from February to May. We don't pay over the odds."
"That's fine with me. I just need a basic salary."
"Otherwise the rule of thumb is fifty-fifty on the earnings from the book after the costs are paid. How does that sound?"
"That sounds damn good," Svensson said.
"Work assignments," Berger said. "Malin, I want you to plan the themed issue. It will be your primary responsibility starting next month; you'll work with Dag and edit the manuscript. Lotta, that means I want you here as temporary editorial assistant for the magazine from March through May. You'll have to go full-time, and Malin or Mikael will back you up as time permits."
Eriksson nodded.
"Mikael, I want you to be the editor of the book." Berger looked at Svensson. "Mikael doesn't let on, but he's actually one hell of a good editor, and he knows research. He'll put each syllable of your book under the microscope. He's going to come down like a hawk on every detail. I'm flattered that you want us to publish your book, but we have special problems at Millennium. We have one or two enemies who want nothing more than for us to go under. If we stick out our necks to publish something like this, it has to be 100 percent accurate. We can't afford anything less."
"And I wouldn't want it any other way."
"Good. But can you put up with having somebody looking over your shoulder and criticizing you every which way all spring?"
Svensson grinned and looked at Blomkvist. "Bring it on."
"If it's going to be a themed issue, we'll need more articles. Mikael - I want you to write about the finances of the sex trade. How much money are we talking about annually? Who makes the money from the sex trade and where does it go? Can we find evidence that some of the money ends up in government coffers? Monika - I want you to check out sexual attacks in general. Talk to the women's shelters and researchers and doctors and welfare people. You two plus Dag will write the supporting articles. Henry - I want an interview with Mia Johansson - Dag can't do it himself. Portrait: Who is she, what is she researching, and what are her conclusions? Then I want you to go in and do case studies from police reports. Christer-pictures. I don't know how we're going to illustrate this. Think about it."
"This is probably the simplest theme of all to illustrate. Arty. No problem."
"Let me add one thing," Svensson said. "There's a small minority on the police force who are doing a hell of a fine job. It might be an idea to interview some of them."
"Have you got any names?" Cortez said.
"Phone numbers too," Svensson said.
"Great," Berger said. "The theme of the May issue is the sex trade. The point we have to make is that trafficking is a crime against human rights and that these criminals must be exposed and treated like war criminals or death squads or torturers anywhere in the world. Now let's get going."
CHAPTER 5
Wednesday, January 12 - Friday, January 14
appelviken felt unfamiliar, even foreign, when for the first time in eighteen months Salander turned into the drive in her rented Nissan Micra. From the age of fifteen she had come twice a year to the nursing home where her mother had been since "All The Evil" had happened. Her mother had spent ten years at appelviken, and it was where she finally died at only forty-six, after one last annihilating cerebral haemorrhage.
The last fourteen years of Agneta Sofia Salander's life had been punctuated by small cerebral haemorrhages which left her unable to take care of herself. Sometimes she had not even been able to recognize her daughter.
Thinking about her mother always pitched Salander into a mood of helplessness and darkness black as night. As a teenager she had cherished the fantasy that her mother would get well and that they would be able to form some sort of relationship. That was her heart thinking. Her head knew that it would never happen.
Her mother had been short and thin, but nowhere near as anorexic-looking as Salander. In fact, her mother had been downright beautiful, and had a lovely figure. Just like Salander's sister, Camilla.
Salander did not want to think about her sister.
For Salander it was an irony of fate that she and her sister were so dramatically dissimilar. They were twins, born within twenty minutes of each other.