disappearanceandthesearches,buttherearesomanyVangersmentionedthatIneedyourhelpidentifyingthemall.”
FornearlytenminutesSalanderstoodintheemptyhallwithhereyesfixedonthebrassplaquethatsaid“AdvokatN.E.Bjurman”beforesherangthebell.Thelockontheentrydoorclicked.
ItwasTuesday.Itwastheirsecondmeeting,andshehadabadfeelingaboutit.
ShewasnotafraidofBjurman—Salanderwasrarelyafraidofanyoneoranything.Ontheotherhand,shefeltunfortablewiththisnewguardian.Hispredecessor,AdvokatHolgerPalmgren,hadbeenofanentirelydifferentilk:courteousandkind.ButthreemonthsagoPalmgrenhadhadastroke,andNilsErikBjurmanhadinheritedherinaordancewithsomebureaucraticpeckingorder.
InthetwelveyearsthatSalanderhadbeenundersocialandpsychiatricguardianship,twoofthoseyearsinachildren’sclinic,shehadneveroncegiventhesameanswertothesimplequestion:“So,howareyoutoday?”
Whensheturnedthirteen,thecourthaddecided,underlawsgoverningtheguardianshipofminors,thatsheshouldbeentrustedtothelockedwardatSt.Stefan’sPsychiatrilinicforChildreninUppsala.Thedecisionwasprimarilybasedonthefactthatshewasdeemedtobeemotionallydisturbedanddangerouslyviolenttowardsherclassmatesandpossiblytowardsherself.
Allattemptsbyateacheroranyauthorityfiguretoinitiateaconversationwiththegirlaboutherfeelings,emotionallife,orthestateofherhealthweremet,totheirgreatfrustration,withasullensilenceandagreatdealofintensestaringatthefloor,ceiling,andwalls.Shewouldfoldherarmsandrefusetoparticipateinanypsychologicaltests.Herresistancetoallattemptstomeasure,weigh,chart,analyse,oreducateherappliedalsotoherschoolwork—theauthoritiescouldhavehercarriedtoaclassroomandcouldchainhertothebench,buttheycouldnotstopherfromclosingherearsandrefusingtoliftapentowriteanything.Shepletedthenineyearsofpulsoryschoolingwithoutacertificate.
Thishadconsequentlybeeassociatedwiththegreatdifficultyofevendiagnosinghermentaldeficiencies.Inshort,LisbethSalanderwasanythingbuteasytohandle.
Bythetimeshewasthirteen,itwasalsodecidedthatatrusteeshoul