“Released early.”
“That’s a surprise.”
“For me too. I found out last night.”
They looked at each other for a few seconds. Then the old man surprised Blomkvist
by throwing his arms around him and giving him a bear hug.
“I was just about to eat. Join me.”
Anna produced a great quantity of bacon pancakes with lingonberries. They sat
there in the dining room and talked for almost two hours. Blomkvist told him about
how far he had got with the family chronicle, and where there were holes and gaps.
They did not talk at all about Harriet, but Vanger told him all about Millennium.
“We had a board meeting. Fröken Berger and your partner Malm were kind enough
to move two of the meetings up here, while Dirch stood in for me at a meeting in
Stockholm. I really wish I were a few years younger, but the truth is that it’s too
tiring for me to travel so far. I’ll try to get down there during the summer.”
“No reason not to hold the meetings up here,” Blomkvist said. “So how does it feel
to be a part owner of the magazine?”
Vanger gave him a wry smile.
“It’s actually the most fun I’ve had in years. I’ve taken a look at the finances, and
they look pretty fair. I won’t have to put up as much money as I thought—the gap
between income and expenses is dwindling.”
“I talked with Erika this week. She says that advertising revenue has perked up.”
“It’s starting to turn around, yes, but it’ll take time. At first the companies in the
Vanger Corporation went in and bought up a bunch of fullpage ads. But two
former advertisers—mobile telephones and a travel bureau—have come back.” He
smiled broadly. “We’re also doing a little more one-to-one hustling among
Wennerström’s enemies. And, believe me, there’s a long list.”
“Have you heard directly from Wennerström?”