waytothelifts.Blomkvistwaiteduntilhewasgonebeforehewentouttothereception.InsteadheranintoMartinVangerattheentrance,atexactlythesamespotwherehehadrunintoCeciliaonhispreviousvisit.Theysaidhelloandshookhands.
“HaveyoubeenuptoseeHenrik?”
“No,IjusthappenedtomeetDirchFrode.”
Martinlookedtiredandhollow-eyed.ItourredtoMikaelthathehadagedappreciablyduringthesixmonthssincehehadmethim.
“Howarethingsgoingwithyou,Mikael?”hesaid.
“Moreinterestingwitheverydaythatpasses.WhenHenrikisfeelingbetterIhopetobeabletosatisfyhiscuriosity.”
BirgerVanger’swasawhite-brickterracehouseafive-minutewalkfromthehospital.HehadaviewoftheseaandtheHedestadmarina.No-oneansweredwhenBlomkvistrangthedoorbell.HecalledCecilia’smobilenumberbutgotnoanswerthereeither.Hesatinthecarforawhile,drumminghisfingersonthesteeringwheel.BirgerVangerwasthewildcardinthedeck;bornin1939andsotenyearsoldwhenRebeckaJacobssonwasmurdered;twenty-sevenwhenHarrietdisappeared.
AordingtoHenrik,BirgerandHarriethardlyeversaweachother.HehadgrownupwithhisfamilyinUppsalaandonlymovedtoHedestadtoworkforthefirm.Hejumpedshipafteracoupleofyearsanddevotedhimselftopolitics.ButhehadbeeninUppsalaatthetimeLenaAnderssonwasmurdered.
Theincidentwiththecatgavehimanominousfeeling,asifhewereabouttorunoutoftime.
OttoFalkwasthirty-sixwhenHarrietvanished.Hewasnowseventy-two,youngerthanHenrikVangerbutinaconsiderablyworsementalstate.BlomkvistsoughthimoutattheSvalanconvalescenthome,ayellow-brickbuildingashortdistancefromtheHedeRiverattheotherendofthetown.BlomkvistintroducedhimselftothereceptionistandaskedtobeallowedtospeakwithPastorFalk.Heknew,heexplained,thatthepastorsufferedfromAlzheimer’sandenquiredhowlucidhewasnow.AnurserepliedthatPastorFalkhadfirstbeendiagnosedthreeyearsearlierandthatalasthediseasehadtakenanaggressivecourse.Falkcouldmunicate,buthehadaveryfeebleshort-termmemory,anddidnotrecogniseallofhisrelatives.Hewasonthewholeslippingintotheshadows.Hewasalsoprooanxietyattacksifhewasconfrontedwit