The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (Millennium 3)

"In other words, you haven't the faintest idea whether my client's statement is true or

not?"

"The accusation against Advokat Bjurman is preposterous."

"That is your opinion. Can you give him an alibi or in any other way document that he did not assault my client?"

"That's impossible, naturally. But the probability--"

"Thank you. That will be all," Giannini said.

Blomkvist met his sister at Milton's offices near Slussen at around 7:00 to go through the day's proceedings.

"It was pretty much as expected," Giannini said. "Ekstrom has bought Salander's autobiography."

"Good. How's she holding up?"

Giannini laughed.

"She's holding up very well, coming across as a complete psychopath. She's merely being herself."

"Wonderful."

"Today has mostly been about what happened at the cabin in Stallarholmen. Tomorrow it'll be about Gosseberga, interrogations of people from forensics and so forth. Ekstrom is going to try to prove that Salander went down there intending to murder her father."

"Well . . ."

"But we may have a technical problem. This afternoon Ekstrom called Ulrika von Liebenstaahl from the guardianship agency. She started going on about how I had no right to represent Lisbeth."

"Why?"

"She says that Lisbeth is under guardianship and therefore isn't entitled to choose her own lawyer. So, technically, I may not be her lawyer if the guardianship agency hasn't rubber-stamped it."

"And?"

"Judge Iversen is going to decide tomorrow morning. I had a brief word with him after today's proceedings. I think he'll decide that I can continue to represent her. My point was that the agency has had three whole months to raise the objection--to show up with that kind of objection after proceedings have started is an unwarranted provocation."

"Teleborian will testify on Friday, I gather. You have to be the one who cross-examines him."

On Thursday Prosecutor Ekstrom explained to the court that after studying maps and photographs and listening to extensive technical conclusions about what had taken place in Gosseberga, he had determined that the evidence indicated that Salander had gone to her father's farmhouse in Gosseberga with the intention of killing him. The strongest link in the chain of evidence was that she had taken a weapon with her, a Polish P-83 Wanad.

The fact that Alexander Zalachenko (according to Salander's account) or possibly the cop killer Ronald Niedermann (according to testimony that Zalachenko had given before he was murdered at Sahlgrenska) had in turn attempted to kill Salander and bury her in a trench in woods nearby could in no way be held in mitigation of the fact that she had tracked down her father to Gosseberga with the express intention of killing him. Moreover, she had all but succeeded in that objective when she struck him in the face with an axe. Ekstrom demanded that Salander be convicted of attempted murder or premeditation with the intent to kill and, in that case, aggravated assault.

Salander's own account stated that she had gone to Gosseberga to confront her father, to persuade him to confess to the murders of Dag Svensson and Mia Johansson. This statement was of dramatic significance in the matter of establishing intent.

When Ekstrom had finished questioning the witness Melker Hansson from the technical unit of the Goteborg police, Advokat Giannini had asked some succinct questions.

"Herr Hansson, is there anything at all in your investigation or in all the technical documentation that you have compiled which could in any way establish that Lisbeth Salander is lying about her intent regarding the visit to Gosseberga? Can you prove that she went there with the intention of murdering her father?"

Hansson thought for a moment.

"No," he said at last.

"Do you have anything to say about her intent?"

"No."

"Prosecutor Ekstrom's conclusion, eloquent and extensive as it is, is therefore speculation?"

"I believe so."

"Is there anything in the forensic evidence that contradicts Lisbeth Salander's statement that she took with her the Polish weapon, a P-83 Wanad, by chance simply because it was in her bag, and she didn't know what she should do with the weapon, having taken it the day before from Sonny Nieminen in Stallarholmen?"

"No."

"Thank you," Giannini said and sat down. Those were her only words throughout Hansson's testimony, which had lasted one hour.

Wadensjoo left the Section's apartment on Artillerigatan at 6:00 on Thursday evening with a feeling that he was under ominous clouds of turmoil, of imminent ruin. For several weeks he had known that his title as director--that is, chief of the Section for Special Analysis--was but a meaningless label. His opinions, protests, and entreaties carried no weight. Clinton had taken over all decision-making. If the Section had been an open and public institution, this would not have been a problem--he would simply have gone to his superior and lodged his protests.

As things stood now, there was no-one he could protest to. He was alone and subject to the mercy or disfavour of a man whom he regarded as insane. And the worst of it was that Clinton's authority was absolute. Snot-nosed kids like Sandberg and faithful retainers like Nystrom . . . they all seemed to jump to obey the fatally ill lunatic's every whim.

No question that Clinton was a soft-spoken authority who was not working for his own gain. He would even acknowledge that Clinton was working in the best interests of the Section, or at least in what he regarded as its best interests. The whole organization seemed to be in free fall, indulging in a collective fantasy in which experienced colleagues refused to admit that their every movement, every decision that was made and implemented, only led them one step closer to the abyss.

Wadensjoo felt a pressure in his chest as he turned onto Linnegatan, where he had found a parking spot earlier that day. He disabled the alarm and was about to open the car door when he heard a movement behind him. He turned around, squinting against the sun. It was a few seconds before he recognized the stately man on the sidewalk before him.

"Good evening, Herr Wadensjoo," Edklinth said. "I haven't been out in the field in ten years, but today I felt that my presence might be appropriate."

Wadensjoo looked in confusion at the two plain-clothes policemen flanking Edklinth. Bublanski he knew, but not the other man.

Suddenly he guessed what was going to happen.

"It is my unenviable duty to inform you that the prosecutor general has decided that you are to be arrested for such a long string of crimes that it will surely take weeks to compile a comprehensive catalogue of them."

"What's going on here?" Wadensjoo said indignantly.

"What is going on at this moment is that you are being arrested, suspected of being an accessory to murder. You are also suspected of extortion, bribery, illegal telephone tapping, several counts of criminal forgery, criminal embezzlement of funds, participation in breaking and entering, misuse of authority, espionage, and a long list of other lesser, but that's not to say insignificant, offences. The two of us are going to Kungsholmen to have a very serious talk in peace and quiet."

"I haven't committed murder," Wadensjoo said breathlessly.

"That will have to be established by the investigation."

"It was Clinton. It was always Clinton," Wadensjoo said.

Edklinth nodded in satisfaction.

*

Every police officer knows that there are two classic ways to conduct the interrogation of a suspect. The bad cop and the good cop. The bad cop threatens, swears, slams his fist on the table, and generally behaves aggressively with the intent of scaring the suspect into submission and confession. The good cop, often a small, grey-haired, elderly man, offers cigarettes and coffee, nods sympathetically, and speaks in a reasonable tone.

Many policemen--though not all--also know that the good cop's interrogation technique is by far a superior way to get results. The tough-as-nails veteran thief will be least impressed by the bad cop. And the uncertain amateur, who might be frightened into a confession by a bad cop, would in all likelihood have confessed everything an

yway, regardless of the technique used.

Blomkvist listened to the questioning of Birger Wadensjoo from an adjoining room. His presence had been the topic of a good deal of internal argument before Edklinth decided that he would probably have use for Blomkvist's observation.

Blomkvist noticed that Edklinth was using a third variant on the police interrogator, the uninterested cop, which in this particular case seemed to be working even better. Edklinth strolled into the interrogation room, served coffee in china cups, turned on the tape recorder, and leaned back in his chair.

"This is how it is: we already have every conceivable forensic evidence against you. We have, accordingly, no interest whatsoever in hearing your story save as confirmation of what we already know. But the question we might want an answer to is: why? How could you be so idiotic as to decide to begin liquidating individuals in Sweden just as we saw happen in Chile under the Pinochet dictatorship? The tape is rolling. If you have anything to say, now is the time. If you don't want to talk, I'll turn off the tape recorder and then we'll remove your tie and shoelaces and accommodate you in a cell upstairs while we wait for a lawyer, a trial, and in due course, sentencing."

Edklinth then took a sip of coffee and sat in silence. When nothing was said for two minutes, he reached out and turned off the tape recorder. He stood up.

"I'll see that you're taken upstairs in a few minutes. Good evening."

"I didn't murder anyone," Wadensjoo said when Edklinth had already opened the door. Edklinth paused on the threshold.

"I'm not interested in having a general discussion with you. If you want to explain yourself, then I'll sit down and turn the tape recorder back on. All of Swedish officialdom--and the prime minister in particular--is eagerly waiting to hear what you have to say. If you tell me, then I can go and see the prime minister tonight to give him your version of events. If you don't tell me, you will be charged and convicted anyway."

"Please sit down," Wadensjoo said.

It was evident to everyone that he was resigned to his fate. Blomkvist exhaled. He was there with Figuerola, Prosecutor Gustavsson, the otherwise anonymous Sapo officer Stefan, and two other altogether nameless individuals. Blomkvist suspected that one of them at least was there to represent the minister of justice.

"I had nothing to do with the murders," Wadensjoo said when Edklinth started the tape recorder again.

"Murders?" Blomkvist whispered to Figuerola.