Imeanthathewantstomeetwithyouinperson.”
“OK,makeanappointmentandsendhimuptotheoffice.Butyou’dbetterhurry;I’mclearingoutmydeskrightnow.”
“MyclientwouldlikeyoutovisithiminHedestad—it’sonlythreehoursbytrain.”
Blomkvistpushedafilingtrayaside.Themediahavetheabilitytoattractthecraziestpeopletocallinperfectlyabsurdtips.EverynewsroomintheworldgetsupdatesfromUFOlogists,graphologists,scientologists,paranoiacs,everysortofconspiracytheorist.
BlomkvisthadoncelistenedtoalecturebythewriterKarlAlvarNilssonattheABFhallontheanniversaryofthemurderofPrimeMinisterOlofPalme.Thelecturewasserious,andintheaudiencewereLennartBodstr?mandotherfriendsofPalme’s.Butasurprisingnumberofamateurinvestigatorshadturnedup.OneofthemwasawomaninherfortieswhoduringtheQandAhadtakentheprofferedmicrophoneandthenloweredhervoicetoabarelyaudiblewhisper.Thisaloneheraldedaninterestingdevelopment,andnobodywassurprisedwhenthewomanbeganbyclaiming,“IknowwhomurderedOlofPalme.”FromthestageitwassuggestedsomewhatironicallythatifthewomanhadthisrmationthenitwouldbehelpfulifsheshareditwiththePalmeinvestigationatonce.Shehurriedtoreply:“Ican’t,”shesaidsosoftlyitwasalmostimpossibletohear.“It’stoodangerous!”
BlomkvistwonderedwhetherthisFrodewasanotheroneofthetruth-sayerswhocouldrevealthesecretmentalhospitalwhereS?po,theSecurityPolice,ranexperimentsonthoughtcontrol.
“Idon’tmakehousecalls,”hesaid.
“IhopeIcanconvinceyoutomakeanexception.Myclientisovereighty,andforhimitwouldbetooexhaustingtoedowntoStockholm.Ifyouinsist,wecouldcertainlyarrangesomething,buttotellyouthetruth,itwouldbepreferableifyouwouldbesokind…”
“Whoisyourclient?”
“ApersonwhosenameIsuspectyouhaveheardinyourwork.HenrikVanger.”
Blomkvistleanedbackinsurprise.HenrikVanger—ofcoursehehadheardofhim.AnindustrialistandformerheadoftheVangerpanies,oncerenownedinthefieldsofsawmills,mines,steel,metals,textiles.Vangerhadbeenoneofthereallybigfishinhisday,withareputationforbeinganhonourable,old-fashionedpatriarchwh