A NETFLIX SERIES
[heavy breathing]
[uneasy music playing]
[heavy breathing continues]
[inaudible]
[uneasy music continues]
POLICE
[door rattles]
[Belén] What were you doing in there, Miren?
I already gave my statement.
Three times.
I just wanted to ask a couple of questions.
And then he jumped right in front of me.
You shouldn't have come here alone.
Go home.
Belén!
He had just gotten a call from his mother.
What was that?
You know I can't tell you that.
We'll soon have a formal release in the press.
[Miren] Anything to do with Amaya?
I trusted the cops once, but they ignored me.
You weren't there for me.
I was alone.
Are you gonna let the same thing happen to that family?
And that girl?
[Eduardo] Miren!
Let's go. Let's go.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Eduardo] You should have called me.
I could have gone with you.
What you did was dangerous, Miren.
They had an entire pornography network.
When is this gonna end?
What?
Men like that bastard Luque.
Or his son.
When are men like that gonna be stopped?
[man crying]
Sure, now he cries.
His son would pick up the girls and take them to his wife's apartment,
where he then drugged them and raped them.
-Have you checked his alibi? -Mm-hmm. It wasn't him.
These images are from a nearby shop on García Abril.
You can see perfectly well Luque was buying an umbrella during the parade.
And what about his son?
Hmm. Playing video games with his friends. He was there all night.
It fucking sucks.
[Miren] I managed to sneak a look at Samuel's laptop before he noticed.
It might be a clue.
It looked like a logo.
Does it look familiar?
No.
He was scared of something.
Miren,
let it go.
A network for child pornography…
Who was watching those videos?
And who were the clients?
The users.
I need to write an article about David Luque as well as Samuel.
-What if it's all tied to the disappear-- -No.
Just stop getting so close.
Don't make it into something personal.
The first rule of the job is to keep your distance.
It's for your own good, Miren.
You know that I'm right.
[intriguing music playing]
[sniffles]
[rapidly scribbling]
[cellphone vibrates]
Yes, tell me.
[sighs]
Ana.
[Ana] What happened?
David was cleared.
The detective called.
It wasn't him.
Thanks.
[Eduardo] Miren.
What is it?
You know you can talk to me.
There's nothing to say. That kid deserved what he got.
About you. About what happened to you.
I can't even imagine what you've been through.
But I'm here.
[intriguing music playing]
Thanks again.
[panting]
[TV static]
SIX YEARS AFTER AMAYA'S DISAPPEARANCE
It's impossible to track.
-[Belén] You couldn't find anything? -No.
Let me explain.
Digital recordings have metadata.
That data stores the date and time, even location data.
But when dealing with VHS,
there's nothing.
Can we tell if it was recorded in Spain?
[policeman] No. But check this out.
All VHS recordings leave a unique mark on the tape.
-No two are identical. -[Belén] What device did they use?
A Sanyo VCR.
I'd say from 1985.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Ana] So, how long will it take you to find her?
[Miren] A network for child pornography.
Who was watching those videos?
And who were the clients? The users.
[Ana] You must have some sort of clue? Like this tape or who sent it.
[Miren] I managed to sneak a look at Samuel's laptop before he noticed.
It looked like a logo.
[Eduardo, echoing] Let it go.
[news broadcaster] Domestic abuse cases are on the rise from 2016,
an increase of 10.6 percent.
Reported cases are now up to 142,893.
And you didn't make any copy, Miren?
[Miren] No.
I honestly don't understand why would you not make a copy, huh?
We can't publish it.
It's sub judice.
[Paco] You did see the video? And the girl was on it?
Mm-hmm.
You don't like to eat the crusts?
Mm?
[Paco] Do you know how often a tape like that is hand delivered?
It could've blown this story wide open.
You should've shown it to me before taking it to the police.
Paco, you want a story.
And I want to save Amaya.
These are all the vintage retailers who sell that VCR.
It'll take months to investigate.
With a team this size? Have you talked to the commissioner?
He sent in a request for more staff. See how that worked out?
Mm…
It doesn't make any sense, Chaparro.
[Chaparro] What?
It's weird timing.
Why send the tape now, and risk getting caught?
Why after all this time?
Maybe kidnapper's a fucking nutcase?
No.
-He sent the video on her birthday. -[Chaparro] So what?
It feels too personal. It's very organized, well-planned.
[phone rings]
Yeah?
Yeah, yeah. I'm on my way. Thank you.
Looks like we got him.
-Who? -The guy who delivered the videotape.
Guess I'm skipping breakfast again today.
-Come on, grab some of those cookies. -I'm a step ahead of you.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Miren] Hello.
[intriguing music playing]
[man] Now that one comes in a few different styles and designs.
[client] I'd like to compare.
-[man] I'd recommend this one. -[client] Yes, I like it. I'll take it.
[man] Perfect.
But if you like, I can show you something more, um, classic.
You said this was for a celebration. Am I right?
[client] Yes.
[man] Okay, let's see… Ah, here.
[footsteps approaching]
[woman] Hi.
Good morning. Can I help you, dear?
Oh, hi. Yes, I work across the street.
I'm Miren Rojo. I'm the editor of the Sur.
Would you have a moment to chat?
Thanks.
[woman] What sort of article are you writing?
Well, I'm writing about small neighborhood businesses.
-Ah. -The ones that made it through the crisis.
-So, are you the owner, then? -[woman] I'm the co-owner.
My brother Víctor and I own it together.
Our parents opened the store, uh…
When was it, Víctor? Forty years?
-[Víctor] It was 50. -[woman] There you have it. Fifty years.
Well, it was a different time. Things were more stable.
Mm.
And have you ever been robbed?
About two years ago, our windows were smashed.
But they couldn't take very much though.
And that's why you have a camera above the entrance?
At that angle, I imagine you can see the whole street.
Are you absolutely sure the report's about the crisis?
[sighs]
No. [clears throat]
This morning the police came by. They were asking about the camera.
They took copies of the images.
What's going on?
Would I be able to see those?
No, Concha, do not get involved in police matters.
Listen, how much would it cost
for a front page advertisement at the Sur?
An ad for Málaga's edition, or regional?
Did you promise someone a front page ad on the paper?
Front page for a week.
Who authorized that?
[Paco] Is that the guy who left the tape?
He could very well be a suspect.
Miren. We have to publish it.
[Miren] There are other cameras facing that direction.
Someone else might have a better angle. Give me time, Paco.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Belén] Miren.
Do you need something?
I have images of the guy that left the tape.
Want to make a comment?
Miren, I have no comment.
Just call the press offices like the rest of the reporters.
-What is she doing here? -[Belén] Goodbye.
Looks like they delete their recordings every two hours.
-[sighs] -It's another dead end.
He had to have come this way, Chaparro.
Please tell me you have good news about getting more patrol officers.
We've got two officers going door to door now.
I don't know what to tell you.
We need more people to search a neighborhood this size.
Why are you still here? Get back to the paper.
[Belén] Miren.
-Have you heard the term quid pro quo? -[Chaparro] Belén.
Quid pro quo. Do you know what it means?
What do you want?
I want a thousand eyes.
And I want something as well.
Name it.
You call when the bastard is in custody. I get the first interview.
Or we don't have a deal.
Quid pro quo.
[tense music playing]
CAR STORAGE LONG-TERM STORAGE OPTIONS
[Ana] I assume you're still not a coffee drinker.
-Would you like some tea? -Thank you.
-Here you go. -Thanks.
Why are you here?
Did the police call you?
Yes, Detective Millán.
She wants to publish the tapes, and I told her that she could do it.
[sighs]
What?
You know what happens when they publish that tape?
It all starts again.
Do you really want to go through it all again?
All the questions? You think they care about her?
-Álvaro-- -It didn't work six years ago.
Remember? And now you want to do it all again.
Look, Álvaro, before today,
the only call I could imagine getting from the police, do you know what it was?
That they'd tell me Amaya had been murdered.
That for six years, our daughter had been out there somewhere
in some unmarked grave all alone.
But now… [sobs]
Now it might be possible to get her back.
The press can't help us. It'll be just like before.
-Miren thinks they can. -Right.
-[Ana] She wants to publish. I trust her. -Miren, the press darling.
Miren is the only one who managed to keep this story alive…
She's doing this for herself.
She's taking advantage of both of us. Don't you get it?
Ana.
[Ana] What about this?
Isn't this "taking advantage"?
You wrote a fucking book about our goddamn life together!
It's just a way for you to earn a living off of her.
You wrote about her. About us. About our life together.
How is that not taking advantage, Álvaro?
[sighs]
[door closes]
[sobs]
[Paco] We'll publish in today's online edition.
With more eyes on the video, hopefully someone will recognize something.
Maybe the furniture, or the girl,
the VHS manufacturer, anything.
Got it?
All right, get to it.
[suspenseful music playing]
What do you see?
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO OF AMAYA
[Belén] An online article.
[inspector] No.
That shit is a big fucking mess.
I got calls from the attorney general,
government officials, internal affairs.
If I find who leaked this, they're fucked.
I did it.
[sighs]
You?
Do you know the trouble you're in, huh?
This risks your whole investigation.
You want me off the case?
By all means.
Be my guest.
After all these years,
we have a real chance to find her.
We've gotten so much more information than before.
I've told the higher-ups that we need more people, more people, more people.
But nothing's been done.
I'm telling you, gentlemen,
we need more people to start investigating these promising leads.
Okay.
Well, let's see. I guess we'll just wait around
while the journalists and true crime buffs do our jobs and solve the case for us.
[indistinct chatter]
[Paco] Here she is! The woman of the hour! Miren!
Hundreds of people. No, more than that.
Millions of hits on our site just…
Oh, yeah, and I'm getting calls from papers around the world.
I swear I'm going to build a statue in your honor!
-[Miren snorts] -Bronze or gold?
-No. Hey, I'm serious, eh? [laughs] -[Miren laughs]
-Well done. -[Miren] Thank you.
-Okay. Get a drink, then join us. -[Miren] Okay.
Pardon me.
-Please, can I have a beer? -[bartender] Right away.
Make that two, please.
Congratulations on the exclusive.
It's all anyone was talking about today.
But the little girl's still missing.
But you know she's still alive.
[Paco] Eduardo. [laughs]
-[Eduardo] Paco. -How are you?
-I'm good. You? -[Paco laughs]
[Paco] Looking to come back to us, now that we're popular? [laughs]
Sadly, no.
I'm still content teaching college classes, Paco.
I'm here to celebrate Miren.
[Paco] We miss you around here, my friend.
-[Eduardo] Liar. [laughs] -[Paco laughs]
Mmm!
Congratulations. So, tell me everything.
-So someone sent you the tape of Amaya? -Mm-hmm.
-Directly to you? -Mm-hmm.
Did you get a handwritten note?
'Cause I know a graphologist who can help you analyze it.
It was printed.
-[Eduardo] Oh. -Not even fingerprints.
[Eduardo] Of course.
-It's astonishing, Miren. -[Miren] What is?
[chuckles]
Since the moment we met, I knew
you'd not only be my favorite student, but you'd make something of yourself.
-Oh, God. [laughs] -[Eduardo] No, I'm serious.
And I'll let you in on a secret.
-The majority of my students are mediocre. -[chuckles]
I mean it. My students are mediocre.
They don't give a damn about journalism.
But you…
Miren.
I think that's enough beer for one night, huh?
[both laugh]
["Abre la Puerta" by Triana playing]
Wow.
When was the last time you heard this?
Triana.
-[Eduardo] You do know it? -Of course.
[cellphone rings]
-Answer it. It's fine. -[cellphone continues ringing]
[Eduardo] Hey, it's late. What's going on?
Of course.
["Abre la Puerta" by Triana continues]
[man speaking in Spanish]
[indistinct chatter]
["Abre la Puerta" by Triana continues]
-All done. -I have to go.
Let's go. I'm good.
[song ends]
[panting]
[unsettling music playing]
[panting]
[Miren screams]
[screams]
[panting]
[therapist] All right, ladies. Who'd like to share today?
[Miren] I saw someone die last night.
He killed himself in front of me.
And I felt nothing.
Knowing what he was, why would I? He was just like my rapist.
A monster.
Two years ago, I went to a party at the beach.
I was never really much of a drinker, and I guess I overdid it.
One too many.
[sighs]
I thought it was the tequila.
I had no idea that some asshole had…
had drugged my cup as soon as I put it down.
GHB.
It's known as
the date rape drug.
The drug was so strong,
I only remember flashes.
Of the sand.
Of someone
calling me,
kissing me,
moving me down the beach.
The rest is blurry. That's all I remember.
[sighs]
All I know is he wasn't alone.
He brought his friends with him.
[sighs]
I…
I think they might've done me a favor when they gave those drugs to me.
That I was lucky.
Because I can't remember.
It's better that way.
But there are times when I wish I had every single detail
of that fucking moment…
there in my mind so I can rip it all out in one go.
[unsettling music playing]
[indistinct chatter]
[officer 1] Can I have one of those, uh, coffees, please?
POLICE
[officer 2] Good. Thank you.
[unsettling music continues]
Ah, thank you.
Nothing. This wallpaper is a complete dead end.
I just talked to the store manager in Málaga.
It's distributed across Spain.
This
is out.
[dramatic music playing]
[officer 3] Málaga Police Department.
Do you have information regarding Amaya Martín?
You said the doll house is easy to find in stores?
Do you remember where you got yours?
No, ma'am. The girl would be 12 years old today.
I don't think she'd be attending university.
Rubén? Rubén?
[officer 3] Amaya Martín, yes.
Would you say that style of shirt was popular in your stores?
All right. Thanks anyway.
I'll need more details. Could you please give me your address?
[officer 3] The doll house is sold on Larios Street. Larios Street.
[phone rings]
-[officer 3] Málaga Police? -[man] I'm calling about the missing girl.
I'm part of an online chat group for tech nostalgia.
Like VHS, and that sort of thing.
Anyway, I remembered a couple months ago
this guy posted asking where he could buy that device.
I got a call you might be interested in. -[man] The, uh, the Sanyo.
-He said he lived in, uh, Málaga. -[officer 3] Did he leave his name?
[man] I wasn't sure when I saw the article.
I went back through the chat logs to see if he did.
Uh, turns out he did. And his name was…
James Foster. All we got's a driver's license.
It expired a few months ago.
He's a ghost. There's no address or social security number.
-There's nothing else? -[officer 3] Not in Spain.
Bring in Europol.
[printer whirring]
SPANISH DRIVER'S LICENSE
[Belén] In the '80s, he was caught trying to snatch a girl from a park in London.
In the '90s, he was arrested for groping a minor.
He got out in 2005 and moved to Spain.
According to intel from the British Consulate,
he works in Málaga.
We're requesting a subpoena and a search warrant.
[inspector sniffles]
Get him.
[cellphone rings]
-Hello. -[Belén] Miren.
We're picking up a suspect today.
There's your scoop.
Who is it?
[chips crunching]
[woman] This is it? Mm? Then why are we sitting here?
[siren blaring]
Let's go.
[heavy metal music playing]
[music stops]
-James Foster? -[tattoo gun buzzing]
Keep your hands where I can see them.
You're here about the girl?
[suspenseful music playing]
[indistinct chatter]
[officer speaking Spanish]
[photographer] Hey, watch it. Come on, relax, huh?
[engine starts]
[Belén] Where were you six years ago during 12th Night?
[Foster] I don't know.
How am I supposed to remember something that supposedly happened six years ago?
[Belén] How about you try to jolt your memory?
I didn't go to the parade.
How'd you know we were coming this morning?
[Foster] I read the article, just like everyone else.
I also saw the pictures of that poor girl.
And I recognized the device it was made on.
I bought one a few months ago.
So, I'm guilty of liking Terminator on VHS.
Let's be clear about this. You're here because of your priors.
Molestation of a minor. You can say it.
I've changed now. I attended several programs for rehabilitation.
I found God in my work.
I'm done with all that.
You live in your caravan?
[suspenseful music playing]
[Belén] Rafa.
[Rafa] Millán.
Chaparro, what's up?
You coming to the game this weekend? We have a spot for you.
[Chaparro] Sorry, bro, I don't play anymore.
Just me or does it stink in here?
[Rafa] Yeah.
Empty bleach bottles.
The guy cleaned the place up before being arrested.
Wow, what a sweetheart.
Hey, did you find any photos?
[Rafa] No, nothing.
Check this too.
We haven't found any traces of DNA or organic matter yet. It's been scrubbed.
From top to bottom.
He's good.
[Belén] Back in 1987,
you were caught attempting to kidnap a girl in a London park.
I offered my help to get her to the police station.
She couldn't find her parents. There was never any evidence of foul play.
Did you offer your help to Amaya?
Hmm.
Where were you the morning of 25th April?
[sighs]
Let's see. Four days ago…
At what time?
Well, let's take a look.
At 7:10 in the morning, exactly.
On that morning,
I was in bed
with a pretty woman who's a coworker.
[woman] Yeah. Together all night.
He didn't leave even for a minute?
[chuckles]
Not even one.
[cellphone rings]
What's up, Chaparro?
Belén, the coworker confirmed Foster's alibi for the night.
He didn't drop off the tape.
And the laptop from the caravan?
Nothing yet.
Fuck.
Okay, thanks.
[tense music playing]
Mr. Foster, you're free to go.
Don't leave Málaga. Expect to hear from us.
[Foster] Thank you.
I hope you find who you're looking for.
[tense music continues]
Can I ask you some questions?
The press is here.
You know, I did read all the articles that you've written.
About the young girl,
about the kiddie porn ring and David Luque.
You wanna know something?
You're very close to the truth.
[uneasy music playing]
What are you saying, exactly?
Back in 2010, when the girl first disappeared,
I still had some…
How should I say it? Some vices.
I would never touch little girls again,
but, sometimes, I would get the itch, so I'd watch videos.
And that's how I first got in contact with David Luque.
Does that have anything to do with what happened to Amaya?
[Foster] That may be.
I don't know, though.
What I do know is, it has something to do with your rape.
[unsettling music playing]
[closing theme music playing]