Chapter 18 — After the Fire Ends, I Return

I asked: “Why?” He paused for a few seconds: "Because among the people who died that day, there was my brother." I was stunned. Father Luc suddenly raised his head: "Tham Duat!" Grandma Tham closed her eyes. Tham Duat looked straight at Luc's father:

"Mr. Luc, the debt from the past, it's time to count it."

Luc's father pulled his wife's hand and tried to leave. Grandma Tham spoke up:

“The Luc family, no one is allowed to leave in a hurry today.”

Manager Phuong took out an old list: "The temporary person in charge of the anniversary party that year was Mr. Luc's secretary. That person is currently missing." Tham Duat received the list: "Not missing." Luc's father's voice was as tense as a string: "What do you mean?" Tham Duat replied: "He returned home this afternoon." Outside the door came the sound of footsteps. A gray-haired man was led in. Seeing him, the calmness on Luc's father's face finally cracked. The man raised his head, his voice trembling:

"Boss Luc, it's been three years. I've had enough of hiding."

* After Lam Vi was taken away, the Luc family completely collapsed. That gray-haired man's name is Trieu Minh, Luc's father's former secretary. He stood in the middle of the Tham family's living room, clutching an old leather briefcase in his hand, his whole body looking like he had just crawled out of a sewer. Luc's father glared at him: "Trieu Minh, think carefully before opening your mouth." Trieu Minh raised his head and looked back: "Boss Luc, it's because I thought too carefully that I had to hide and hide for three years." Luc's mother frantically shouted: "Don't talk nonsense! In the past, you stole money and ran away. Who knows if you're back now because someone bribed you?" Trieu Minh smiled, his teeth were yellow: "Madam Luc, if I was really bribed, I would not have kept this bag for three years. Keeping it until today is because I am afraid that one day I will die on the dusty outside, no one will know the truth." Grandma Tham looked at me: "Duong Duong, please sit down." I don't sit. Tham Duat stood next to me. Trieu Minh opened his leather briefcase. Inside were a few photos, a recording pen and a handwritten notebook. He pushed the photos onto the table.

"The day before the fire, Boss Luc told me to remove the security patrol schedule for the kitchen area of Van Lan lobby. He said that on the day of the celebration party, we had to create a bit of chaos, to keep Uncle Tham from staying."

Tham Duat's voice was cold as a knife: "Hold your feet?" Trieu Minh bowed his head: "The Tham family's eldest uncle was about to publish an evidence document. That evidence would cause the Luc family to lose more than half of their fortune. Boss Luc didn't want to let him leave Van Lan hall." Luc's father was angry: "You farted!" Trieu Minh turned on his recording pen. Inside came the slightly younger voice of Luc's father. *"Just scare him, don't let a murder happen. Some things were burned in the kitchen over there, smoke rose, the door was locked, naturally he wouldn't be able to leave."* Another voice belonged to Trieu Minh: *"Boss Luc, in case there's a big fire..."* *"There's firefighting, it won't kill anyone. Just hold him back for half an hour."* The recording stopped. No one spoke in the living room. The curses that had reached Khuong Van's mouth were swallowed back. Luc Canh Xuyen looked like he recognized his biological father for the first time.

“Dad… is this true?”

Luc's father's face was unsightly, but he still tried to defend himself: "It's fake. Recordings can be faked." Trieu Minh held it again The notebook opened up: "Up here is the money spent on the hotel's internal staff that year, and also the money given to the Lam family's driver. The bucket of things that Ms. Lam carried into the kitchen was loaded from the Lam family's car." Lam Vi's words "my family will be destroyed" in front of the police car finally have an answer. I asked: "Does she know what's inside?" Trieu Minh glanced at me: "She knew it was a flammable material, but she thought it was just creating smoke. She didn't know the door would be locked."