The Invisible Guardian (El guardián invisible)

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 Baztán?

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