really appreciate what this involves. It's a complex criminal case, not a straightforward case of sexual harassment or of violence against a woman. If I take on her defence, it could turn out to be a disaster."
Blomkvist smiled. "You're missing the point. If she had been charged with the murders of Dag and Mia, for example, I would have gone for the Silbersky type or another of the heavy-duty criminal lawyers. But this trial is going to be about entirely different things."
"I think you'd better explain."
They talked for almost two hours over sandwiches and coffee. By the time Mikael had finished his account, Annika had been persuaded. Mikael picked up his mobile and made another call to Inspector Erlander in Goteborg.
"Hello, it's Blomkvist again."
"I don't have any news on Salander," Erlander said, plainly irritated.
"Which I assume is good news. But I actually have some news."
"What's that?"
"Well, she now has a lawyer named Annika Giannini. She's with me right now, so I'll put her on."
Blomkvist handed the mobile across the table.
"My name is Annika Giannini and I've been taken on to represent Lisbeth Salander. I need to get in touch with my client so that she can approve me as her defence lawyer. And I need the telephone number of the prosecutor."
"As far as I know," Erlander said, "a public defence has already been appointed."
"That's nice to hear. Did anyone ask Lisbeth Salander her opinion?"
"Quite frankly... we haven't had the opportunity to speak with her yet. We hope to be able to do so tomorrow, if she's well enough."
"Fine. Then I'll tell you here and now that until Froken Salander says otherwise, you may regard me as her legal representative. You may not question her unless I am present. You can say hello to her and ask her whether she accepts me as her lawyer or not. But that is all. Is that understood?"
"Yes," Erlander said with an audible sigh. He was not entirely sure what the letter of the law was on this point. "Our number one objective is to discover if she has any information as to where Ronald Niedermann might be. Is it O.K. to ask her about that... even if you're not present?"
"That's fine... you may ask her questions relating to the police hunt for Niedermann. But you may not ask her any questions relating to any possible charges against her. Agreed?"
"I think so, yes."
Inspector Erlander got up from his desk and went upstairs to tell the preliminary investigation leader, Agneta Jervas, about his conversation with Giannini.
"She was obviously hired by Blomkvist. I can't believe Salander knows anything about it."
"Giannini works in women's rights. I heard her lecture once. She's sharp, but completely unsuitable for this case."
"It's up to Salander to decide."
"I might have to contest the decision in court... For the girl's own sake she has to have a proper defence, and not some celebrity chasing headlines. Hmm. Salander has also been declared legally incompetent. I don't know whether that affects things."
"What should we do?"
Jervas thought for a moment. "This is a complete mess. I don't know who's going to be in charge of this case or if it'll be transferred to Ekstrom in Stockholm. In any event she has to have a lawyer. O.K... ask her if she wants Giannini."
When Blomkvist reached home at 5.00 in the afternoon he turned on his iBook and took up the thread of the text he had begun writing at the hotel in Goteborg. When he had worked for seven straight hours, he had identified the most glaring holes in the story. There was still much research to be done. One question he could not answer - based on the existing documentation - was who in Sapo, apart from Gunnar Bjorck, had conspired to lock Salander away in the asylum. Nor had he got to the heart of the relationship between Bjorck and the psychiatrist Peter Teleborian.
Finally he shut down the computer and went to bed. He felt as soon as he lay down that for the first time in weeks he could relax and sleep peacefully. The story was under control. No matter how many questions remained unanswered, he already had enough material to set off a landslide of headlines.
Late as it was, he picked up the telephone to call Berger and update her. And then he remembered that she had left Millennium. Suddenly he found it difficult to sleep.
A man carrying a brown briefcase stepped carefully down from the 7.30 p.m. train at