Obdulio Limón

Obdulio Limón, a retired police commissioner with striking red eyes, enters Alice Gould’s story as an envoy of María Luisa Fernández and becomes an investigator of her financial suspicions. His effort to establish what happened to Alice’s money ends in a pointed reversal: the accounts have not been emptied, and the former commissioner takes responsibility for having misjudged the case.

Identity and Appearance

Limón identifies himself as a police commissioner and as María Luisa Fernández’s business partner. His physical appearance is unusually vivid: his irises are red, his eyelid margins pink, and his corneas watery and clear; white eyebrows and eyelashes intensify the strangeness of his face. Alice’s caution toward him is therefore both personal and practical: beyond his name, she initially does not know who he is or what he wants.

Arrival as María Luisa’s Envoy

Limón tells Alice that he has come on María Luisa’s behalf to put himself at her service. Alice asks why María Luisa has not come in person, but the available account does not give the reason Limón begins to offer. His visit nevertheless establishes a connection through which Alice can seek help with the financial questions surrounding her affairs.

Tracing the Bank Accounts

Limón asks whether Alice remembers her account numbers. She does, and he asks her to write a letter to each bank authorizing him to obtain the balances. The exchange turns her recollection into a checkable lead: rather than relying solely on Alice’s suspicion about what Heliodoro Almenara might have taken, Limón seeks information directly from the banks.

Reversal and Admission

The inquiry produces a result contrary to the feared loss: the money is still in the accounts. Limón had previously made Alice write a hundred times that she was as naïve as foolish; when he returns with the finding, he releases her from that punishment and says that he will write a thousand times that he is the fool. The gesture converts an investigative correction into a personal admission. Limón’s role is not simply to validate Alice’s concern, but to test it—and, when the evidence fails to support it, acknowledge his own error.