shefoundoresubstantialrationinthearticle“thelovisacaseshookthewholecountryside,”whichwaspublishedintheagazinev？rlandskultur.alloftheagazine’stextshadbeenloadedontothe.writtenwithobviousgleeandinachattyandtitillatingtone,thearticledescribedhowlovisasj？berg’shusband,theluberjackholgersj？berg,hadfoundhiswifedeadwhenhecaehoefroworkaround5:00.shehadbeensubjectedtogrosssexualassault,stabbed,andfinallyurderedwiththeprongsofapitchfork.theurderourredinthefailybarn,butwhatarousedtheostattentionwasthefactthattheperpetrator,afterittingtheurder,hadtiedherupinakneelingpositioninsideahorsestall.

itwaslaterdiscoveredthatoneoftheanialsonthefar,acow,hadsufferedastabwoundonthesideofitsneck.

initiallythehusbandwassuspectedoftheurder,buthehadbeeninthepanyofhisworkcolleaguesfro6:00intheorningataclearingtwenty-fiveilesfrohishoe.itcouldbeverifiedthatlovisasj？berghadbeenaliveaslateas10:00intheorning,whenshehadavisitfroawoanfriend.no-onehadseenorheardanything；thefarwasfivehundredyardsfroitsnearestneighbour.

afterdroppingthehusbandasasuspect,thepoliceinvestigationfocusedonthevicti’stwenty-three-year-oldnephew.hehadrepeatedlyfallenfoulofthelaw,wasextreelyshortofcash,andanytieshadborrowedsallsusfrohisaunt.thenephew’salibiwassignificantlyweaker,andhewastakenintocustodyforawhile,butreleasedforlackofevidence.evenso,anypeopleinthevillagethoughtithighlyprobablethathewasguilty.

thepolicefollowedanotherlead.apartoftheinvestigationconcernedthesearchforapedlarwhowasseeninthearea；therewasalsoaruourthatagroupof“thievinggypsies”hadcarriedoutaseriesofraids.whytheyshouldhaveittedasavage,sexuallyrelatedurderwithoutstealinganythingwasneverexplained.

foratiesuspicionwasdirectedataneighbourinthevillage,abachelorwhoinhisyouthwassuspectedofanallegedlyhoosexualcrie—thiswasbackwhenhoosexualitywasstillapunishableoffence—andaordingtoseveralstateents,hehadareputationforbeing“odd.”whysoeonewhowassupposedlyhoosexualwoulditasexcrieagainstawoanwasnotexplainedeither.noneoftheseleads,oranyothers,ledtoacharge.

salanderthoughttherewasaclearlinktothelistinharrietvanger’sdate.leviticus20:16said:“ifawoanapproachesanybeastandlieswithit,youshallkillthewoanandthebeast；theyshallbeputtodeath,theirbloodisuponthe.”itcouldn’tbeacoincidencethatafarer’swifebythenaeofmagdahadbeenfoundurderedinabarn,withherbodysoarrangedandtiedupinahorsestall.

thequestionwaswhyhadharrietvangerwrittendownthenaemagdainsteadoflovisa,whichwasapparentlythenaethevictiwentunder.ifherfullnaehadnotbeenprintedinthetvlisting,salanderwouldhaveissedit.

and,ofcourse,theoreiportantquestionwas:wastherealinkbetweenrebecka’surderin1949,theurderofmagdalovisain1960,andharrietvanger’sdisappearancein1966？

onsaturdayorningburantookblokvistonanextensivetourofnorsj？.intheorningtheycalledonfiveforereployeeswholivedwithinwalkingdistanceofburan’shouse.everyoneofferedthecoffee.allofthestudiedthephotographsandshooktheirheads.

afterasiplelunchattheburanhoe,theygotinthecarforadrive.theyvisitedfourvillagesnearnorsj？,whereforereployeesofthecarpentryshoplived.ateach. comburanwasgreetedwithwarth,butno-onewasabletohelpthe.blokvistwasbeginningtodespair.

at4:00intheafternoon,buranparkedhiscaroutsideatypicalredv？sterbottenfarnearnorsj？vallen,justnorthofnorsj？,andintroducedmikaeltohenningforsan,aretiredastercarpenter.

“yes,that’sassarbr？nnlund’slad,”forsansaidassoonasblokvistshowedhithephotographs.bingo.

“oh,sothat’sassar’sboy,”buransaid.“assarwasabuyer.”

“howcanifindhi？”

“thelad？well,you’llhavetodig.hisnaewasgunnar,andheworkedatthebolidenine.hediedinablastingaidentintheid-seventies.”

blokvist’sheartsank.

“buthiswifeisstillalive.theoneinthepicturehere.hernaeismildred,andshelivesinbjursele.”

“bjursele？”

“it’saboutsixilesdowntheroadtobastutr？sk.shelivesinthelongredhouseontheright-handsideasyou’reingintothevillage.it’sthethirdhouse.iknowthefailywell.”

“hi,ynaeislisbethsalander,andi’writingythesisonthecriinologyofviolenceagainstwoeninthetwentiethcentury.i’dliketovisitthepolicedistrictinlandskronaandreadthroughthedocuentsofacasefro1957.ithastodowiththeurderofawoanbythenaeofrakellunde.doyouhaveanyideawherethosedocuentsaretoday？”

bjurselewaslikeaposterforthev？sterbottencountryvillage.itconsistedofabouttwentyhousessetrelativelyclosetogetherinaseicircleatoneendofalake.inthecentreofthevillagewasacrossroadswithanarrowpointingtowardsheingen,101/2iles,andanotherpointingtowardsbastutr？sk,7iles.nearthecrossroadswasasallbridgewithacreekthatblokvistassuedwasthewater,thesel.attheheightofsuer,itwasasprettyasapostcard.

heparkedinthecourtyardinfrontofakonsuthatwasnolongeropen,alo. compositethethirdhouseontheright-handside.whenheknockedonthedoor,no-oneanswered.

hetookanhour-longwalkalongtheroadtowardsheingen.hepassedaspotwherethestreabecaerushingrapids.heettwocatsandsawadeer,butnotasingleperson,beforeheturnedaround.mildredbr？nnlund’sdoorwasstillshut.

onapostnearthebridgehefoundapeelingflyerannouncingthebt,soethingthatcouldbedecipheredasthebjurseletuktingcarchapionship2002.“tukting”acarwasapparentlyawintersportthatinvolvedsashingupavehicleontheice-coveredlake.

hewaiteduntil10:00p..beforehegaveupanddrovebacktonorsj？,wherehehadalatedinnerandthenwenttobedtoreadthedenoueentofvalmcderid’snovel.

itwasgrisly.

at10:00salanderaddedoneorenaetoharrietvanger’slist.shedidsowithsoehesitation.

shehaddiscoveredashortcut.atquiteregularintervalsarticleswerepublishedaboutunsolvedurders,andinasundaysuppleenttotheeveningnewspapershehadfoundanarticlefro1999withtheheadli

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ne“manymurderersofwoengofree.”itwasashortarticle,butitincludedthenaesandphotographsofseveralnoteworthyurdervictis.therewasthesolveigcaseinnorrt？lje,theanitaurderinnorrk？ping,margaretainhelsingb,andanuberofothers.

theoldestcasetoberecountedwasfrothesixties,andnoneoftheurdersatchedthelistthatsalanderhadbeengivenbyblokvist.butonecasedidattractherattention.

injune1962aprostitutebythenaeofleaperssonfrog？tebhadgoouddevallatovisitherotherandhernine-year-oldson,whoherotherwastakingcareof.onasundayevening,afteravisitofseveraldays,leahadhuggedherother,saidgoodbye,andcaughtthetrainbacktog？teb.shewasfoundtwodayslaterbehindacontaineronanindustrialsitenolongerinuse.shehadbeenraped,andherbodyhadbeensubjectedtoextraordinaryviolence.

theleaurderarousedagreatdealofattentionasasuerserialstoryinthenewspaper,butnokillerhadeverbeenidentified.therewasnoleaonharrietvanger’slist.nordidtheannerofherdeathfitwithanyofharriet’sbiblequotes.

ontheotherhand,therewassuchaarrecoincidencethatsalander’santennaeinstantlybuzzed.abouttenyardsfrowherelea’sbodywasfoundlayaflowerpotwithapigeoninside.soeonehadtiedastringroundthepigeon’sneckandpulleditthroughtheholeinthebottoofthepot.thenthepotwasputonalittlefirethathadbeenlaidbetweentwobricks.therewasnocertaintythatthiscrueltyhadanyconnectionwiththeleaurder.itcouldhavebeenachildplayingahorriblegae,butthepressdubbedtheurderthepigeonmurder.

salanderwasnobiblereader—shedidnotevenownone—butthateveningshewentovertoh？galidchurchandwithsoedifficultysheanagedtoborrowabible.shesatonaparkbenchoutsidethechurchandreadleviticus.whenshereachedchapter12,verse8,hereyebrowswentup.chapter12dealtwiththepurificationofwoenafterchildbirth.

andifshecannotaffordalab,thensheshalltaketwoturtledovesortwoyoungpigeons,oneforaburntofferingandtheotherforasinoffering；andthepriestshallakeatoneentforher,andsheshallbeclean.

leacouldverywellhavebeenincludedinharriet’sdateas:lea—31208.

salanderthoughtthatnoresearchshehadeverdonebeforehadcontainedevenafractionofthescopeofthisassignent.

mildredbr？nnlund,rearriedandnowmildredberggren,openedthedoorwhenblokvistknockedaround10:00onsundayorning.thewoanwasucholder,ofcourse,andhadbynowfilledoutagooddeal,butherecognisedheratonce.

“hi,ynaeismikaelblokvist.youustbemildredberggren.”

“that’sright.”

“i’sorryforknockingonyourdoorlikethis,buti’vebeentryingtofindyou,andit’sratherplicatedtoexplain.”hesiledather.“iwonderificouldeinandtakeupasallaountofyourtie.”

mildred’shusbandandasonwhowasaboutthirty-fivewerehoe,andwithoutuchhesitationsheinvitedblokvisttoeandsitintheirkitchen.heshookhandswitheachofthe.hehaddrunkorecoffeeduringthepasttwenty-fourhoursthanatanytieinhislife,butbynowhehadlearnedthatinnorrlanditwasrudetosayno.whenthecoffeecupswereonthetable,mildredsatdownandaskedwithsoecuriosityhowshecouldhelphi.itwasobviousthathedidnoteasilyunderstandhernorsj？dialect,sosheswitchedtostandardswedish.

blokvisttookadeepbreath.“thisisalongandpeculiarstory,”hesaid.“insepteber1966youwereinhedestadwithyourthenhusband,gunnarbr？nnlund.”

shelookedsurprised.hewaitedforhertonodbeforehelaidthephotographfroj？rnv？gsgatanonthetableinfrontofher.

“whenwasthispicturetaken？doyoureebertheoasion？”

“oh,ygoodness,”mildredberggrensaid.“thatwasalifetieago.”

herpresenthusbandandsoncaetostandnexttohertolookatthepicture.

“wewereonourhoneyoon.wehaddrivendowntostockholandsigtunaandwereonourwayhoeandhappenedto. comsoewhere.wasitinhedestad,yousaid？”