“Harriethadpreviouslylivedinahouseacrosstheroad；butgiventhatneitherGottfriednorIsabelwasconsistentlystable；andonecouldclearlyseehowthatupsetthegirl；underinedherstudiesandsoon；in1964；whenshewasfourteen；Iarrangedforhertooveintoyhouse。Isabelprobablythoughtthatitwasjustfiobesparedtheresponsibilityforherdaughter。Harriethadbeenlivinghereforthepasttwoyears。Sothisiswhereshecaethatday。WeknowthatsheetandexchangedsoewordswithHaraldinthecourtyardhesoneofyolderbrothers。Thenshecaeupthestairs；tothisroo；andsaidhellotoe。Shesaidthatshewantedtotalktoeaboutsoething。RightthenIhadsoeotherfailyeberswitheandIcouldntsparethetieforher。ButsheseeedanxiousandIproisedIdetoherroowhenIwasfree。Sheleftthroughthatdoor；andthatwasthesttieIsawher。Ainuteorsotertherewasthecrashonthebridgeandthebedthatfollowedupsetallourpnsfortheday。”
“Howdidshedie”
“Itsoreplicatedthanthat；andIhavetotellthestoryinchronologicalorder。Whentheaidentourred；peopledroppedwhatevertheyweredoingandrantothescene。IwasIsupposeItookchargeandwasfeverishlyoupiedforthenextfewhours。HarrietcaedowntothebridgerightawayseveralpeoplesawherbutthedangerofanexplosionadeeinstructanyonewhowasntinvolvedingettingAronssonoutofhiscartostaywellback。Fiveofusreained。TherewereyselfandybrotherHarald。TherewasaannaedMagnusNilsson；oneofyworkers。TherewasasawillworkeaedSixtenNordnderwhohadahousedownbythefishingharbour。AndtherewasafellownaedJerkerAronsson。Hewasonlysixteen；andIshouldreallyhavesenthiaway；buthewasthenephewofGustavinthecar。
“Atabout2：40Harrietwasinthekitchenhereinthehouse。ShedrankagssofilkandtalkedbrieflytoAstrid；ourcook。Theylookedoutofthewindowattheotiondownatthebridge。
“At2：55Harrietcrossedthecourtyard。ShewasseenbyIsabel。AboutainutetersheranintoOttoFalk；thepastorinHedeby。AtthattietheparsonagewaswhereMartinVangerhashisviltoday；andthepastorlivedonthissideofthebridge。Hehadbeeninbed；nursingacold；whentheaidenttookpce；hehadissedthedraa；butsoeonehadtelephonedandhewasonhiswaytothebridge。Harrietpedhiontheroadandapparentlywantedtosaysoethingtohi；buthewavedheroffandhurriedpast。Falkwasthestpersontoseeheralive。”
“Howdidshedie”Blokvistsaidagain。
“Idontknow；”Vangersaidwithatroubledexpression。“WedidntgetAronssonoutofhiscaruntiround5：00hesurvived；bytheway；althoughhewasnotingoodshapeandsoetieafter6：00thethreatoffirewasconsideredpast。Theisndwasstillcutoff；butthingsbegantocaldown。Itwasntuntilwesatdownatthetabletohaveourlongdeyeddinneraround8：00thatwediscoveredHarrietwasissing。IsentoneofthecousinstogetHarrietfroherroo；butshecaebacktosaythatshecouldntfindher。Ididntthinkuchaboutit；Iprobablyassuedshehadgoneforawalkorshehadntbeentoldthatdinnerwasserved。AndduringtheeveningIhadtodealwithvariousdiscussionsandarguentswiththefaily。Soitwasntuntilthenextoing；whenIsabelwenttofindher；thatwerealisedthatnobodyknehereHarrietwasandthatnoonehadseenhersincethedaybefore。”Hespreadhisarsoutwide。“Andfrothatday；shehasbeenissingwithoutatrace。”
“Missing”Blokvistechoed。
“Foralltheseyearswehaventbeenabletofindoneicroscopicscrapofher。”
“Butifshevanished；asyousay；youcantbesurethatshewasurdered。”
“Iunderstandtheobjection。Ivehadthoughtsalongthesaelines。Whenapersonvanisheswithoutatrace；oneoffourthingscouldhavehappened。Shecouldhavegoneoffofherownfreewilndbehidingsoewhere。Shecouldhavehadanaidentanddied。Shecouldhaveittedsuicide。Andfinally；shecouldhavebeenthevictiofacrie。Iveweighedallthesepossibilities。”
“ButyoubelievethatsoeoookHarrietslife。Why”
“Becauseitstheonlyreasonableconclusion。”Vangerhelduponefinger。“FrotheoutsetIhopedthatshehadrunaway。Butasthedayspassed；weallrealisedthatthiswasntthecase。Iean；hoouldasixteenyearoldfrosuchaprotectedworld；evenaveryablegirl；beabletoanageonherownHowcouldshestayhiddenwithoutbeingdiscoveredWherewouldshegetoneyAndevenifshegotajobsoewhere；shewouldneedasocialsecuritycardandanaddress。”
Hehelduptwofingers。
“Mynextthoughtwasthatshehadhadsoekindofaident。CanyoudoeafavourGotothedeskandopenthdrawer。Theresaapthere。”
Blokvistdidashewasaskedandunfoldedtheaponthecoffeetable。HedebyIsndwasanirregurlyshapedndassabouttwoileslongwithaaxiuwidthofaboutoneile。Argepartoftheisndwascoveredbyforest。Therewasabuiltupareabythebridgeandaroundthelittlesuerhouseharbour。Ontheothersideoftheisndwasthesallholding；stergrden；frowhichtheunfortunateAronssonhadstartedoutinhiscar。
“Reeberthatshecouldnthavelefttheisnd；”Vangersaid。“HereonHedebyIsndyoucoulddieinanaidentjustlikeanywhereelse。Youcouldbestruckbylightningbuttherewasnothunderstorthatday。Youcouldbetrapledtodeathbyahorse；falldownawell；ortubleintoarockcrevice。Therearenodoubthundredsofwaystofallvictitoanaidenthere。Ivethoughtofostofthe。”
Heheldupthreefingers。
“Theresjustonecatch；andthisalsoappliestothethirdpossibilitythatthegirl；contrarytoeveryindication；tookherownlife。Herbodyustbesoewhereinthisliitedarea。”
Vangersedhisfistdownontheap。
“Inthedaysaftershedisappeared；wesearchedeverywhere；crisscrossingtheisnd。Theenwadedthrougheveryditch；scouredeverypatchoffield；cliff；anduprootedtree。Wewentthrougheverybuilding；chiney；well；ba；andhiddengarret。”
TheoldanlookedawayfroBlokvistandstaredintothedarknessoutsidethewindow。Hisvoicegrewlowerandoreintiate。
“ThewholeautunIlookedforher；evenafterthesearchpartiespedandpeoplehadgivenup。WhenIwasnttendingtoyworkIbegangoingforwalksbackandforthacrosstheisnd。Wintercaeonandwestillhadntfoundatraceofher。InthespringIkeptonlookinguntilIrealisedhowpreposterousysearchwas。WhensuercaeIhiredthreeexperiencedwoodsenwhodidtheentiresearchoveragainwithdogs。Theybedeverysquarefootoftheisnd。BythattieIhadbeguntothinkthatsoeoneusthavekilledher。Sotheyalsosearchedforagrave。Theyworkedatitforthreeonths。Wefoundnottheslightestvestigeofthegirl。Itwasasifshehaddissolvedintothinair。”
“Icanthinkofanuberofpossibilities；”Blokvistventured。
“Letshearthe。”
“Shecouldhavedrowned；aidentallyoronpurpose。Thisisanisnd；andwatercanhideostthings。”
“True；buttheprobabilityisntgreat。Considerthefollowing：ifHarrietetwithanaidentanddrowned；logicallyitusthaveourredsoewhereintheiediatevicinityofthevilge。ReeberthattheexciteentonthebridgewastheostsensationalthingthathadhappenedhereonHedebyIsndinseveraldecades。Itwasnotatiewhenasixteenyearoldgirlwithanoralsenseofcuriositywoulddecidetogoforawalktotheothersideoftheisnd。
“Butoreiportant；”hesaid；“theresnotuchofacurrenthere；andthewindsatthattieofyearwereoutofthenorthoortheast。Ifanythingfallsintothewater；itesupsoewherealongthebeachontheainnd；andoverthereitsbuiltupalosteverywhere。Dontthinkthatwedidntconsiderthis。Wedraggedalostallthespotswhereshecouldconceivablyhavegonedowntothewater。IalsohiredyoungenfroascubadivingclubhereinHedestad。TheyspenttherestoftheseasonbingthebottoofthesoundandalongthebeachesIconvincedshesnotinthewater；ifshehadbeenwewouldhavefoundher。”
“ButcouldshenothaveetwithanaidentsoewhereelseThebridgewasblocked；ofcourse；butitsashortdistanceovertotheainnd。Shecouldhaveswuorrowedacross。”
“ItwasteSepteberandthewaterwassocoldthatHarrietwouldhardlyhavesetofftogoswiingintheidstofalltheotion。Butifshesuddenlygottheideatoswitotheainnd；shewouldhavebeenseenanddrawnalotofattention。Thereweredozensofeyesonthebridge；andontheainndsidethereweretwoorthreehundredpeoplealongthewaterwatchingthescene。”
“Arowingboat”
“No。Thatdaytherewereprecisely船说