acrossoneoftheeveningpapers,openatapagewiththeheadline“MediaShortCircuit.”ThearticlewaswrittenbyacolumnistwhohadpreviouslyworkedforMonopolyFinancialMagazine,makinganameforhimselfasonewhocheerfullyridiculedeveryonewhofeltpassionateaboutanyissueorwhostucktheirneckout.Feminists,antiracists,andenvironmentalactivistscouldallreckononreceivingtheirshare.Thewriterwasnotknownforespousingasingleconvictionofhisown.Now,severalweeksafterthetrialintheWennerstr?maffair,hewasbringinghisfiretobearonMikaelBlomkvist,whomhedescribedasapleteidiot.ErikaBergerwasportrayedasaninpetentmediabimbo:
ArumouriscirculatingthatMillenniumisonthevergeofcollapseinspiteofthefactthattheeditorinchiefisafeministwhowearsmini-skirtsandpoutsherlipsonTV.Forseveralyearsthemagazinehassurvivedontheimagethathasbeensuessfullymarketedbytheeditors—youngreporterswhoundertakeinvestigativejournalismandexposethescoundrelsofthebusinessworld.Thisadvertisingtrickmayworkwithyounganarchistswhowanttohearjustsuchamessage,butitdoesn’twashinthedistrictcourt.AsKalleBlomkvistrecentlyfoundout.
BlomkvistswitchedonhismobileandcheckedtoseeifhehadanycallsfromBerger.Therewerenomessages.Vangerwaitedwithoutsayinganything.Blomkvistrealisedthattheoldmanwasallowinghimtobreakthesilence.
“He’samoron,”Blomkvistsaid.
Vangerlaughed,buthesaid:“Thatmaybe.Buthe’snottheonewhowassentencedbythecourt.”
“That’strue.Andheneverwillbe.Heneversaysanythingoriginal;healwaysjustjumpsonthebandwagonandcaststhefinalstoneinthemostdamagingtermshecangetawaywith.”
“I’vehadmanyenemiesovertheyears.Ifthere’sohingI’velearned,it’sneverengageinafightyou’resuretolose.Ontheotherhand,neverletanyonewhohasinsultedyougetawaywithit.Bideyourtimeandstrikebackwhenyou’reinapositionofstrength—evenifyounolongerneedtostrikeback.”
“Thankyouforyourwisdom,Henrik.NowI’dlikeyoutotellmeaboutyourfamily.”Hesetthetaperecorderbetweenthemonthetableandpressedtherecordbutton.
“Whatdoyouwanttoknow?”
“I’vereadthroughthefirstbinder,aboutthe