Characters Unnatural Death Patricia Cornwell

Pete Marino: Controversy, Conviction, and the Sasquatch Footprint

Overview

Pete Marino serves as the forensic operations specialist for Dr. Kay Scarpetta’s medical examiner office in Patricia Cornwell’s Unnatural Death (2023), the 26th Kay Scarpetta novel. A longtime colleague and friend of Scarpetta, Marino is a former police detective whose practical skills and stubborn loyalty have anchored the series for decades. In this installment, Marino becomes the focus of both media ridicule and internal suspicion when he secretly makes a plaster cast of an eighteen-inch humanlike footprint inside an abandoned gold mine at the Buckingham Run crime scene. The cast – which he believes may be from a Sasquatch – sparks a clash between empirical forensic science and cryptozoological speculation, while also serving as a deliberate trap that tests the trust among Scarpetta’s inner circle.

Plot Role

Marino’s actions drive a significant subplot in Unnatural Death. While investigating the double murder of Huck and Brittany Manson at Buckingham Run, Marino discovers a suspicious footprint inside a mine tunnel near where the male victim’s body was dumped. Without consulting Scarpetta or the Secret Service, he mixes plaster of Paris (which he always carries in his scene case) and creates a cast. He later reveals this cast to Scarpetta and Lucy on the helicopter landing, insisting it is genuine. Lucy immediately dismisses it as a probable hoax designed to embarrass Marino, but he refuses to back down.

Throughout the investigation, Marino’s cast becomes a point of contention. Other agents view it with suspicion, and the media picks up the “Bigfoot rumor.” Marino secretly sends the cast and related evidence to examiner Faye Hanaday, bypassing Secret Service jurisdiction. Later, the team brings in anthropologist Cate Kingston, whom Marino met at the Shenandoah Sasquatch Festival. In the final chapter (Eight Days Later), Kingston authenticates the footprint based on anatomy, trace evidence (pollen from spring), and the lack of a media leak – validating Marino’s discovery. The cast ultimately helps stall government plans to build a facility in Buckingham Run, as officials must now act as if an endangered species might live there.

Motivations and Traits Shown Through Actions

Marino is motivated by a deep-seated need for validation and a sense of purpose. He feels insecure about his changing role: Scarpetta’s niece Lucy has surpassed him in expertise, and his marriage to Dorothy has made him feel “powerless,” as Scarpetta notes. His decision to cast the footprint stems from a genuine belief in the evidence, but also from a desire to prove his worth – especially to Lucy, who dismisses him. He reacts with fury when Lucy mocks him, calling the cast a “sucker hole.”

His actions also reveal a stubborn, almost obsessive attention to detail. He describes scuff marks, a heel shape, and hairs stuck in the plaster. He argues that the foot has no arch, consistent with a Sasquatch, and that one toe appears broken. This shows he has studied cryptozoological lore. Yet he remains grounded by his forensic training: he treats the cast as evidence, photographs it with a ruler, and brings it to the official investigation.

Emotionally, Marino is volatile. He is easily unnerved by the eerie wood-knocking sounds in the forest, and his fear of being watched (or of a Sasquatch nearby) makes him both more determined and more defensive. His anger at learning that Lucy, Benton, and Tron kept Carrie Grethen’s survival secret for seven years is raw and sustained. He repeatedly says “I feel like the rug was just pulled out,” demonstrating his need for trust and transparency.

Chronological Arc

Marino’s arc follows a trajectory from impulsive action to validation and reconciliation.

  • Before the main action: Marino attended the Shenandoah Sasquatch Festival in June, meeting professor Cate Kingston. He kept this from Scarpetta.
  • Chapter 7–8: Scarpetta and Lucy note Marino’s changed behavior since his July birthday and his marriage. Lucy observes he “acts like a jerk” when insecure. At Buckingham Run, Marino emerges from the woods carrying a sealed evidence box containing the footprint cast.
  • Chapter 9: Marino reveals the cast to Scarpetta and Lucy, explaining how he found it inside the gold mine. He insists it is real; Lucy calls him a “fanatic.” Scarpetta warns him it will cause a “shit storm.”
  • Chapters 12–13: During the recovery of the bodies, Marino’s cast is discussed by other agents with suspicion. Scarpetta descends into the mine shaft while Marino helps with lake recovery.
  • Chapters 14–18: Marino secretly sends the cast to Faye Hanaday. Lucy profiles Cate Kingston. The team decides to discreetly bring Kingston in to analyze the cast.
  • Chapter 21: Marino learns that Carrie Grethen is alive and reacts with fury, feeling betrayed by Lucy and Benton.
  • Chapters 24–32: Marino’s anger lingers as he cares for a cricket found in a body bag, symbolizing hope. He confronts security guard Norm for stealing PPE. He refuses to hide his feelings, telling Scarpetta he would never have kept such a secret from her.
  • Eight Days Later: At a celebratory dinner, Marino watches Cate Kingston’s video message authenticating his cast. Dorothy presents him with a chocolate cake shaped like the footprint. Marino is deeply moved, his discovery validated.

Relationships

  • Kay Scarpetta: The core professional partnership. Scarpetta trusts Marino’s skills but is frustrated by his unilateral decisions. She tries to protect him from ridicule while insisting the cast be treated like any other evidence. She acknowledges feeling “relatively safe” with him.
  • Lucy Farinelli: A tense, sibling-like rivalry. Lucy constantly undermines Marino, accusing him of being played. He resents her technological superiority and her condescension, especially when she calls the cast a “sucker hole.” Yet by the end, there is grudging respect.
  • Dorothy Marino: His wife, Scarpetta’s sister. Dorothy dotes on him, which Marino finds both comforting and emasculating. She plans the celebratory dinner and presents the footprint cake, showing her support.
  • Cate Kingston: The expert who validates his work. Their meeting at the Sasquatch festival gave Marino the knowledge to make a proper cast. Kingston’s endorsement is a turning point for him.
  • Benton Wesley: Marino respects Benton but is angry about the Carrie Grethen secret. He vents to Scarpetta about feeling betrayed.

Key Decisions and Consequences

  1. Making the cast without authorization: This decision puts the medical examiner’s office in the “hot seat,” as Scarpetta warns. It fuels media rumors about Bigfoot and creates internal mistrust. However, it also preserves critical evidence that later proves authentic.
  2. Sending the cast to Faye Hanaday bypassing Secret Service: This deepens suspicion but also ensures independent forensic analysis. Faye confirms the cast looks genuine.
  3. Insisting the cast is real despite ridicule: Marino’s stubbornness keeps the evidence in play. His position is ultimately vindicated when Cate Kingston authenticates the footprint.
  4. Confronting Norm: He exposes a security leak, helping Scarpetta eventually fire Norm and improve building security.
  5. Accepting the cake and celebration: He allows himself to feel proud, showing growth in his ability to receive recognition.

Theme/Symbol Connections

  • Deception and Trust: Marino’s cast is suspected of being a hoax planted to embarrass him. The theme of deception is embodied in the physical object that divides the team. His reaction to the Carrie Grethen lie further explores trust.
  • Forensic Science versus Cryptozoology: Marino straddles both worlds. He uses scientific methods (plaster casting, thinking about DNA) but applies them to a cryptid. The novel ultimately suggests that good forensic practice can validate even extraordinary claims.
  • Technology and Surveillance: Marino’s old-school methods clash with Lucy’s drones and AI glasses. Yet his hands-on approach yields results that technology might dismiss.
  • Domestic Terrorism: The murder investigation links to The Republic, but Marino’s small-town, instinct-driven work helps uncover a broader conspiracy.
  • Trauma and Resilience: Marino’s anger and fear reflect the trauma of learning a lifelong enemy is still alive. His care for the cricket Jiminy symbolizes resilience – finding small signs of life amid chaos.

Book-Specific Questions and Answers

1. Why does Marino decide to make a plaster cast of the footprint without telling anyone?
Marino believes he is the best person to preserve the evidence, as he has extensive experience making casts of tire tracks and footwear impressions. He also acts on instinct and a desire to prove his skills, especially to Lucy, who has been dismissive of him. The narrative shows he “didn’t ask” Scarpetta because he knew she would forbid it, as she states: “If you’d talked to me about it in advance, I would have insisted that you were hands-off.”

2. How does Lucy’s reaction to the cast affect Marino’s behavior throughout the story?
Lucy’s mockery – calling it a “sucker hole” and a “faux, fake, a hoax” – stokes Marino’s defensiveness. He becomes more determined to prove the cast is real, even when other agents are suspicious. Their antagonistic dynamic escalates until the final validation, after which Lucy grudgingly acknowledges his discovery.

3. What evidence supports the authenticity of Marino’s footprint cast?
Professor Cate Kingston points to the anatomy of the foot in motion (muscle, tendon, bone structure) as “next to impossible to fake.” Trace evidence includes microscopic pollen from cedar trees consistent with spring, not fall, suggesting the print was made months earlier. No media leak occurred, which would be expected if it were a hoax. DNA analysis was inconclusive but consistent with a human relative.

4. How does Marino’s personal history with Scarpetta and Lucy influence his actions in this case?
Marino has worked with Scarpetta for decades and feels a deep loyalty, but he also chafes when he thinks his expertise is undervalued. Lucy represents the younger, tech-savvy generation that he feels has surpassed him. His decision to cast the footprint is partly a bid to reclaim his status as the “most skilled and experienced” in certain forensic tasks.

5. What does the final celebration scene reveal about Marino’s character growth?
He allows himself to be publicly honored. Dorothy’s cake and the video message move him to tears. He accepts the validation he craved, showing a vulnerability he usually hides. His discovery also leads to a practical outcome (blocking future government construction), reinforcing his belief that Bigfoot is “real and knows who we are.” The scene signals a reconciliation between his emotional needs and his professional identity.

Further Reading