第 29 部分阅读
“youdid？”
“ohyes.rebeckawasonourclericalstaff,apopulargirlandveryattractive.butwhyareyouasking？”
“i’notsure,henrik,butiaybeontosoething.i’goingtohavetothinkthisthrough.”
“areyousuggestingthatthere’saconnectionbetweenharrietandrebecka？therewere…alostseventeenyearsseparatingthetwo.”
“letedoythinkingandi’llebackandseeyoutoorrowifyou’refeelingbetter.”
blokvistdidnotseevangerthefollowingday.justbefore1:00a..hewasstillatthekitchentable,readingharriet’sbible,whenheheardthesoundofacarakingitswayathighspeedacrossthebridge.helookedoutthewindowandsawtheflashingbluelightsofanabulance.
filledwithforeboding,heranoutside.theabulanceparkedbyvanger’shouse.onthegroundfloorallthelightswereon.hedasheduptheporchstepsintwoboundsandfoundashakenannainthehall.
“it’shisheart,”shesaid.“hewokeealittlewhileago,plainingofpainsinhischest.thenhecollapsed.”
blokvistputhisarsaroundthehousekeeper,andhewasstilltherewhentheedicscaeoutwithanunconsciousvangeronastretcher.martinvanger,lookingdecidedlystressed,walkedbehind.hehadbeeninbedwhenannacalled.hisbarefeetwerestuckinapairofslippers,andhehadn’tzippedhisfly.hegavemikaelabriefgreetingandthenturnedtoanna.
“i’llgowithhitothehospital.callbirgerandseeifyoucanreachceciliainlondonintheorning,”hesaid.“andtelldirch.”
“icangotofrode’shouse,”blokvistsaid.annanoddedgratefully.
ittookseveralinutesbeforeasleepyfrodeansweredblokvist’sringathisdoor.
“ihavebadnews,dirch.henrikhasbeentakentothehospital.itseestobeaheartattack.martinwantedetotellyou.”
“goodlord,”frodesaid.heglancedathiswatch.“it’sfridaythethirteenth,”hesaid.
notuntilthenextorning,afterhe’dhadabrieftalkwithdirchfrodeonhisobileandbeenassuredthatvangerwasstillalive,didhecallbergerwiththenewsthatmillenniu’snewpartnerhadbeentakentothehospitalwithaheartattack.inevitably,thenewswasreceivedwithglooandanxiety.
lateintheeveningfrodecaetoseehiandgivehithedetailsabouthenrikvanger’scondition.
“he’salive,buthe’snotdoingwell.hehadaseriousheartattack,andhe’salsosufferingfroaninfection.”
“haveyouseenhi？”
“no.he’sinintensivecare.martinandbirgeraresittingwithhi.”
“whatarehischances？”
frodewavedahandbackandforth.
“hesurvivedtheattack,andthat’sagoodsign.henrikisinexcellentcondition,buthe’sold.we’lljusthavetowait.”
theysatinsilence,deepinthought.blokvistadecoffee.frodelookedwretchedlyunhappy.
“ineedtoaskyouaboutwhat’sgoingtohappennow,”blokvistsaid.
frodelookedup.
“theconditionsofyoureployentdon’tchange.they’restipulatedinacontractthatrunsuntiltheendofthisyear,whetherhenriklivesordies.youdon’thavetoworry.”
“no,that’snotwhatieant.i’wonderingwhoireporttoinhisabsence.”
frodesighed.
“mikael,youknowaswellasidothatthiswholestoryaboutharrietisjustapastieforhenrik.”
“don’tsaythat,dirch.”
“whatdoyouean？”
“i’vefoundnewevidence,”blokvistsaid.“itoldhenrikaboutsoeofityesterday.i’veryuchafraidthatitayhavehelpedtobringonhisheartattack.”
frodelookedathiwithastrangeexpression.
“you’rejoking,youustbe…”
blokvistshookhishead.
“overthepastfewdaysi’vefoundsignificantaterialaboutharriet’sdisappearance.whati’worriedaboutisthatweneverdiscussedwhoishouldreporttoifhenrikisnolongerhere.”
“youreporttoe.”
“ok.ihavetogoonwiththis.caniputyouinthepicturerightnow？”
blokvistdescribedwhathehadfoundasconciselyaspossible,andheshowedfrodetheseriesofpicturesfroj？rnv？gsgatan.thenheexplainedhowhisowndaughterhadunlockedtheysteryofthenaesinthedate.finally,heproposedtheconnection,ashehadforvangerthedaybefore,withtheurderofrebeckajacobssonin1949,r.j.
theonlythinghekepttohiselfwasceciliavanger’sfaceinharriet’swindow.hehadtotalktoherbeforeheputherinapositionwheresheightbesuspectedofsoething.
frode’sbroascreasedwithconcern.
“youreallythinkthattheurderofrebeckahassoethingtodowithharriet’sdisappearance？”
“itseesunlikely,iagree,butthefactreainsthatharrietwrotetheinitialsr.j.inherdatenexttothereferencetotheoldtestaentlawaboutburntofferings.rebeckajacobssonwasburnedtodeath.oneconnectionwiththevangerfailyisinescapable—sheworkedforthecorporation.”
“butwhatistheconnectionwithharriet？”
“idon’tknowyet.butiwanttofindout.iwilltellyoueverythingiwouldhavetoldhenrik.youhavetoakethedecisionsforhi.”
“perhapsweoughttorthepolice.”
“no.atleastnotwithouthenrik’sblessing.thestatuteofliitationshaslongsincerunoutinthecaseofrebecka,andthepoliceinvestigationwasclosed.they’renotgoingtoreopenaninvestigationfifty-fouryearslater.”
“allright.whatareyougoingtodo？”
blokvistpacedalaparoundthekitchen.
“first,iwanttofollowupthephotographlead.ifwecouldseewhatitwasthatharrietsaw…itightbethekey.ineedacartogotonorsj？andfollowthatlead,whereverittakese.andalso,iwanttoresearcheachoftheleviticusverses.wehaveoneconnectiontooneurder.wehavefourverses,possiblyfourotherclues.todothis…ineedsoehelp.”
“whatkindofhelp？”
“ireallyneedaresearchassistantwiththepatiencetogothrougholdnewspaperarchivestofind‘magda’and‘sara’andtheothernaes.ifi’rightinthinkingthatrebeckawasn’ttheonlyvicti.”
“youeanyouwanttoletsoeoneelseinon…”
“there’salotofworkthathastobedoneandinahurry.ifiwereapoliceofficerinvolvedinanactiveinvestigation,icoulddivideupthehoursandresourcesandgetpeopletodigfore.ineedaprofessionalwhoknowsarchiveworkandwhocanbetrusted.”
“iunderstand….actuallyibelieveiknowofanexpertresearcher,”saidfrode,andbeforehecould. hiself,headded,“shewastheonewhodidthebackgroundinvestigationonyou.”
“whodidwhat？”blokvistsaid.
“iwasthinkingoutloud,”frodesaid.“it’snothing.”i’gettingold,hethought.
“youhadsoeonedoaninvestigationone？”
“it’snothingdraatic,mikael.wewantedtohireyou,andwejustdidacheckonwhatsortofpersonyouwere.”
“sothat’swhyhenrikalwaysseestoknowexactlywherehehase.howthoroughwasthisinvestigation？”
“itwasquitethorough.”
“diditlookintomillenniu’sprobles？”
frodeshrugged.“ithadabearing.”
blokvistlitacigarette.itwashisfifthoftheday.
“awrittenreport？”
“mikael,it’snothingtogetworkedupabout.”
“iwanttoreadthereport,”hesaid.
“oheon,there’snothingoutoftheordinaryaboutthis.wewantedtocheckuponyoubeforewehiredyou.”
“iwanttoreadthereport,”mikaelrepeated.
“icouldn’tauthorisethat.”
“really？thenhere’swhatisaytoyou:eitherihavethatreportinyhandswithinthehour,oriquit.i’lltaketheeveningtrainbacktostockhol.whereisthereport？”
thetwoeneyedeachotherforseveralseconds.thenfrodesighedandlookedaway.
“inyoffice,athoe.”
frodehadputupaterriblefuss.itwasnotuntil6:00thateveningthatblokvisthadlisbethsalander’sreportinhishand.itwasalosteightypageslong,plusdozensofphotocopiedarticles,certificates,andotherrecordsofthedetailsofhislifeandcareer.
itwasastrangeexperiencetoreadabouthiselfinwhatwaspartbiographyandpartintelligencereport.hewasincreasinglyastonishedathowdetailedthereportwas.salanderhaddugupfactsthathethoughthadbeenlongburiedinthepostofhistory.shehadduguphisyouthfulrelationshipwithawoanwhohadbeenaflaingsyndicalistandwhowasnowapolitician.whointheworldhadshetalkedto？shehadfoundhisrockbandbootstrap,whichsurelyno-oodaywouldreeber.shehadscrutinisedhisfinancesdowntothelast？re.howthehellhadshedoneit？
asajournalist,blokvisthadspentanyyearshuntingdownrationaboutpeople,andhecouldjudgethequalityoftheworkfroapurelyprofessionalstandpoint.therewasnodoubtthatthissalanderwasonehellofaninvestigator.hedoubtedthatevenhecouldhaveproducedaparablereportonanyindividualpletelyunknowntohi.
italsodawnedonhithattherehadneverbeenanyreasonforhiandbergertokeeptheirdistanceinvanger’spresence；healreadyknewoftheirlong-standingrelationship.thereportcaeupwithadisturbinglypreciseappraisalofmillenniu’sfinancialposition；vangerknewjusthowshakythingswerewhenhefirstcontactedberger.whatsortofgaewasheplaying？
thewennerstr？affairwaserelysuarised,butwhoeverwrotethereporthadobviouslybeenaspectatorinco
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