Offering to the Storm
Page 45
The fourth was to James.
For the first few days, she had listened to her aunt’s attempts to explain, to reassure him each time he called. Then she had simply stopped. And now, phone in hand, she felt her strength wane, as she faced the most difficult moment of her life.
He picked up immediately.
‘Hello, Amaia.’ His voice was as warm and gentle as ever, although she could sense his anxiety.
‘Hello, James,’
‘Are you coming?’ he asked, his directness taking her aback. This was the same question he had asked each time they spoke since he left.
She took a deep breath.
‘The seminars at Quantico begin in two days’ time, and, as they’ve agreed for me to take part, yes, James, I will be going.’
‘That’s not what I asked,’ he replied. ‘Are you coming?’
‘James, so much has happened. I think we need to talk.’
‘Amaia, all I need to hear you say is that you’re coming to join me, and that we’ll be going home together. That’s all I need to know. Are you coming?’
She closed her eyes, surprised to find the tears welling up again.
‘Yes,’ she replied.
It had grown dark by the time she received the call she had been expecting.
‘Is it nighttime already in Baztán, Inspector Salazar?’
‘Yes.’
‘Now I need your help …’
Footnotes
Chapter 5
fn1 Bees, bees / The master died today / Bees, bees / We need candles for the church
Chapter 30
fn1 The naughty witch is on her broomstick / She has a dirty backside, and a pointy hat / Witch, witch with the dirty backside / Are you a fool? / I bet you can’t catch me!
Author’s Note
Since The Invisible Guardian was first published in January 2013, people have often asked me about the origins of the novel; what, if anything, influenced me to write The Baztán Trilogy. I invariably reply that the novels contain much of what has shaped me as a person: I grew up in a matriarchal family, and, happily, my childhood was steeped in the mythological world that lives on, under various guises, in the Baztán Valley, as in few other places. From a literary point of view, following a criminal investigation from beginning to end is something that fascinates me, and this was the genre of novel I wanted to read, and to write. The germ of the idea for this particular book though …
This came from a brief, disturbing news item I read filled with suffering, injustice and dread, which I couldn’t shake off; it haunted my memory like an ever-present phantom. The incident vanished from the press as discreetly as it had appeared, and despite digging around I could find no further references to the shocking case. A veil of silence seemed to settle over the declaration of a repentant witness, who claimed he had participated in the ritual killing of a fourteen-month-old baby girl. The event had taken place in a farmhouse in the Navarre region thirty years before (I chose the date as Amaia Salazar’s birthday). The witness claimed that the baby’s parents had given her up in sacrifice then disposed of her body, and that afterwards the members of the sect had made a solemn pact of silence, which endured until that day.
“The girl’s name was Ainara, and she was fourteen months old when she was murdered. Little else is known about her”. That sentence, taken from the original article, remained engraved on my memory, and gradually Ainara started to acquire everything that had been denied her: a face, small pale hands, the saddest eyes in the world, and her first hesitant steps. Added to the memory of this girl I never knew was the terrible realisation that the people who should have loved and protected her were precisely those who had hurt her. Not to mention the injustice of a forgotten name, the outrage of being denied a proper tomb, the violence of snuffing out a young life, and the justifying of the act as part of a ritual of faith, a sinister religion, a supernatural cult of evil worship.
This story is based on that news item, on a handful of facts and many uncertainties. My intention with the novel wasn’t to offer a plausible theory as to what might have happened, but rather to emphasise the power such beliefs have to motivate heinous acts which, alas, do not belong to the world of fiction, but are all too real. Immoral creeds that feed off the blood of innocents. Evil people, not bad people, plain evil.
Ainara’s memory is present on every page of my book; I visited the place where she lived out her short life, unloved from the day she was born until her death. I searched for any reference to the crime, wondering a thousand times over who the mysterious witness might be. Finally, while I was writing The Legacy of the Bones, I managed to get an interview with the person in charge of the investigation, which, due to the large numbers of people involved from all over Spain, has been declared secret. With the exception of the informant, all the other sect members have kept their vow of silence about their diabolical pact all these years.
At the time of writing, the investigation in to Ainara’s death remains open.
Acknowledgements
My thanks to the Navarre Police and in particular to the Elizondo Unit for being true to their motto, which I have adopted for myself: KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!
Also to Iñaki Cía for his collaboration and kindness, and above all for his admirable hard work and dedication; and to Patxi Salvador whose advice on ballistics and explosives has turned me into a lethal weapon.
Thanks to the captain of the Guardia Civil Judicial Police in Pamplona and his team for their generous, invaluable assistance.
My heartfelt thanks to my friend Silvia Sesé for also being my editor.
Thank you to my friend Alba Fité (my ‘fixer’) for being so damned efficient.
To my dear Anna Soler-Pont, my agent, for being the one who takes most care of me, for being my bad cop, my advice-giver.
To José Ortega de Unoynueve for mentoring me in all things computer-related. I am starting to understand!
To Fernando from El Casino in Elizondo for sharing the beauty of rituals and customs that shouldn’t be forgotten.
To the companies Amalur and 24/7 that specialise in trauma and crime scene cleaning for explaining to me the ins and outs of their difficult job.
Thank you to the Baztan Retailers Association, Bertan Baztan, for your generosity and your good work.
Thanks to Special Agent John Foster.
And, last but by no means least, thanks to the Lady, to Mari, for inspiring me to sow this seed, and for the bounty of her magnificent harvest.
It takes just one word to stir the ghosts of the past
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Shortlisted for the CWA International Dagger
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About the Author
Dolores Redondo was born in Donostia-San Sebastián in 1969, where she studied Law and Gastronomy. Her novel, The Invisible Guardian, was published in Spain in 2013, with rights sold in thirty-one languages. It was chosen as ‘Best Crime Novel of the Year’ by the major Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia and over 1,000,000 readers turned the Detective Inspector Amaia Salazar series into one of Spain’s biggest literary successes in recent years. Offering to the Storm is the third book in the series and went straight to No.1 in Spain and was adapted for film by the producers of The Killing and Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy.
Dolores Redondo currently lives and writes in the Ribera Navarra area of Spain.
Also by Dolores Redondo
The Invisible Guardian
The Legacy of the Bones
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