The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest Chapter 27 Summary

How It All Goes Down

Friday, July 15

  • Giannini tells the court that she will has evidence to show that "every word in [Salander's] autobiography is true" (27.12), and that Teleborian is a "false witness" (27.15).
  • She starts by asking Teleborian how many times he had Salander strapped to a steel-frame bed during the 786 days and nights she was at St. Stefan's when she was 12 and 13.
  • Salander claims 380.
  • Teleborian swears it was only 30 times. Giannini produces Salander's medical records, hidden from her by the prosecution. They show 381 times. Giannini asks Teleborian why.
  • He says it's because Salander was "dangerous to herself and others" (15.68). As an example of how she hurt herself, he points to her tattoos. Giannini says she herself has tattoos. Teleborian says Salander has so many tattoos she must hate herself. Salander says she doesn't hate herself. Giannini asks, how many tattoos is too many?
  • Teleborian says Salander refused to eat. Giannini and Salander establish that Salander refused to eat because he was drugging her food with medications that made her feel bad.
  • It is established that Dr. Caldin, another psychiatrist at St. Stefan's, put it in writing that he didn't think Salander was psychotic, disapproved of Teleborian's treatment of her, and wanted it stopped.
  • Giannini then tears apart Teleborian's claims that Salander abuses drugs and alcohol, exhibits "abnormal" sexual behavior, is a prostitute, and a generally violent person.
  • Next, Giannini shocks everybody by showing the recording of Nils Bjurman brutally raping Salander. Judge Iverson can't take much of it and she tells Giannini to turn the video off.
  • Next, Blomkvist testifies and proves with evidence that Teleborian's most recent psychiatric report on Salander was written before he saw her at the jail. So it's entirely made up.
  • Finally, Edklinth testifies that Teleborian was in cahoots with the Section, whose members are all being arrested. Blomkvist says that Teleborian is about to be arrested too.
  • Lisa Collsjö places Teleborian under arrest for "violation of the law on child pornography" (27.426) and "possession of approximately nine-thousand pornographic photographs of children found on your computer" (27.439).
  • Salander watches his arrest with fire in her eyes.