Chapter 2 Chapter two

It was just after eight when Maud and Holmber arrived at Gothenburg Central Station.Boblanski called and gave new instructions that instead of looking for a car to go to Göseberga, they should take a taxi to the police headquarters on Ernstfünderplatz, the seat of the Väster Götaland penal department.They waited for an hour or so before Inspector Erlander and Blomkvist rushed back from Gothberga.Blomkvist greeted Maud, whom he had met before, and shook hands with Holmber, whom he did not know.A colleague of Erlander's had come to update him on the hunt for Niederman, only briefly. "We have a team working with the assistance of the County Criminal Service. Of course, a general arrest warrant has been issued. Stolen police car, found in Alingthos early this morning, so far that's all it takes. We have to assume he switched cars , but no one reported a stolen vehicle in that area."

"Where's the media?" Modi asked, giving Blomkvist a slightly apologetic look. "Police were killed and journalists were out in large numbers. We will hold a press conference at 10 o'clock." "Anyone know anything about Salander?" asked Blomkvist, curiously uninterested in the hunt for Niedermann. "She had surgery last night to remove a bullet from her head and she is still not conscious." "Are there any prognostic assessments?" "As far as I know, nothing will be known until she wakes up. But the doctor who performed the operation said that apart from unforeseen complications, she has a good chance of surviving."

"Where's Zarachenko?" "Who?" It seemed Erland's colleagues didn't know all the latest details yet. "Karl Axel Podding." "Oh...he had surgery last night too. He has a deep gash on his face and one just below one knee. It's not doing well, but it's not life-threatening." Blomkvist digested the message. "You look tired," Maud said. "You're right, I haven't closed my eyes for almost two days and two nights." "Believe it or not, he actually fell asleep in the car on the way from Norther Blue," Erlander said.

"Can you walk us through the whole thing?" Holmber asked. "We think it's about three to zero between the private eye and the police." Blomkvist smiled weakly. "I hope to hear this sentence from Officer Bubble." They went to the police station cafeteria together for breakfast.After Blomkvist spent half an hour explaining step by step how he pieced together Zarachenko's story, the agents fell silent. "There are several holes in your statement," said Holmber at last. "Possibly," Blomkvist replied. "For example, you didn't mention: How did the NSA's top-secret documents on Zarachenko come into your hands?"

"I found it in Salander's apartment yesterday after I finally researched where she lived, and she was probably found in Bierman's summer cottage." "So you know where Salander is hiding?" Maud asked. Blomkvist nodded. "so what?" "You'll have to find out for yourself. Salander has gone to great lengths to establish a secret residence, and I have no intention of revealing the location of the apartment." Maud and Holmber looked at each other anxiously. "Michael... this is a homicide investigation," Maudy said. "You still don't get it, do you? The fact that Salander was innocent, the police raped her in unbelievable ways and ruined her name. 'Satan teaches lesbian gangsters' . . . Here? Not to mention she was being hunted for three murders she had nothing to do with. If she wanted to tell me where she lived, I'm sure she would."

"There is another point that I don't quite understand." Holmber said again: "How did Bierman get involved in this matter? You said he approached Zarachenko and asked him to kill Salander." Start the whole thing, but why would he do that?" "I think he hired Zarachenko to get rid of Salander, planning to have her buried in Nick Vine's warehouse." "He is Salander's guardian, what motive does he have to get rid of her?" "It's complicated." "tell me the story." "His motives are great. Salander knows he has done something that threatens his entire future and development."

"What did he do?" "I think you'd better give Salander a chance to explain herself." He looked firmly into Holmber's eyes and said. "I guess," said Maud, "that Bierman did some kind of sexual assault on his ward..." Blomkvist shrugged noncommittally. "Don't you know about the tattoo on Bierman's stomach?" "What tattoo?" Blomkvist was stunned. "Someone crudely stabbed him in the stomach with the words: I'm a sadistic pig, I'm a pervert, I'm a rapist. We never understood what that was about."

Blomkvist couldn't help laughing out loud. "What's so funny?" "I've been wondering how she got revenge? But... I don't want to discuss it for the reason I just said. She is the real victim. What she wants to tell you is up to her, sorry. " His expression was almost genuinely apologetic. "If you are raped, you should report it to the police," Modi said. "I agree with that. But the rape happened two years ago, and Salander hasn't told the police yet, which means she doesn't want to. No matter how much I disapprove of her actions, it's her choice. Besides ..."

"what?" "She had no reason to trust the police either. She tried to explain what a beast Zarachenko was, and ended up in a mental hospital." When Richard Extron, the person in charge of the preliminary investigation, asked Bob Lanski, the leader of the investigation team, to sit down face to face with him, he felt a little flustered. goatee.He felt that the situation was very chaotic and ominous.They had been hunting Salander for weeks, and he himself had declared her extremely unstable, a dangerous psychopath, and leaked information to give him the upper hand at a future trial.Everything seemed to be going very well.

He firmly believed in his heart that Salander was definitely the murderer of the three murders, and the trial process must be simple and clear, a media event centered entirely on him.Unexpectedly, everything went wrong in the blink of an eye, and he found himself facing a completely different murderer and a seemingly endless chaotic scene.That damned woman Salander. "We're in big trouble now," he said. "Anything this morning?" "A national arrest warrant has been issued for this Ronald Needleman, but there is no trace of him. At present we are only looking for him for the murder of the police officer Ingelmarsen, but I foresee that in the future he should be charged with the Stockholm triad. Homicide. Maybe you should call a press conference."

Boblanski's last suggestion was entirely to annoy Extron, who had always hated press conferences. "I don't think there is a need to hold a press conference for the time being." He replied decisively. Boblanski could barely hold back a smile. "Number one, this is the case of the Gothenburg police," Ekkerström said. "But we did send Maud and Holmber to the scene in Gothenburg, and we've started working together..." "Don't hold a press conference until you know more about the case." Ekers said again in a cold tone, "What I want to know is: how sure are you that Niedermann was involved in the Stockholm murder?" "According to my intuition, I'm 100% sure. However, I'm not too sure about solving the case, because there are no witnesses, and there is not enough identification evidence. Lan Ting and Ni Minan from the Sulfur Lake Motorcycle Club refused to say anything. They claimed that Never heard of Niederman. Still gotta go to jail for killing Constable Inglemason." "That's right," Extron said. "The main thing right now is the killing of the police officer. But I want you to tell me: Is there any clue that Salander might have been involved in those murders? Could it be that she was Needleman's accomplice?" "I don't think it's possible, and I would never make that argument publicly." "So how on earth did she get involved?" "It's very complicated, Blomkvist said at the beginning. Everything revolves around that... Alexander Zarachenko." Extron cringed slightly at the sound of Blomkvist's name. "go on." "Zarachenko is a Russian hit man who seems to be doing everything. He defected in the seventies, and Salander unfortunately happens to be his daughter. Some faction of the NSA sponsors him and cleans up all the criminal mess for him. ...another NSA officer was responsible for putting Salander in a children's psychiatric facility. She was twelve years old at the time and threatened to expose Zarachenko's identity, his alias, and all his cover." "It's kind of incomprehensible. It's almost non-public. If I understand you correctly, everything about Zarachenko is top secret." "But it's a fact. I have evidence." "Can I see it?" Boblanski pushed the binder across the desk. Inside was a 1991 police report.Extron glanced secretly at the "Top Secret" stamp and file number, and immediately recognized that it was a document belonging to the secret police.He flicked through the hundred or so pages of the file, skipping through passages, then set the binder aside. "We have to keep a low profile on this so that the situation doesn't get out of hand. So, Salander was locked up in a mental hospital for trying to kill her father...that is, Zarachenko, and now she's attacking him with an axe. Either way, it was premeditated murder, and she would have to be prosecuted for shooting Margo Landing in Stahlherman." "You can arrest whoever you want, but if it's me, I will proceed with caution." "If the information about the case involving the National Security Bureau leaks out, it will be a huge scandal." Boblanski shrugged.His job is to investigate crimes, not to clean up the aftermath of scandals. "That bastard from the NSA, that Gunnar Björk, what do you know about his role?" "He's one of the main characters. Now he's on sick leave with a herniated disc and lives in Smodalal." "Okay... don't expose the involvement of the National Security Bureau for now, and focus on the murder of the police." "I'm afraid it will be difficult to keep it secret." "What's the meaning?" "I'm sending Anderson to bring Bjork to a formal questioning. It should be..." Boblanski looked at his watch. "...Yes, it's in progress now." "What did you say?" "I'd be happy to drive to Smodaral myself, but matters related to last night's murder have to be dealt with first." "I did not allow anyone to arrest Bjork." "That's right, but I didn't arrest him, I just invited him in for questioning." "Anyway, I don't like what you're doing." Boblanski leaned forward as if to whisper. "Extron...the thing is like this, Salander has been violated many times since she was a child, and I will not let this kind of thing continue to happen under my nose. You can remove my position as the investigation team leader ...but if you do, I'll have to write a stern memo on the matter." Extron made an expression on his face as if he had just eaten something very sour. Björk, the deputy head of the Immigration Section of the National Security Bureau, who was on sick leave, opened the door of the Smodalal summer house and looked up at a burly, blond man with a crew cut and a black leather jacket. "I'm looking for Gunnar Bjork." "I am." "I'm Kurt Anderson, County Criminal Police Officer." The man said and held up his ID. "Is there a problem?" "I would like to ask you to come with me to the Kings Island Headquarters to assist in the investigation of the case of Liz Salander." "Uh... I'm afraid there is some misunderstanding in this." "No misunderstanding." Anderson replied. "You don't understand. I'm a policeman myself. You may have made a big mistake. You'd better ask your boss again." "It's my boss who wants to talk to you." "I have to make a call to..." "You can call at Kings Island." Bjork immediately resigned.It happened and I would be arrested.That damn Blomkvist.Damn Salander. "Am I under arrest?" he asked. "Not yet. But if you wish, we can arrange it." "No...Of course not, I will go with you. Of course I am willing to assist my colleagues in the police field." "That's good," Anderson said, walking into the hall, watching closely as Björk closed the coffee pot and picked up his coat. Around noon, Blomkvist suddenly remembered that his rented car was still at Gosseberga Farm, but he was so exhausted that he couldn't find a car at all, let alone drive.Erlander kindly arranged for a criminal examiner to drive the car back along the way. "Just take it as compensation for the way you were treated last night." After Blomkvist thanked him, he took a taxi to the city hotel on Lawrence Park Road, booked a room for one night at 800 kroner, went straight into the room, and took off his clothes.Sitting naked on the bed, he took out Salander's Palm T3 from the inner pocket of his jacket, and weighed it in his hand.He was still surprised that it hadn't been confiscated during the body search by Paulsson, who must have thought it was his own, and that he had never been formally arrested and searched.After thinking for a while, he put it into the compartment of the computer bag, where there was also a DVD of Salander marked "Billman", but Paulson couldn't find it either.He knew that technically he was hiding evidence, but Salander never wanted these things to fall into the wrong hands. He turned on the phone, found the battery was low, plugged it in and called his sister, Anika Giannini. "Hi, Annika." "What does the police murder last night have to do with you?" She asked right away. He briefly described what had happened. "Okay, so Salander is in the intensive care unit." "Yeah, there's no way of knowing how badly she's hurt until she regains consciousness, but she really needs a lawyer right now." Annika pondered for a moment. "Do you think she would like me to be her lawyer?" "I'm afraid she doesn't want a lawyer at all, she's not the type to ask for help." "Michel... As I said before, what she needs is a criminal defense lawyer. Let me take a look at the information you have first." "Go to Erica and ask her for a copy." As soon as Blomkvist hung up, he called Erica's cell phone himself. She didn't answer, so he called the Millennium office again.It was Henry Kertesz who answered the phone. "Erica is out," he said. Blomkvist briefly explained the ins and outs, and asked Kertesz to pass it on to the editor-in-chief. "I will. What do you want us to do?" Kertesz asked. "Nothing to do today," Blomkvist replied. "I have to sleep first. If nothing else happens, I'll be back in Stockholm tomorrow. Millennium will have the opportunity to cover this in the next issue." story, but it's almost a month away." He slammed his phone off, crawled into bed, and fell asleep within half a minute. Deputy County Sheriff Karina Spangber tapped the water glass with her pen and asked for silence.There were nine people sitting around a conference table in her headquarters office, three women and six men: the head and deputy head of the Violent Crime Unit; Agneta Eva, and Inspectors Modi and Holmber of the Stockholm Police Department.Involving them was a sign of goodwill, a willingness by the Gothenburg police to cooperate with their colleagues in the capital, and perhaps to give them a glimpse of the real investigative process. The often reddish tinge of greenery, Spencer has been known to dislike wasting time on formalities or sheer politeness.She explained that the sheriff's chief was in Madrid for a Europol meeting, and when he heard about the police officer's killing, he cut off his trip and didn't arrive until late that night.She then turned directly to Anders Perzon, head of the Violent Crime Unit, for a briefing. "It has been about ten hours since our colleague was killed in Northbrook. The name of the murderer is known to be Ronald Niederman, but his appearance is not yet known." "We have a picture of him in Stockholm from about 20 years ago that Roberto obtained through a boxing club in Germany, but it's hardly applicable," Holmber said. "Okay. We believe that the patrol car that Niedermann drove away was found in Alinsos this morning. You must know about it. The car is parked in the laneway 350 meters from the railway station. This morning There have not been any reports of vehicle theft in that area." "How's the search going?" "We are monitoring every train that arrives in Stockholm and Malmö. In addition to issuing a general announcement, the Norwegian and Danish police have also been informed. There are about thirty police officers currently investigating the case with full force, and of course all police officers are also watching. Keep your eyes open and watch." "No clues?" "Not yet. But Niederman has such a unique appearance that he should be noticed soon." "Does anyone know what's going on with Tottenson?" an inspector from the Violent Crime Unit asked. "He was in Sogenska Hospital with what appeared to be a car accident casualty - it's incredible that someone could inflict this kind of injury with his bare hands: he had a broken leg, broken ribs, a broken cervical spine and was at risk of becoming paralyzed." Everyone pondered the plight of their colleagues, and it was only after a moment that Spombo turned to Erland. "Erlander... tell us what happened to Gseberga." "Goseb added a Paulsson." There was a booing from those present at his answer. "Can't that man retire early? He's a living disaster!" "I'm well aware of Paulsson," interrupted Sponge, "but I haven't heard any complaints about him in the last . . . um . "The chief of the local police station is an old friend of Paulsson, so he is likely to protect him. Of course, this is good intentions. I don't want to criticize him. But last night, Paulsson's behavior was really weird. Several of his men came to talk to me mentioned." "How weird?" Erlander glanced at Maud and Holmber.He was embarrassed to discuss the shortcomings of his organization in front of the Stockholm visitors. "What I personally find weirdest is that he sent an appraiser to take an inventory of everything in the woodshed...that's where we found that Zarachenko guy." "Take an inventory of what's in the woodshed?" Spangberg asked curiously. "Yes... that's right... He said he wanted to know how much firewood was in there so the report would be accurate." There was a tense silence around the conference table before Erlander continued. "We learned this morning that Paulson was on at least two different antidepressants. He was supposed to call in sick, but no one knew what was going on with him." "What's the situation?" Spangler asked sharply. "Of course I don't know what's wrong with him—patient privacy or something—but he's on a combination of strong tranquilizers and stimulants. He's been on high all night." "My God!" said Spombo heavily, his face as cloudy as the thundercloud that swept across Gothenburg that morning. "Call Balson to come and talk to me, right away." "He fell ill this morning and was admitted to the hospital due to exhaustion. It happened to be his turn. We can only count as bad luck." "Excuse me... did Paulsson arrest Blomkvist last night?" "He wrote a report on assault, aggressive resistance to arrest and illegal possession of firearms. That's what he said in his report." "What did Blomkvist say?" "He admitted to swearing, but also said it was in self-defense. As for resisting arrest, he said he was actually trying to prevent Tortensen and Ingmarsen from going after Niederman alone without backup." "Are there any witnesses?" "There's Tortensen. I don't believe Paulson's aggressive resisting arrest at all. It's a typical pre-emptive retaliation, and if Blomkvist files a charge, it will undermine his credibility." "But after all Blomkvist subdued Niederman alone, didn't he?" Prosecutor Eva said. "He has a gun." "So Blomkvist does have a gun, and it makes sense to be arrested. Where did he get the gun?" "Blomkvist would not say much without the presence of a lawyer. Paulson was arrested when Blomkvist handed over the gun to the police." "May I make a small, informal suggestion?" Moody asked cautiously. Everyone turned to look at her at the same time. "During the course of this investigation, I met with Blomkvist a few times. I found him to be quite reasonable despite being a reporter. I think you should be the one to decide whether to sue him..." She looked at Ye Baby, nod your head. "All this talk of insults and violent arrests is bullshit and I don't think you should take it into consideration." "It should be that illegal weapons are more serious." "I urge you to be patient and wait. Blomkvist put this all together on his own, and he's way ahead of our police, so it's best we maintain a good relationship with him, make sure he's willing to cooperate, and don't let him magazines and other outlets to vent their grievances and attack the entire police community." After a few seconds, Erland cleared his throat.If Modi dared to take the risk, he could do it too. "I agree with Maudy, and I think Blomkvist is a man to work with. I apologized to him for the way he was treated last night, and he seems intent on letting it go. And he's a man of integrity, though I don't know how to find out where Salander lives, but he refuses to disclose the address, and he is not afraid of publicly falling out with the police...and in his position, his statements in the media are definitely as important as any report by Paulsson." "But he refused to disclose any information about Salander to the police." "He said we had to ask her in person, if we had the chance. He said he would never discuss with us someone who is not only innocent but has had his rights severely compromised." "What gun is he holding?" Yeva asked. "Kort 1911 Government Model, serial number unknown. The gun is in the appraisal unit. It is not yet known whether it has been involved in any known crime in Sweden. If there is, this matter will have to be completely changed." Sponge raised his pen. "Yeva... It's up to you to conduct a preliminary investigation on Blomkvist, but I suggest waiting for the appraisal report to come out first. Okay, let's continue. This person named Zarachenko... I don't know if my colleagues in Stockholm What does he know?" "Actually," Modi said, "we didn't hear the names of Zarachenko and Niederman for the first time until yesterday afternoon." “You seem to have been busy looking for a Satanist lesbian gang in Stockholm, am I right?” said an inspector in Gothenburg, causing colleagues to frown.Holmber stared at his nails, and Maud had to answer. "Behind closed doors, I can tell you that we also have people like Inspector Paulsson. The stuff about Satanist lesbian gangs and all that is probably a smokescreen that guy puts out." Moody and Holmber then described the entire investigation in detail.After finishing speaking, everyone around the table was silent for a long time. "If everything about Bjork is true and it breaks out, the National Security Bureau may be attacked by public opinion." The deputy head of the violent crime team concluded this. Eva looked up. "I think your suspicions are largely based on speculation and circumstantial evidence. As a prosecutor, the lack of solid evidence worries me." "We're also aware of that," Holmber said. "We only know the outlines of what happened, but there are still some questions to be answered." "I presume you're still busy with Nick Vine's excavation," Sponge said. "How many lives do you estimate are involved in this case?" Holmber rubbed his eyes feebly. "First two lives in Stockholm, then another. The dead were lawyer Bierman, reporter Dag and scholar Mia, and it was these murders that started the hunt for Salander. In the Nick Vine warehouse Nearby, three graves have been found so far, that is, three bodies, and one of the dismembered bodies has been identified as that of a well-known drug dealer and petty thief. The second hole buried a woman, whose identity has not yet been identified. The third The body of this body has not been dug up, and it seems to be older than the other two. In addition, Blomkvist believes that the murder of a prostitute in Sodertalje a few months ago is also related to this case." "So, together with Ingmarsen who died in Gosseberga, there are at least eight murders in total. This is a terrible statistic. Are all cases suspected to be the work of Niederman? If so, we have to put He treats him like a lunatic, a serial murderer." Maudy and Holmber exchanged glances.Now they have to decide how far to support the claim.At last Maud spoke. "My superior, Inspector Boblanski, and I are inclined to believe Blomkvist's statement that Niedermann was responsible for the first three murders despite the lack of conclusive evidence, and we must therefore believe Sharan De is innocent. As for Nick Vine's burial pit, Niederman also had a geographical relationship because he kidnapped Salander's friend Miriam. She would have died in his hands too. However, all the warehouses Both are relatives of the president of the Sulfur Lake Motorcycle Club, and until other details are confirmed, we cannot draw any conclusions." "The thief you have identified is..." "Kenny Gustavson, forty-four, is a drug dealer with ex-cons as a teenager. I'm guessing - but unconfirmed - that they may have been fighting each other. Sulfur Lake Motorcycle Club involved in several crimes activities, including dealing methamphetamine. Nick Vine may be a forest cemetery for those who stand in their way, but..." "How about it?" "The prostitute who was killed in Sodertalje... Her name was Irina Petrova. The autopsy report showed that the cause of death was a brutal and horrific attack, which appeared to be beaten to death. But the real wounding The murder weapon could not be proven. Blomkvist made a very keen observation that Irina's injury was probably caused by a man with his bare hands..." "Nederman?" "It's reasonable speculation, but there's no evidence yet." "So how do we go about it?" Sponge asked. "I'll have to discuss that with Boblanski," Moody said, "but theoretically the first step would be to interview Zarachenko. We'd love to hear what he had to say about the Stockholm murders, and you can too. Learn about Niederman's role in Zarachenko's business. He may even be able to direct you to Niederman." An inspector in Gothenburg said: "What did we find at Gosseberga Farm?" "Four pistols. A dismantled light pistol, which was just being oiled on the kitchen table; a Varnad, a Polish 83, dropped on the floor by the kitchen bench; a Kurt 191 a government model, the gun Blomkvist was going to hand over to Paulsson; and finally a .22 Browning, which is almost a toy gun by comparison. It was the gun that shot Salander, so she survived despite the bullet in her head." "Anything else?" "We found and seized a bag containing about two hundred thousand crowns. Upstairs in Niedermann's room." "How did you know it was his room?" "Simple, his size is XXL, and Zarachenko is at most a M." "Do you have any information on Zarachenko or Pottin?" Holmber asked. Erland shook his head. "It's up to us, of course, how we interpret the seized weapons. Other than the more sophisticated weapons and the unusually sophisticated farm monitors, it's just like any other farm. The farmhouse itself is simple and free of unnecessary frills." There was a sudden knock on the door just before noon, and a uniformed police officer handed Spombo a document. "We've had a report," she said. "Someone is missing from Alinsthos. This morning, a dental nurse named Anita Kaspersen drove out at 7:30 to take the children to nursery first. Arrived at work before eight o'clock, but never showed up. The dental clinic is about 150 meters away from where the patrol car was found." Both Erlander and Maudie looked at their watches. "So he's four hours ahead. What kind of car?" "A dark blue Renault made in 1991. This is the serial number." "Give full notice to this car immediately. He may be in Oslo or Malmö, or even in Stockholm." At the end of the meeting, they decided that Modi and Erlander would interrogate Zarachenko together. When Erica walked from the office through the foyer into the small kitchen, Kertesz frowned and followed her closely.After a while, she returned to the office with a cup of coffee and closed the door. Kertesz couldn't tell what was wrong. "Millennium" is a small company with a close relationship between colleagues. He has been here for four years. During this time, their team has overcome several big storms, especially Blomkvist's defamation. During the three months in prison, the magazine almost declared bankruptcy.Next, colleague Dag and her girlfriend were killed at the same time. Through these storms, Erica has been rock-solid, and no one seems to be able to shake her.He wasn't surprised when she called him early that morning and sent him and Rota Karim a mission.The whole Salander case broke out, and Blomkvist was somehow involved in the murder of the Gothenburg policeman.So far, everything is under control.Rota stayed at the police headquarters for the time being, trying to extract as much reliable news as possible from someone.Kertesz made a phone call all morning, trying to piece together the whole picture of what happened last night.Blomkvist did not answer the phone, but through several sources, Kertesz had a fairly clear picture of the previous night's accident. Erica, on the other hand, has been absent-minded all morning.She rarely closes her office door, usually only when meeting with visitors or concentrating on a problem.There hadn't been a single visitor this morning, and as far as he could tell, she wasn't busy either.Several times he knocked on the door and went in to deliver the news, only to find her sitting by the window, watching the people coming and going on Yot Road absently, as if lost in thought.He didn't seem to care much about his report either. Something is wrong. The doorbell interrupted his thoughts.He got up and opened the door, and it was Annika.Kertesz had met Blomkvist's sister a few times, but did not know her well. "Hello, Annika," he greeted. "Michael isn't here today." "I know, I want to find Erica." Erica was still sitting by the window without looking up, but knowing who was coming, she calmed down quickly. "Hello," she said, "Michael isn't here today." Annika smiled. "I know. I'm here to get Björk's report to the NSA. Michael wants me to see it, in case I have to serve as Salander's attorney." Erica nodded, got up and picked up a binder from the table and handed it to Annika. Annika hesitated for a moment, wondering whether she should leave the office, and then made up her mind to sit opposite Erica on her own. "Tell me...how are you?" "I'm leaving Millennium, and I haven't been able to tell Michael the truth. He's so preoccupied with fighting Salander, I can't find the right moment, and I don't want to tell him the truth." Can't tell people. It sucks right now." Annika bit her lower lip. "So you just have to tell me. Why are you leaving?" "I'm going to be the editor-in-chief of the Swedish Morgan Post." "My God! If so, we should congratulate you instead of weeping or gnashing our teeth." "Anika... I really don't want to end my position at "Millennium" in this way. It's a mess right now. But I can't refuse this opportunity from out of the sky. I mean... I'm afraid there is only this in my life. Once. The other party brought it up before Dag and Mia were killed, and then the whole office fell into chaos, so I had no choice but to not mention it. Now I am really guilty to the extreme." "I understand. But now you're afraid to tell Michel." "It's terrible and I haven't told anyone. I thought I'd be working at the Swedish Morgan Post after the summer, so I'd have time to tell everyone. I didn't expect them to ask me to come earlier." She stopped here and stared at Annika, the tears in her eyes seemed to burst at any moment. "Actually, this is my last week at Millennium. Next week I'll be out on a trip and then... I'll probably need two weeks to recharge my batteries. Starts May 1st to Swedish Morgan Post work." "Let's put it this way, what if you were hit by a bus today? They will also immediately face the situation of no editor-in-chief." Erica looked up. "But instead of being in a car accident, I deliberately kept my decision under wraps for weeks." "I can see it's a tough situation, but I think Michael and Krist and the others will figure it out eventually. You should tell them right away." "Okay, but your goddamn brother is in Gothenburg today. He's asleep and his phone is off." "I know. There aren't many people as stubborn as Michael, who just disappears when you need him. But Erica, it's not just about you and Michael. I know you've been together for over twenty years and have been through countless There are ups and downs, but you also have to think about Crist and the other staff." "I've been hiding it for so long...Michael would..." “麦可会大发雷霆，他当然会。但这二十年来你只搞砸这么一次，如果他承受不了这个事实，也就不配让你为他耗费那么多时间了。” 爱莉卡叹了口气。 “打起精神来。”安妮卡对她说：“把克里斯特和其他员工找来，马上就做。” 克里斯特呆坐了几秒钟。爱莉卡召集所有职员几分钟后到小会议室来，当时他正准备提早离开。他瞄瞄柯特兹和罗塔，他们同样震惊。编辑秘书玛琳·艾瑞森、采访记者莫妮卡·尼尔森和营销主任桑尼·马格努森事先也都毫不知情。唯一缺席的布隆维斯特正在哥德堡，一如往常的他。 天哪，麦可也全然不知，克里斯特心想。他会有什么反应呀？ 这时他才意识到爱莉卡已经住口，会议室里一片死寂。他摇摇头，站起来，自然而然地给爱莉卡一个拥抱并亲亲她的脸颊。 “恭喜了，小莉。”他说：“《瑞典摩根邮报》的总编辑，从我们这个悲惨的小杂志社爬上这一步，倒很不错。” 柯特兹跟着回过神来，开始拍手。爱莉卡举手制止。 “等等。今天的我不值得鼓掌。”她环顾挤在狭窄编辑室的同仁，又说道：“说真的……事情发展成这样，我实在很抱歉。早在好几个星期前我就想告诉你们，但达格和米亚所引起的骚动将这个消息给掩盖过去。麦可和玛琳发了疯似的工作，而且……好像怎么都找不到适当的时间和地点。所以才会走到今天这个地步。” 玛琳心知肚明杂志社的人手有多么不足，爱莉卡一走，又会显得多么空虚。无论发生什么事，也无论出现什么问题，爱莉卡始终是她能依赖的老板。是啊……也难怪全国最大的日报会挖她跳槽。但接下来会怎样呢？爱莉卡一直是《千禧年》不可或缺的一部分。 “有几件事我们得说清楚。我完全明白杂志社会因此运作困难，我也不想这样，但现实已无法改变。第一，我不会丢下《千禧年》不管。我仍然是合伙人，仍然会出席董事会。当然了，我不会过问任何编辑事宜。” 克里斯特若有所思地点点头。 “第二，我正式的离职日是四月三十日，但上班只到今天。下星期我会出门旅行，你们都知道的，这是老早就计划好了。过渡期间，我决定不再回来指挥个几天。”她停顿片刻。“下一期的内容已经存在电脑里，只剩几个小地方需要修改，这将是我负责的最后一期。再来得由新的总编辑接手，我今晚就会把办公桌清空。” 室内一点声响也没有。 “新总编辑的人选将会在董事会上讨论决定。这件事你们所有员工都得谈一谈。” “麦可。”克里斯特说。 “不，绝不能是麦可。你们所能挑选的总编辑里头，他肯定是最不合适的人选。他是完美的发行人，修改文章与搞定即将刊登的作品中的琐碎问题也非常拿手。但他是善后者，而总编辑必须采取主动，而且麦可也常常栽进自己的故事里，每次总会有几星期消失得无影无踪。当情势不断加温，他便处于巅蜂状态，但处理例行公事的能力却是奇差无比。这点你们都知道。” 克里斯特喃喃称是后又说：“《千禧年》之所以能运作，就是因为你和麦可互补得好。” “不只如此。你应该还记得当初麦可跑到赫德史塔，几乎赌气了一整年，《千禧年》没有他照样正常运作，就像现在没有了我也一样。” “好吧，你有什么计划？” “我想选你，克里斯特，接任总编辑。” “万万不可。”克里斯特举手投降。 “我知道你会拒绝，所以还有另一个人选。玛琳。你今天就能开始代理总编辑的工作。” “我？”玛琳似乎颇受惊吓。 “对，就是你。你一直是个相当出色的编辑秘书。” "but I……" “试试看吧。我今晚就会清空办公室，你星期一早上就能搬进来。五月号已经完成，那可是我们拼了命的成果。六月号是双月刊，接下来能休息一个月。如果行不通，董事会就得另外找人接手八月号。柯特兹……你得转成正职，接替玛琳担任编辑秘书，然后得再雇一个新人。不过这要由你们所有人和董事会来决定。” 她若有所思地打量着众人。 “还有一件事。我将会在另一间出版公司展开新工作，虽然《瑞典摩根邮报》和《千禧年》实际上并非竞争者，但对于接下来两期的内容，我还是不想知道得更多。从这一刻起，一切相关事宜都应该找玛琳商量。” “关于莎兰德的报道该怎么办？”柯特兹问道。 “去问麦可。莎兰德的事我知道一些，但我会封存起来，不会带到《瑞典摩根邮报》那边去。” 爱莉卡顿时感觉松了好大一口气。“大概就是这样了。”她说完静静地起身走回办公室，会议到此结束。 《千禧年》的员工们默不作声地坐在原位。 直到一小时后，玛琳去敲爱莉卡的门。 "it's me." “什么事？”爱莉卡问。 “大家想跟你说句话。” "What words?" “出来一下。” 爱莉卡站起来走到门边，只见他们在桌上摆了蛋糕和星期五下午的咖啡。 “我们觉得应该另外找时间替你办个真正的欢送会，”克里斯特说：“但现在就先以咖啡和蛋糕充数吧。” 爱莉卡终于露出许久不见的笑容。