Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest, The - Stieg Larsson [91]
The police had locked her in her hospital room, and a prosecutor intended to charge her with attempted murder and grievous bodily harm. He was amazed that such a small, thin girl had the physical strength for this sort of violent criminality, especially when the violence was directed at full-grown men.
He had asked about her dragon tattoo, hoping to find a personal topic he could discuss with her. He was not particularly interested in why she had decorated herself in such a way, but he supposed that since she had chosen such a striking tattoo, it must have a special meaning for her. He thought simply that it might be a way to start a conversation.
His visits to her were outside his schedule, since Dr Endrin was assigned to her case. But Jonasson was head of the trauma unit, and he was proud of what had been achieved that night when Salander was brought into A. & E. He had made the right decision, electing to remove the bullet. As far as he could see she had no complications in the form of memory lapses, diminished bodily function, or other handicaps from the injury. If she continued to heal at the same pace, she would leave hospital with a scar on her scalp, but with no other visible damage. Scars on her soul were another matter.
Returning to his office he discovered a man in a dark suit leaning against the wall outside his door. He had a thick head of hair and a well-groomed beard.
“Dr Jonasson?”
“Yes?”
“My name is Peter Teleborian. I’m the head physician at St Stefan’s psychiatric clinic in Uppsala.”
“Yes, I recognize you.”
“Good. I’d like to have a word in private with you if you have a moment.”
Jonasson unlocked the door and ushered the visitor in. “How can I help you?”
“It’s about one of your patients, Lisbeth Salander. I need to visit her.”
“You’ll have to get permission from the prosecutor. She’s under arrest and all visitors are prohibited. And any applications for visits must also be referred in advance to Salander’s lawyer.”
“Yes, yes, I know. I thought we might be able to cut through all the red tape in this case. I’m a physician, so you could let me have the opportunity to visit her on medical grounds.”
“Yes, there might be a case for that, but I can’t see what your objective is.”
“For several years I was Lisbeth Salander’s psychiatrist when she was institutionalized at St Stefan’s. I followed up with her until she turned eighteen, when the district court released her back into society, albeit under guardianship. I should perhaps mention that I opposed that action. Since then she has been allowed to drift aimlessly, and the consequences are there for all to see today.”
“Indeed?”
“I feel a great responsibility towards her still, and would value the chance to gauge how much deterioration has occurred over the past ten years.”
“Deterioration?”
“Compared with when she was receiving qualified care as a teenager. I thought we might be able to come to an understanding here, as one doctor to another.”
“While I have it fresh in my mind, perhaps you could help me with a matter I don’t quite understand … as one doctor to another, that is. When she was admitted to Sahlgrenska hospital I performed a comprehensive medical examination on her. A colleague sent for the forensic report on the patient. It was signed by a Dr Jesper H. Löderman.”
“That’s correct. I was Dr Löderman’s assistant when he was in practice.”
“I see. But I noticed that the report was vague in the extreme.”
“Really?”
“It contains no diagnosis. It almost seems to be an academic study of a patient who refuses to speak.”
Teleborian laughed. “Yes, she certainly isn’t easy to deal with. As it says in the report, she consistently refused to participate in conversations with Dr Löderman. With the result that he was bound to express himself rather imprecisely. Which was entirely