At 2.44 she heard steps in the corridor and the rattle of the Securitas guard's key ring. Jonasson gave her an inquisitive glance and stopped in his tracks when he saw her desperate look.
"Has something happened?"
"Something is happening right now. Have you got a mobile on you?"
"A what?"
"A mobile. I have to make a call."
Jonasson looked over his shoulder at the door.
"Anders - I need a mobile. Now!"
When he heard the desperation in her voice he dug into his inside pocket and handed her his Motorola. Salander grabbed it from him. She could not call Blomkvist because he had not given her the number of his Ericsson T10. It had never come up, and he had never supposed that she would be able to call him from her isolation. She hesitated a tenth of a second and punched in Berger's number. It rang three times before Berger answered.
Berger was in her B.M.W. half a mile from home in Saltsjobaden when her mobile rang.
"Berger."
"Salander. No time to explain. Have you got the number of Mikael's second mobile? The one that's not tapped."
"Yes."
Salander had already surprised her once today.
"Call him. Now! Teleborian is meeting Jonas at the Ring in Central Station at 3.00."
"What's - "
"Just hurry. Teleborian. Jonas. The Ring in Central Station. 3.00. He has fifteen minutes."
Salander flipped the mobile shut so that Berger would not be tempted to waste precious seconds with unnecessary questions.
Berger pulled over to the curb. She reached for the address book in her bag and found the number Blomkvist had given her the night they met at Samir's Cauldron.
Blomkvist heard his mobile beeping. He got up from the kitchen table, went to Salander's office and picked up the telephone from the desk.
"Yes?"
"Erika."
"Hi."
"Teleborian is meeting Jonas at the Ring in Central Station at 3.00. You've only got a few minutes."
"What? What? What?"
"Teleborian - "
"I heard you. How do you know about that?"
"Stop arguing and make it snappy."
Mikael glanced at the clock. 2.47. "Thanks. Bye."
He grabbed his laptop case and took the stairs instead of waiting for the lift. As he ran he called Cortez on his T10.
"Cortez."
"Where are you now?"
"At the Academy bookshop."
"Teleborian is meeting Jonas at the Ring in Central Station at 3.00. I'm on my way, but you're closer."
"Oh, boy. I'm on my way."
Blomkvist jogged down to Gotgatan and sped up towards Slussen. When he reached Slussplan he was badly out of breath. Maybe Figuerola had a point. He was not going to make it. He looked about for a taxi.
Salander handed back the mobile to Dr Jonasson.
"Thanks," she said.
"Teleborian?" Jonasson could not help overhearing the name.
She met his gaze. "Teleborian is a really, really bad bastard. You have no idea."
"No, but I could see that something happened just now that got you more agitated than I've seen you in all the time you've been in my care. I hope you know what you're doing."
Salander gave Jonasson a lopsided smile.
"You should have the answer to that question quite soon," she said.
Cortez left the Academy bookshop running like a madman. He crossed Sveavagen on the viaduct at Master Samuelsgatan and went straight down to Klara Norra, where he turned up the Klaraberg viaduct and across Vasagatan. He flew across Klarabergsgatan between a bus and two cars, one of whose drivers punched his windscreen in fury, and through the doors of Central Station as the station clock ticked over to 3.00 sharp.
He took the escalator three steps at a time down to the main ticket hall, and jogged past the Pocket bookshop before slowing down so as not to attract attention. He scanned every face of every person standing or walking near the Ring.
He did not see Teleborian or the man Malm had photographed outside Cafe Copacabana, whom they believed to be Jonas. He looked back at the clock. 3.01. He was gasping as if he had just run a marathon.
He took a chance and hurried across the hall and out through the doors on to Vasagatan. He stopped and looked about him, checking one face after another, as far as his eyes could see. No Teleborian. No Jonas.
He turned back into the station. 3.03. The Ring area was almost deserted.
Then he looked up and got a split second's glimpse of Teleborian's dishevelled profile and goatee as he came out of Pressbyrån on the other side of the ticket hall. A second later the man from Malm's photograph materialized at Teleborian's side. Jonas. They crossed the concourse and went