2666

Part 4 of 2666 chronicles the murders of 112 women in Santa Teresa from 1993 to 1997. Many of these women fit the same physical profile: They are slim, young, and have long black hair. Many of them are raped and strangled. Their names and short biographies are given, as well as details on the ineffective investigations. Evidence is lost, misplaced, or destroyed through either malicious intent, lack of care, bureaucratic overreach, or accident. Part 4 also weaves together many of the disparate story threads of those who become involved in the murders.

The first victim appears in January 1993, though “surely there were other girls and women who died in 1992” (353). The victim’s name is Esperanza Gómez Saldaña. She is followed five days later by Luisa Celina Vázquez. Midway through February, an unidentified woman is found stabbed to death. Isabel Urrea, the female reporter for the radio station El Heraldo del Norte, is shot in the head by a shadowy figure. A sex worker named Isabel Cansino is found by a knife sharpener; another unidentified woman—assumed to be a migrant—is found “in a dump” (358).

A case is given to Inspector Juan de Dios Martínez when he receives a phone call, telling him to come to a church where many statues have been smashed, and a sexton has been stabbed. The suspect cowered in the aisle and urinated before leaping up and attacking the sexton. The suspect is nicknamed the Penitent. He strikes again in other churches, smashing statues and leaving large pools of urine behind. Martínez notes that it is “too much urine for one man” (370). On one occasion, the Penitent kills a priest and a caretaker. As part of his investigation, Martínez meets Elvira Campos, the director of the Santa Teresa mental healthcare facility. Martínez is immediately attracted to her. She helps him to understand that the Penitent is “sacraphobic.”

Emilia Mena Mena is killed. Her death is followed by Margarita López Santos. A reporter named Sergio González is sent by a Mexico City newspaper to write a story about the Penitent, even though he is “an arts writer, not a crime reporter” (376). He takes the story because he wants to make money. Martínez consults with Elvira on the Penitent. He goes to bed with Elvira, who is determined not to grow too close to the inspector—he is 17 years younger than her.

The Santa Teresa police chief, Pedro Negrete, sets out to “hire someone trustworthy” for his friend (384), a narco named Pedro Rengifo. He is accompanied by his subordinate, Epifanio, and they pick out a young boy named Olegario Cura, nicknamed Lalo, and give him a gun. Lalo is assigned to work on the security detail for Rengrifo’s family. The security team protects the entire Rengifo family, including Pedro Rengifo, Mrs. Rengifo, and the Rengifo children. More dead women are found, and no one is charged for their murders. In December, Felicidad Jiménez Jiménez is found murdered in her home. Her son, Ernesto Luis Castillo Jiménez, is arrested. Under interrogation, he also admits to being the Penitent. Though the case is closed, Martínez is certain that the Penitent has not been caught. Gunmen attack Mrs. Rengifo; Lalo kills the attackers, as well as his fellow bodyguards who run away during the attack. He is wounded in the process. Pedro Negrete is concerned about the way his friend is treating Lalo. He takes Lalo from Rengifo and enrolls him in the police force instead. More women are murdered. Lalo turns 17 and is given a place to live by Epifanio. Martínez is ordered to “stop working on the Penitent case” (405).

A girl named Lucy Anne Sander—an American from Huntsville—is killed while visiting Santa Teresa with her friend, Erica. Other women are killed. Harry Magaña, the sheriff from Huntsville, comes to Santa Teresa and begins “asking questions” about Lucy’s murder. His investigations lead him toward a person named Manuel or Miguel. An old woman named La Vaca is killed; Epifanio is the lead investigator, followed by Martínez. They uncover secrets about La Vaca and her involvement in the drug trade. Harry tracks down Miguel Montes and meets Demetrio Águila, who gives him letters seemingly written by Miguel. Martínez and Elvira sleep together regularly, but she keeps an emotional distance. Martínez wishes he knew more about her. Harry and Demetrio read the letters, including a love letter, which prompts Harry to visit Chucarit. More women are found murdered. Many of the victims are too decomposed to identify. Martínez wishes that he could publicly be with Elvira, rather than experiencing more “sterile goodbyes.” Carlos Llanos confesses to killing his girlfriend, Silvana Pérez Arjona. Lalo takes part in the arrest.

Around this time, a “seer” named Florita Almada makes her television debut. While speaking to the host, Reinaldo, she falls into a trance. She claims to have seen a vision about the murdered girls of Santa Teresa. Separating himself from his corrupt and foolish colleagues, Lalo begins to study books about police investigation techniques. Harry tracks down the woman who wrote love letters to Miguel. She is María del Mar Enciso Montes, Miguel’s cousin. Next, Harry searches for Chucho, Miguel’s friend in Tijuana. He speaks with a colleague in the Los Angeles Police Department, who puts him in touch with a man named Ramírez. Harry and Ramírez meet the “small-time crook” Chucho in a club. He is in the company of two sex workers. Following a lead from Chucho, Harry speaks to Miss Isela, the manager of a brothel named Internal Affairs. Isela points him to Elsa Fuentes's address. At her house, Harry finds an address book and money in her kitchen ceiling. Feeling as though he is being “spied on,” he eats in a diner and begins to call numbers from the address book. In the book, he finds Miguel’s telephone number and uses it to find out his address. Arriving at the house, he is met by three men. They attack Harry.

More bodies of murdered women are found; many are impossible to identify. The murdered corpses of Claudia Pérez Millán and María de la Luz Romero are found. An arrest warrant is issued for Claudia’s killer, but he is never found. The bodies of Sofia Serrano and Olga Paredes Pacheco are found in April. The American consul, Abraham Mitchell, visits the authorities in Santa Teresa to inquire about the missing sheriff from Huntsville. Pedro Negrete has no answer for him, so Abraham leaves, believing that it is “better not to stir things up” (453). More dead women are found, and feminist organizations begin to protest the murders. Florita Almada appears on Reinaldo’s show again, while two cops from Tucson begin to ask questions in Santa Teresa. After they meet with Pedro Negrete, they visit Internal Affairs and sleep with sex workers. Then, they leave Mexico. As more women are murdered, the police notice a pattern. Some of the murdered women have had one of their breasts cut off, as well as the nipple being removed from the other breast. Rumors begin to spread that a serial killer is behind the many murders of women in Santa Teresa.

Sergio urges his boss to allow him to investigate the murders in Santa Teresa, which he points out is a “center of the drug trade” in the country (465). His colleagues seem indifferent to the story of the murders. Epifanio investigates the murder of Estrella Ruiz Sandoval, a young woman who dreamt of working with computers in her professional future. Epifanio reveals to the naïve young Lalo that Pedro Rengifo is involved in the drug trade. Lalo is surprised. Martínez grows apart from the other members of the department. He is only interested in Elvira, though she is still reluctant to further their relationship. Epifanio’s investigations lead him to a computer store run by a “very tall, very blond man” named Klaus Haas (470). Klaus was born in Germany but became an American citizen before settling in Mexico to run a successful computer store. The mayor of Santa Teresa announces that a serial killer is behind the murders of the women in the city. Florita appears on Reinaldo’s show again, speaking mysteriously of people who wish her ill. She tries to channel the spirit of a dead person but collapses live on the air. She is taken to a hospital.

Epifanio visits Klaus Haas after receiving information from one of Klaus’s employees. He directly accuses Klaus of killing Estrella Ruiz Sandoval, and Haas is arrested. According to his American police file, Haas has been charged with several sex-related offenses. His house and store are searched. Haas is interrogated for four days, during which time he is beaten by the police. Epifanio is concerned that the interrogation might be turned into a “spectacle.” Haas is placed in a cell in the jail, where he harasses the other inmates. Gradually, he begins to make alliances with the drug dealers in Hermosillo prison, where he is held awaiting trial. Thanks to these alliances, he is protected when an inmate tries to rape him in the showers. He turns the attack around, forcibly inserting a homemade shiv into the attacker’s rectum. He surrounds himself with criminals, who protect him in exchange for money and gifts. Haas asks his lawyer to bring him a cell phone. Then, he asks for another. He distributes or sells these to other inmates. Haas is bemused by the abusive relationships that spring up among his cellmates, whom he views as “filthy beasts attracted by filth” (488).

Outside, the murders continue despite Haas’s incarceration. After 15 days in the prison, Haas calls a press conference. Many reporters attend and listen to his complaints about interrogation violence and false accusations. Sergio is one of the journalists in attendance. As he leaves, Haas slips him a piece of paper. On the paper is the number for Haas’s private cellphone. The press conference causes a “minor scandal.” Later, Sergio calls Haas, who insists that he is innocent. More women are murdered in November and December of 1995. Martínez notices the strange associations and involvements of many police officers. He wonders if they are somehow “protecting Haas.” At the beginning of 1996, the murders continue. Haas calls another press conference, though it is not as well attended. He again protests his innocence, pointing out that women are still being murdered.

Florita Almada appears on Reinaldo's show again, this time with feminist activists. The show is watched by many other characters. More women are murdered, but the mayor assures the residents of Santa Teresa that these killings are “the work of common criminals” rather than the serial killer (508). When the murder of Erica Mendoza is investigated, the police question her husband, Olivárez. He confesses to the crime and says that his cousin was also involved. He seems unconcerned about the murder of his wife. Elvira fears that “the whole of Mexico [has] gone crazy” (512). When she sees a group of feminist activists protesting, she recognizes one of the members as a friend from her college years. She is surprised. Throughout the summer, the murders continue. The murders continue into the fall. One of the murdered girls is named Linda Vázquez. Her killer is identified as a man named Chimal. In prison, he is identified as someone who “killed the daughter of a man with money” (521). Chimal and his associates are afraid in prison. One day, they are cornered in the showers. Haas is present as Chimal and his associates are brutally tortured to death. The torture is filmed by the prison guards. Speaking to his lawyer, Haas learns that the inmates were paid to kill Chimal and the others.

As the murders continue, Lalo struggles to be a good police officer in the face of institutional degradation. Epifanio mocks him for trying to follow procedural advice from the textbooks that only Lalo has read. Epifanio says that “there is no such thing as modern criminal investigation” (527). Javier Ramos is identified as the killer of two sisters who were murdered in December. The case lingers in Martínez’s mind. He talks about this with Elvira, who shares her own mental struggles amid the overwhelming number of murders. She admits to sometimes dreaming that she could “give up everything” and move to Paris (534). Martínez declares his love for her.

Rumors about snuff films spread around Mexico. These films allegedly portray real, violent deaths, and they are sold for large sums. Santa Teresa is the “capital of snuff” (535). Five members of the Los Bisontes gang are accused of a series of murders that took place while Haas was in prison. The police suggest that, through a tenuous link with Haas, the gang members were hired to carry out the killings. They were paid by Haas to imitate his serial killer techniques to prove Haas’s innocence. As such, the crimes from this point on are ordinary crimes, and “this is the end of the psychopaths” (539). Haas calls Sergio and insists that the latest accusations are also untrue. Nevertheless, people believe that “the serial killer [is] officially behind bars” (540). An Argentinian reporter comes to the city to investigate the murders and tells a colleague a story about the Argentinian involvement in the history of snuff films, the first and most famous of which was faked to drum up publicity for a bad movie.

In March 1997, the murders return to their previous rate. The city’s medical examiners are Emilio Garibay, Juan Arredondo, and Rigoberto Frías. They meet occasionally for a quiet breakfast together. The city’s police officers (almost all men) drink together and swap sexist jokes. Lalo does not involve himself with these officers. He tries to be a professional. Nevertheless, the other officers demand to hear Lalo’s life story. He has no problem telling them his family’s story. He comes from a family who have a history of sexual violence and abuse. After the latest murder, Sergio González convinces his editor to allow him to write about the murders in Santa Teresa. He interviews the police and learns that the “killings don’t all follow the same pattern” (561). He visits Haas in prison. Though he is not sure that Haas is responsible for all the murders, he believes that Haas is “guilty of something” (561). Haas reflects on his situation and makes friends with a “drug lord” named Enrique Hernández.

Sergio interviews victims’ family members, crime experts, and Florita Almada, whom he meets via Reinaldo. During a conversation with Reinaldo, Sergio learns about a television host whom Reinaldo is convinced is in love with him. More women are murdered. Haas calls for another press conference, though even fewer journalists are in attendance. By this time, he seems to have lost “his previous composure” (573). In a long speech, he names Antonio Uribe as the possible serial killer. Uribe is the son of a wealthy man whose riches insulate him from recrimination. Antonio inspired his younger cousin Daniel to become the true killer, Haas explains. Haas offers no evidence other than stories he has heard in prison. At the same time, a clear romantic relationship between Haas and his lawyer is revealed. The state officials invite Albert Kessler to Santa Teresa. He is regarded as a specialist in the field of serial killers, an “industrial powerhouse” who is also involved in Hollywood movies about serial killers. He is something of a celebrity.

Kessler comes to Santa Teresa. Though people know his reputation, he tries to keep a low profile. He pays a taxi driver to tour him around the city’s poorest areas. The driver, worried that Kessler will be attacked, asks for payment upfront. Kessler emerges unscathed, with a better understanding of the poverty in Santa Teresa. As he acquaints himself with the city, more women are murdered. Sergio meets with a congresswoman named Azucena Esquivel Plata, who tells him about her childhood friend, Kelly Rivera Parker. She explains how Kelly bounced around several events and modeling jobs until finding herself in a position as a party organizer for the rich men of Mexico. She arranged for young models to attend the parties of wealthy men, including businessmen and drug dealers. Kelly called her friend one day, worried that she was in trouble. Kelly disappeared three months later, after attending a party where guests included noted associates of the drug cartels.

A reporter who covered Haas’s disappointing revelation about the Uribe family goes missing. His colleague, Mary-Sue Bravo, wants to investigate his disappearance. She gets the assignment and gains access to his files, though she finds very little of note. The congresswoman explains to Sergio how she tried and failed to track down Kelly. During this investigation, run by a man named Loya, she learns that Kelly’s job could “be considered veiled prostitution” (623), as she recruited young women to be sex workers at the parties. Mary-Sue tries to continue her investigation, casting doubt on Klaus’s version of events. More women are murdered. Loya investigates Kelly’s death for two years, as the congresswoman is “burning with rage” due to Kelly’s murder (626). A reporter interviews Daniel Uribe; Mary-Sue contacts him but he is reluctant to give her any information. She becomes suspicious about the sudden disappearance of her colleague. The congresswoman encourages Sergio to “keep writing” about the murdered women, including Kelly. Loya is dead, she reveals, and she tells Sergio everything that she can. Another woman is found murdered at the end of 1997. The case is closed “after three days of generally halfhearted investigations” (633). People celebrate Christmas.