Federal Bureau of Investigation

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is present in the story chiefly as the professional institution behind Aloisius Dupree’s expertise. Amaia Salazar seeks his judgment while investigating a pattern of violence that may connect her current case in the Baztán Valley to murders elsewhere. The Bureau itself does not appear as an active investigative body; its significance is conveyed through the specialist knowledge Amaia trusts Dupree to provide.

Dupree’s Expertise and Amaia’s Consultation

Amaia describes Dupree as one of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s foremost experts in behavioral disorders and criminal behavior, and considers his opinion valuable precisely because she has not yet worked out the right questions. Their late-night conversations are a space in which she can speak candidly about the uncertainty surrounding her cases.

She tells him that the perpetrators appear to be relatively minor criminals, with records of petty theft, burglary, or fraud, and a shared history of violence against women. Their victims had ties to the Baztán Valley: one lived there, while others were born there. Amaia also suspects that the murderer is trying to establish a connection with her, recalling criminal types she studied at Quantico who contact the police, while cautioning that this offender may be more psychologically complex. These details reach the reader as Amaia’s working theory, not as conclusions confirmed by the Bureau.

Method and Limits of the Advice

Dupree does not supply a ready-made explanation for the cases. When Amaia admits that she does not know where to begin, he directs her toward the beginning of the chain of events. She recognizes the instruction as a return to first principles, although it initially frustrates her. The exchange gives his expertise a practical form: rather than replacing the investigation, it helps Amaia orient it.

The novel distinguishes this behavioral consultation from the forensic work conducted elsewhere. Examination of the severed bones and comparison of cut marks depend on photographs, physical samples, and specialist analysis; later, laboratory tests identify a shared metal alloy and forging technique between an antique scalpel and metal embedded in Lucía Aguirre’s remains. Those findings are not attributed to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Its established role in the evidence is narrower: Dupree’s professional standing and counsel help Amaia frame the human pattern she is trying to understand.