The Girl Who Played With Fire Chapter 28 Summary

How It All Goes Down

Wednesday, April 6

  • Bublanski and Modig meet and discuss recent developments. More bodies are found at the burned down warehouse where the blond giant took Miriam Wu. They agree Salander probably isn't a killer.
  • The blond giant is at Lundin's waiting for him. He can sense something has gone wrong.
  • Around 7pm, he hears the news of Lundin's arrest. He drives away just before the cops show up.
  • Blomkvist visits Holger Palmgren and convinces him he's Salander's friend. He asks about Zala.
  • Zala, he learns, is Salander's father!
  • In 1977 Zala met Salander's mother, Agneta. They had twins, Salander and Camilla.
  • Blomkvist is shocked to learn Salander has a twin.
  • Zala and Agneta never married. Her last name was Sjölander, but she changed it to Salander, because Sala sounds like Zala.
  • Zala abused Agneta horribly, but ignored the twins.
  • When Salander was about twelve, Zala beat Agneta savagely. Salander saw him in his car outside their apartment. She threw a milk carton filled with gasoline into the car and struck a match.
  • Zala was horribly burned and had his leg amputated, and Salander was committed to St. Stefan's.
  • Salander's mom never really recovered from the beating, which is why, when we saw her in Dragon Tattoo she was in a nursing home.
  • Salander is at home reading the police report from 1991, even though she has it memorized.
  • She finally realizes that Zala works for Säpo, and, therefore, his crimes against her mother, which left her mother with permanent brain damage and constant strokes, were buried, and Salander was dumped in St. Stefan's.
  • She decides that Bjurman must have turned to Zala to help him get the DVD Salander has of Bjurman raping her. The DVD is in the drawer of her desk.
  • She needs to find the blond giant and make him lead her to Zala.
  • Back at the rehabilitation center, Blomkvist tells Palmgren he's going to find Zala.