Dolores Redondo - The Legacy of the Bones

Monsignor Landero was one of those people who can’t keep their hands still while they speak. Picking up a pen, he began to twirl it in his pale, slender fingers, until all eyes were focused on him. However, to everyone’s astonishment, Father Sarasola spoke first.

‘I’m grateful for your interest in this case, which both involves and concerns us,’ he said, turning to face the company, without moving from the window. ‘I’m aware that you went to Arizkun yesterday when the, shall we say “attack”, took place, so I assume you’ve been informed about the spate of previous incidents. All the same, permit me to run through them once more with you. Two weeks ago, in the dead of night, exactly like yesterday, somebody broke into the chapel through the sacristy door. It’s an ordinary door with a simple lock and no alarm, so it didn’t present much of a problem. However, instead of behaving like common thieves, pilfering money from the donation box, the intruders with a single blow, split in two the baptismal font: a work of art over four centuries old. Last Sunday night, they broke in again, took an axe to one of the pews, reducing it to a pile of fragments the size of my hand. And yesterday they desecrated the temple a third time, setting fire to the altar, and placing beneath it that atrocious offering.’

Amaia noticed the parish priest fidgeting anxiously in his seat, while Deputy Inspector Etxaide wore the same frown she had seen the morning before.

‘We live in turbulent times,’ Sarasola went on, ‘and of course, more often than we would like, churches suffer acts of desecration, most of which go unreported to avoid any copycat crime. Although the way some of them are staged is quite spectacular, few possess such a dangerous element as in this latest case.’

Amaia listened carefully, suppressing the urge to interrupt. Try as she might, she couldn’t understand what importance all this had, beyond the destruction of a four-hundred-year-old liturgical object. And yet she was curious to see what direction this unusual meeting would take; the attendance of the city’s highest police and Church authorities was an indication of how seriously they viewed these incidents. And this priest, Father Sarasola, was seemingly in control, despite the presence of the Archbishop, to whom he scarcely paid any attention.

‘We believe that these acts demonstrate a hatred towards the Church based on a misinterpretation of historical concepts. The fact that the most recent attack entailed the use of human remains leaves us in no doubt as to the complexity of the case. Needless to say, we count on your discretion; in our experience, nothing good ever comes of giving publicity to such matters. Not to mention the concern this would arouse among the parishioners of San Juan Bautista, who are shrewd enough to understand the significance of these attacks and liable to be very disturbed by this sort of thing.’

The Commissioner took the floor:

‘You have my assurance that we shall proceed with the utmost care and discretion. Inspector Salazar’s abilities as a detective and her knowledge of the area make her the best person to lead this investigation; she will look into the case with her team.’

Amaia glanced uneasily at her boss, barely managing to stifle a protest.

‘I’m sure you will,’ Father Sarasola replied, turning to Amaia. ‘I’ve heard excellent things about you. I know you were born in the valley and that you’re the right person to investigate this case. I trust you will proceed with sensitivity and care while resolving this delicate matter.’

Amaia didn’t reply, but took the opportunity to examine more closely this Armani-suited priest, who impressed her less by what he knew about her than by the influence he seemed to wield over the company, including the Archbishop, who had agreed with all Father Sarasola’s statements, without the priest having turned to him once to seek his approval.

As soon as they stepped through the door into Plaza Santa María, Amaia addressed her superior.

‘Commissioner, I think—’

‘I’m sorry, Salazar,’ he interrupted. ‘I know what you’re going to say, but my hands are tied. Father Sarasola holds a senior position at the Vatican. So get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible and move on.’

‘I understand that, sir, but I have no idea where to start or what to expect. I simply don’t think this case is right for my team.’

‘You heard what he said, they want you.’

He climbed into his car, leaving her with a frown on her face, gazing at Jonan, who was chuckling.

‘Can you believe it?’ she exclaimed. ‘Inspector Salazar’s skills as a detective and her knowledge of the area make her the best person to investigate this case of vandalism vulgaris . Can someone explain to me what went on in there?’

Jonan was still chuckling as they walked over to the patrol car.

‘It’s not that simple, chief. What’s more, this VIP from the Vatican specifically asked for you. Father Sarasola, also known as Dr Sarasola, is attaché to the Vatican in defence of the faith.’

‘You mean he’s an inquisitor.’

‘I don’t think they like to be called that nowadays. Shall I drive or will you?’

‘I’ll drive. I want you to tell me more about this Dr Sarasola. Doctor of what, exactly?’

‘Psychiatry, I think; possibly other things. I know he’s a prelate of Opus Dei with a lot of influence in Rome, where he worked for many years with Pope John Paul II, as well as being advisor to his predecessor when he was still a cardinal.’

‘Why would an attaché to the Vatican in defence of the faith take such an interest in a local affair like this? And how did he hear about me?’

‘As I said before, he’s an important member of Opus Dei, so he receives regular reports about everything that goes on in Navarre. As for his interest in the case, perhaps that can be explained, like he said, by the concern that there’s an element of hatred or vengeance towards the Church due to, how did he put it, the misinterpretation of a historical concept.’

‘A concept you appear to agree with …’

Jonan looked at her, taken aback.

‘I noticed the way you and Inspector Iriarte responded to this yesterday morning. You seemed more worried than the parish priest and the chaplain.’

‘That’s because Iriarte’s mother is from Arizkun, as is my grandmother, and anyone who comes from there takes what happened in the church very seriously …’

‘Yes, I heard what Sarasola said about parishioners understanding the significance and being disturbed, but what did he mean?’

‘You’re from the valley, you must have heard of the agotes .’

‘The agotes ? You mean the people who lived in Bozate?’

‘They lived all over the Baztán Valley and in Roncal, but mostly they were concentrated in a ghetto in Arizkun, which is now part of the Bozate neighbourhood. What else do you know about them?’

‘Not much, to be honest. They were artisans and they were never really assimilated.’

‘Pull over,’ Jonan ordered.

Amaia looked at him in surprise, but said nothing. She found a space by the roadside, stopped the car and turned round in her seat to study Deputy Inspector Etxaide, who gave a loud sigh before beginning:

‘Historians disagree about where the agotes came from originally. They were thought to have crossed the Pyrenees into Navarre during the Middle Ages, fleeing war, famine, plague and religious persecution. The most widely accepted theory is that they were Cathars, members of a religious sect persecuted by the Inquisition. Another theory suggests they were deserters from the Visigoth armies who sought refuge in the leprosy colonies of southern France and became infected with the disease themselves – one of the reasons why they were so feared. A third explanation is that they were bandits and social outcasts, forced into serfdom by the feudal lord of the area, who at that time was Pedro de Ursua. The remains of one of his fortresses still exist to this day in Arizkun. And that would explain why most of the agotes lived in Bozate.’