upublishedwassomethingquitedifferent.”
“Exactly.Suddenlywemadeabreakthrough.Wefoundasource,aDeepThroatinWennerstr?m’scircle.Thissourcewasliterallyscaredtodeath,andwewereonlyallowedtomeethiminhotelrooms.HetoldusthatthemoneyfromtheMinosaffairhadbeenusedforweaponsdealsinthewarinYugoslavia.Wennerstr?mhadbeenmakingdealswiththeright-wingUstasheinCroatia.Notonlythat,thesourcewasabletogiveuscopiesofdocumentstobackitup.”
“Youbelievedhim?”
“Hewasclever.Heonlyevergaveusenoughrmationtoleadustothenextsource,whowouldconfirmthestory.WewereevengivenaphotographofoneofWennerstr?m’sclosestcolleaguesshakinghandswiththebuyer.Itwasdetailedblockbustermaterial,andeverythingseemedverifiable.Sowepublished.”
“Anditwasafake.”
“Itwasallafakefrombeginningtoend.Thedocumentswereskilfulferies.Wennerstr?m’slawyerwasabletoprovethatthephotographofWennerstr?m’ssubordinateandtheUstasheleaderwasamontageoftwodifferentimages.”
“Fascinating,”Salandersaid.
“Inhindsightitwasveryeasytoseehowwehadbeenmanipulated.OuroriginalstoryreallyhaddamagedWennerstr?m.Nowthatstorywasdrownedinacleverfery.WepublishedastorythatWennerstr?mcouldpickapartpointbypointandprovehisinnocence.”
“Youcouldn’tbackdownandtellthetruth?YouhadabsolutelynoproofthatWennerstr?mhadmittedthefalsification?”
“IfwehadtriedtotellthetruthandausedWennerstr?mofbeingbehindthewholething,nobodywouldhavebelievedus.Itwouldhavelookedlikeadesperateattempttoshifttheblamefromourstupidityontoaninnocentleaderofindustry.”
“Isee.”
“Wennerstr?mhadtwolayersofprotection.Ifthefakehadbeenrevealed,hewouldhavebeenabletoclaimthatitwasoneofhisenemiestryingtoslanderhim.AndweatMillenniumwouldonceagainhavelostallcredibility,sincewefellforsomethingthatturnedouttobefalse.”
“Soyouchosenottodefendyourselfandtaketheprisonsentence.”
“Ideservedit,”Blomkvistsaid.“Ihadmittedlibel.Nowyouknow.CanIgobacktosleepnow?”
Heturnedoffthelampandshuthiseyes.Salanderlaydownnexttohim.
“Wennerstr?mi