Chapter 12 — Female Lawyer and Torn Will

The search warrant for Kim Yen's private room was approved by the court two days later, based on new details about her regularly accessing Mr. Vinh Thanh's drinks during the period when the concentration of sedatives in his blood was unusually high. Duy Bach led the search team to the Dam family villa early one morning, when the whole family had not yet mentally prepared for such a surprise inspection.

Kim Yen, when witnessing the police force appearing in front of her room, tried to remain calm, but her eyes could not hide the momentary panic. "This is a serious insult to my family," she said, her voice shaking with both anger and fear. "You have no right to search my private room without any concrete evidence!"

"We have a legal search warrant from the court, ma'am," Duy Bach replied, his voice stern but still maintaining professional procedures. "Please cooperate so that this process goes smoothly."

The search lasted nearly three hours, with the investigation team meticulously checking every corner of Kim Yen's bedroom, dressing room, and even her private makeup room. Ultimately, the most important discovery came from a secret drawer at the back of the closet — where they found a small bag containing several unlabeled pills, along with a notebook recording personal expenses, including a cash payment vaguely noted as "consulting services," which coincided in time with the date of the break-in at Tue Minh's office.

"We will send these pills for examination immediately," Duy Bach told Tue Minh by phone right after the search ended. "If they match the sedative found in Mr. Vinh Thanh's blood, this will be the first direct physical evidence linking Kim Yen to the incident."

Three days later, examination results confirmed that the pills found in Kim Yen's room were the same active ingredient discovered in Mr. Vinh Thanh's blood, with a concentration much higher than the usual prescribed dosage - a strong sedative, usually only used in special treatment cases, not the drug that Mr. Vinh Thanh usually uses to treat insomnia.

With this evidence in hand, Duy Bach decided to summon Kim Yen to the police station to take an official statement. During the interrogation, she initially firmly denied all accusations, claiming that the pills were recommended by a friend to help her sleep better during a stressful period due to her father-in-law's illness.

"Can you explain why the medicine you are using exactly matches the substance found in Mr. Vinh Thanh's blood?" Duy Bach asked, his eyes never left Kim Yen's face, observing every smallest expression.

Kim Yen was silent for a long time, her hands clasped tightly together on the table, her fingers white from the pressure. "I... I don't know what kind of medicine you take," she replied, her voice starting to tremble, losing her initial confidence. "Maybe it's just a coincidence."

"We also found a cash payment to a security consulting company, right at the time when lawyer Lam Tue Minh's office was broken into," Duy Bach continued, placing a copy of the collected documents on the table. "Can you explain this expense?"

Kim Yen's face turned pale. She stared at the document in silence for a long time, as if considering whether to continue to deny or accept to face the revealed truth. Finally, she sighed, her shoulders slumping in heavy surrender.

"Okay, I'll tell you everything," she said, her voice trembling but strangely relieved, as if releasing a burden that had been suppressed for too long. "But I need you to understand, I don't do all of this out of simple greed, but because I fear for the future of my family, for my children."

Duy Bach immediately informed Tue Minh about this important development, and she rushed to the police station as soon as possible, promptly attending the rest of the testimony as a legal representative directly related to the case.

"I overheard the conversation between you and lawyer Doan, when the two discussed amending the will to recognize a new heir," Kim Yen said, her eyes avoiding looking directly at Tue Minh. "I know it will probably cause my husband to lose most of the control of the corporation, while he is saddled with a huge debt that I discovered not long ago. I fear that if the new will takes effect, my family will completely collapse."

"So you decided to act on your own, without letting your husband know?" Tue Minh asked, trying to clarify the extent of Quoc Hung's involvement.

"That's right, my husband knows absolutely nothing about what I did," Kim Yen affirmed, her voice determined to protect her husband even in her own most difficult circumstances. "I started bringing tea to my father-in-law every night, gradually adding a small amount of sedatives to the tea, just with the intention of making him sleep better, more tired, to delay him being awake enough to complete all the procedures related to the new will. I never intended to seriously harm his life, I swear to you."

"But he passed away right after she increased the dosage," Duy Bach repeated, his voice stern. "Are you aware that, with your already weak cardiovascular condition, using high doses of sedatives could cause serious consequences, even death?"

Kim Yen burst into tears, tears of regret flowed uncontrollably. "I had no idea it would have such serious consequences," she sobbed. "I simply thought of making him sleep a little deeper, without considering the cardiovascular risks. When I discovered he had passed away the next morning, I was so panicked that I didn't know what to do. I only knew that the new will had definitely been signed, and I had to find a way to prevent it at all costs before everything was officially announced."

"So it was you who opened the safe and tore up the will?" Tue Minh asked, even though she was almost certain of the answer.

"That's right," Kim Yen admitted, her voice now just a regretful whisper. "I have many times secretly seen the new safe code that my father-in-law changed, when he accidentally revealed it while working without knowing I was standing nearby. The night he passed away, after everyone had gone to their room to rest, I snuck into the office, opened the safe, and when I read the contents of the will, I panicked and tore it into pieces in desperation, then hid those pieces of paper temporarily, intending to completely destroy them later, but not before everyone discovered the safe. has been opened."

This full confession, though heartbreaking, closed most of the core mysteries of the case — who tore up the will, and why Mr. Vinh Thanh's death happened so suddenly. But it also opens a new complex legal question about the extent of Kim Yen's criminal liability, when the line between intentionally dangerous behavior and unintended fatal consequences still needs to be clarified through the next legal process.

Before leaving the interrogation room, Kim Yen looked up at Tue Minh. Her eyes were red but no longer defensive like previous meetings. "Miss Minh," she called softly, her voice trembling. "Please tell Mr. Vu that I am truly sorry. Not because I am afraid of legal consequences, but because I realize that it was my fear and ambition that deprived him of the opportunity to have his grandfather personally deliver the truth in the fullest, warmest way that he deserved to receive."

Tue Minh nodded, not saying another word, but she noted that rare sincerity as a small ray of light amidst all the suffering that this incident had caused to so many people.

When the testimony ended, Tue Minh walked out of the police station with a feeling of both relief and heaviness. The truth was finally revealed, but the cost — a human life, a family broken yet again, and a woman who now faced serious legal consequences because fear and greed had led her too far — made her feel a deep sadness mixed with the belief in justice she had pursued throughout her career.

Duy Bach saw her off to the parking lot, the two walked together in silence for a long time before he spoke. “This is probably the hardest part of our job,” he said, his voice thoughtful. "Finding the truth does not always bring a feeling of complete victory, especially when that truth exposes so much pain that has been smoldering for many years in the hearts of people who are not inherently monsters, just ordinary people led on the wrong path by fear."

"But at least, now Thanh Nha has been completely vindicated, and Anh Vu can move on with the clear truth about his origins," Tue Minh replied, trying to find positive meaning amidst all the losses. "It is still worth continuing to persevere in the pursuit of justice, no matter how bumpy and painful the road to get there may be."

Duy Bach looked at her with affectionate eyes, gently holding her hand in a quiet gesture of comfort. "She always had the most positive way of looking at things, even in the heaviest moments," he said. "That's one of the many things I admire about you."