第 12 部分阅读
ithadsnowedassivelyallalongthenorrlandcoastbetweenchristasandnewyear’s,andjudgingbytheridgesandpilesofsnowthrownupbytheploughs,theroadteashadbeenoutinfullforceinhedestad.thetaxidriver,whosenae,aordingtohisidpostedonthewindow,washussein,noddedwhenblokvistaskedwhethertheyhadbeenhavingroughweather.inthebroadestnorrlandaent,hereportedthatithadbeentheworstsnowstorindecades,andhebitterlyregrettednottakinghisholidayingreeceoverthechristasperiod.
blokvistdirectedhitohenrikvanger’snewlyshovelledcourtyard,whereheliftedhissuitcasesontothecobblestonesandwatchedthetaxiheadbacktowardshedestad.hesuddenlyfeltlonelyanduncertain.
heheardthedooropenbehindhi.vangerwaswrappedupinaheavyfurcoat,thickboots,andacapwithearflaps.blokvistwasinjeansandathinleatherjacket.
“ifyou’regoingtoliveuphere,youneedtolearntodressorewarlyforthistieofyear.”theyshookhands.“areyousureyoudon’twanttostayintheainhouse？no？thenithinkwe’dbetterstartgettingyousettledintoyournewlodgings.”
oneoftheconditionsinhisnegotiationswithvangeranddirchfrodehadbeenthathehavelivingquarterswherehecoulddohisownhousekeepingandeandgoashepleased.vangerledblokvistbackalongtheroadtowardsthebridgeandthenturnedtoopenthegatetoanothernewlyshovelledcourtyardinfrontofasalltiberedhouseclosetotheendofthebridge.thehousewasnotlocked.theysteppedintoaodesthallwaywhereblokvist,withasighofrelief,putdownhissuitcases.
“thisiswhatwecallourguesthouse.it’swhereweusuallyputpeopleupwhoaregoingtostayforalongerperiodoftie.thiswaswhereyouandyourparentslivedin1963.it’soneoftheoldestbuildingsinthevillage,butit’sbeenodernised.iaskednilsson,ycaretaker,tolightthefirethisorning.”
thehouseconsistedofalargekitchenandtwosallerroos,totallingabout500squarefeet.thekitchentookuphalfthespaceandwasquiteodern,withanelectricstoveandasallrefrigerator.againstthewallfacingthefrontdoorstoodanoldcast-ironstoveinwhichafirehadindeedbeenlitearlierintheday.
“youdon’tneedtousethewoodstoveunlessitgetsbitterlycold.thefirewoodbinisthereinthehallway,andyou’llfindawoodshedattheback.thehousehasbeenunlived-inthisautun.theelectricheatersareusuallysufficient.justakesureyoudon’thanganyclothesonthe,oritaystartafire.”
blokvistlookedaround.windowsfacedthreedifferentdirections,andfrothekitchentablehehadaviewofthebridge,aboutahundredfeetaway.thefurnishingsinthekitchenincludedthreebigcupboards,soekitchenchairs,anoldbench,andashelffornewspapers.o. wasanissueofseefro1967.inonecornerwasasallertablethatcouldbeusedasadesk.
twonarrowdoorsledtosallerroos.theoneontheright,closesttotheoutsidewall,washardlyorethanacubbyholewithadesk,achair,andsoeshelvesalongthewall.theotherroo,betweenthehallwayandthelittleoffice,wasaverysallbedroowithanarrowdoublebed,abedsidetable,andawardrobe.onthewallshunglandscapepaintings.thefurnitureandwallpaperinthehousewerealloldandfaded,buttheplaceselledniceandclean.soeonehadworkedoverthefloorwithadoseofsoap.thebedroohadanotherdoortothehallway,whereastoreroohadbeenconvertedintoabathroowithashower.
“youayhaveaproblewiththewater,”vangersaid.“wecheckeditthisorning,butthepipesaren’tburiedverydeep,andifthiscoldhangsonforlongtheyayfreeze.there’sabucketinthehallwaysoeupandgetwaterfrousifyouneedto.”
“i’llneedatelephone,”blokvistsaid.
“i’vealreadyorderedone.they’llbeheretoinstallitthedayaftertoorrow.so,whatdoyouthink？ifyouchangeyourind,youwouldbeweleintheainhouseatanytie.”
“thiswillbejustfine,”blokvistsaid.
“excellent.wehaveanotherhourorsoofdaylightleft.shallwetakeawalksoyoucanfailiariseyourselfwiththevillage？mightisuggestthatyouputonsoeheavysocksandapairofboots？you’llfindthebythefrontdoor.”blokvistdidashesuggestedanddecidedthattheverynextdayhewouldgoshoppingforlongunderwearandapairofgoodwintershoes.
theoldanstartedthetourbyexplainingthatblokvist’sneighbouracrosstheroadwasgunnarnilsson,theassistantwhovangerinsistedoncalling“thecaretaker.”butblokvistsoonrealisedthathewasoreofasuperintendentforallthebuildingsonhedebyisland,andhealsohadresponsibilityforseveralbuildingsinhedestad.
“hisfatherwasmagnusnilsson,whowasycaretakerinthesixties,oneoftheenwhohelpedoutattheaidentonthebridge.magnusisretiredandlivesinhedestad.gunnarlivesherewithhiswife,whosenaeishelena.theirchildrenhaveovedout.”
vangerpausedforaoenttoshapewhathewouldsaynext,whichwas:“mikael,theofficialexplanationforyourpresencehereisthatyou’regoingtohelpewriteyautobiography.thatwillgiveyouanexcuseforpokingaroundinallthedarkcornersandaskingquestions.therealassignentisstrictlybetweenyouandeanddirchfrode.”
“iunderstand.andi’llrepeatwhatisaidbefore:idon’tthinki’goingtobeabletosolvetheystery.”
“alliaskisthatyoudoyourbest.butweustbecarefulwhatwesayinfrontofanyoneelse.gunnarisfifty-six,whicheansthathewasnieenwhenharrietdisappeared.there’sonequestionthatinevergotanswered—harrietandgunnarweregoodfriends,andithinksoesortofchildishroancewentonbetweenthe.hewasprettyinterestedinher,atanyrate.butonthedayshedisappeared,hewasinhedestad；hewasoneofthosestrandedontheainland.becauseoftheirrelationship,hecaeunderclosescrutiny.itwasquiteunpleasantforhi.hewaswithsoefriendsallday,andhedidn’tgetbackhereuntilevening.thepolicecheckedhisalibianditwasairtight.”
“iassuethatyouhavealistofeveryonewhowasontheislandandwhateverybodywasdoingthatday.”
“that’scorrect.shallwegoon？”
they. pedatthecrossroadsonthehill,andvangerpointeddowntowardstheoldfishingharbour,nowusedforsallboats.
“allthelandonhedebyislandisownedbythevangerfaily—orbye,tobeoreprecise.theoneexceptionisthefarlandat？sterg？rdenandafewhouseshereinthevillage.thecabinsdownthereatthefishingharbourareprivatelyowned,butthey’resuercottagesandareostlyvacantduringthewinter.exceptforthathousefarthestaway—youcanseesokeingfrothechiney.”
blokvistsawthesokerising.hewasfrozentothebone.
“it’saiserablydraughtyhovelthatfunctionsaslivingquartersyear-round.that’swhereeugennoranlives.he’sinhislateseventiesandisapainterofsorts.ithinkhisworkiskitsch,buthe’sratherwellknownasalandscapepainter.youightcallhitheobligatoryeentricinthevillage.”
vangerguidedblokvistouttowardsthepoint,identifyingonehouseaftertheother.thevillageconsistedofsixbuildingsonthewestsideoftheroadandfourontheeast.thefirsthouse,closesttoblokvist’sguesthouseandthevangerestate,belongedtohenrikvanger’sbrotherharald.itwasarectangular,two-storeystonebuildingwhichatfirstglanceseeedunoupied.thecurtainsweredrawnandthepathtothefrontdoorhadnotbeencleared；itwascoveredwithafootandahalfofsnow.onsecondglance,theycouldseethefootprintsofsoeonewhohadtrudgedthroughthesnowfrotheroaduptothedoor.
“haraldisarecluse.heandihaveneverseeneyetoeye.apartfroourdisagreeentsoverthefir—he’sashareholder—we’vebarelyspokentoeachotherinnearly60years.he’sniy-twonow,andtheonlyoneofyfourbrothersstillalive.i’lltellyouthedetailslater,buthetrainedtobeadoctorandspentostofhisprofessionallifeinuppsala.heovedbacktohedebywhenheturnedseventy.”
“youdon’tcareuchforeachother,andyetyou’reneighbours.”
“ifindhidetestable,andiwouldhaveratherhe’dstayedinuppsala,butheownsthishouse.doisoundlikeascoundrel？”
“yousoundlikesoeonewhodoesn’tuchlikehisbrother.”
“ispentthefirsttwenty-fiveyearsofylifeapologisingforpeoplelikeharaldbecausewe’refaily.thenidiscoveredthatbeingrelatedisnoguaranteeofloveandihadfewreasonstodefendharald.”
thenexthousebelongedtoisabella,harrietvanger’sother.
“she’llbeseventy-fivethisyear,andshe’sstillasstylishandvainasever.she’salsotheonlyoneinthevillagewhotalkstoharald,andoasionallyvisitshi,buttheydon’thaveuchinon.”
“hoasherrelationshipwithharriet？”
“goodquestion.thewoenhavetobeincludedaongthesuspects.itoldyouthatsheostlyleftthechildrentotheirowndevices.ican’tbesure,butithinkherheartwasintherightplace；shejustwasn’tcapableoftakingresponsibility.sheandharrietwereneverclose,buttheyweren’teneieseither.isabellacanbetough,butsoetiesshe’snotallthere.you’llseewhatieanwhenyoueether.”
isabella’sneighbourwasceciliavanger,thedaughterofharald.
“shewasarriedonceandlivedinhedestad,butsheandherhusbandseparatedsoetwentyyearsago.iownthehouseandofferedtoletherovein.sheisateacher,andinanywaysshe’sthedire. positeofherfather.iightaddthatsheandherfatherspeaktoeachotheronlywhennecessary.”
“howoldisshe？”
“bornin1946.soshewastwentywhenharrietdisappeared.andyes,shewasoneoftheguestsontheislandthatday.ceciliaayseeflighty,butinfactshe’sshrewderthanost.don’tunderestiateher.ifanyone’sgoingtoferretoutwhatyou’reupto,she’stheone.iightaddthatshe’soneofyrelativesforwhoihavethehighestregard.”
“doesthateanthatyoudon’tsuspecther？”
“iwouldn’tsaythat.iwantyo. ondertheatterwithoutanyconstraints,regardlessofwhatithinkorbelieve.”
thehouseclosesttocecilia’swasalsoownedbyhenrikvanger,butitwasleasedtoanelderlycoupleforerlypartoftheanageentteaofthevangerpanies.theyhadovedtohedebyislandintheeighties,sotheyhadnothingtodowithharriet’sdisappearance.thenexthousewasownedbybirgervanger,cecilia’sbrother.thehousehadbeeneptyforanyyearssincebirgerovedtoaodernhouseinhedestad.
mostofthebuildingsliningtheroadweresolidstonestructuresfrotheearlytwentiethcentury.thelasthousewasofadifferenttype,aodern,architect-designedhoebuiltofwhitebrickwithblackwindowfraes.itwasinabeautifulsituation,andblokvistcouldseethattheviewfroth. floorustbeagnificent,facingtheseatotheeastandhedestadtothenorth.
“thisiswheremartinlives—harriet’sbrothera
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