The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest Page 0,168

with that many men. I was going out with a guy this spring. But it ended."

"Why was that?"

"He was sweet, but it turned into a wearisome sort of arm-wrestling contest. I was stronger than he was and he couldn't bear it. Are you the kind of man who'll want to arm-wrestle me?"

"You mean, am I someone who has a problem with the fact that you're fitter and physically stronger than I am? No, I'm not."

"Thanks for being honest. I've noticed that quite a few men get interested, but then they start challenging me and looking for ways to dominate me. Especially if they discover I'm a policewoman."

"I'm not going to compete with you. I'm better than you are at what I do. And you're better than I am at what you do."

"I can live with that attitude."

"Why did you pick me up?"

"I give in to impulses. And you were one of them!"

"But you're an officer in Sapo, of all places, and we're in the middle of an investigation in which I'm involved..."

"You mean it was unprofessional of me. You're right. I shouldn't have done it. And I'd have a serious problem if it became known. Edklinth would go through the roof."

"I won't tell him."

"Very chivalrous."

They were silent for a moment.

"I don't know what this is going to turn into. You're a man who gets more than his fair share of action, as I gather. Is that accurate?"

"Yes, unfortunately. And I may not be looking for a steady girlfriend."

"Fair warning. I'm probably not looking for a steady boyfriend either. Can we keep it on a friendly level?"

"I think that would be best. Monica, I'm not going to tell anybody that we got together. But if we aren't careful I could end up in one hell of a conflict with your colleagues."

"I don't think so. Edklinth is as straight as a die. And we share the same objective, you and my people."

"We'll see how it goes."

"You had a thing with Lisbeth Salander too."

Blomkvist looked at her. "Listen... I'm not an open book for everyone to read. My relationship with Lisbeth is none of anyone's business."

"She's Zalachenko's daughter."

"Yes, and she has to live with that. But she isn't Zalachenko. There's the world of difference."

"I didn't mean it that way. I was wondering about your involvement in this story."

"Lisbeth is my friend. That should be enough of an explanation."

Linder from Milton Security was dressed in jeans, a black leather jacket and running shoes. She arrived in Saltsjobaden at 9.00 in the evening and Rosin showed her around the house. She had brought a green military bag containing her laptop, a spring baton, a Mace canister, handcuffs and a toothbrush, which she unpacked in Berger's spare room.

Berger made coffee.

"Thanks for the coffee. You're probably thinking of me as a guest you have to entertain. The fact is, I'm not a guest at all. I'm a necessary evil that's suddenly appeared in your life, albeit just for a couple of days. I was in the police for six years and I've worked at Milton for four. I'm a trained bodyguard."

"I see."

"There's a threat against you and I'm here to be a gatekeeper so that you can sleep in peace or work or read a book or do whatever you feel like doing. If you need to talk, I'm happy to listen. Otherwise, I brought my own book."

"Understood."

"What I mean is that you should go on with your life and not feel as though you need to entertain me. Then I'd just be in the way. The best thing would be for you to think of me as a temporary work colleague."

"Well, I'm certainly not used to this kind of situation. I've had threats before, when I was editor-in-chief at Millennium, but then it was to do with my work. Right now it's some seriously unpleasant individual - "

"Who's got a hang-up about you in particular."

"Something along those lines."

"If we have to arrange full bodyguard protection, it'll cost a lot of money. And for it to be worth the cost, there has to be a very clear and specific threat. This is just an extra job for me. I'll ask you for 500 kronor a night to sleep here the rest of the week. It's cheap and far below what I would charge if I took the job for Milton. Is that O.K. with you?"

"It's completely O.K."

"If anything happens, I want you to lock yourself in your bedroom and let me handle the situation. Your job