hathasn’tbeenusedbeforethatmightillustratethatday—ofHarrietandherfriends.”
Blomberglookeddubious,buttheexplanationwasreasonableandshewasnotgoingtoquestionhisstory,givenhisrole.
Aphotographeratanewspapertakesbetweentwoandtenrollsoffilmaday.Forbigevents,itcanbedoublethat.Eachrollcontainsthirty-sixnegatives;soit’snotunusualforalocalnewspapertoaumulateoverthreehundred-plusimageseachday,ofwhichonlyaveryfewarepublished.Awell-aniseddepartmentcutsuptherollsoffilmandplacesthenegativesinsix-framesleeves.Arolltakesupaboutonepageinanegativebinder.Abinderholdsabout110rolls.Inayear,abouttwenty-fivebindersarefilledup.Overtheyearsahugenumberofbindersisaumulated,whichgenerallylackanymercialvalueandoverflowtheshelvesinthephotographicdepartment.Ontheotherhand,everyphotographerandpicturesdepartmentisconvincedthatthepicturescontainahistoricaldocumentationofincalculablevalue,sotheyneverthrowanythingaway.
TheHedestadCourierwasfoundedin1922,andthepicturesdepartmenthadexistedsince1937.TheCourier’satticstoreroomcontainedabout1,200binders,arranged,asBlombergsaid,bydate.ThenegativesfromSeptember1966werekepturcheapcardboardstoragebinders.
“Howdowegoaboutthis?”Blomkvistsaid.“Ireallyneedtositatalighttableandbeabletomakecopiesofanythingthatmightbeofinterest.”
“Wedon’thaveadarkroomanymore.Everythingisscannedin.Doyouknowhowtoworkanegativescanner?”
“Yes,I’veworkedwithimagesandhaveanAgfaneg.scannerofmyown.IworkinPhotoShop.”
“Thenyouusethesameequipmentwedo.”
Blombergtookhimonaquicktourofthesmalloffice,gavehimachairatalighttable,andswitchedonaputerandscanner.Sheshowedhimwherethecoffeemachinewasinthecanteenarea.TheyagreedthatBlomkvistcouldworkbyhimself,butthathehadtocallherwhenhewantedtoleavetheofficesothatshecouldeinandsetthealarmsystem.Thenshelefthimwithacheerful“Havefun.”
TheCourierhadhadtwophotographersbackthen.TheonewhohadbeenondutythatdaywasKurtNylund,whomBlomkvistactuallyknew.Nylundwasinhistwentiesin1966.ThenhemovedtoStockholm