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"I’ll give you a report as soon as you’re better I haven’t solved the mystery yet, but I’ve foundup a number of leads In a week, perhaps two, I’ll be able to tell the results"

Thethat he understood

"I have to be away for a few days"

Henrik raised his eyebrows

"I’ ship I have soreement with Dirch that I should report to him Is that OK with you?"

"Dirch is er’s hand again

"Mikael if I don’t I want you to finish the job"

"I will finish the job"

"Dirch has full"

"Henrik, I want you to get better I’d be furious with you if you went and died after I’ve ress"

"Twotalk"

Birger Vanger aiting for hi a hand on his shoulder

"I don’t want you bothering Henrik any more He’s very ill, and he’s not supposed to be upset or disturbed"

"I understand your concern, and I sy to upset him"

"Everyone knows that Henrik hired you to poke around in his little hobby Harriet Dirch said that Henrik became very upset after a conversation you had with hiht you had caused the attack"

"I don’t think so any es in his arteries He could have had a heart attack just by having a pee I’m sure you know that by now"

"I want full disclosure into this lunacy This isaround in"

"I told you, I work for Henrik, not for the fa anyone stand up to him For a moment he stared at Blomkvist with an expression that was presumably meant to instil respect, but which er turned and went into Vanger’s rooh This was no place for laughter, in the corridor outside Vanger’s sickbed, which ht of a verse fro alphabet It was the letter M And all alone thein a shot-up wood

In the hospital lobby he ran into Cecilia Vanger He had tried calling her mobile a dozen times since she came back from her interrupted holiday, but she had never answered or returned his calls And she was never home at her place on Hedeby Island whenever he walked past and knocked on the door

"Hi, Cecilia," he said "I’m so sorry about all this with Henrik"

"Thanks," she said

"We need to talk"

"I’m sorry that I’ve shut you out like this I can understand that youan easy time of it these days"

Mikael put his hand on her ar, Cecilia I’ that we can be friends Can we have a cup of coffee?" He nodded in the direction of the hospital cafeteria

Cecilia Vanger hesitated "Not today I need to go and see Henrik"

"OK, but I still need to talk to you It’s purely professional"

"What does that mean?" She was suddenly alert

"Do you ree in January? I said that ere talking off the record, and that if I needed to ask you any real questions, I would tell you It has to do with Harriet"

Cecilia Vanger’s face was suddenly flushed with anger

"You really are the fucking pits"

"Cecilia, I’ve found sos that I really do have to talk to you about"

She took a step away from him

"Don’t you realise that this bloody hunt for that cursed Harriet is just occupational therapy for Henrik? Don’t you see that hehe needs is to get upset again and be filled with false hopes and"

"It o on than anyone has had to ith in a very long time There are questions that do now need to be answered"

"If Henrik dies, that investigation is going to be over awfully da investigative backside," Cecilia said, and she walked away

Everything was closed Hedestad was practically deserted, and the inhabitants seemed to have retreated to their Midsues Blomkvist made for the Stadshotel terrace, which was actually open, and there he was able to order coffee and a sandwich and read the evening papers Nothing of i in the world

He put the paper down and thought about Cecilia Vanger He had told no-one - apart froirl - that she was the one who had opened thein Harriet’s room He was afraid that it wouldhe wanted to do was hurt her But the question was going to have to be asked, sooner or later

He sat on the terrace for an hour before he decided to set the whole proble other than the Vanger fa herself somewhere with her husband, and he had no-one to talk to

He went back to Hedeby Island at around 4:00 in the afternoon andout regularly ever since he did hisSoder Malarstrand, but had fallen out of the habit when the problean It was at Rullaker Prison that he had starting puain, mostly as therapy But since his release he had taken alain He put on his tracksuit and set off at a lazy pace along the road to Gottfried’s cabin, turned off towards the Fortress, and took a rougher course cross country He had done no orienteering since he was in the ht it was h a wooded terrain than on a flat track He followed the fence around ostergarden back to the village He was aching all over and out of breath by the tiuest house

At 6:00 he took a shower He boiled so inon a rickety table outside the cottage, facing the bridge He poured himself a shot of aquavit and drank a toast to himself After that he opened a cri

At around 7:00 Frode drove up and sat heavily in the chair across from him Blomkvist poured him a shot of Skane aquavit

"You stirred up some rather lively eer is a conceited fool"