Los Martínez Bayón

Los Martínez Bayón are the owners of Argi Beltz, the secluded country property Amaia identifies while following a lead from Elena Ochoa. Their brief encounter with Amaia brings together a suspicious death, a painful family history, and signs that the house may conceal more than its owners are willing to acknowledge.

Identity and Setting

The couple live at Argi Beltz, whose name means Black Light. Amaia finds the property after searching country roads and spotting a broad, unusually level meadow around a relatively modern house. An old, overgrown wall hides much of the frontage; a green-painted cast-iron mailbox bears the name Martínez Bayón. Beyond it, a modern entrance is screened by a vine-covered barrier and fitted with video surveillance, an intercom, and the insignia of a security company. The contrast between the concealed approach and the new house makes the property difficult to recognize from the road.

The name Argi Beltz recalls Elena Ochoa’s description of a black house, prompting Amaia to consider whether the property could be the place Elena had meant. The house does not match Elena’s account in appearance, but Amaia reasons that the original building may have been rebuilt or the land reshaped. The couple’s property thus enters the investigation first as a possible match to an old clue, before Amaia has established what it contains or what its owners know.

Encounter with Amaia

When Amaia tells the couple that their friend, Doctor Berasategui, has died, they do not react with straightforward surprise. They exchange a quick, significant look, pausing as if deciding whether to admit that they knew him. The husband raises a hand to restrain the woman and is the first to respond. He expresses sorrow and asks whether the doctor died in an accident, addressing Amaia as an agent.

Amaia corrects him: she is Inspector Salazar, from Homicide. She also says that the cause of death has not yet been established and that the investigation remains open, although she knows this is untrue. Her deliberate misdirection tests the couple’s response while she asks how they knew Berasategui. Their hesitation and coordinated exchange make their admission of acquaintance more revealing than a simple denial would have been.

Ainara and the House's Secrets

Asked about their daughter, the couple identify her as Ainara. The husband says that she died while they were travelling in the United Kingdom. They had few resources at the time and no insurance, he explains, so they buried her there. He adds that the subject is painful for his wife and asks Amaia to leave it alone. The account establishes both a family bereavement and the couple’s stated reason for Ainara’s burial abroad; the scene does not independently confirm their explanation.

Before arriving, Amaia had rung the bell several times and suspected that someone was inside, despite receiving no answer. When she mentions this, the woman nearly shouts that the house is empty. The sharpness of her denial leaves Amaia’s impression unresolved: the couple’s assertion conflicts with what Amaia believes she heard or sensed at the property. Their encounter therefore ends not with clarification, but with a more pointed question about what the house is keeping from her.