some apples. and I??m afraid she??s going to get the same medicine when the trial begins. but they were utterly expressionless as she looked at Jonasson. the Prosecutor General was too lenient with cases concerning what were. It had been a pretty wonderful holiday. I??m out. She punched in the code on the street door. with which the company had a contract. Niedermann is my priority at the moment.?? he said in a gloomy voice. to listen to the news.00 in the morning. ??I think I??ll doze for a while.

??I never knew Zalachenko.?? ??And how many hours a week do you do it??? ??Two hours a day. for example. took on the first patient who was wheeled in ?C an elderly man with his head bandaged. but that??s almost a month away. And yet Bj?rck was the primary source of Blomkvist??s information. Then Modig leaned forward and said in a low voice. and invited him into a living room with spartan furnishings. I don??t want to say anything more about that until I talk to my lawyer. They had expected the car to turn up in a matter of days. ??First of all. Both Holger and I have accepted your plan and are co-operating with you. they don??t have the evidence. But we can??t clear this matter up all by ourselves. thrown her on to her stomach on the bed. surveillance and so on. Just as Figuerola reached the Bishop??s Arms. seventy-eight years old. And it was now in Blomkvist??s keeping. When he got out of prison in 1984 he kept his nose clean ?C or at least he did not pull any jobs that got him arrested and convicted again. He was asleep by 11. The truth is that right now everything is a little confused.?? ??Oh. She was looking for Zalachenko. He was running out of time.

He had bought bread.?? ??I see. Fire the Swedish workers and close the factories here. ran a hand through his thick blond hair.?? ??What does Blomkvist say??? ??He concedes that he was insulting. at which time the Soviet Union was heading for collapse and Zalachenko had ceased to be a priority. In other words. but in practice he had been given a unique position with exceptional powers. ??It is. Its task was to watch over national security. ??No. Then he put on some jeans and the maroon sweatshirt that needed washing. Now. He got into his Volvo and drove towards the city but turned off to go across Stora Essingen and Gr?ndal into S?dermalm. too.?? ??I??ll get back to you. forty-three years old. the new chief of the Section.000 Swedish citizens who were held to harbour undesirable political sympathies.?? Figuerola gave him a look.?? ??Let??s see ?? it must be someone with administrative authority. He hasn??t had contact with anyone within S. so he pushed the sushi aside.00 in the evening and Giannini did not usually appear this late. The K.

Her name is Lisbeth Salander. Zalachenko said that he would mull over the matter. so he was never a major factor for security policy. If it hasn??t already happened. V. It was a more complex problem to identify a specific mobile telephone.?? the Minister of Justice said. ??Is that what awaits us??? he said. there??ll be a scandal that will affect both the conservative and social democratic parties.?? Salander said without enthusiasm. or whether this would go on being the preserve of the Immigration Division.?? ??I always dress nicely. A doctor had explained that the axe blow had crushed his cheekbone and damaged his forehead. ??That??s not what I asked. Her gaze fell on Holm.?? Wadensj?? said.I. But tell me this: is there anything at all to even suggest that Salander might be involved in some way in the murders? Could she and Niedermann have somehow committed the murders together??? ??I very much doubt it. and because she probably thought you had your hands full with the Salander story. And what does that mean??? ??The obvious explanation is that he was given a false identity. ??As Prime Minister you may not influence the judicial process in any way. Niedermann was a suspect in the murders of Dag Svensson and Mia Johansson. ??this could lead to a constitutional crisis. Finally she leaned her head back and looked up at the ceiling. The day before.

Nurse Nicander handed him a cup of tea. She remembered the terrible hatred she had felt. And she has to be charged with shooting Magge Lundin in Stallarholmen. One last job. Then she clocked out and went to the gym at St Eriksplan. and then they??d all come trooping out in silence. who only meant to saw a few planks with their Black & Deckers and in some mysterious way managed to slice right into their wrist-bones.?? ??Well. I checked out the story behind the Bellona apartment. When it was explained to F?lldin how serious this preliminary investigation was. But I need an opportunity to question the girl. In 1996 he became assistant chief of the Immigration Division and ended up in a stressful position. furthermore.000 kronor.?? He fixed his gaze on Wadensj??. It could be if someone is trying to break in or turns up in the garden or something like that. He reached out his hand and mussed her hair affectionately. Who would do it ?? you? But she has to disappear. I do what I have to do to survive. He gave her the S. to Zalachenko??s farm. or who he might go to for protection. They must have been following her. ??That was the crucial part of the evidence. and until we??re able to identify the remains.

It??s a matter of how the investigation is carried out and how the facts are presented. he graduated as an engineer and had been part of the ??great economic leap forward?? in the ??70s. And yet Bj?rck had never had anything to do with Counter-Espionage. but he??s on disability leave.?? ??And??? Figuerola said. This was where the cleaning supplies were kept. no matter how improbable it might seem. The computer started up. and called Eriksson and Cortez into his office. I??ve visited her three times and offered to talk with her. Nor did Giannini tell him anything of what she and her client discussed. She knew that Blomkvist was doing a lot of whispering with Cortez and Eriksson and Malm about the Salander story. unfortunately. drank a cup of black coffee and ate a slice of wholemeal toast with cheese and a little marmalade on it. Then I might as well tell you that I??ve already received a formal commission from Prosecutor Ekstr?m in Stockholm to do a forensic psychiatric report. On the contrary ?? if you have any instructions for me. collection. He had kept his mouth shut through the entire series of police interrogations. Anything new??? You can say that again.S. Not until Monday evening did Dr Endrin decide.?? Figuerola said.?? He flipped his mobile shut and crawled into bed. Teleborian.?? Wadensj?? said.

??No again.P.M. who only meant to saw a few planks with their Black & Deckers and in some mysterious way managed to slice right into their wrist-bones. Checking the backgrounds of Swedish citizens was one thing. but I doubt that??s who you??re working for. This Amazon reign was a gynaecocracy. but she could not understand the words. She looked up. A number of pictures were of infants. She returned moments later with a cup of coffee. or various volunteer tasks for Amnesty International and the like.?? ??Then we??ll have a light beer. Erika. the stringer in G?teborg. If you don??t want to give me an answer to something. I don??t think so. Because this had been going on for many years ?C at least since 1976. I want to talk to Erika. and dressed. After a while the P. When they had finished there was a long silence around the table. He switched on their headlights to illuminate a landing area in the field in front of the house. and she felt no desire at all to engage with it. as well as the handful of details Palmgren had been able to provide.

but he was right out of his depth when it came to planning a magazine. In the trial. Do you remember me??? She shook her head. I??m only interested in the Zalachenko club. Could I see them??? Berger set up her laptop on the kitchen table. 35-year-old Ronald Niedermann. ??Not a thing. You made it sound as if you knew what was being discussed at the Prime Minister??s secretariat. You??ve got to decide for yourself. but I assure you it??s in no way illegal.?? ??This means that if you have questions about something. He sounded like an anxious brother.?? Nystr?m said with a slight smile. I have to get him to listen to reason. She was starting to get restless and felt like an intruder. keeping her head bent so that the hand holding her telephone hid part of her face. testing his sense of balance. I think you ought to tell them right away. I??ll go over the details with you. we do have Modig and Holmberg on the scene in G?teborg. I??m furious at the state and the government and S?po and all these fucking bastards who for no reason at all locked up a twelve-year-old girl in a mental hospital until she could be declared incompetent. she would leave hospital with a scar on her scalp. He may himself be behind half of the rumours. He was not fond of alcohol.M.

I??m putting my reputation and career on the line by calling you with this request.?? Figuerola said: ??What do we do about Blomkvist??? ??In what sense??? ??We promised to give him feedback if we uncovered anything about Clinton and von Rottinger. Zalachenko abused her mother so viciously that she spent most of her life in hospital. for the sake of fairness.?? Jonasson said. In short. but I think he went to the reception desk too. Jonasson picked up the telephone. this is a good story. Micke.?? Malm said. not really. Your role was only to do me the kindness of introducing me to one of your acquaintances. come what may.?? ??Nonsense. shut the door behind her. At the same time he??s a bastard of exceptional proportions. gained access. But apparently he had a habit of sending crazy and threatening letters to people in government. Gullberg used all his eloquence to convince the Prime Minister not to allow information about Zalachenko to pass beyond his own office ?C there was. His good leg kicked four. And two years ago she had single-handedly destroyed Wennerstr?m??s financial empire and saved Millennium.?? Holm said. There??s no smoking allowed in the hospital. But she could scarcely keep her eyes open.

and in 1999 he had registered his own company.K.?? When Salander woke up it was 2. We found a woman??s body in a second trench ?C she??s still unidentified. but this question does not. codes that she glanced at. you have to get on board with the program.?? It was fascinating that despite the collegial atmosphere they had shared for so many years at the Section. I earned it. picked up his laptop case.v ?C Saturday.M. It??s an invitation to abuse of power.?? ??Your apartment is compromised. He knows who I am. I??ve never seen him before. There??s a room in the connecting corridor to the right of the reception area that would be better from a security point of view.00. If she wakes up again you can give her two mg.L. he had a rough draft of two articles totalling twenty-one pages. I was ignominiously ditched earlier today. but tell Armansky that Erika Berger called and make damn sure someone comes round in the morning. then Zalachenko.?? Holmberg said.

She did not need anyone to tell her that. makes its toilets to sell at 1700 kronor apiece??? Silence fell over the room. It was not a perfect plan.?? ??Have you an operations unit??? Wadensj?? frowned. and a third to operations. You have an infection in your body. but she was pleased with herself.. He had not been known as a political activist. When she closed the door he arduously sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. ??The book states only that the Prime Minister met with the chief of S?po along with a colleague to discuss general questions. but I have to insist that you answer the question. or what they were about. Yet Blomkvist was right: behind the conspiracy there had to be others not known to her who had contributed to the shaping of her life. There??s a darker area here. as a matter of fact.?? ??Probably. yes. ??Should we conclude that the Zalachenko club was an association formed in 1964? That would be some time before Zalachenko even came to Sweden. for God??s sake. But we still haven??t received it. and suddenly there isn??t much time left. Of all the people who touched her and poked at her. and reproduced exactly.?? This assurance was enough for Baksi.

C. County Criminal Police. She could not imagine how he could finish in time. Edklinth and Figuerola looked at him. Their burek is fantastic. had no responsibility for the budget and was not at all helpful when it came to making decisions about how much a freelancer should be paid or whether they could afford to buy a new laser printer that was not already included in the sum earmarked for capital investments or I.?? Samir came over with the menu and.U. ??I won??t under any circumstances be interviewed. For him the point is to be seen to be tougher than all of us. It had been the stupidest moment of her life and she would never again allow herself those sorts of feelings.C. Shit. ??From a medical standpoint.?? Sellberg looked rather startled. Figuerola reckoned that she was in her mid-thirties. Whether they??re right or wrong.?? she said.. and an older gentleman we didn??t recognize. ??Where is he now??? Blomkvist said as they turned on to Kungsgatan. He had made a round to check on the state of his patients. He wondered how things would unfold now with Lundin out of the way. She looked at the officers in sullen silence as they came into her room and pulled up chairs. then G?ransson??s car would have been parked at one of the ports.

?? ??That??s correct. Video cameras were still a relatively new phenomenon. She sent him the access codes for S. Now it??s all about this German. The only thing he seemed capable of grasping was that the badly damaged girl being cared for by the medics on the floor next to the kitchen bench was the triple murderer Lisbeth Salander. He booked the room for two weeks.C. ??Please hear me out. Blomkvist had given him no good reason for insisting that he patrol the neighbourhood near the Copacabana on Sunday afternoon looking for a grey Volvo with a registration beginning KAB. and there she set up her laptop and took command. forty-seven. I??m also proposing wage cuts for management. Things did not change until 1977. and spontaneously gave Berger a hug and a kiss on the cheek. ??For one thing ?? I??m very. She had spent an hour infiltrating and charting the intranet at S. Ekstr?m is the head of the preliminary investigation ???? ??But Bublanski??s leading it. ??I assume that this is bound to leak to the media. Finally he lit upon the obvious solution. but what the hell are we going to do??? ??Malin??s going to be acting editor-in-chief starting with the next issue. muggings and telephone tapping. You??ll finish off this week with your ordinary duties and report in here on Monday. or something like that. and it was as silent as the grave in the conference room. ??I??ll call her and arrange to meet.

?? ??The problem is that none of this could have happened if S?po weren??t involved somehow. and a typical libertarian when it came to freedom of the press. feels like a dying body.00.?? ??Does he have any connection to Lisbeth Salander??? ??No. you??re just about recovered. Vitavara Inc. born in 1969. heart and lungs shut down one after the other. The only glimmer of light in the darkness was that Salander had been carried to the helicopter. At 8. The roster included himself. Without actually uttering a single inappropriate word.?? Figuerola said. Hmm. First. you would most probably be charged with manslaughter. & E. unless she had a screwdriver and a ladder. approximately ten metres. yes. He spent three hours reading through Ekstr?m??s preliminary investigation and strategy for the trial. the stringer in G?teborg.?? he said. Then he cautiously put his left foot down on the floor.