"THE INVISIBLE GUARDIAN" "Forgetting is an involuntary act." "The more you want to leave something behind, the more it follows you." "DAY 1" "Captain..." "At what time?" "I'm on my way." "At 11:00 p.m. her parents reported she hadn't come home." "That's a bit soon to report a disappearance." "At 8:00 she texted her brother saying she'd missed the bus." "He didn't say anything until 11:00, by then the mother was hysterical." "Where's the body?" "Next to the river, but first..." "No one's touched them." " Have them photographed." " I've ordered that already." " Good morning, Fermín." " Good morning, Inspector Salazar." "This way." "Hi." "The rope isn't even knotted, he just tightened it until she stopped breathing." "Always a pleasure to see you, Inspector Salazar, even under these circumstances." "Likewise, Dr. San Martín." "The position of the hands isn't natural, they were placed like that deliberately." "There are incrustations on the rope, have them isolated and analyzed." "We'll have to wait till the autopsy, but I'd put asphyxia as the cause of death." "And given the deep rope marks on the flesh," "I'd say it was very quick." "What's that on her pubis?" "It looks like a cake." "It's a txantxigorri, a cake typical of this area." "Have it analyzed." "I don't want this getting out, it's reserved information." "Was she raped?" "In theory I'd say no, although the staging has an obviously sexual component, and if I'm not mistaken, the attacker shaved her pubis as part of his ritual." " And he did it here." " Fuck." " Are those her hairs?" " Not all of them." "There are some that look very different mixed in with the girl's." "We have to call her friends." "Find out where they were, who they were with, and when they last saw her." "I can smell cigarettes." " Did she have a purse?" " Yes, she had a purse." "I found it a few yards further up." "Ainhoa Elizasu." "13 years old, she's from Elizondo." " Have her clothes appeared?" " No sign of them." "The girl's friends are 13 years old, Salazar." "We needn't wake them up and alarm them even more." "We could do it in a few hours' time." "In 30 minutes." "Sir, good morning." " How are you?" " Good morning." "She liked rough sex:" "Biting, scratching, slapping..." "It wasn't like really hitting, it was just screwing but doing it rough." "Why did you put her out of the car at night if you knew she'd be alone on the mountain?" "She got out." "I kept asking her to come back but she wouldn't." "Were you annoyed she got so coy just on New Year's Eve?" "No way." "When she shot up, she'd go crazy." "One minute she'd be all horny, wanting a threesome, then she'd get all paranoid and go off on her own." "Did you two ever do a threesome with a stranger?" "Never." "She asked me a few times but it was all talk." "I didn't kill her, I swear." "Carla was really awesome." "Why would I kill her?" "Shit!" "That's fucking crazy!" "I believe you didn't kill Carla." "Why now?" "I've been here a month and no one's believed me?" "They'll let you know." "It's a common packing rope, sold in any hardware store, but what makes it definitive is that both pieces came from the same roll." "The man who killed Carla Huarte six weeks ago is the same one who killed Ainhoa Elizasu." "I think we're looking at a serial killer." "You're from Elizondo, aren't you, Salazar?" "Yes." "Amaia, I need you to go there and take over the investigation." "Your experience with the FBI will be a great help." "And what, may I ask, does the FBI have to do with a town in Baztn?" "Inspector Iriarte and Deputy Inspector Zabalza were in charge of Carla Huarte's case." "They'll give you all the help you need." "Very well, captain." "Do the rest of us have to call her chief?" "For fuck's sake, Montes." "BODY OF A YOUNG GIRL FOUND DEAD IN ELIZONDO" "James!" "Good evening, I'm Inspector Salazar, regional homicide department." "Deputy Inspector Zabalza." "At your service, inspector." " Inspector Iriarte, a pleasure." " Likewise." "Shall we go in?" "Yes, this way." "Tomorrow we have to film everyone at the burial and check them against the people at the first victim's funeral." "Was that filmed?" "No, we thought that was an isolated incident..." "Don't worry, that's normal with the first victim." "Try to get all the films and photos of the first funeral:" "Security cameras, cell phones, whatever." "I'll do that, inspector." "There's something we noticed on the new body." "If the hairs match the ones found on Carla Huarte, we're talking about deer, goat, dog, boar, bull, fox, sheep and even bear hairs." "It's rare that all those animals were there at the same time and didn't disturb the body." "We think the killer might work in a rural setting." "Forestry, hunting, livestock, and that the hairs were on him." "Thank you, we'll bear that in mind." " Good night." " Good night." " Hello." " Hello." "How are you doing?" " How are you?" " Fine." "What are you doing here?" "Hugging you." " How was the road?" " Fine." "How are you?" "Fine." " And Freddy?" " At home." "Come inside." "Aunt!" " Aunt!" " At last!" "Welcome, sweetheart." " How are you?" " I'm fine." "I see you're fine too." " And how's James?" " Very busy preparing an exhibition." " Amaia..." " What a pity..." "They said on the radio that the killer could be the boy who killed his girlfriend on New Year's Eve." "Is that true?" "No, he's innocent, but you know I'm not allowed to talk to the media." "Sweetheart, I'll make up your bed with the flannel sheets." "Thank you, aunt." "I'll help you." "No, you rest." "She'll help me, OK?" "OK." "Thank you, aunt." "That's enough, it's late." "Everyone to bed, come on." "DAY 2" "Where's Montes?" "I haven't seen him all morning." "Don't you think he smelled of alcohol yesterday?" "Behind us, run." "Black hood." "Freddy!" " Shit!" " Are you all right?" "This is Freddy, my brother-in-law." "My sister Ros's husband." "Deputy Inspector Etxaide." "A pleasure." "Where were you racing off to?" " I got nervous when I saw you." " Why?" "I guess Rosaura has told you." "No, what's going on?" "The other day we had an argument." "She hasn't been home for a few days." " Are you all right?" " Well..." "Doing a lot of thinking." "Amaia?" "Víctor." "Hey!" "I'm off." "Take care." "Flora was going to come but she said she was too busy to leave the bakery." "You're speaking again?" "In a way." "We have a drink occasionally, bit by bit, you know." "How's James?" "He's fine, busy with the exhibition." " Say hello to him for me." " Of course." "Well, I'll leave you to it." "Now you know my brothers-in-law." "They're kind of different." "Long time, no see." "How are you, Flora?" "Busy." "You want a coffee?" "Yes." "Thanks." "Didn't you say you wanted to be a mother?" " I'm here on police business, Flora." " You?" "If you're the best they could send, we're in trouble." "I'm here to see you as an expert, not as a sister, so what you're going to see is secret and you mustn't tell anyone about it." "Not even the family." "It's police evidence." "A txantxigorri?" "This was at the crime scene?" "How do you know it?" "Where else does police evidence come from, inspector?" "Let me see." "Any chance it's poisoned?" "They analyzed it and it's clean." "Top quality ingredients." "Fresh and mixed in the right proportion." "Baked this week." "I doubt it's more than four days old." "From the color and porosity" "I'd say it was baked in a traditional wood oven." "How can you tell all that?" "Because I know how to do my job, inspector." "Apart from you, who else makes these cakes?" "Anyone who has the recipe." "It's no secret." "But everyone makes it their own way." "Does this one tell you anything?" "Yes." "Whoever made it knows what they're doing." "The balance in the proportions is admirable." "I need a list of all the stores, bakeries and patisseries in the valley who make them." "The only ones who make them with this quality are us," "Salinas in Tudela, Santa Marta in Vera and a bakery in Logroño." "Give me the most complete list you can, please, it's important." "The soonest I can do it is tomorrow." "You can imagine I have lots to do since our longsuffering sister went on sick leave." "Tomorrow is OK." "Are you Rosario's daughter?" "Aren't you Rosario's daughter?" "The one who moved to America because she didn't like the bakery?" "Yes, I'm Amaia." "I'm very sorry about your mother." "Thank you." "I want you to remember one thing." "When you find whoever is killing the girls, you know..." "Anne!" "Anne!" "Have you seen Anne, my daughter?" "Anne!" "I'm a policewoman, calm down." " Anne!" " What's happened?" "Calm down!" "I went to pick her up at school and she wasn't there." "Her friends told me she didn't go to class this morning." "Calm down, we're going to help you." "Jonan, another girl has disappeared." "Anything else, inspector?" "Be on the lookout for any anomaly you may see and tell us immediately." "You'll have the best idea if he knows the area or the way he operates." "You can count on us, inspector." "About those hairs that were on the bodies, if they're really from a bear you can be sure that they got there some other way." "There are remains that show the presence of large animals in the area, but there have been no reports of any bears coming down to the valley since 1700." "They could have been carried on a hunter's clothes or by another animal, but definitely not by a bear." "Or by a basajaun, Alberto?" "Don't fuck with me, Gorria." "Years ago he told me he'd seen a basajaun in the forest." "Now he's embarrassed to talk about it." "Here!" "Here!" "What is it?" "There's something here!" "Here!" "Thank you." "Shit!" "False alarm!" "False alarm!" "No, we'll focus our efforts on the Bidasoa river, but I want the patrols looking for a pair of shoes on the roadside." "No, Zabalza." "Not first thing tomorrow, immediately." "I'm operational 24 hours." "Rosaura, don't put so much ham there." " And did you enjoy it?" " Yes, a lot." "I've got them for a month." "Fears that the girl could be another victim of the Basajaun," " Lord, that's terrible." " The authorities fear the worst, as the girl has still not been found." "She told her parents she was visiting a friend after school." "Is this some kind of joke?" "They are crazy." "Has she appeared?" "Amaia, whose idea was it to call that killer "The Basajaun"?" "The media, I guess." "Basajaun means "lord of the forest" in Basque." "He's a protective creature who makes sure the balance of the forest remains intact." "He is harmony and collaboration." "Putting his name on a killer goes against nature." "What is a basajaun exactly?" "I'll tell you now." "A gigantic creature covered in hair." "A mythological being who protects the forests." " Like the bigfoot?" " Sort of." "But older." "Take good care of it, it's a first edition." "Of course." "ILLUSTRATED DICTIONARY OF BASQUE MYTHOLOGY" "Mom!" "Don't be so silly." "You'll be much cooler in the summer." "But, mom..." "Close your eyes and stop making a fuss." "Shut up!" "Don't make me nervous." "Anne?" "Anne!" "Anne!" "Anne!" "Anne!" "It's impossible!" "Fuck!" " Amaia!" " Rosaura, what are you doing here?" "Your shouting wakened me." "What's happened?" " Did you see a girl in a hood?" " No." "What is it?" "Jonan, Anne was outside my house." "Send patrols to look for her and tell her parents." "DAY 3" "Yes, Zabalza." "It doesn't make sense that she's in the town and doesn't go home." "That's right." "OK." "We swept the whole town and no one saw anything." "She was outside my house, she couldn't have vanished." " Someone must have seen her." " I don't know what to say, chief." "Say that they'll keep searching until they find her." "Of course, the patrols have been active since 5.00 a.m., but so far..." "What about the videos of the funerals?" "Iriarte and Zabalza have men checking them." "And Montes?" "He went to the station while we were at the cemetery." "He said hello to all the officers there, he left, and no one saw him again for the rest of the day." "Fuck, it would be good to know if we can count on him." "If he's got personal problems, he should say so and go back to Pamplona." "I agree." "We have to revise every case of men with a record for exhibitionism, stalking and prowling." "Men who lost their families violently, orphans, weirdos, loners..." "We have to build up a data base that includes every abuser in Baztn." "OK, chief." "We need to get all the cases over the last 20 years in Baztn where there is even one of the elements that make up this guy's M.O." "Yes..." "When someone has a ritual as precise as this, it's very likely they've rehearsed it before." "Alright." "Are they charging this to your room?" " Yes." " Then let's go." "I'll give you a list of bakeries." "Get a sample of flour from each one." "Have them analyzed and compared with the flour in the txantxigorri." "That way we'll know where..." "What is it?" "Let's go." " Inspector Salazar." " Dr. San Martín." "It's like seeing the other girls." "How long do you think she's been dead?" "I can't say for definite, but about 24 hours." "Montes!" " She's got two broken nails." " She fought." "With luck we can find her attacker's skin under her nails." "Halt!" "Who's there?" "What is it, Montes?" "There's someone there!" "Halt or I'll shoot!" " Fuck it, Fermín!" " What the hell is this?" "It's a coypu, a kind of South American otter." "A few years ago some of them escaped from a farm in France and they've adapted perfectly to this area." "Shit!" "I thought I saw someone." "A tall guy looking at me from the forest." "At least today you were here to see him." "She was pregnant, the shots killed her young." "Did she act strangely, out of the ordinary, the days prior to her disappearance?" "My daughter behaved like always." "Had she met anyone recently?" "A boy or a new girlfriend, maybe someone older than her." "No." "She always went around with the same friends, the girls from school and her cousins." "Her friends really loved her." "They often came here to do their homework." "And Anne would explain things they didn't understand." "That's why we weren't surprised that she went to a friend's house to revise for the exams." "Do you know if Anne took any kind of drugs?" "No drugs, no alcohol, nothing." "I know it's hard, but, really, if you try, can you remember if there was anyone new in her life, on the social networks, in class," " or anyone in the town?" " I told you no, nobody." "She had a totally normal life." "Was she dating anyone or was there an ex-boyfriend?" "She was very young." "Her friends had kissed boys, but... she told us she hadn't." "She even got nervous talking about it." "Do you need anything, inspector?" "We'll have to take her computer." "He removes their make-up as part of his ritual." "That's why none of them had any traces of make-up." "Not even Carla Huarte, who was killed on New Year's Eve." " Why does he do that?" " He's purifying them." "Look at this image of Mary's Immaculate Conception:" "Her hands are by her body in an attitude of surrender, palms upward, like the girls at the river." "He doesn't like that they grow up, that they become corrupted and dirty." "That's why he washes them in the river." "The guy is completely nuts." "So, he brings them to his house, he kills them, then he takes them to the river where he removes their make-up, strips them, lays them out, shaves their pubis and places the little cake." "He must be strong, he can carry a body down to the river." "He must carry them because they don't have any scrapes or scratches, and no girl in her right mind would go down to the river at night." "That rejection of youth doesn't fit with a young man." "Good thinking, Jonan." "But I don't think he kills them in his home." "I doubt the girls would go to a stranger's house." "Either he stalks them and attacks them, which doesn't seem likely, or he takes them in a large vehicle, a truck, that he uses afterwards for transporting the body." "In a town, everyone knows and trusts each other." "Getting into a neighbor's car wouldn't be so crazy." "That's right." "A man aged between 30 and 45, with a very strict education." "Perhaps he still lives with his parents, or maybe he was feral when he was young and created his own moral code which he now applies to the world." "If we're right and that's what's tormenting him, he won't stop until we catch him." "We only know she liked a boy." "She liked a boy?" "She never told you his name?" "No, she never said anything." "She was a slut." "She had everyone fooled with that innocent virginal image." "But she'd been dating a married guy for over a year." "She'd say she was going to a friend's house to study and she'd take off with him." "Did she tell you?" "Yes, she said he gave her presents, he screwed her everywhere and they had plans for the future." "Do you know who he is?" "I've got no idea." "She told me that it was something between them and they'd decided not to tell anyone." "How was her relationship with your teachers?" "Did she behave in class?" "Aunt.." "Hello." "Hello, sweetheart." " How are you?" " Fine." " And how are you?" " Tired." "I see..." "Aunt..." "Last night I thought I saw the missing girl at a time when she was already dead." "Did she say anything?" "No." "She looked at me and when I went up to her she left." "I see." "Who gave you that walnut?" "It was in the girl's coat." "Her pockets were full of them." "I see." "You know that walnuts symbolize the power of witches." "Inside its small brain, the witch gathers her evil desire, and when she gives it to someone to eat she is able to possess them, make them sick, erase their willpower or curse them." "You know I don't believe in such things." "Many of us don't believe until we see." "I was like that until one day I was lucky enough to see." "What did you see?" "When I was 16 I went to the forest every day to get firewood until it got dark." "One night, coming home, I heard his whistle." "I looked up and I thought I saw a very tall man, bare-chested and with long grey hair." "But when my eyes got used to the light" "I could see that it wasn't a man, it was a magic creature." "An extraordinary vision in front of me that seemed to be warning me of something." "I went closer to him and our eyes met for the most intense and relaxing instant I've ever lived." "Then he turned and disappeared through the trees." "The next day I went back there and I saw that if his whistle hadn't stopped me," "I would have fallen into a cave from which I could have never got out." "Do you understand?" "Do you understand, Amaia?" "The basajaun warned me." "He preferred to reveal himself rather than let me fall into the cave." "He helped me." "I know what you're thinking in that little head of yours." "The answer is yes, Amaia:" "I'm as sure of what I saw then as I'm sure now that I'm seeing you." "Have I ever let you down?" "Never." "And I'm not doing it now." "Cut." "No, aunt." "Some other day." " I promise." " All right." " Here, sweetheart." " Thanks." "CONCERN FOR THE MISSING GIRL IN ELIZONDO" "There, there." "It's all right." "She told me to put it on." "And the shoes." "You know what?" "I'm going to talk to Aunt Engrasi and she'll see to your clothes." "Would you like that?" "Here." "This is for you, to buy whatever you want." "Mom will take it from me and scold you." "Not if she doesn't find it, love." "That's why you have the key of the bakery now." "Your key." "There it goes." "Keep your money here and you can come and get it while mom is in the house." "If you always close the door and don't spend it all at once," " your mother will never realize." " Thank you, dad." "Don't be afraid of mom, little bitch." "I'm not going to eat you today." "What do remember exactly?" "DAY 4" "I know that a foreign girl was found dead, with lots of candy scattered on top of her." "And I seem to remember that she'd been raped." "You seem to remember?" "It should be in here." "Our profile doesn't include rape or sexual assault." "Don't pay too much attention to the reports from back then." "At that time detectives had a pretty basic training and there were none of the new scientific advances." "What do you mean?" "If the semen was visible, there was semen." "If it wasn't visible, there wasn't." "If the panties had been pulled down, that meant sexual violence." "It was all very rudimentary." "Follow me." "When did the case of the girl and the candy happen?" "Do you remember anything else?" "It was 14 years ago." "At that time I was the head of the National Police and the investigation was carried out in my station." "The girl's name was Teresa Klas." "The autopsy said she'd been abused, but like I said, the reports back then were very relative." "Why do you remember it so well?" "Well..." "I used part of that case for "Intruders from the Sewer"." "What?" "My first novel." "The first one I wrote with Jaime Cajigas as the protagonist." "Destino Editions published the whole saga." "It's one of the few novels I wrote that ends well." "People love it when things end well, although that doesn't always happen." "No, take them." "Do you remember where the girl had the candy?" "No." "Yes, on her legs." "We presumed they fell out of her purse when she was strangled." " She was strangled?" " Yes." "Were her hands placed in any special way?" "No." "But I remember we were surprised that she had two very neat pigtails." "The body had been dragged through the forest and was in a terrible state, but her hair was very tidy, as if the pigtails had been done there." "We found another neatly combed girl a few months later:" "Another neatly combed girl two months later, left by the river at a campsite near Vera de Bidasoa." "Did you find any more neatly combed girls?" "Really, I have it all around here..." "It might seem a bit disorganized, but I have an exact map in here of everything and where it is." "Was there an arrest or a suspect?" "Never." "There were no clues and no suspects." "We questioned everyone." "The girls' friends, ex-boyfriends, families, teachers, neighbors, but we never found anyone." "In fact we couldn't even prove that the deaths were related." "There were obvious patterns, but they were scattered all over the province which made it very difficult." "Be sure to read it." "What is it?" "Víctor." "He seems to think we should celebrate our anniversary even though we're separated." "Yesterday I waited until late for you." "You know that another girl was found." "It's heart-warming that you go to those girls' funerals, but you don't visit mom." "What's the use?" "None at all, now." "Mantecadas Salazar isn't here." "It's just police routine." " What do you need?" " A sample of the bakery's flour." "You'll have it in an hour." "You can send your squire to collect it." "Having the key doesn't mean you can walk in here when you want." "She isn't having a good day." "I've just finished restoring this marvel." "I suggested Flora we take it out for a spin when the rain stops falling and she told me she can't waste the time." "I'm sorry." "Excuse me." "Yes, Jonan." "What?" "Freddy, it's Amaia." "My God, Freddy!" "Freddy!" "Wait!" "Hold on, Freddy!" "Hold on!" "Hold on!" " Amaia!" " Jonan, in here, hurry!" "Cut it!" "Hurry up!" "You hold him?" "He's alive!" "He's alive!" "Call an ambulance!" "This is deputy inspector Etxaide!" "I need an ambulance." "17 National Road 2540." "17 National Road 2540, KM 15.400." "It's an emergency." "I LOVE YOU, ANNE." "I'LL ALWAYS LOVE YOU." "He has no drag abrasions, or defense wounds or bruising." "It seems clear that Mr. Belarrain tried to take his own life." "And the cut on his hand?" "All I can say is that it's very recent, but it certainly doesn't seem like a defense wound." "Thank you." "Did you know he was having an affair with Anne Arbizu?" "I knew he was seeing someone, but I didn't know who it was." "Freddy is lazy and useless, but he's no killer, Amaia." "I know, but I need facts that prove it, and he can't make a statement." "Hello, Ángel." "I need to talk to you for a minute." "I'm here because of Freddy." "He's in trouble." "I need you to tell me if you were together last night." "We learned he was having an affair with Anne Arbizu, the last girl to be found dead." "Once the news comes out he'll be accused." "Your help is essential for his alibi, both for last night and also the days the other girls disappeared." "Freddy could never hurt anyone, you know him." "I know." "And he isn't bright enough to do all that on his own." "I need to prove it with facts." "I need to know where you were last night and if anyone saw you." "We were in the Rosso." " And in the hospital." " The hospital?" "I went to see him and he was kind of weird." "I took him to the Rosso for a drink." "But he was in a bad way, hung up on some girl he called a hundred times." "I don't know who she was." "Then he went into the washroom and punched the mirror and cut his hand." "So I took him to the hospital." "He was bleeding badly and I was freaked out." "Thank you, Ángel." "So has Freddy been arrested?" "He's in Intensive Care." "He tried to kill himself." "And you tell me now?" "I don't know which is better, Amaia, that you left without a word or seeing what you've become." "I need you to go personally to Freddy and Ros's house, take a flour sample and analyze it with the rest." "And send someone to take Ángel Ostolaza's statement." "Jonan..." "Thank you so much." "DAY 5" "He's one of the kids who found her." "He told his father and the man came to check it out." "How long have you been bringing flowers?" "A week.." "This way." " Inspector Salazar." " Dr. San Martín." "Johana Mrquez. 15." "Born in Santo Domingo." "She came to Spain aged 4, and to Lekaroz aged 8, when her mother got remarried to another Dominican." "She had problems with them and she ran away a few times, so it seemed be more of the same." "Her mother reported her disappearance several days ago." "Why didn't we know about it?" "She reported it to the Civil Guard in Lekaroz, and you know how it goes." "So we never hear when things are reported to the Civil Guard?" "What kind of collaboration is that?" "I'll see that it doesn't happen again." "I'd like to think that." "She entered the emphysematous stage a few days ago." "I'll confirm it at the autopsy, but I'd say she's been dead for a week." "Some of these are fresh but a lot are older." "The kid confessed that they found her days ago and they kept coming to watch over her and bring flowers." "The arm was amputated with a very sharp object, she has blows on her face, scratches, a punch, and those bruises on her neck were made by two thumbs." "He strangled her with his hands." "The rope is different from the one on the other girls." "And she was raped." "And there's no cake on her pubis." "This killer isn't the one we're looking for." "He read about the other deaths and he's trying to disguise his crime." "The autopsy will confirm it." "The judge should be here soon." "Are you the lady investigating the basajaun crimes?" "Yes, that's right." "My name is Inés Lorenzo." "I'm Johana's mom." "I'm very sorry about what happened to your daughter." "You know that the basajaun didn't kill my little girl, don't you?" "And that she's been dead for a week." "I know who killed her." "His name is Jason Medina." "Really, I knew it all the time, but I didn't want to believe it." "Did he tell you?" "He was obsessed with her." "He put a tracer on her phone but the day she disappeared he said he'd removed it." "That was a lie." "He killed her." "Who is Jason Medina, Inés?" "How does he know your daughter?" "Jason is my husband." "Locate Jason Medina immediately." " You have to find him." " We'll do that." "You should hurry." "This morning he went off to the mountains." "He knows the whole valley, he worked there as a shepherd." "That's how he knew the hut in the forest." "If he knows the valley, he can cross it without being seen and get to France crossing the Muga in the Pyrenees." "Inés, do you know who employed your husband as a shepherd?" " It was Mr. Paco, here's his number." " Thank you." "Inés..." "You're a very brave woman." "Brave, but without my daughter, ma'am." "Jason wasn't her birth father." "At first he loved her, but when my little girl started to grow up, he started to look at her differently." "And he stopped saying "our daughter", he said "your daughter"." "I'm so sorry." "I've got them." "The officers who looked at the films of the funerals didn't find any suspects." "The flour samples from all the bakeries are in the lab." "We'll have the results in 48 hours." "Including those from your sisters." "Are you all right?" "Yes, yes.." "Remember the incrustations on the rope used on Ainhoa Elizasu?" "It turns out that it's goat skin." "Goat skin?" "And that's not the most important thing." "I've just made some coffee." "There are seven cases with similar characteristics to the present crimes." "None of them was solved and no attacker was ever found, but with all the differences they could have been by different people." "Or by someone who acted differently on each occasion." "Someone who now wants to reclaim what he'd practiced." "It's someone who's repeating his ritual down to the last detail." "The case that Alfonso mentioned was the first one, 14 years ago." "Teresa Klas, the girl with the candy scattered between her legs and her hair perfectly combed." "He started 14 years ago, moved by anger, protesting against the perversion and debauchery of the girls in the valley." "That's why the first deaths are the most violent." "He thought what he was doing was just, but he may have felt guilty." "But after a while it didn't seem so bad, he reflected, he did it again, and he liked it." "He was doing a social good." "But years later he got blocked." "He was doing something that satisfied him or that eased his inner rage." "Why do you say that?" "For 7 years there were no victims." "Maybe he was in prison for a minor offense." "Maybe he got into drugs or alcohol." "The fact is he stopped and didn't kill again until a year ago." "A year?" "Remember the girl who fell off a cliff while hiking in Peñas de Aya?" "Yes." "What's that got to do with it?" "When they found her, her hair was combed, and look at the position of her hands." "Isn't it too much of a coincidence that she was smashed on the rocks but her hair was combed and her hands turned upwards?" "7 years later he feels the impulse again, something unleashes his anger and he has a mission again." "Perhaps he didn't plan it beforehand, but he liked what he was feeling again." "He thinks, he perfects his ritual, he kills again and now he wants people to know he's doing it." "And that explains the elaborate staging." "Now his work has a meaning and he wants everyone to know what it is." "Now it's a warning." "No, it's not a warning." "It's a threat." "Get the newspapers from the days of those murders, and from the 3 days before and after." "We need information on each town." "Markets, fairs, auctions, circuses, plays, exhibitions..." "Whatever was happening in those towns and round about." "Very well." "If each girl was killed in a different town and the killer was passing through, maybe he didn't choose the places at random, maybe there's something that links all those places and that could give us a clue." "It's obvious that this person is clever, but perhaps years ago he wasn't quite so clever." "Good work, Jonan." "Amaia, it's me." "Aunt..." "Do you know what you're going to ask?" "What you must know will be revealed and whatever remains dark belongs in the darkness." "Very well." "Cut with your left hand." "Give me three." " What do you want to ask?" " What's he looking for?" "What is who looking for?" " Please, ask the question properly." " Sorry." "The girls' killer." "What is he looking for when he kills?" "He's on a mission." "He has a job to do and he's committed to it because it gives meaning to his life and extinguishes his fury." "Give me three." "Tell me about his past." "He was suppressed, enslaved, but now he is free." "He thinks he's administering justice." "When he kills he is the guardian of purity." "Give me three." "Where is he?" "He's very close." "Anything else I should know about him?" "There is another element in the game infinitely more dangerous." "That element is your enemy and it's coming after you and your family." "After me?" "What does it want with me?" "It wants your bones, Amaia." "Who is it?" "Aunt, who is it?" "Aunt..." "Wait!" "Hello." "All right." " Hello." " Good morning." "Go ahead." "DAY 6" ""ALL FOR THE COUNTRY"" "A forest ranger found him early this morning, lying unconscious on a forest trail." "I tried to kiss her in the car but she wouldn't let me." "Then I hit her and she passed out." "I started to abuse her, but she woke up and hit me." "Then I hit her." "And she hit me." "And the more I hit her, the more aroused I got." "Then I started squeezing her throat until she stopped moving." "You killed her, Jason." " What did you do next?" " I carried her body to the hut." "I put her there like I'd read in the paper that the basajaun does." "Did you abuse the body?" "I didn't want to." "But I had to undress her and I got really aroused." "I knew it wasn't right, but I couldn't help it." "For Christ's sake!" "Where did you get the rope?" "I had it in the car from when I put up the clothesline at home." "Why did you cut off her arm, with what, and where is it?" "What?" "Why did you cut off Johana's arm and what did you use to do it?" "Why would I cut off her arm?" "Mr. Medina, what makes a father abuse his own daughter?" "I only ask God to forgive me and have mercy on my soul." "For God the concept of time doesn't exist, and while you're asking for mercy he's seeing you raping your daughter." "Let's go." "One last thing, inspector." "Who carried me to the trail where they found me this morning?" "Last night I went to sleep in the forest." "I kind of remember someone carrying me in his arms." " Mr. Flores." " I'm sorry." "You wanted to know if we saw anything strange in the valley." "Yes." "Has something happened?" "Yesterday we were in the forest and we heard a strange whistling." "We followed it up to a crag and when we got to the top it stopped." "We looked around and in the distance we saw the figure of a man going down to some caves with a sack on his back." "We went down to talk to him, but when we got down he had disappeared." "We hadn't heard anyone leaving, no sound of a car or a motorbike, nothing." "He just disappeared." "Thank you." "Have a good Saturday." "You too." "Are you saying that it's their fault?" "These things don't happen to nice girls who are home by 10." "Are you listening to yourself, Flora?" "Don't act all surprised now." "You of all people." " Me?" " Yes, you." " We've talked about this many times." " I can't believe it." "I'm sick of seeing how they dress, how they behave, how they move." " They look like sluts." " Flora, please!" "Aunt, you've seen them even in the square." "All day straddling the boys, sitting with their legs spread." "It's like they're asking for it." "I'm not surprised they end up like this." "Are you justifying someone killing those girls?" "No." "I just say that death doesn't turn a slut into a saint." "Flora, Johana was raped and killed by her father." "Her father." "She was a nice girl who was home by 10." "She was killed by someone who was supposed to protect her." "That man is a bastard and nothing can justify what he did." "Has he confessed?" "Now look." "What's going on in the valley can't be justified in any way." "And that's an end to it." "There's to be no more arguing." " Sorry, aunt." " Thank you." "There's salad and lamb in the kitchen." "Thank you, I'm not hungry." "Alright, dessert time, then." "I shouldn't say this, but these are really exquisite." "Txantxigorris!" "I love them!" "They smell wonderful." "Will you try one, Amaia?" "I made them thinking of you." "You know I don't like sweet things." "Maybe you're pregnant." "Don't be so insensitive." "Amaia has been dealing with some very unpleasant things these last few days." "Amaia has come here to protect all of us." " Amaia protecting us?" " Yes, protecting us." "The one she should have protected was mom when she got sick, but she ran off searching for a new life." "And how could she do that?" "Because Ros and I stayed here to carry on the family business." "You're welcome, Amaia." "So don't tell me she's the savior who's come to protect us." "I offered to send money for the clinic." " Money." " Yes, money." "I was the one who spoon-fed her," "I bathed her," "I put her to bed," "I changed her diapers every night like she was... the child I could never have." "And you were off somewhere living your life and Ros walked her in the park for an hour and felt like she'd done her bit." "This isn't the time for this conversation." "Oh, no, sis?" "Are you on sick leave from talking too?" "Flora!" "That's enough." "I should have never let you put mom in the clinic." "If I'd treated her pneumonia at home, this wouldn't have happened, but no one listened to me" "and it all ended badly." "No one asked you to be the family's martyr heroine." "You're the one who decided that, so you could have an arsenal of reproaches to throw at us." "Flora, what happened to your mother was sad, but you can't hold Amaia responsible for her dying in a clinic." "Is that what you're saying happened to mom?" "You dare say that our mother is dead?" "For me, she is." "You're evil." "You're an evil, manipulative witch." "I'm very sorry." "Yes, Jonan." "I'm on my way." "None of the samples of flour analyzed matches the one in the txantxigorris." " You're 100% certain?" " 100%." "The analyses were done with two samples from each batch, to be certain." "We just have to send you the results of the last sample, the one we received later." " When do you think you'll have them?" " Within the hour." "I didn't want to wait for them before giving you the results from the other bakeries." "Thank you." "Montes." "On a Saturday?" "What are you doing?" "Appropriating evidence relative to an investigation is a crime." "What are you talking about, Salazar?" "About the analyses of the flour you've just passed to the manager of one of the bakeries being investigated." "You've got a lot explain." "You'll have to come with us to the station." "If you want to question me, you'll have to arrest me." "You're screwing up, Amaia." "You're making a mistake." "Flora Salazar, you are under arrest for appropriating evidence regarding an investigation." "You have the right to remain silent." "You have the right to a lawyer." "And you have the right to one call." "Please, accompany me to the car." "Why didn't you give us the flour you use in the bakery, Flora?" "I don't know what you mean." "The sample you left for us isn't the kind you use in the bakery." "I must have made a mistake." "We change our flour constantly." "And your supplier too?" "What are you accusing me of?" "Of giving you a more recent flour?" "Is that my crime?" "Why don't you bring in my manager too?" "He's the one who collected it." "We spoke to him, he said that you gave him the sample." "Those are the results of the flour that Rosaura had at home." "We both know that Rosaura uses flour from the bakery, so those are the results you would have had if you'd given us the correct sample." "The flour from Rosaura's house is the same one used in the txantxigorris on the girls' bodies." "They were made with flour from Mantecadas Salazar." "Remember that I collaborated with the police." "I analyzed the txantxigorri that you brought me and made a list of bakeries that could have made it, just as you asked." "So I'm asking you once more." "What are you accusing me of?" "What were you trying to hide by giving us a different flour?" "Perhaps subconsciously I wanted to protect the family business and the publication of my next book." "I don't know." "A lot of workers take flour from the bakery." "Perhaps I didn't want to be implicated if, by some chance, that flour ended up in those txantxigorris." "Is that so serious?" "Tell me!" "It was a subconscious business mistake." " It's obstruction of justice." " Involuntary." "You used Montes to get information about the case." "Before I met up with him, you had already involved me." "Also, my dear sister, what I do with my personal life is no business of yours." "Inspector Salazar, I need to speak to you." " Of course, sir." " Now." "Sit down, inspector." "A 16-year-old girl has disappeared in Berroeta." "What are we waiting for?" "Sit down, Salazar, please." "We're taking care of that." "I've learned that you hid the fact that your brother-in-law Alfredo Belarrain was having an affair with Anne Arbizu until you managed to exonerate him." "Your sister Flora tried to fool us by providing a sample of flour different from the one used in her bakery." "And if that weren't enough, the analyses have shown that the flour from your sister Rosaura's house is the same as the one used in the cakes found on the victims." "Don't you know that with your family's direct implication the evidence would never be valid in a trial?" "Yes, I know that, captain." "Then what are you waiting for?" "The only option we have for the evidence to be accepted as valid is for you to remove yourself from the case." " Captain, listen to me..." " This conversation is over, Salazar." "The facts speak for themselves." "Inspector Montes will take charge of the investigation." "Inspector Montes has been taking information regarding the investigation and passing it to Flora, with whom he is also having a personal relationship." "From what he has just stated, he was investigating a suspect." "You sent for me, sir?" "Yes, come in, Montes." "Captain Salazar has decided to remove herself voluntarily from the case." "So you'll be heading the investigation." "Montes." "Ask Mr. Flores for the location of the caves where he saw someone suspicious." "It could be a useful lead." "Stop telling me how to do my job, Salazar." "Yes, ask everyone, we need to find that girl right now." " There's no time to waste." "Let's go!" " Hold on a minute." "Everyone out now!" "Aloisius." "Amaia Salazar." "What are you doing here?" "I just came looking for something." " There's nothing of yours here." " Yes." "Are you stealing from your own family?" "It's mine, I saved it up." "This is too much money for you." "Anyway, if it's yours, why don't you keep it at home?" " Why do you have a key to the bakery?" " Dad gave it to me." "Your father always spoils you and lets you have your own way." "He's going to ruin you." "I bet he gave you the money so you could buy this rubbish!" "Don't start crying like an idiot." "I'm doing all this for your own good, because I love you." " You don't love me." " What did you say?" " You don't love me." " I don't?" "No, you don't." "You hate me." "I don't love you?" "You little bitch!" "You don't!" "You've never loved me!" "What happened?" "Rosario." "Are you all right?" "Rosario!" "And Amaia?" "Where's Amaia?" "Where's Amaia?" "Where is she?" "Amaia!" "Amaia!" "Amaia!" "Amaia!" "Amaia!" "Amaia!" "No!" "No..." "No..." "Amaia, please." "Please!" "No, no!" "Please!" "No, no, no!" "She was very lucky." "The flour formed a crust that covered the wounds, and stopped her bleeding to death." "Will she be all right?" "As a doctor, I should report what happened tonight, but I know the harm it would do to your family." "However, as a friend" "I'm saying get her out of your house and far away from your wife." "If the child continues to live near her, her life is in serious danger." "Is there no possibility that it was an accident?" "Rosario came..." "She went to get you so you could be her accomplice because she knew that you'd believe her." "She went to get you because she thought the child was already dead." "Juan, your wife needs treatment urgently, and the first part of that treatment is to get Amaia away from her tonight." "The child has two broken fingers in what is obviously a defensive wound from trying to stop the first blow with her hand." "But the most disturbing blow is the second one." "Your wife hit her when she was already unconscious." "She hit her to make sure she was dead." "Welcome home, darling." "We're nearly there." "It's the next pavilion." "Are you the daughter who lives away from here?" "Yes." "Be careful when you wake her if she's asleep." "She might be startled." "This way." "Mom..." "Mom..." "Do you... have anything to do with what's happening to those girls?" "Bitch." "Bitch!" "Amaia Salazar?" "Yes." "I'm Dr. Basterra." "I'm sorry that on your first visit you see your mother in this state." "We had to use restraints after the attack." "What attack?" "I thought you'd know about it." "Your mother attacked a nurse the other day." "What?" "Yes, while the girl was changing her." "She sank her fingers into her eyes, she bit her face" "and tore off several pieces of flesh which she swallowed." "I informed your sister Flora and she authorized the sedation and the restraints." "She said she would tell you, and give you all the details." "What details?" "While she was attacking the girl she kept saying your name." "She said it over and over." ""Amaia, Amaia, Amaia"." "Just as well your brother-in-law arrived earlier that day." "He can always calm her down." "My brother-in-law?" "Yes, the one who visits every week." "He always brings flowers." "Oh, my God!" "BODY OF MISSING GERMAN TOURIST FOUND IN BAZTÁN VALLEY" "SIGNS OF VIOLENCE ON THE BODY" "IDOIA TENA FOUND DEAD IN VERA DE BIDASOA" "Flora." "MISSING GIRL FROM ZIGA FOUND DEAD" "SONIA EDROSO FOUND DEAD" "OVER 30 MOTORBIKE COLLECTORS IN BAZTÁN VALLEY" "Víctor!" "How far are we?" "We're almost there." "Not much." "This is the place!" "I'm on my way to his house." "The last one going up by Bertiz Erreka." "I'm leaving now." "Wait for me." " Call Montes and tell him." " OK." "But don't go in alone." "I should call Iriarte and Zabalza." "There's no signal in this area, inspector." "If you want to talk to them, we'll have to go back." "This is the answering service of Fermín Montes, of the Navarra Police..." "Amaia!" "Amaia!" "That way." "Amaia!" "I'm at Victor's house, chief, but he isn't here." "I don't know where to go." "Call me, please." "Shit!" "Be careful!" "What the hell is this?" "There are more over there." "Fuck!" "Mom!" "Mom!" "Why do you always have to interfere, Amaia?" "Where is she, Víctor?" "Upstairs, waiting for me." "She got into my van without even hesitating." "Even though she barely knows me and with all that's happening." "I offered her a lift and she got in, just like any whore." "I stopped the van upriver, but there was too much movement." "Even the forest seemed to have eyes." "So I decided to come home and today I had to bake again." "Were you in the kitchen?" "Did you smell them?" "Yes, I did." "They're asking for it, Amaia." "Always provoking men." "Destroying the valley with their drugs, their music and their sex." "Someone has to teach them about tradition, purity and respect for your roots." "What Flora always defended." "And what your mother always did." "They're just children, Víctor." " You think they're children." " They are children." "That Anne was the worst of them all." "She offered herself to me like a whore." "And when I was finishing with her she looked into my eyes and cursed me, the bitch." "Laughing." "Even when she was dead, I couldn't get the smile off her face." "She scares you." "Is that why she isn't with the other girls?" "Because she scares you." "None of them scare me." "Police, I'm here to help you." "If we keep waiting for you to catch him, the valley will be covered with dead girls." "Are you all right?" "14 years ago he killed his first victim:" "Teresa Klas." "He thought her morals were a threat to the stability of the valley." "His guilt drove him to drink to try to control his impulses." "But he ended up giving way to them, convincing himself he was doing good." "A good that would become his mission." "WEEKS LATER" "Over the next six years he killed 8 girls, without following any pattern, so we never thought it was the same killer." "But there were certain elements that would later form his modus operandi." " I'll see you at home, okay?" " Are you sure?" " I'll see you now." " Okay." "8 years ago he met the woman who would become his wife:" "Flora Salazar." "That relationship eased his anger and for 7 years he didn't kill again." "But the marriage failed and his anger returned." "Then he killed Sonia Edroso almost on impulse, but he couldn't resist carrying out part of his ritual, repressed for so long." "This time guilt had the opposite effect, and he had to reaffirm his mission:" "restore purity to the valley." "Unlike in previous years, he now wanted his message to be known, so he perfected the staging of the crime and enjoyed it." "He thought that, in that way, he'd get his wife's pardon and respect." "Carla Huarte," "Ainhoa Elizasu and Anne Arbizu were his last victims" "here in Elizondo." "Is your sister Flora available?" "We're going to need her statement." "24 hours a day, sir." "Also, Inspector Montes has found a cave that seems to be connected with the case." "But it's a mystery we are still working on." " Inspector?" " Yes, that's right." "We found the bones of several victims who have still not been identified." "They date from before Víctor's crimes, but among them we found bones from his victims and also Johana Mrquez's missing arm, which obviously hadn't been amputated by him or by the girl's stepfather." "It will take us time to determine the origin of those bones, but as far as Víctor is concerned," "the case is closed." "Very good work, Inspector." "Thank you, sir." "She'll hate that we're celebrating its publication without her." "To my mother Rosario, the true guardian of the purity of the Baztn Valley." "I don't think Amaia gathered us here for that." "Then, why?" " I thought so." " What is it?" "You should do it." "Well..." "In a few months there'll be a new family member." " Are you sure?" " Have I ever lied to you?" "Never." "Sweetheart!" "Thank you." " I'm so happy." " Sister!" "THE INVISIBLE GUARDIAN"