“Erika Berger, editor in chief of Millennium: upper-class girl, Swedish mother,
Belgian father resident in Sweden. Berger and Blomkvist met in journalism school
and have had an on-and-off relationship ever since.”
“That may not be so unusual,” Frode said.
“No, possibly not. But Berger happens to be married to the artist Greger Beckman, a
minor celebrity who has done a lot of terrible things in public venues.”
“So she’s unfaithful.”
“Beckman knows about their relationship. It’s a situation apparently accepted by all
parties concerned. Sometimes she sleeps at Blomkvist’s and sometimes at home. I
don’t know exactly how it works, but it was probably a contributing factor to the
breakup of Blomkvist’s marriage to Abrahamsson.”
CHAPTER 3
Friday, December 20–Saturday, December 21
Erika Berger looked up quizzically when an apparently freezing Blomkvist came
into the editorial office. Millennium’s offices were in the centre of the trendy section
of Götgatan, above the offices of Greenpeace. The rent was actually a bit too steep
for the magazine, but they had all agreed to keep the space.
She glanced at the clock. It was 5:10, and darkness had fallen over Stockholm long
before. She had been expecting him around lunchtime.
“I’m sorry,” he said before she managed to say anything. “But I was feeling the
weight of the verdict and didn’t feel like talking. I went for a long walk to think
things over.”
“I heard the verdict on the radio. She from TV4 called and wanted a comment.”
“What’d you say?”