The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Chapter 27 Summary

How It All Goes Down

Saturday, July 26 – Monday, July 28

  • Blomkvist, Salander, and Armansky are the only people at Salander's mother's funeral.
  • On the drive back to Hedeby, Blomkvist tells Salander Harriet's story.
  • Salander says that by keeping quiet, Harriet allowed Martin to operate for almost forty years.
  • He says Harriet knew her dad was a killer, but not Martin.
  • Salander is very hostile toward him. He drops her near the guesthouse.
  • Blomkvist meets Henrik and tells him Harriet is alive and here. He tells Henrik the whole story. Harriet's been sending the flowers, in hopes Henrik would realize she's alive. She had no contact with anybody on Hedeby and didn't know Henrik thought she was murdered.
  • After the talk, Blomkvist brings in Harriet to see Henrik.
  • Salander and her stuff are gone when Blomkvist gets to the guesthouse. He falls asleep.
  • Salander returns around eight. She tells Blomkvist she really likes him. He says she's brilliant.
  • She's always had a photographic memory and an ease with biology, physics, and math. She considers herself "a freak" (27.96). He says she has gifts. She says to drop the topic.
  • Frode comes with a letter from Henrik, asking Blomkvist not to publish Martin's crimes. Salander says if Martin was alive, she would turn him in after torturing him in his basement. Since he's dead, Blomkvist publishing the story would just be raping Harriet again.
  • She wants the victims' families given money, and money given to women's crisis centers.
  • Blomkvist feels horrible. He's sure that it's wrong to cover this up. But he gives in.
  • Frode gives Blomkvist the information to prove Wennerström a crook. Blomkvist can't use it.
  • After Frode leaves, Blomkvist splits, furious. Eventually, Salander finds him.
  • He says he's sorry for running away. She makes him tell her about the Wennerström affair.
  • Wennerström is as crook. But he found out about Blomkvist's investigation, and planted an informant who gave Blomkvist false documents.
  • If Blomkvist had accused Wennerström of setting him up, a) nobody would believe it, and b) it would make Blomkvist look worse than the libel charge.
  • Salander says she has a copy of everything in Wennerström's laptop, and can prove he's a crook.