Chapter 4 Chapter Four

By one o'clock on Saturday afternoon, the Fransen prosecutor in Sodertalje had gone through the whole case.The burial site in Nick Vine Woods was in disarray, and officers from the Violent Crime Unit had racked up massive overtime hours since Wednesday, when Roberto sparred with Niederman at the local warehouse.In addition to at least three burial cases near the warehouse, what they had to deal with was the kidnapping and beating of Salander's friend Miriam, and the most important case of arson. The Staller Hermann incident was linked to Nick Vaughn's discovery, and in fact the location was also within the jurisdiction of the Strangles Police Station in Southmanland County.Lan Ting of the Sulfur Lake Motorcycle Club was a key figure in this whole affair, but he is now lying in the Sodertalie hospital with a cast on his foot and a steel plate on his jaw.Therefore, all these crimes are under the jurisdiction of the county police, which means that Stockholm will have the final decision.

A court hearing was held Friday.Landing was formally charged for his relationship with Nick Vine.At last it turned out that the warehouse was owned by an importing company registered in the name of fifty-two-year-old Annellie Carlson.She is Lan Ting's cousin, lives in Puerto Banus, Spain, and has no criminal record. Franzen closed the binder containing all the preliminary investigation materials.These are only preliminary stages, and hundreds of pages of detailed content will be required before they can be delivered to trial.But there are a few things to decide at the moment.She looked up at her colleagues and colleagues.

"We have enough evidence to accuse Lan Ting of being involved in the kidnapping of Miriam, because Roberto has testified that he was the driver of the van. I will also sue him for arson. As for the three bodies dug near the warehouse, at least in all Until his identity is confirmed, these murders are not included in his crimes." The police officers nodded in response, which was expected. "What about Sonny Niminan?" Fransen turned the data on the table to Niminan's part. "This man has a stellar criminal record of robbery, possession of an illegal weapon, assault, aggravated assault, homicide and drug offences. He was arrested at Staller Hermann along with Landing and I believe he was involved but there is no evidence Persuade the judge."

"He said he had never been to the Nick Vine warehouse, and that he just happened to be out on a motorcycle ride with Landing." said the police officer in charge of Staller Hermann's case on behalf of the Sodertalje Police Department. He has no idea what Tin is going to do in Stahlhermann." Fransen wondered if he could find a way to hand over the entire case to the Ekkerstön prosecutor in Stockholm. "Niminan refuses to reveal what happened," the officer continued, "but vehemently denies any involvement in any crime." "You'd think he and Lan Ting were the victims of the Staller Hermann case." Franzen tapped his fingertips on the table angrily. "Salander," she went on, suspicious in her tone, "this girl looks like a minor, only 154 centimeters tall. She doesn't look that strong, and it's hard to imagine that she can compete with her." Niminan or Lan Ting compete, let alone the two teaming up."

"Unless she has a weapon. A pistol makes up for the lack of looks." "But that doesn't quite fit with our reconstruction of what happened." "Indeed. She used a Macy's sprayer and kicked Landing in the groin and face so hard that he ruptured a testicle and fractured his jaw. Shooting Landing in the foot must have been after kicking him. But I It's hard to believe the gun belonged to Salander." "The laboratory has confirmed that the gun that shot Lan Ting was a Polish-made Type 83 Vanade, using Makarov bullets. The gun was found in Gosseberga on the outskirts of Gothenburg, and it had Salander's fingerprints on it, so it can almost be Make sure she went to Gothabaga with a gun."

"Of course, but the serial number shows that it was a pistol stolen in a gun shop robbery in Örebro four years ago. The robber was caught, but the gun was discarded. They were regulars at the Sulfur Lake Motor Club. Local thugs who haunt, so I'd rather believe it was Landing or Niminan who was carrying the pistol." "Perhaps the matter is very simple. Salander took Lan Ting's gun away, and then accidentally shot him in the foot. I mean, Salander couldn't have murdered intent, because he is still alive." "She could have shot him in the foot purely out of sadism. Who knows? But what did she do with Niminan? He had no obvious injuries."

"He does have one, or two small burns on his chest." "What kind of burn?" "I guess it's a stun prod." "So Salander probably had a taser, a can of Macy's spray, and a pistol. How much does all that stuff weigh? No, I'm still pretty sure either Lantin or Niminan had the gun and she just snatched it from her." Gone. We won't know exactly how Landing was shot unless someone among those involved is willing to speak up." "Ok." "According to the current situation, Lan Ting will be prosecuted for the reasons I mentioned earlier, but there is no evidence against Niminan. I consider releasing him this afternoon."

Niminan was in a bad mood when he left the detention center of the Sodertalje police station.Because my mouth was very dry, I went to the small store in the corner to buy a bottle of Pepsi at the first stop, and drank it on the spot. I also bought a pack of Lucky Strike cigarettes and a box of Gothenburg smokeless tobacco.He turned on the phone to check the battery level, and then dialed Hans Oak Valdari, who was thirty-three years old and the third oldest in the Sulfur Lake Motorcycle Club.The phone rang four times before it connected. "It's Niminan, I'm coming out." "Congratulations."

"Where are you?" "Nyköping." "What the hell are you doing in Nyköping?" "After you and Lan Ting were arrested, we decided to keep a low profile until the situation became clear." "Now that the situation is clear, where are you all?" Hua Dali told the whereabouts of the other five members of the club, and Niminan was neither happy nor calm after hearing this. "You're all hiding like pussies, who else is looking after the store?" "That's not fair. We had no idea what you and Landin were up to, and all of a sudden we were shooting each other with that wanted bitch, Landing was wounded, and you were arrested. Then they started shooting at our Nick Digging up bodies near the Warehouse warehouse."

"so what?" "So? So we began to suspect that you and Landing might be hiding something from all of us." "What do you say will happen? We took this job for the club." "But I've never been told that the warehouse doubles as a forest cemetery. Who are those corpses?" Niminan was about to yell, but held back in time.Perhaps Hua Dali is an idiot, but now is not the time to argue, the top priority should be to unite everyone's strength.He managed to survive five interrogations without making any mistakes. At this time, if he was less than 200 meters away from the police station, it would be unwise to use his mobile phone to boast that he did have some inside information.

"Never mind the dead body," he said. "I don't know anything. But Landing's in big trouble. He'll be in jail for a while, and I'll run the club while he's gone." "Okay, so what should we do next?" Hua Dali asked. "Who's looking after it now?" "Benny stayed at the club to take care of him. The police searched the day you were caught. But nothing was found." "Benny Carlson?" Niminan yelled. "He's still a brat." "Take it easy, and there's that blond bastard who hangs out with you and Landing all the time." Niminan's blood froze all over his body.After he glanced to the side, he walked farther away from the store door. "What did you say?" he asked in a low voice. "That blond monster you hang out with Landin shows up and says he needs somewhere to hide." "Fuck you, Hua Dali! The police all over the country are looking for him now!" "Yeah... That's why he needs a hiding place. Otherwise, what else can we do? He's your and Lan Ting's brother." Niminan closed his eyes for a full ten seconds.Niedermann has brought many jobs and benefits to the club over the years, but he is by no means a friend, he is a dangerous bastard and pathological... and the police are actively looking for him.Niminan never trusted Niedermann.The best outcome is that he is found by the police after being shot in the head, and the manhunt will at least soften a little. "What do you do with him?" "Benny took care of him. He took him to live with the Yellensons." Victor Yeronsen is the cashier and treasurer of the club and lives in the suburbs of Enna.Trained as an accountant, he started out as a financial advisor to a Yugoslav bar chain and ended up with the gang in jail for fraud.He met Landing in Kumla Prison in the early 1990s.He is the only member of the club who usually wears a suit and tie. "Vadali, drive to Sodertalye immediately and come find me. I'll wait for you outside the station in forty-five minutes." "Okay, but why the rush?" "I have to take control of the situation. Do you want me to take the bus?" On the way to Sulfur Lake, Niminan said nothing, and Hua Dali secretly glanced at him.Unlike Lan Ting, he was never easy to get along with.He had a pretty face like a model, and looked vulnerable, but he was hot-tempered and dangerous, especially when he was drunk.He was very sober at this time, but Hua Dali was very disturbed when he thought of changing him to be the eldest brother in the future.In the past, Lan Ting could always suppress Niminan to some extent, but now that Lan Ting is gone, I don't know how the situation will develop. When we got to the club, there was no sign of Penny.Niminan called him twice on his cell phone, but no one answered. They drove on for about half a mile to Neminan's house.The police searched here too, but apparently found nothing of interest to the Nick Vine investigation.That is why Neminan was released. He went to take a shower and change clothes, while Hua Dali waited patiently in the kitchen.Then they entered the forest behind Niminan's residence. After walking for about 150 meters, they peeled away a thin layer of soil, revealing a box containing six guns, including an AK-5, and a large number of bullets. and about two kilograms of explosives.This is Niminan's weapon collection.Among them were two Polish-made Type 83 Vanades, which belonged to the same batch as the one that Salander snatched from Stahlhermann. Niminan dispelled all thoughts of Salander, the thought of her was unpleasant.In the Sodertalje Police Detention Unit, he went over and over the scene in his mind: he and Lan Ting arrived at Biermann's summer cottage and saw Salander apparently preparing to leave. Everything happened quickly and unexpectedly.He and Landing rode there, following orders from that damned blond monster, to burn down that damned summer house.Just stumbled across that whore Salander--she was alone, 154 centimeters tall, and scrawny.Niminan wondered how much she weighed.Then things went wrong, and a string of atrocities broke out that neither of them could have imagined. From an objective point of view, he can describe this series of processes.Salander took a can of Macy's sprayer and sprayed Landing in the face.Lan Ting should have been wary, but he didn't.She kicked him twice, and it didn't take much to break his jaw.She succeeded in the attack, which makes sense. But then, he, and even Sonny Niminan, who was well-trained to avoid confrontation, was subdued by her.She moved so fast that he hadn't had time to draw his gun.She subdued him as easily as a mosquito.What a shame.She's got a taser, she's got... He can't remember anything when he wakes up.Landing was shot in the foot, and the police arrived.He was sent to a detention center in Sodertalje after several discussions on jurisdiction between Strännais and the Sodertalje police.In addition, she stole Landing's Harley motorcycle.She cut off the logo on his leather jacket—it was the logo that kept people in bar lines backing away when they saw him, that gave him a status most people couldn't aspire to.She humiliated him. Niminan was furious.Throughout the interrogation process, he remained tight-lipped.He would never be able to open his mouth to tell what had happened to Staller Hermann.Before that, Salander meant nothing to him. At best, it was just a minor plan made by Lan Ting...another order from that damned Niederman.Now he hated her so much that he surprised himself.Usually he wasn't one to calmly analyze a situation, but he knew that one day in the future, he would make her pay to wash away the shame.But first he had to keep the Sulfur Lake Motor Club in check because of Salander and Niederman. Niminan picked up the remaining two Polish pistols, loaded them, and handed one to Vardari. "Any plans?" "We're going to talk to Niederman. He's not one of us and he has no previous convictions. I don't know what happens when he gets caught, but if he says something, we'll probably all go to jail. And the speed will be It's going to make you dizzy." "You're saying we should..." Niminan had already decided that Niederman had to be dealt with, but he knew it was best not to scare Hua Dali away now. "I don't know, we have to see what he has planned first. If he wants to go abroad as soon as possible, we can help him arrange it. But as long as he is in danger of being arrested, it is a big threat to us." Niminan and Hua Dali arrived at Ye Langsen's residence at dusk, and there was no light in the house.This is not a good sign.They sat in the car and waited. "Maybe they got out," Hua Dali said. "Yeah, they went to the bar with Niederman." Nimi Nanan said as he opened the car door. The front door was unlocked.After Niminan turned on a light on the ceiling, the two checked each room one by one.The house was tidy and tidy, probably thanks to the woman who lived with Ye Langsen, he forgot her name. They found Ye Langsen and his girlfriend stuffed in the laundry room in the basement. Niminan bent over to look at the corpse, and then stretched out a finger to touch the woman whose name he had forgotten, who was already cold and stiff.This means they may have been dead for twenty-four hours. Niminan didn't need a forensic doctor to guess how they died.Her head was turned 180 degrees and her neck was broken.She was wearing a T-shirt and jeans and no other trauma could be seen. However, Ye Langsen was only wearing underwear, had been beaten, and had blood stains and bruises all over his body.The two arms are bent at incredible angles, like twisted and tangled branches.The beatings he suffered could only be described as torture. According to Niminan's judgment, the final cause of his death was a punch in the neck, which sunk his throat deeply. Niminan climbed the stairs and walked out of the gate, followed by Hua Dali.Niminan walked to the barn fifty meters away, flipped the hasp lock, and opened the door. Inside was a 1991 dark blue Renault. "What kind of car does Ye Langsen drive?" Niminan asked. "He drives a Saab." Niminan nodded, took out a few keys from his jacket pocket, and opened the door on the other side of the barn.After a quick glance, they were too late.The heavy weapons cabinet is open. Niminan looked bitter. "About eight hundred thousand crowns," he said. "what?" "The Sulfur Lake Motorcycle Club has about 800,000 kroner hidden in this cabinet. That's our treasury." Only three people know where all the club's investment and laundering cash is: Ye Langsen, Landing and Niminan.Niederman was on the run and needed cash, and he knew that Ye Langsen was in charge of the money. Niminan closed the door and slowly left the barn.His mind was spinning rapidly, trying to analyze the outcome of this disaster.Part of the Sulfur Lake Motorcycle Club's assets are bonds, which he can use, and some investments can also be restructured with Lan Ting's assistance.But most of them only exist in Ye Langsen's mind, unless he has explained to Lan Ting in detail, but Niminan thinks it is unlikely, because Lan Ting has always been bad at managing money.He estimated that Ye Langsen's death caused the club to lose as much as 60% of its assets, which was a fatal blow, especially since they still needed cash to meet daily expenses. "What should we do now?" Hua Dali asked. "We're going to report what happened here to the police." "Report to the police?" "That's right, the whole room is full of my fingerprints. I want them to find Ye Langsen and his woman as soon as possible, so that the identification results can prove that I was still locked up when they died." "I understand." "That's good. Go get Benny, I have something to say to him, if he's still alive. Then we'll have to track down Niedermann, and keep our eyes peeled with all our connections at clubs across northern Europe. I must make that bastard look good. He probably drove Ye Langsen's Sabu to find out the license plate number." When Salander woke up at two o'clock on Saturday afternoon, a doctor was prodding her. "Morning," he said, "I'm Dr. Beni Svetsen. Are you in pain?" "Yes." Salander said. "I'll prescribe pain medication for you right away, but I have to check first." He pinched and prodded and groped her bruised body, and when the examination was over, Salander was extremely annoyed, but held back.She was exhausted, and she thought it best not to make living more uncomfortable because of the quarrel. "How's my situation?" she asked. "You'll get through it," said the doctor, taking notes before standing up.This answer is not very helpful for understanding the condition. After the doctor left, a nurse came in with a bedpan and relieved Salander, then put her back to sleep. Zarachenko—Potin—had a liquid lunch.As long as the muscles on the face move slightly, the jaw and cheekbones will feel tingling, let alone chewing.The previous night's surgery put two titanium alloy nails in his mandible. But the pain is bearable.Zarachenko was used to pain.Fifteen years ago, after he was burned like a torch in his car, he suffered for weeks, even months, and the follow-up care was like a long torture. Nothing could be more painful. Doctors ruled him non-life-threatening, but his injuries were serious.Due to his age, he had to stay in the intensive care unit for a few more days. On Saturday, four visitors came. At ten o'clock in the morning, Inspector Erlander came again.This time he was accompanied by Inspector Holmber, who was far more agreeable, than that annoying woman, Maudy.They asked about Needleman, the same questions as the night before.He narrated in an orderly manner without saying anything.When they began questioning him about his involvement in drug dealing and other crimes, he denied it again, saying he had no knowledge of it.He was on disability benefits and had no idea what they were talking about.He blamed Niederman for all his faults, and expressed his willingness to do his best to assist the police in finding the fugitive. It's a pity that he can't help much, because he doesn't know Niederman's usual circle of friends, and he doesn't know who he will seek to cover. At about eleven o'clock, a person came from the prosecutor's office. He didn't stay long, but formally informed him that he was suspected of serious injury or attempted murder of Salander.Zarachenko patiently explained that he was the victim and that Salander had tried to murder him.People from the prosecutor's office said they could provide legal assistance and hired a public defender for him.Zarachenko said he would consider it. But he didn't intend to.He already had a lawyer, and the first thing in the morning was to call the lawyer and ask him to come as soon as possible.So the third visitor to Zarachenko's bed that day was none other than Martin Thomason.He strolled in leisurely, ran his hands through his thick blond hair, adjusted his glasses, and shook hands with his client.He was a chubby, very charming man.Yes, he was suspected of running errands for the Yugoslav Mafia, and the case was still under investigation, but he was also known as a successful lawyer. Five years ago, Zarachenko needed to restructure some funds related to one of his small financial companies in Liechtenstein, and approached Thomason through a partner introduction.The amount was actually small, but Thomason's skill saved Zarachenko from paying taxes, so he was later entrusted with several other tasks.Thomason knew it was the proceeds of crime, but didn't seem bothered.In the end, Zarachenko decided to reorganize the entire business into a new company registered under Niedermann's and his name, and proposed to Thomason to make him the third partner, but he did not care about the business of the company, only Responsible for handling finances.Thomason immediately accepted. "Mr. Podding, you don't look very funny like this." "I was seriously injured, and the other party tried to murder me." Zarachenke replied. "I can tell. If I'm right, it should be someone named Liz Salander." Zarachenke lowered his voice and said, "You know, our partner Niedermann really made a fool of himself this time." "indeed." "The police suspected that I was involved." "Of course you didn't. You are a victim, and we must immediately let you appear in the newspaper as a victim. Miss Salander has had a lot of negative news before... I will deal with it." "thanks." "But I have to remind you from the beginning, I am not a criminal defense lawyer, you need professionals in this field. I will find a reliable person for you." A fourth visitor came at 11 o'clock on Saturday night. He showed his ID to the nurse, said it was urgent, and was taken to Zarachenko's room.The patient was still awake, grumbling and complaining. "My name is Jonas Sandberg." He extended his hand as he introduced himself, but Zarachenko ignored it. The man was in his thirties, with reddish-brown hair, and was dressed simply in jeans, a plaid shirt, and a leather jacket.Zarachenko studied him carefully for fifteen seconds. "I'm still wondering when your people will show up." "I'm from the National Security Agency." Jonas said and showed his ID. "I don't believe it," Zarachenko said. "What did you say?" "You may work for the NSA, but you're not one of them." After looking around the ward, Jonas pulled up a visitor's chair. "I'm here so late that I don't want to be in the limelight. We've discussed how we can help you, and now we have to come to a consensus account of what happened. I'm just here to hear your version, to ask what you plan to... so that Come up with a common strategy." "What strategy do you think of?" "Mr. Zarachenko... Now that legal procedures have been initiated, the consequences may be unpredictable." Jonas said: "We have already discussed it. The grave of Gosebaga and the fact that the girl was shot three times, It's hard to explain away in a few words. But it's not hopeless. The conflict between you and your daughter can be explained by your fear of her and why you took such drastic measures ... but I'm afraid you will also go to jail for a while." Zarachenko thought it was so funny, if it wasn't for his face being covered with bandages, he really wanted to laugh out loud, but at this moment he could only curl his lips slightly, any bigger movements would be too painful. "Is this your strategy?" "Mr. Zarachenko, you also understand the concept of damage control. We had to negotiate a common strategy. We will do everything in our power to assist you in finding a lawyer, etc...but your cooperation and some level of assurance will also be required. " "I can only promise you one thing. First of all, you have to find a way to make this disappear." He drew a circle with his hand. "Nederman is the scapegoat. I guarantee that no one will find him." "There is identification evidence—" "Fuck the identification of the evidence. What matters is how the police investigate and how the facts are presented. I can assure you that... if you guys don't wave your magic wand and make this all disappear, I'm going to call a press conference. I Know names, dates, events. I guess I don't need to remind you who I am?" "You do not understand--" "I totally get it. You're just running errands, so go back and tell your boss what I said, and he'll understand. Tell him I've got copies...all copies. I can drag you all down." "We have to make a deal." "That's the end of the conversation, go out. Tell them to discuss things with me next time, and find a grown-up." After Zarachenko finished speaking, he turned his head away.Jonas watched him for a moment, then stood up with a shrug.Just as he was approaching the door, he heard Zarachenko's voice again. "One more thing." Jonas turned and listened. "Salander." "What's up with her?" "She has to disappear." "What's the meaning?" At one point Jonas looked so nervous that Zarachenko couldn't help smiling, despite the pain in his jaw. "I know you cowards have too many scruples to kill her. Who will do it... you? But she must disappear. Her testimony must be considered invalid. She will be locked up for the rest of her life." Mental hospital." Salander heard footsteps in the corridor, a sound she had never heard before. Her door was left open all night, and nurses came in every ten minutes for rounds.She heard a man outside her room explain to the nurse that he had an urgent need to see Mr. Podding.She heard him show his ID, but she couldn't guess who he was or what ID he was showing from the conversation. The nurse went first to see if Pottin was still awake and asked him to wait.Salander concluded that no matter what his identity was, it must be very convincing. She heard the nurse walking towards the corridor on the left, taking a total of seventeen steps, while the male visitor only took fourteen steps for the same distance.About fifteen and a half paces on average.She estimated that each step was 60 centimeters, multiplied by 15.5, indicating that Zarachenko was in a room 930 centimeters away in the corridor on the left.Well, about ten meters.She estimated that her room was about five meters wide, so there should be a ward between Zarachenko's ward. According to the green numbers on the digital clock on her bedside table, the visit was exactly nine minutes long. After the man who called himself Jonas left, Zarachenko lay awake for a long time.He guessed it wasn't his real name, and in his experience Swedish amateur spies were fond of using aliases, even when they weren't necessary.So it seemed that Jonas—or whatever he was called—was the first pointer that the "team" had noticed Zarachenko's situation.Considering the level of media attention, this is also inevitable.But the person's visit confirmed that his condition was causing them anxiety.It better be so. He weighed both the positive and the negative, listed all the possibilities, and dismissed many options.He knew all too well that things couldn't get any worse.If there were no mistakes, he is still at Gosseberga's home, Niederman has left the country safely, and Salander is buried in an underground cave.Although he had a rough idea of ​​what had happened, he couldn't figure out how she had crawled out of the hole Niederman had dug, walked all the way back to the farm, and hit him twice with an ax that nearly killed him.She's just too scheming. Speaking of which, he was well aware of what happened to Niederman, and why he ran for his own life and did not stay to deal with Salander.He knew that Niederman's mind was not quite right, and he often saw visions—even ghosts.Niederman behaved irrationally more than once, and sometimes curled up in fright, and Zarachenko had to come forward to solve it in the end. This worried him.He believed that since Niedermann had not been arrested, his actions must have been normal in the twenty-four hours since his escape from Gosseberga.He likely traveled to Tallinn to seek protection from those with ties to Zarachenko's criminal empire.What worries him now is that no one can tell when Niederman's mental function will be paralyzed.Had it happened while he was trying to escape, he could have made a mistake, and he could have been arrested if he did.He would never give in, the policeman would die, and Niederman would probably die too. Thinking of this, Zarachenke couldn't help feeling upset.He didn't want Niederman to die.Niederman was his son, but unfortunately he could not be captured alive either.He had never been arrested, and Zarachenko could not have predicted how he would react when interrogated.He deserved to keep silent, but Zarachenko feared that he couldn't and that he might as well be killed by the police.He was sad that his son was dead, but it would have been worse if it hadn't been.If Niederman had said something, Zarachenko himself would have been in prison for the rest of his life. Niederman has been on the run for forty-eight hours now and has not been arrested.This is a good thing, it means that everything is fine with Niederman, and a normal Niederman is invincible. Longer term, however, there is another concern.He didn't know how Niederman would live alone without his father's guidance.Over the years, he found that as long as he stopped giving instructions or giving Niederman too much autonomy, his son would unconsciously enter a state of indecision and laziness. Zarachenko has repeatedly admitted that it is a shame and a pity that his son does not have certain qualities.Needleman was unquestionably gifted, with some physical qualities that made him a formidable and intimidating individual.He is also a calm and good planner.But the problem is that he has absolutely no leadership talent and always needs someone to tell him what to plan. But right now all of this is out of Zaraqianke's control.Now he has to focus on himself.His situation was dangerous, perhaps unprecedented. Lawyer Thomason's earlier visit hadn't completely reassured him.Thomason has always been a corporate lawyer, no matter how good he is in that area, this time it is a matter of a different field, and he will not be of much help. Then came the man who called himself Jonas.Jonas proposed a much stronger lifeline, but this lifeline may also be a trap, he has to play against the chessboard and control the situation.Control is what matters. Finally, he has his own resources to fall back on.He needs medical attention at the moment, but in a few days, maybe a week, he will regain his strength.In case the matter came to a critical juncture, I am afraid that he can only rely on himself, that is to say, he must disappear from the eyes of the police who surrounded him.He will need a hiding place, a passport and some cash.Thomason has it all.But first he had to get strong enough to escape. At one o'clock in the morning, the night nurse came in to check on him, and he pretended to be asleep.When she closed the door, he sat up with difficulty, his feet dangling over the edge of the bed, and sat quietly for a while, testing his balance.Then carefully put the left foot on the ground, but luckily the ax hit the disabled right foot.He took the prosthetic from the bedside cabinet, attached it to the amputated foot, stood up, put his weight on the good foot first, and tried to stand on the right foot.As I shifted my weight, I immediately felt a tingling pain in my right foot. He gritted his teeth and took a step forward.He needs crutches and knows the hospital will provide them soon.He leaned against the wall and limped to the door. It took him several minutes, pausing with each step to ease the pain. He supported himself on one foot, opened the door a crack and peeked into the corridor, but there was no one, so he poked his head a little further.At this time, I heard a faint voice on the left, and I turned my head to see a group of night shift nurses in the nursing station about 20 meters away from the other end of the corridor. He turned to the right and saw the exit at the other end. He had asked how Salander was doing earlier in the day. He was her father, after all.Nurses have apparently been instructed not to discuss other patients' conditions.One of the nurses only said in a flat tone that she was in stable condition, but still subconsciously glanced to the left. Salander was in a ward between his room and the exit. He closed the door carefully, limped back into bed, and took off his prosthetic.When I finally got into bed, I was already dripping with sweat. Inspector Holmber returned to Stockholm at lunchtime on Sunday hungry and tired.He took the subway to City Hall station, walked to the police headquarters on Ball Street, and came to Inspector Boblanski's office.Maud and Anderson have arrived.Boblanski called them to a meeting on Sunday because he knew Extron, who was in charge of the preliminary investigation, was busy elsewhere. "Thank you for coming," Boblanski said. "I thought we'd talk quietly and try to sort things out. Holmber, any news?" "I said it all on the phone. Zarachenko refused to let go, insisting that he was innocent and had nothing to say. It's just—" "what?" "Maddy's right, he's one of the meanest people I've ever met. It might sound stupid, and cops aren't supposed to think in terms of that, but there's something really scary under that cunning surface. .” "Okay." Boblanski cleared his throat. "What progress have we made, Maud?" She smiled feebly. "The private eye won this round. I can't find Zarachenko's name in the public records at all, but there is a Karl Axel Pottinger who seems to have been born in Uddevalla in 1942. Parents, George and Marian Potting, died in a car accident in 1946. Carl Axel Potting was raised by his uncle who lived in Norway, so until he moved back to Sweden in the seventies There is no record of him. Blomkvist's statement that he was a GRU intelligence agent who defected from the Soviet Union seems impossible to verify, but I am inclined to believe him." "Okay, so what does that mean?" "Obviously he was given a false identity. This must have been agreed with the relevant authorities." "You mean the secret police of the NSA?" "That's what Blomkvist said, but I don't know exactly how. It's based on the fact that his birth certificate and many other documents were faked and smuggled into public records. I不敢评论这种行为的法律后果，很可能得看是谁作的决定。但要让这些合法，作决定的肯定是相当高级别的人。” 四名刑警思索着此话中的含意，办公室内一片沉寂。 “好吧。”包柏蓝斯基说道：“我们只是四个笨警察。如果这案子涉及政府官员，我不打算讯问他们。” “嗯。”安德森也说：“这可能导致宪政危机。在美国，可以在一般法院诘问政府官员，但在瑞典却得通过宪政委员会。” “但我们可以问问老板。”霍姆柏说。 “问老板？”包柏蓝斯基不明白。 “图尔比约恩·费尔丁，他是当时的首相。” “你是说直接找上门去，问前首相有没有替一个叛逃的俄国间谍假造身份证件？不会吧。” “费尔丁住在海讷桑德的欧斯，距离我的家乡只有几英里路。我父亲是中央党党员，和费尔丁熟识，我从小到大见过他几次。他很平易近人。” 另外三名巡官诧异地望着霍姆柏。 “你认识费尔丁？”包柏蓝斯基半信半疑。 霍姆柏点点头。包柏蓝斯基撅起嘴来。 “老实说，”霍姆柏接着说道：“如果能得到前首相的陈述，便能解决不少问题，至少可以知道我们在整件事当中的立场。我可以去找他谈。如果他什么都不肯说，只好顺其自然。但如果他愿意说，我们就能省下很多时间。” 包柏蓝斯基考虑他的提议后，摇摇头。眼角则瞥见茉迪和安德森两人在深思后都点头认同。 “霍姆柏……谢谢你的提议，但我想这个想法还是暂时先缓缓。再回到我们的案子吧，茉迪。” “据布隆维斯特说，札拉千科是一九七六年来的。依我推测，他的消息来源只可能有一个。” “毕约克。”安德森说。 “毕约克跟我们说了什么？”霍姆柏问道。 “不多。他说这全是机密资料，没有上级准许，他什么都不能说。” “他的上级是谁？” “他不肯说。” “那么他接下来会如何？” “我以违反娼妓法逮捕了他。达格的笔记里有完善的数据。埃克斯壮很气恼，但我已经写了报告，要是他结束初步调查可能会给自己惹上麻烦。”安德森说。 “了解。违反娼妓法。可能会罚他日薪十倍的罚款。” “应该是。不过反正他已经牵涉进来，我们可以再传讯他。” “只是现在几乎就要侵犯到国安局的范围，可能会引起一些骚动。” “问题是如果国安局没有涉入，这一切都不会发生。札拉千科可能真的是叛逃并受到政治庇护的俄国间谍，他也可能以专家、网民或任何头衔为国安局工作，所以有正当理由让他匿名并提供假身份。可是有三个问题：第一，一九九一年导致莎兰德被关的那次调查工作是不合法的；第二，从那时起，札拉千科的活动就和国家安全毫无关系，他只是一个普通的黑道分子，很可能涉及几起命案与其他犯罪活动；第三，莎兰德确实在他哥塞柏加的农场土地上遭到射杀并活埋。” “说到这个，我还真想看看那份大名鼎鼎的报告。”霍姆柏说。 包柏蓝斯基脸色一沉。 “霍姆柏……事情是这样的：星期五埃克斯壮要求看报告，后来我请他归还，他说他会给我副本，但一直没给，反而打电话告诉我说他和检察总长谈过，发现有个问题。据总长说，报告被列为最高机密就表示不得传播或复印。总长还要求回收所有文件直到案子调查清楚，也就是说茉迪也得交出她手上的资料。” “这么说报告已经不在我们手上了？” "yes." “该死。”霍姆柏说：“从头到尾没一件事顺利。” “我知道。”包柏蓝斯基说：“最糟的是显然有人在跟我们作对，而且动作非常迅速又有效率。我们好不容易因为这份报告找到正确线索。” “所以我们得找出是谁在和我们作对。”霍姆柏说。 “等等。”茉迪说：“我们还有彼得·泰勒波利安。他曾经为我们分析莎兰德，协助调查。” “没错。”包柏蓝斯基的声音更低沉了。“他怎么说来着？” “他非常担心莎兰德的安全，也希望她好。但讨论结束后，他说莎兰德有致命的危险性，很可能会拒捕。我们的推断有一大部分是以他所说的内容为依据。” “法斯特完全受他煽动。”霍姆柏说：“对了，有没有法斯特的消息？” “他请了几天假。”包柏蓝斯基冷冷地回答。“现在问题在于我们应该从何着手。” 接下来他们花了两小时讨论一些可能性，最后只作出一个实际的决定，就是让茉迪隔天去哥德堡看看莎兰德有没有什么话说。最后解散后，茉迪和安德森一起走到车库。 “我在想……”安德森话说到一半。 "What are you thinking?" “我们和泰勒波利安谈的时候，只有你对他的回答提出反驳。” "so what?" “所以……呃……直觉很灵。”他说。 安德森向来不善于赞美人，这绝对是他第一次对茉迪说出这种正面或鼓励的话。他走后，留下茉迪一脸愕然地站在车子旁边。