to the Hague to interview Janeryd.
“So the Zalachenko club is somewhere in this building,” Blomkvist said, pointing at the photograph.
“Partly. We think it’s an organization inside the organization. What you call the Zalachenko club cannot exist without the support of key people in this building. But we think that the so-called Section for Special Analysis set up shop somewhere outside.”
“So that’s how it works? A person can be employed by Sapo, have his salary paid by Sapo, and then in fact report to another employer?”
“Something like that.”
“So who in the building is working for the Zalachenko club?”
“We don’t know yet. But we have several suspects.”
“Martensson,” Blomkvist suggested.
Edklinth nodded.
“Martensson works for Sapo, and when he’s needed by the Zalachenko club he’s released from his regular job,” Figuerola said.
“How does that work in practice?”
“That’s a very good question,” Edklinth said with a faint smile. “Wouldn’t you like to come and work for us?”
“Not on your life,” Blomkvist said.
“I jest, of course. But it’s a good question. We have a suspect, but we’re unable to verify our suspicions just yet.”
“Let’s see… it must be someone with administrative authority.”
“We suspect Chief of Secretariat Albert Shenke,” Figuerola said.
“And here we are at our first stumbling block,” Edklinth said. “We’ve given you a name, but we have no proof. So how do you intend to proceed?”
“I can’t publish a name without proof. If Shenke is innocent he would sue
“Good. Then we are agreed. This co-operative effort has to be based on mutual trust. Your turn. What have you got?”
“Three names,” Blomkvist said. “The first two were members of the Zalachenko club in the ’80s.”
Edklinth and Figuerola were instantly alert.
“Hans von Rottinger and Fredrik Clinton. Von Rottinger is dead. Clinton is retired. But both of them were part of the circle closest to Zalachenko.”
“And the third name?” Edklinth said.
“Teleborian has a link to a person I know only as Jonas. We don’t know his last name, but we do know that he was with the Zalachenko club in 2005… We’ve actually speculated a bit that he might be the man with Martensson in the pictures from Cafe Copacabana.”
“And in what context did the name Jonas crop up?”
“He gives Teleborian instructions. And now we come to another stumbling block,” Blomkvist said to Edklinth with a smile. “I can prove my assertions, but I can’t give you the documentation without revealing a source. You’ll have to accept what I’m saying.”
Edklinth looked thoughtful.
“Maybe one of Teleborian’s colleagues in Uppsala. O.K. Let’s start with Clinton and von Rottinger. Tell us what you know.”
Borgsjo received Berger in his office next to the boardroom. He looked concerned.
“I heard that you hurt yourself,” he said, pointing to her foot.
“It’ll pass,” Berger said, leaning her crutches against his desk as she sat down in the visitor’s chair.
“Well… that’s good. Erika, you’ve been here a month and I want us to have a chance to catch up. How do you feel it’s going?”
“I’ve begun to get a handle on the situation. There are two sides to it. On the one hand,
“Aren’t there any positive aspects?”
“Of course there are. A whole bunch of experienced professionals who know how to do their jobs. The problem is the ones who won’t let them do their jobs.”
“Holm has spoken to me…”
“I know.”
Borgsjo looked puzzled. “He has a number of opinions about you. Almost all of them are negative.”
“That’s O.K. I have a number of opinions about him too.”
“Negative too? It’s no good if the two of you can’t work together –”
“I have no problem working with him. But he does have a problem with me.” Berger sighed. “He’s driving me nuts. He’s very experienced and doubtless one of the most competent news chiefs I’ve come across. At the same time he’s a bastard of exceptional proportions. He enjoys indulging in intrigue and playing people against each other. I’ve worked in the media for twenty-five years and I have never met a person like him in a management position.”
“He has to be tough to handle the job. He’s under pressure from every direction.”
“Tough… by all means. But that doesn’t mean he has to behave like an idiot. Unfortunately Holm is a walking disaster, and he’s one of the chief reasons why it’s almost impossible to get the staff to work as a team. He takes divide-and-rule as his job description.”
“Harsh words.”
“I’ll give him one month to sort out his attitude. If he hasn’t managed it by then, I’m going to remove him as news editor.”
“You can’t do that. It’s not your job to take apart the operational organization.”
Berger studied the chairman of the board.
“Forgive me for pointing this out, but that was exactly why you hired me. We also have a contract which explicitly gives me free rein to make the editorial changes I deem necessary. My task here is to rejuvenate the newspaper, and I can do that only by changing the organization and the work routines.”
“Holm has devoted his life to
“Right. And he’s fifty-eight with six years to go before retirement. I can’t afford to keep him on as a dead weight all that time. Don’t misunderstand me, Magnus. From the moment I sat down in that glass cage, my life’s goal has been to raise
Suddenly Borgsjo smiled. “By God, I think you’re pretty tough too.”
“Yes, I am, and in this case it’s regrettable since it shouldn’t be necessary. My job is to produce a good newspaper, and I can do that only if I have a management that functions and colleagues who enjoy their work.”
After the meeting with Borgsjo, Berger limped back to the glass cage. She felt depressed. She had been with Borgsjo for forty-five minutes without mentioning one syllable about Vitavara. She had not, in other words, been particularly straight or honest with him.
When she sat at her computer she found a message from [email protected]›. She knew perfectly well that no such address existed at Millennium. She opened the email:
YOU THINK THAT BORGSJO CAN SAVE YOU, YOU LITTLE WHORE. HOW DOES YOUR FOOT FEEL?
