The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson Read Free Book Online

has made a connection to the murder several months ago of a prostitute in Södertälje.”
    “So, with the policeman dead in Gosseberga, we’re talking about at least eight murders. That’s a horrendous statistic. Do we suspect this Niedermann of all of them? If so, he has to be treated as a madman, a mass murderer.”
    Modig and Holmberg exchanged glances. It was now a matter of how far they wanted to align themselves with such assertions. Finally Modig spoke up.
    “Even though crucial evidence is lacking, my superior, Inspector Bublanski, and I are tending towards the belief that Blomkvist is correct in claiming that the first three murders were committed by Niedermann. That would require us to believe that Salander is innocent. With respect to thegraves in Nykvarn, Niedermann is linked to the site through the kidnapping of Salander’s friend Miriam Wu. There is a strong likelihood that she too would have been his victim. But the warehouse is owned by a relative of the president of Svavelsjö Motorcycle Club, and until we’re able to identify the remains, we won’t be able to draw any conclusions.”
    “That petty thief you identified . . .”
    “Forty-four, a dealer, and delinquent in his youth. Offhand I would guess the murder has to do with an internal shake-up of some sort. Svavelsjö MC is mixed up in several kinds of criminal activity, including the distribution of methamphetamine. Nykvarn may be a cemetery in the woods for people who crossed them, but . . .”
    “Yes?”
    “This young prostitute who was murdered in Södertälje . . . the autopsy revealed that she died as a result of a staggeringly vicious assault. She looked as if she had been beaten to death. But the actual cause of her injuries could not be established. Blomkvist made a pretty acute observation. She had injuries that could very well have been inflicted by a man’s bare hands.”
    “Niedermann?”
    “It’s a reasonable assumption. But there’s no proof yet.”
    “So how do we proceed?” Spångberg wondered.
    “I have to confer with Bublanski,” Modig said. “But a logical step would be to interrogate Zalachenko. We’re interested in hearing what he has to say about the murders in Stockholm, and for you it’s a matter of finding out what was Niedermann’s role in Zalachenko’s business. He might even be able to point you in the direction of Niedermann.”
    One of the detectives from Göteborg said: “What have we found at the farm in Gosseberga?”
    “We found four revolvers. A Sig Sauer that had been dismantled and was being oiled on the kitchen table. A Polish P-83 Wanad on the floor next to the bench in the kitchen. A Colt 1911 Government—that’s the pistol that Blomkvist tried to hand in to Paulsson. And finally a .22-calibre Browning, which is pretty much a toy gun alongside the others. We rather think that it was the weapon used to shoot Salander, given that she’s still alive with a slug in her brain.”
    “Anything else?”
    “We found and confiscated a bag containing about 200,000 kronor. It was in an upstairs room used by Niedermann.”
    “How do you know it was his room?”
    “Well, he does wear a size XXL. Zalachenko is at most a medium.”
    “Do you have anything on Zalachenko or Bodin in your records?” Holmberg said.
    Erlander shook his head.
    “Of course, it depends on how we interpret the confiscated weapons. Apart from the more sophisticated weaponry and an unusually high-tech video surveillance system at the farm, we found nothing to distinguish it from any other farmhouse. The house itself is spartan, no frills.”
    Just before noon there was a knock on the door and a uniformed officer delivered a document to Spångberg.
    “We’ve received a call,” she said, “about a missing person in Alingsås. A dental hygienist by the name of Anita Kaspersson left her home by car at 7:30 this morning. She took her child to day care and should have arrived at her place of work by 8:00. But she