Inspector Montes

Inspector Montes is an inspector whose possible return to duty becomes a staffing and command decision for Amaia Salazar, as well as a test of the professional relationship left in the wake of the Basajaun investigation. A year after he went on leave following events during that case, an internal-affairs commission recommends his reinstatement, but his return is not automatic: it depends on favorable assessments from Inspector Iriarte and Amaia.

Identity and Background

The available account identifies Montes by his rank and his connection to the Basajaun investigation, but does not disclose what happened during that inquiry or why he went on leave. It establishes only that he has been absent for a year and that the internal-affairs commission investigating the matter has recommended that he return. The recommendation opens the possibility of reinstatement without resolving the personal or professional circumstances behind his absence.

Reinstatement and Command

The commissioner explains that the applicable process requires favorable reports from every agent involved in the earlier case: Inspector Iriarte and Amaia. The circumstances have since changed. Amaia, formerly the inspector assigned to lead the investigation, is now head of homicide; if Montes returns, he would serve under her authority like the other officers.

That change makes the question practical as well as procedural. If she approves his return, Amaia may place Montes on her own team or assign him to another shift. Either way, she must make a definitive decision. Her team is short-staffed, and if Montes is not assigned to it, she will have to appoint another officer to the unit permanently.

Amaia's Response and Narrative Role

Amaia does not decide during the conversation. She says she will consider the matter, responding coldly; the commissioner notices her hostility and clarifies that he is informing her rather than trying to influence her. The exchange establishes that Montes's return is unresolved and that Amaia's assessment carries institutional weight as well as personal tension.

The account leaves the underlying events and Montes's own perspective undisclosed. His immediate significance lies in the decision awaiting Amaia: reinstatement would place him within a hierarchy she now leads, while refusal would require her to fill the vacant position another way.