The Unsolved Murder Behind the Assignment

This thread follows the real murder of Severiano García del Olmo through the false commission, Alice’s investigation, and the eventual exposure of its actual perpetrator.

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An Old Killing

The Father’s Death A baffling crime Severiano García del Olmo is found brutally killed after his son returns from Paris. Nothing valuable appears to have been taken, and the violence suggests neither an ordinary robbery nor a clear personal dispute. Suspicion and silence Police examine whether Raimundo García del Olmo could have hastened his father’s death because of terminal illness. The family’s privacy and the lack of a clear motive leave the crime unresolved.

A False Client’s Offer

A Commission with Hidden Motives The apparent opportunity At a birthday gathering, a man claiming to be Raimundo approaches Alice and asks her to investigate the murder and threatening letters. The story seems credible because the real crime is public knowledge and the alleged client has a plausible professional connection to it. Entry arranged The impostor proposes that Alice enter the hospital as a patient, supposedly with Samuel Alvar’s cooperation. Alice accepts the arrangement, unaware that the investigation may be a constructed lure rather than a genuine commission.

The Real Culprit

An Old Grudge Exposed A pattern of violence María Luisa’s later inquiry establishes that Heliodoro used Alice’s confinement to seize an inheritance, while the supposed client and assignment were delusional constructions. The old murder nevertheless has a real perpetrator, distinct from the fraud that brought Alice to the hospital. The actual connection The novel’s final disclosures identify José Sáez García as the man who killed Severiano after years of resentment over his earlier confinement. The truth complicates Alice’s account without erasing her competence or the reality of the crimes she solved inside the hospital.

About two and a half years before Alice’s admission

On February 29 before Alice’s admission

After Alice’s escape and return