from 1991 has been leaked, and it's potentially as serious a threat as Zalachenko."
Nystrom cleared his throat. "As soon as we realized that the report was out and in the hands of the police, I took certain measures. I went through Forelius, our lawyer in S.I.S., and he got hold of the Prosecutor General. The P.G. ordered the report confiscated from the police - it's not to be disseminated or copied."
"How much does the P.G. know?" Gullberg said.
"Not a thing. He's acting on an official request from S.I.S. It's classified material and the P.G. has no alternative."
"Who in the police has read the report?"
"There were two copies which were read by Bublanski, his colleague Inspector Modig, and finally the preliminary investigation leader, Richard Ekstrom. We can assume that another two police officers...," Nystrom leafed through his notes, "... that Curt Andersson and Jerker Holmberg at least, are aware of the contents."
"So, four police officers and one prosecutor. What do we know about them?"
"Prosecutor Ekstrom, forty-two, regarded as a rising star. He's been an investigator at Justice and has handled a number of cases that got a fair bit of attention. Zealous. P.R.-savvy. Careerist."
"Social Democrat?" Gullberg said.
"Probably. But not active."
"So Bublanski is leading the investigation. I saw him in a press conference on T.V. He didn't seem comfortable in front of the cameras."
"He's older and has an exceptional record, but he also has a reputation for being crusty and obstinate. He's Jewish and quite conservative."
"And the woman... who's she?"
"Sonja Modig. Married, thirty-nine, two kids. Has advanced rather quickly in her career. I talked to Teleborian, who described her as emotional. She asks questions non-stop."
"Next."
"Andersson is a tough customer. He's thirty-eight and comes from the gangs unit in Soder. He landed in the spotlight when he shot dead some hooligan a couple of years ago. Acquitted of all charges, according to the report. He was the one Bublanski sent to arrest Bjorck."
"I see. Keep in mind that he shot someone dead. If there's any reason to cast doubt on Bublanski's group, we can always single him out as a rogue policeman. I assume we still have relevant media contacts. And the last guy?"
"Holmberg, fifty-five. Comes from Norrland and is in fact a specialist in crime scene investigation. He was offered supervisory training a few years ago but turned it down. He seems to like his job."
"Are any of them politically active?"
"No. Holmberg's father was a city councillor for the Centre Party in the '70s."
"It seems to be a modest group. We can assume they're fairly tight-knit. Could we isolate them somehow?"
"There's a fifth officer involved," Nystrom said. "Hans Faste, forty-seven. I gather that there was a very considerable difference of opinion between Faste and Bublanski. So much so that Faste took sick leave."
"What do we know about him?"
"I get mixed reactions when I ask. He has an exemplary record with no real criticisms. A pro. But he's tricky to deal with. The disagreement with Bublanski seems to have been about Salander."
"In what way?"
"Faste appears to have become obsessed by one newspaper story about a lesbian Satanist gang. He really doesn't like Salander and seems to regard her existence as a personal insult. He may himself be behind half of the rumours. I was told by a former colleague that he has difficulty working with women."
"Interesting," Gullberg said slowly. "Since the newspapers have already written about a lesbian gang, it would make sense to continue promoting that story. It won't exactly bolster Salander's credibility."
"But the officers who've read Bjorck's report are a big problem," Sandberg said. "Is there any way we can isolate them?"
Wadensjoo lit another cigarillo. "Well, Ekstrom is the head of the preliminary investigation..."
"But Bublanski's leading it," Nystrom said.
"Yes, but he can't go against an administrative decision." Wadensjoo turned to Gullberg. "You have more experience than I do, but this whole story has so many different threads and connections... It seems to me that it would be wise to get Bublanski and Modig away from Salander."
"That's good, Wadensjoo," Gullberg said. "And that's exactly what we're going to do. Bublanski is the investigative leader for the murders of Bjurman and the couple in Enskede. Salander is no longer a suspect. Now it's all about this German, Ronald Niedermann. Bublanski and his team have to focus on Niedermann. Salander is not their assignment any more. Then there's the investigation at Nykvarn... three cold-case killings. And there's a connection to Niedermann there too. That investigation is presently allocated to Sodertalje, but it