Loraine de Gouvenain

Loraine de Gouvenain is the judge overseeing a narrowly authorized inspection of children’s graves. Her authority sets the boundaries of what the investigators may do, but a dispute with a Spanish judge brings those boundaries—and Amaia Salazar’s decision to act—into direct conflict.

Judicial Authority and the Inspection

The order De Gouvenain had limited was specific: the tomb’s covering slab could be removed, the investigators could descend and open only the children’s coffins, and they could check that the bodies were inside their boxes. The remains were not to be brought to the surface or handled. Yolanda Berrueta was allowed to look down from above and confirm that her children were where they should be. The precision of these conditions makes the inspection an exercise in verification, not an unrestricted examination of the dead.

Arrival at the Cemetery

De Gouvenain arrived while the group was sheltering from the rain at the entrance to the church. A dark-blue official car pulled into the cemetery parking area, and the chief of gendarmes announced that the judge had arrived. Amaia Salazar had expected someone different, influenced by Iriarte’s description of De Gouvenain as a tough woman accustomed to sordid cases. Instead, the judge appeared with her hair in a ballerina bun, wearing a coral-red spring dress and a light coat despite the lingering winter weather. She held a small container of mint lozenges, whose strong scent reached Amaia when the car window came down.

Confrontation with Amaia

De Gouvenain asked to speak with Amaia and rebuked her over a call from a Spanish judge. According to De Gouvenain, he had said that he was handling the case and had explicitly denied permission to open children’s graves; she objected that Amaia’s actions had left her having to apologize to her colleague. Rainwater ran from Amaia’s hood into the car as the judge watched the drops with visible displeasure. Amaia began to explain that the Spanish judge had refused an order for a different case, which, as she had already told De Gouvenain, was not initially related to this matter. The exchange ends with that explanation still underway, leaving their disagreement unresolved in this scene.