The Shadow of the Wind
by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Contents
City of Shadows — Chapter 36
Overview
Daniel searches for Bea and discovers she has missed classes and may be ill, then worsens matters by calling her home and provoking Mr. Aguilar’s furious threat against Bea. Daniel also realizes the police are actively tailing him again, linked to Fumero’s men.
Fermín and Daniel confirm the surveillance at Els Quatre Gats and briefly shake the tail with a ruse, then commit to their next strategy: pressuring Nuria Monfort to expose what she is hiding. The chapter deepens the stakes by revealing Fermín’s past torture and ruin at Fumero’s hands, clarifying how dangerous their enemy is.
Summary
Daniel spends anxious days waiting by the telephone for Bea, convinced something terrible is approaching. On Monday he goes to the Literature Faculty to look for her, but learns from her classmates that Beatriz Aguilar has missed class that day—and also the previous Friday. A shy student whispers that Bea may be ill.
Back at the bookshop, Fermín mocks Daniel’s obsessing but pushes him to act. Fermín gives Daniel coins to use a public phone and argues that Bea’s failure to call matters more than Bea’s earlier request not to phone her.
Daniel calls the Aguilar home and, after a silent pickup, Bea’s father answers in controlled fury. Mr. Aguilar insults Daniel as a coward who will not show his face, praises Bea for refusing to reveal Daniel’s name, and threatens that Beatriz will “pay” for what Daniel has done. Daniel hangs up shaking, realizing his instinct to hide has again left someone he loves exposed.
On the way back, Daniel spots a man watching him—one of the policemen who helped hold Daniel while Inspector Fumero beat Fermín. Daniel warns Fermín, and that evening they follow a plan agreed with Don Gustavo Barceló: they walk to Els Quatre Gats to confirm police surveillance while keeping Daniel’s father unaware.
At Els Quatre Gats, a plainclothes officer sits nearby pretending to read. Fermín bribes the waiter to deliver a fake urgent message from Fumero, which sends the tail running. Fermín then refocuses Daniel on their next move: Daniel must confront Nuria Monfort, accuse her of lying about Miquel Moliner and collecting Carax-related mail, and leave her rattled so Fermín can follow her afterward.
When Daniel’s guilt resurfaces, Fermín tells his own history with Fumero: Fumero’s opportunism during the war, Fermín’s arrest, torture at Montjuïc, and how he broke and informed, leading to his superiors’ executions. Fermín describes years of dispossession, prison cycles, and Fumero’s cruelty in keeping him alive to “rot.” Daniel embraces him, calls him his best friend, and promises to keep the story from Bernarda and everyone else.
Who Appears
- Daniel SempereSearches for Bea, calls her home, notices surveillance, and recommits to confronting Nuria.
- Fermín Romero de TorresGuides Daniel, outsmarts the police tail, outlines plan against Nuria, reveals traumatic past with Fumero.
- Mr. AguilarBea’s father; answers the phone and threatens Bea will pay for Daniel’s actions.
- Beatriz Aguilar (Bea)Absent from classes; rumored ill; becomes the target of her father’s anger.
- Plainclothes policeman (Fumero’s man)Tails Daniel and Fermín; is tricked into leaving by a false message.
- Waiter at Els Quatre GatsDelivers Fermín’s fake urgent message, helping drive away the police tail.
- Professor VelázquezBea’s lecturer; seen leaving class surrounded by admirers, highlighting Bea’s absence.
- Bea’s classmate (unnamed shy girl)Quietly tells Daniel Bea also missed Friday and may be ill.
- Inspector FumeroOff-page threat; linked to surveillance; subject of Fermín’s account of past torture.
- Nuria MonfortTarget of the next plan; Daniel is instructed to confront her about lies and Carax-related mail.
- Don Gustavo BarcelóOriginator of the plan to confirm surveillance and pressure Nuria into revealing information.
- BernardaFermín’s partner; Fermín asks Daniel to keep his confession from her.