rode has already drawn up a tra ails, but the tract is simple, and all it needs is ynature.”
“henrik, this is absurd. i really don’t believe i ystery of harriet’s disappearance.”
“ag to the tract, you doo. all it asks is that you do your best. if you fail, then it’s god’s will, or—if you don’t believe in him—it’s fate.”
blomkvist sighed. he was feeling more and more unfortable ao end this visit to hedeby, but he relented.
“all right, let’s hear it.”
“i want you to live and work here in hedeby for a year. i want you th the iive report o’s disappeara a time. i want you to examihing with you to question all the old s exactly the way aive reporter would. i want you to look for something that i and the polid ators may have missed.”
“y me to set aside my life ao devote myself for a whole year to something that’s a plete waste of time.”
vao yht agree that for the moment it’s somewhat on hold.”
blomkvist had .
“i want to buy a year ive you a job. the salary is better than any offer yet in your life. i will pay you 200,000 kronor a month—that’s 2.4 million kronor if you ad stay the whole year.”
blomkvist was astonished.
“i have no illusions. the possibility you will succeed is minimal, but if against all odds you should crack the mystery then i’m a bonus of double payment, or 4.8 million kro’s be generous and round it off to five million.”
vanger leaned bad cocked his head.
“i pay the moo any bank at you wish, ahe world. you also take the money in a suitcase, so it’s up to you whether you ort the iax authorities.”
“this is…hy,” blomkvist stammered.
“why so?” vanger said calmly. “i’m eighty-two and still in full possession of my faculties. i have a large personal fortune; i d it any way i want. i have no and absolutely o leave ao relatives i despise. i’ve made my last will a; i’ll be giving the bulk of my fortuhe world wildlife fund. a few people who are e will reifits—inna.”
blomkvist shook his head.
“try to uand me,” vanger said. “i’m a man who’s goihere’s ohing in the world i wa’s ahis question that has plagued me for half my life. i doo find the a i do have resourake oempt. is that unreasonable? i owe it to harriet. ao myself.”
“you’ll be paying me several million kr. all i o do is sig awiddle my thumbs for a year.”
“you wouldn’t do that. orary—you’ll work harder than you’ve ever worked in your life.”
“how you be so sure?”
“because i offer you something that you ’t buy for a whiore than anything in the world.”
“and what would that be?”
vanger’s eyes narrowed.
“i give you har?m. i prove that he’s a swindler. he happey-five years ago, to begih me, and i give you his head on a platter. solve the mystery and you your defeat in to the story of the year.”
chapter 7
friday, january 3
erika set her coffee the table and stood by the window looking out at the view of gamla stan. it was 9:00 in the m. all the snow had been washed away by the rain over new year’s.
“i’ve always loved this view,” she said. “ahis would make me give up living in saltsj?baden.”
“you’ve got the keys. you your upper-class reserve a,” blomkvist said. he closed the suitd put it by the front door.
berger turned and gave him a disbelieving look. “you ’t be serious, mikael,” she said. “we’re in our worst d y to go aahejti.”
“hedestad. a couple of hours by train. and it’s not for ever.”
“it might as well be ulan bator. do will look as if you’re slinking off with your tail between ys?”
“that’s precisely what i am doing. besides, i have to do some gaol time too.”
christer malm was sitting on the sofa. he was unfortable. it was the first time sihey fouhat he had seen berger and blomkvist in such disagreemehe years they had been iimes they had furious clashes, but their arguments were always about busihey would invariably resolve all those issues before they
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