Martin Vanger had been right. When Blomkvist came around the bend of the
narrow path, a shaded area by the water opened up. There was a marvellous view
of the inlet to the Hede River, Hedestad marina to the left, and the industrial
harbour to the right.
He was surprised that no-one had wanted to move into Gottfried’s cabin. It was a
rustic structure made of horizontal dark-stained timber with a tile roof and green
frames, and with a small porch at the front door. The maintenance of the cabin had
been neglected. The paint around the doors and windows was flaking off, and what
should have been a lawn was scrub a yard high. Clearing it would take one whole
day’s hard work with scythe and saw.
Blomkvist unlocked the door and unscrewed the shutters over the windows from
the inside. The framework seemed to be an old barn of less than 1,300 square feet.
The inside was finished with planks and consisted of one room with big windows
facing the water on either side of the front door. A staircase led to an open sleeping
loft at the rear of the cabin that covered half the space. Beneath the stairs was a
niche with a propane gas stove, a counter, and a sink. The furnishings were basic;
built into the wall to the left of the door there was bench, a rickety desk, and above
it a bookcase with teak shelves. Farther down on the same side was a broad
wardrobe. To the right of the door was a round table with five wooden chairs; a
fireplace stood in the middle of the side wall.
The cabin had no electricity; instead there were several kerosene lamps. In one
window was an old Grundig transistor radio. The antenna was broken off. Blomkvist
pressed the power button but the batteries were dead.
He went up the narrow stairs and looked around the sleeping loft. There was a
double bed with a bare mattress, a bedside table, and a chest of drawers.
Blomkvist spent a while searching through the cabin. The bureau was empty
except for some hand towels and linen smelling faintly of mould. In the wardrobe
there were some work clothes, a pair of overalls, rubber boots, a pair of worn tennis
shoes, and a kerosene stove. In the desk drawers were writing paper, pencils, a
blank sketchpad, a deck of cards, and some bookmarks. The kitchen cupboard
contained plates, mugs, glasses, candles, and some packages of salt, tea bags, and
the like. In a drawer in the table there were eating utensils.
He found the only traces of any intellectual interests on the bookcase above the
desk. Mikael brought over a chair and got up on it to see what was on the shelves.