thatafamilymemberwasresponsible—possiblyincollaborationwithsomeoneelse.HisargumentwasbasedonthefactthatHarriethaddisappearedduringtheconfusioninthehourswhentheislandwascutoffandalleyesweredirectedattheaident.
Bergerhadbeenrighttosaythathistakingtheassignmentwasbeyondallmonsenseifthegoalwastosolveamurdermystery.ButBlomkvistwasbeginningtoseethatHarriet’sfatehadplayedacentralroleinthefamily,andespeciallyforHenrikVanger.Nomatterwhetherhewasrightorwrong,Vanger’sausationagainsthisrelativeswasofgreatsignificanceinthefamily’shistory.Theausationhadbeenairedopenlyformorethanthirtyyears,andithadcolouredthefamilygatheringsandgivenrisetopoisonousanimositiesthathadcontributedtodestabilisingthecorporation.AstudyofHarriet’sdisappearancewouldconsequentlyfunctionasachapterallonitsown,aswellasprovidearedthreadthroughthefamilyhistory—andtherewasanabundanceofsourcematerial.Onestartingpoint,whetherHarrietVangerwashisprimaryassignmentorwhetherhemadedowithwritingafamilychronicle,wouldbetomapoutthegalleryofcharacters.ThatwasthegistofhisfirstlongconversationthatdaywithVanger.
Thefamilyconsistedofaboutahundredindividuals,countingallthechildrenofcousinsandsecondcousins.Thefamilywassoextensivethathewasforcedtocreateadatabaseinhisi.HeusedtheNotePadprogramme,oneofthosefull-valueproductsthattwomenattheRoyalTechnicalCollegehadcreatedanddistributedassharewareforapittanceontheInter.Fewprogrammeswereasusefulforaninvestigativejournalist.Eachfamilymemberwasgivenhisorherowndocumentinthedatabase.
Thefamilytreecouldbetracedbacktotheearlysixteenthcentury,whenthenamewasVangeersad.AordingtoVangerthenamemayhaveoriginatedfromtheDutchvanGeerstat;ifthatwasthecase,thelineagecouldbetracedasfarbackasthetwelfthcentury.
Inmoderntimes,thefamilycamefromnorthernFrance,arrivinginSwedenwithKingJeanBaptisteBernadotteintheearlynieenthcentury.AlexandreVangeersadwasasoldierandnotpersonallyacquaintedwiththeking,buthehaddistinguishedhimselfasthecapableheadofagarrison.In1818hewasgiventheHedebyestateasa