Chapter 12 — Fire Behind the Line

Cao Van Thien, Deputy Head of the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Department of Hoa Trach City, arranged to meet Thien Ly at a small cafe hidden in an alley, far from the office, late one evening after office hours. He chose this location on purpose, something Thien Ly realized right away from the cautious tone when he texted to meet.

"You talked to Mr. Tam Rang, right?" Mr. Thien asked as soon as she sat down, without beating around the bush as usual.

"Yes, Khiem and I met him yesterday afternoon." Thien Ly replied, surprised that he knew about this so quickly. "How do you know?"

"He called me last night and said he told me everything." Mr. Thien rubbed his hands together, a familiar nervous gesture that Thien Ly had seen many times during tense briefings. "He asked me if I should do it. I told him it was time."

Thien Ly looked at Uncle Thien, clearly feeling the tension covering the man in front of her. "So you also know about the notebook, know about what really happened that night?"

Mr. Thien nodded slowly, his eyes looking down at the steaming cup of coffee, as if not daring to look directly at her. "I know part of it. I wasn't at the scene like Mr. Tam, but I was the first person your father called to tell him the news before he came back to get the notebook."

"What did your father tell me?" Thien Ly asked, her voice shaking.

"He called me at nearly midnight, his voice very urgent. He said he found evidence of fraud in the warehouse records, saying that someone internally was helping to declare the value of inventory for insurance purposes. He told me to come see him early the next morning, bringing along someone with authority to verify." Mr. Thien stopped, his voice choked. "That was the last call I got from him."

Thien Ly felt her throat constrict, tears threatened to flow but she tried to hold it back. "So why haven't you told me this for the past eight years?"

Mr. Thien looked up at her, his eyes red, full of regret. "Because after my father died, the investigation conclusion was issued so quickly that I didn't have time to react. I tried to speak up and suggest expanding the investigation, but I was pushed aside on the grounds that I was in the mourning period and not objective enough to participate. By the time I regained consciousness, the file was closed, and..." He stopped and took a deep breath. "And I received a warning, similar to what Mr. Tam once told you."

"Who warned you?" Thien Ly asked, her voice urgent.

"I don't know exactly who is behind it, but I know that the warning came from someone powerful enough to affect my career in the industry." Mr. Thien looked around the cafe. Even though the space was deserted, his voice still lowered to a whisper. "I had a family, a small child at that time. I chose to stay silent, and I've lived with that shame for the past eight years, Thien Ly. Every time I see you, I remember that I didn't have the courage to stand up for my friend."

Thien Ly looked at Uncle Thien, the emotions in her heart were so complex that it was difficult to name them - both anger because eight years of silence had forced her to endure doubt alone, and deep sympathy for a man who had to live in fear and regret no less than Mr. Tam Rang.

"I don't blame you." She said, her voice softening. "I understand, everyone has their own fears. But now, are you willing to help me and Mr. Khiem? We need all the evidence we can find."

"I'm ready." Mr. Thien nodded decisively, as if a burden had been lifted from his shoulders for many years. "I still keep a copy of the original file before it was finally edited for approval. I've kept it for the past eight years, not daring to destroy it because my conscience doesn't allow it, but also not daring to publish it because I'm afraid."

Thien Ly felt her heart beat faster. "Do you bring it with you?"

Mr. Thien shook his head. "I'll hide it in a safe place, not in the house or office. I'll bring it to you and Khiem on a more appropriate occasion, when I'm sure no one is watching. You have to understand, if the person behind all of this finds out I still have that copy, my life and that of my entire family will be in real danger."

"I understand, just be careful." Thien Ly nodded, even though she was anxious to get proof immediately.

"There's one more thing you need to know." Mr. Thien said, his voice becoming more serious. "The official investigation conclusion that everyone read is different from the initial preliminary report I once saw. In the original version, there was a paragraph describing unusual traces of fire in the office area, suspected of using a catalyst. That paragraph has completely disappeared in the officially signed version."

"Who has the authority to edit the report before signing it?" Thien Ly asked, even though she already guessed the answer.

Mr. Thien looked at her, his eyes full of meaning. "The person who signed the final approval has the full right to request editing the content before officially issuing it. And the person who signed and approved that case is the same person who is currently the Head of Department for both me and Mr. Khiem."

Even though she had predicted it in advance, hearing Uncle Thien's confirmation from his own mouth still made Thien Ly feel a chill run down her spine. Vo Ba Tho - the man who often smiled friendly at her during briefings, who still signed and approved her leave application whenever needed, turned out to be the one who personally erased the most important evidence in her father's death.

"Do you think Mr. Tho is the mastermind, or is he just someone who was bribed to stay silent?" Thien Ly asked, trying to keep her voice calm even though her heart was boiling.

"I don't know for sure." Mr. Thien shook his head. "But I believe that he is not strong enough to be the leader of this entire network. He may just be a link, albeit an important one, helping to hide and legitimize everything from the authorities."

The two of them sat in silence for a while, the cup of coffee in front of them both had long gone cold. Thien Ly looked out the shop window, where the yellow streetlight shone down on the deserted alley, and she felt more clearly than ever the weight of what they were facing — not just an ordinary criminal case, but a network deeply ingrained in the very system that was supposed to protect justice.

"Uncle Thien," she said softly, "were you scared when you decided to help us this time?"

Mr. Thien looked at her for a long time, then smiled sadly. "I'm not afraid, Thien Ly. But I'm more afraid if I have to continue living with this shame one more day. Your father is the best brother I've ever had. It's time for me to do the right thing, no matter how late it is."

When saying goodbye to Mr. Thien at the door of the coffee shop, Thien Ly stood silently watching his figure disappear into the darkness of the alley, filled with a complex emotion - both grateful to finally have an ally willing to stand on the side of the truth, and worried for the safety of a man who has lived in fear for eight years and now decides to face it.

She pulled out her phone and immediately texted Trong Khiem, telling him everything she had just heard. Just a few minutes later, he called back, his voice filled with worry and excitement.

"This is the biggest breakthrough we've had to date." He spoke over the phone. "But I'm worried about the safety of both you and Uncle Thien. If Mr. Tho or anyone in this network finds out we're gathering evidence against them, they won't sit idly by."

"I know." Thien Ly replied, looking out at the dark street in front of her. "But we have gone too far to stop now, Mr. Khiem."

"I agree." His voice was low, firm. "We will continue, but from now on, be more cautious than ever. I will seek to protect our sources in every way possible."

Thien Ly nodded even though he couldn't see it through the phone, feeling a new determination burning in her heart. The truth is slowly emerging, piece by piece, and while the road ahead is still dangerous, she knows she is closer than ever to the day true justice is served for her father.

Hanging up the phone, she stood silently in the middle of the deserted street for a long time, looking up at the starless night sky, only the city lights shining a pale orange halo on the horizon. She thought of the image of her father on his last night, running back into the flames not because of carelessness, but because of an iron belief that the truth was worth giving up his life for. She understood that perhaps it was that belief that had been passed down to her, silently nurtured in her for twenty-six years of her life, leading her to this right path.

On the way home, she passed by the fire station, the light from the duty room was still on, the silhouettes of several teammates sitting on the night shift were printed on the glass window. She stopped for a moment, looked inside, felt a familiar warmth that she had always found in this place — a second home, a chosen family, where she had learned the true meaning of courage from her dead father.