Tuesday, March 29–Wednesday, March 30

Three investigations are taking place. Bublanski and his team are searching for the one likely suspect connected to all three murders: Lisbeth Salander. Armansky’s team is conducting an investigation subordinate to the police, looking specifically for some mitigating circumstance for Salander’s alleged actions. The Millennium investigation is the most difficult because it lacks the resources of the other two; however, Blomkvist is determined to discover the killer, for he does not believe it was Salander, or if it was, something happened beyond her control.

Hedstrom and Bohman are on their way to join the police investigation. Bohman is rereading the material Armansky gave them; Hedstrom is giddy at the prospect of finally being able to get even with Salander. He is a handsome young man who graduated from the police academy; but he is bitter at having been denied, because of a minor heart defect, admission to the police force. One of his first jobs at Milton Security (a significant step down from his goal) was working a protection analysis for a formerly popular singer; he found some old, erotic photos of her and sold them to the tabloids. Hedstrom does not know how, but Salander discovered he had been the one who sold the photos.

Salander had paid him a visit and told him if he ever did such a thing again, she would immediately expose him to Armansky. Others in the office always thought Salander was peculiar and antisocial, so Hedstrom did his best to undermine her in every way he could. His colleagues had great respect for Armansky, though, and were willing to accept Salander because their boss did. Now, Hedstrom is in a position to get some revenge, risk-free. She could accuse him of anything and no one would believe her, a “pathologically sick killer.”

Six days after the murders, Bublanski gathers his team—including the two men from Milton Security—to evaluate their progress. They have had not been able to find her, but they assume she is still in the country and are reminded that she does nothing without analyzing the consequences of her actions. Her personal bank account has been virtually untouched in the past year, but she has an account to which two million kroner had been transferred from a bank in the Channel Islands.

Reports confirm that Salander’s fingerprints are on the gun, the gun box, and the smashed coffee cup found at the first crime scene. She was seen in a shop around the corner buying cigarettes on the night of the murders, as well. Miriam Wu’s name was added to the apartment contract a month or so ago, and Salander’s fingerprints are all over the house, including the bed and a pair of handcuffs. Wu is a known lesbian, so the two are probably lovers. Salander used to hang out with a group of girls in a band called Evil Fingers. Blomkvist has not been under direct surveillance, but Salander has not made any overt attempt to contact him. His alibi is solid and everything he has told the investigators has been corroborated except for the attack on Salander. Blomkvist’s theory that Svensson and Johansson were killed because of Svensson’s research seems outrageous since Bjurman was also murdered and the only connection seems to be Salander.

The forensic report says Bjurman’s tattoo is between one and three years old, a figure that coincides with both Bjurman’s getting sick and Salander's dramatic change. Perhaps he raped Salander, or perhaps this is all somehow connected to the sex-trade industry Svensson and Johansson were investigating. The only person Salander...