active.”
No such agents existed, but Ekstrom could not know that. He was bound to take Nystrom at his word. And he could not help feeling flattered that he was being given information – off the record, of course – that was among the most secret to be found in Sweden. He was slightly surprised that the Swedish Security Police had been able to penetrate the Russian military to the degree Nystrom was describing, and he perfectly understood that this was, of course, information that absolutely could not be disseminated.
“When I was assigned to make contact with you, we did an extensive investigation of your background,” Nystrom said.
The seduction always involved discovering someone’s weaknesses. Prosecutor Ekstrom’s weakness was his conviction as to his own importance. He was like everyone else, he appreciated flattery. The trick was to make him feel that he had been specially chosen.
“And we have been able to satisfy ourselves that you are a man who enjoys enormous respect within the police force… and of course in government circles.”
Ekstrom looked pleased. That unnamed individuals in government circles had great confidence in him implied that he could count on their gratitude if he played his cards right.
“Simply stated, my assignment is to provide you with background as necessary, and as discreetly as possible. You must understand how improbably complicated this story has become. For one thing, a preliminary investigation is under way, for which you bear the primary responsibility. No-one – not in the government or in the Security Police or anywhere else – can interfere in how you run this investigation. Your job is to ascertain the truth and bring the guilty parties to court. One of the most crucial functions in a democratic state.”
Ekstrom nodded.
“It would be a national catastrophe if the whole truth about Zalachenko were to leak out.”
“So what exactly is the purpose of your visit?”
“First, to make you aware of the sensitive nature of the situation. I don’t think Sweden has been in such an exposed position since the end of the Second World War. One might say that, to a certain extent, the fate of Sweden rests in your hands.”
“And who is your superior?”
“I regret it, but I cannot reveal the name of anyone working on this case. But I
Nystrom saw that Ekstrom had swallowed the bait.
“What I am able to do, however, is to provide you with information. I have been given the authority to use my own judgement in giving you sight of material that is, some of it, the most highly classified in this country.”
“I see.”
“This means that if you have questions about something, whatever it may be, then you should turn to me. You must not talk to anyone else in the Security Police, only to me. My assignment is to be your guide in this labyrinth, and if clashes between various interests threaten to arise, then we will assist each other in finding solutions.”
“I understand. In that case I should say how grateful I am that you and your colleagues are willing to facilitate matters for me.”
“We want the legal process to take its course even though this is a difficult situation.”
“Good. I assure you that I will exercise the utmost discretion. This isn’t the first time I’ve handled Top Secret information, after all.”
“No, we are quite aware of that.”
Ekstrom had a dozen questions that Nystrom meticulously noted, and then answered as best he could. On this third visit Ekstrom would be given answers to several of the questions he had asked earlier. Among them, and most crucially: what was the truth surrounding Bjorck’s report from 1991?
“That is a serious matter.” Nystrom adopted a concerned expression. “Since this report surfaced, we have had an analysis group working almost round the clock to discover exactly what happened. We are now close to the point where we can draw conclusions. And they are most unpleasant.”
“I can well imagine. That report alleges that the Security Police and the psychiatrist Peter Teleborian co- operated to place Lisbeth Salander in psychiatric care.”
“If only that were the case,” Nystrom said with a slight smile.
“I don’t understand.”
“If that was all there was to it, the matter would be simple. Then a crime would have been committed and led to a prosecution. The difficulty is that this report does not correspond with other reports that we have in our archives.” Nystrom took out a blue folder and opened it. “What I have here is the report that Gunnar Bjorck actually wrote in 1991. Here too are the original documents from the correspondence between him and Teleborian. The two versions do not agree.”
“Please explain.”
“The appalling thing is that Bjorck has hanged himself. Presumably because of the threat of revelations about his sexual deviations. Blomkvist’s magazine was intending to expose him. That drove him to such depths of despair that he took his own life.”
“Well…”
“The original report is an account of Lisbeth Salander’s attempt to murder her father, Alexander Zalachenko, with a petrol bomb. The first thirty pages of the report that Blomkvist discovered agree with the original. These pages, frankly, contain nothing remarkable. It’s not until page thirty-three, where Bjorck draws conclusions and makes recommendations, that the discrepancy arises.”
“What discrepancy?”
“In the original version Bjorck presents five well-argued recommendations. We don’t need to hide the fact that they concern playing down the Zalachenko affair in the media and so forth. Bjorck proposes that Zalachenko’s rehabilitation – he suffered very severe burns – be carried out abroad. And things similar. He also recommends that Salander should be offered the best conceivable psychiatric care.”
“I see…”
“The problem is that a number of sentences were altered in a very subtle way. On page thirty-four there is a paragraph in which Bjorck appears to suggest that Salander be branded psychotic, so that she will not be believed if anyone should start asking questions about Zalachenko.”
“And this suggestion is not in the original report.”
“Precisely. Gunnar Bjorck’s own report never suggested anything of the kind. Quite apart from anything else, that would have been against the law. He warmly recommended that she be given the care she quite clearly needed. In Blomkvist’s copy, this was made out to be a conspiracy.”
“Could I read the original?”
“Certainly you can. I have to take the report with me when I go. And before you read it, let me direct your attention to the appendix containing the subsequent correspondence between Bjorck and Teleborian. It is almost entirely fabricated. Here it’s not a matter of subtle alterations, but of gross falsifications.”
“Falsifications?”
“I think that’s the only appropriate description. The original shows that Peter Teleborian was assigned by the district court to do a forensic psychiatric examination of Lisbeth Salander. Nothing out of the ordinary there. Salander was twelve years old and had tried to kill her father – it would have been very strange if that shocking event had
“That’s true.”
“If you had been the prosecutor, I assume that you would have insisted on both social and psychiatric investigations.”
“Of course.”
“Even then Teleborian was a well-respected child psychiatrist who had also worked in forensic medicine. He was given the assignment, conducted a normal investigation, and came to the conclusion that the girl was mentally ill. I don’t have to use their technical terms.”
