“whateverthetruthisinthisstory,we’veworriedsoebodyenoughforthatpersontodosoethingreallysick.butthere’sanotherprobletoo.”
“iknow.thisisananialsacrificeinthestyleof1954and1960anditdoesn’tseecrediblethatsoeoneactivefiftyyearsagowouldbeputtingtorturedanialcorpsesonyourdoorsteptoday.”
blokvistagreed.
“theonlyoneswhocouldbesuspectedinthatcaseareharaldvangerandisabellavanger.thereareanuberofolderrelativesonjohanvanger’sside,butnoneoftheliveinthearea.”
blokvistsighed.
“isabellaisarepulsivebitchwhocouldcertainlykillacat,butidoubtshewasrunningaroundkillingwoeninthefifties.haraldvanger…idon’tknow,heseessodecrepithecanhardlywalk,andican’tseehisneakingoverherelastnight,catchingacat,anddoingallthis.”
“unlessitwastwopeople.oneolder,oneyounger.”
blokvistheardacargobyandlookedupandsawceciliadrivingawayoverthebridge.haraldandcecilia,hethought,buttheyhardlyspokespitemartinvanger’sproisetotalktoher,ceciliahadstillnotansweredanyofhistelephoneessages.
“itustbesoebodywhoknowswe’redoingthisworkandthatwe’reakingprogress,”salandersaid,gettinguptogoinside.whenshecaebackoutshehadputonherleathers.
“i’goingtostockhol.i’llbebacktonight.”
“whatareyougoingtodo？”
“pickupsoegadgets.ifsoeoneiscrazyenoughtokillacatinthatdisgustingway,heorshecouldattackusnexttie.orsetthecottageonfirewhilewe’reasleep.iwantyoutogointohedestadandbuytwofireextinguishersandtwosokealarstoday.oneofthefireextinguishershastobehalon.”
withoutanotherword,sheputonherhelet,kick-startedtheotorcycle,androaredoffacrossthebridge.
blokvisthidthecorpseandtheheadandgutsintherubbishbinbesidethepetrolstationbeforehedroveintohedestadtodohiserrands.hedrovetothehospital.hehadadeanappointenttoeetfrodeinthecafeteria,andhetoldhiwhathadhappenedthatorning.frodeblanched.
“mikael,ineveriaginedthatthisstorycouldtakethisturn.”
“whynot？thejobwastofindaurderer,afterall.”
“butthisisdisgustingandinhuan.ifthere’sadangertoyourlifeortofr？kensalander’slife,wearegoingtocallitoff.letetalktohenrik.”
“no.absolutelynot.idon’twanttoriskhishavinganotherattack.”
“heaskseallthetiehowthingsaregoingwithyou.”
“sayhellofroe,please,andtellhii’ovingforward.”
“whatisnext,then？”
“ihaveafewquestions.thefirstincidentourredjustafterhenrikhadhisheartattackandiwasdowninstockholfortheday.soebodywentthroughyoffice.ihadprintedoutthebibleverses,andthephotographsfroj？rnv？gsgatanwereonydesk.youknewandhenrikknew.martinknewapartofitsinceheanisedforetogetintothecourieroffices.howanyotherpeopleknew？”
“well,idon’tknohomartintalkedto.butbothbirgerandceciliaknewaboutit.theydiscussedyourhuntinginthepicturesarchivebetweentheselves.alexanderknewaboutittoo.and,bytheway,gunnarandhelenanilssondidtoo.theywereuptosayhellotohenrikandgotdraggedintotheconversation.andanitavanger.”
“anita？theoneinlondon？”
“cecilia’ssister.shecaebackwithceciliawhenhenrikhadhisheartattackbutstayedatahotel；asfarasiknow,shehasn’tbeenouttotheisland.likececilia,shedoesn’twanttoseeherfather.butsheflewbackwhenhenrikcaeoutofintensivecare.”
“where’scecilialiving？isawherthisorningasshedroveacrossthebridge,butherhouseisalwaysdark.”
“she’snotcapableofdoingsuchathing,isshe？”
“no,ijustwonderwhereshe’sstaying.”
“she’sstayingwithherbrother,birger.it’swithinwalkingdistancetovisithenrik.”
“doyouknoheresheisrightnow？”
“no.she’snotvisitinghenrik,atanyrate.”
“thanks,”blokvistsaid,gettingup.
thevangerfailywashoveringaroundhedestadhospital.inthereceptionbirgervangerpassedonhiswaytothelifts.blokvistwaiteduntilhewasgonebeforehewentouttothereception.insteadheranintomartinvangerattheentrance,atexactlythesaespotwherehehadrunintoceciliaonhispreviousvisit.theysaidhelloandshookhands.
“haveyoubeenuptoseehenrik？”
“no,ijusthappenedtoeetdirchfrode.”
martinlookedtiredandhollow-eyed.itourredtomikaelthathehadagedappreciablyduringthesixonthssincehehadethi.
“howarethingsgoingwithyou,mikael？”hesaid.
“moreinterestingwitheverydaythatpasses.whenhenrikisfeelingbetterihopetobeabletosatisfyhiscuriosity.”
birgervanger’swasawhite-brickterracehouseafive-inutewalkfrothehospital.hehadaviewoftheseaandthehedestadarina.no-oneansweredwhenblokvistrangthedoorbell.hecalledcecilia’sobilenuberbutgotnoanswerthereeither.hesatinthecarforawhile,druinghisfingersonthesteeringwheel.birgervangerwasthewildcardinthedeck；bornin1939andsotenyearsoldwhenrebeckajacobssonwasurdered；twenty-sevenwhenharrietdisappeared.
aordingtohenrik,birgerandharriethardlyeversaweachother.hehadgrownupwithhisfailyinuppsalaandonlyovedtohedestadtoworkforthefir.hejupedshipafteracoupleofyearsanddevotedhisel. olitics.buthehadbeeninuppsalaatthetielenaanderssonwasurdered.
theincidentwiththecatgavehianoinousfeeling,asifhewereabouttorunoutoftie.
ottofalkwasthirty-sixwhenharrietvanished.hewasnowseventy-two,youngerthanhenrikvangerbutinaconsiderablyworseentalstate.blokvistsoughthioutatthesvalanconvalescenthoe,ayellow-brickbuildingashortdistancefrothehederiverattheotherendofthetown.blokvistintroducedhiselftothereceptionistandaskedtobeallowedtospeakwithpastorfalk.heknew,heexplained,thatthepastorsufferedfroalzheier’sandenquiredhowlucidhewasnow.anurserepliedthatpastorfalkhadfirstbeendiagnosedthreeyearsearlierandthatalasthediseasehadtakenanaggressivecourse.falkcouldunicate,buthehadaveryfeebleshort-tereory,anddidnotrecogniseallofhisrelatives.hewasonthewholeslippingintotheshadows.hewasalsoprooanxietyattacksifhewasconfrontedwithquestionshecouldnotanswer.
falkwassittingonabenchinthegardenwiththreeotherpatientsandaalenurse.blokvistspentanhourtryingtoengagehiinconversation.
hereeberedharrietvangerquitewell.hisfacelitup,andhedescribedherasacharinggirl.butblokvistwassoonawarethatthepastorhadfottenthatshehadbeenissingtheselastthirty-sevenyears.hetalkedaboutherasifhehadseenherrecentlyandaskedblokvisttosayhellotoherandurgehertoeandseehi.blokvistproisedtodoso.
heobviouslydidnotreebertheaidentonthebridge.itwasnotuntiltheendoftheirconversationthathesaidsoethingwhichadeblokvistprickuphisears.
itwaswhenblokviststeeredthetalktoharriet’sinterestinreligionthatfalksuddenlyseeedhesitant.itwasasthoughacloudpassedoverhisface.falksatrockingbackandforthforawhileandthenlookedupatblokvistandaskedwhohewas.blokvistintroducedhiselfagainandtheoldanthoughtforawhile.atlengthhesaid:“she’sstillaseeker.shehastotakecareofherselfandyouhavetowarnher.”
“whatshouldiwarnherabout？”
falkgrewsuddenlyagitated.heshookhisheadwithafrown.
“shehastoreadsolascripturaandunderstandsufficientiascripturae.that’stheonlywaythatshecanaintainsolafide.josefwillcertainlyexcludethe.theywereneveraeptedintothecanon.”
blokvistunderstoodnothingofthis,buttookassiduousnotes.thenpastorfalkleanedtowardshiandwhispered,“ithinkshe’sacatholic.shelovesagicandhasnotyetfoundhergod.sheneedsguidance.”
theword“catholic”obviouslyhadanegativeconnotationforpastorfalk.
“ithoughtshewasinterestedinthepentecostaloveent？”
“no,no,no,n