Chapter 17 — Fire Behind the Line

Four days after the fire truck accident, Thien Ly received an envelope with no sender's name, placed right in front of her mother's house early in the morning, when Mrs. Van Khanh had just opened the fabric stall door. There was no stamp, no postmark — someone had personally brought it and left it there overnight.

Inside the envelope was an old photo, yellowed by time, of the Vinh Thinh warehouse burning fiercely eight years ago, and in the bottom corner of the photo, there was a handwritten note: "There are truths that should be left in the ashes. Don't let history repeat itself with the people you love."

Thien Ly stood still as she read that line, her whole body shaking with anger mixed with fear that she had never experienced before. This was no longer an indirect act of sabotage like cutting the brake fluid pipe — this was a direct threat, aimed directly at her and perhaps the people she loved.

"Ly, what's wrong?" Mrs. Van Khanh asked when she saw her daughter standing still, her face pale.

Thien Ly hesitated for a moment, but finally decided not to hide it from her mother and showed her the photo and letter. After Ms. Van Khanh finished reading, her hands trembled and her face turned pale. "Oh my god... they dare to threaten my whole family?"

"Don't be afraid, Mom." Thien Ly said, trying to keep her voice calm even though inside she was also panicking. "I will immediately notify Mr. Khiem and the police."

She immediately called Trong Khiem, who was at her mother's house within twenty minutes, his face was so tense that Thien Ly had never seen it before. He carefully put on gloves, collected the photo and letter as evidence, and put them in a specially sealed bag.

"This is serious threatening behavior that could constitute a separate criminal offense." He said, his voice was tough but Thien Ly could see the worry hiding behind that appearance. "I will report to the city police immediately, requesting an investigation of fingerprints and handwriting."

"If I report to the police, will the news reach Mr. Tho's ears?" Thien Ly asked, her voice full of worry.

Trong Khiem was silent for a moment, his face full of thought. "It's a real risk. But we also cannot handle a serious threat like this completely outside the official system. I will report directly to a higher level, bypassing the usual channel through Mr. Tho, and I will request to arrange security guards for you and your family."

"I don't want to put my mother and younger brother in danger because of me." Thien Ly said, her voice shaking with worry.

"They were pulled in, Thien Ly, as soon as that person sent this letter to your mother's house." Trong Khiem said, his voice was stern but full of sympathy. "The only thing we can do now is ensure their safety as best we can, and find out who is behind this as quickly as possible."

Before leaving, Trong Khiem lingered and carefully examined the area in front of the fabric stall, looking for any traces that could help identify the person who left the letter. "There are no security cameras on this part of the street." He said, frowning and looking around. "That person must have researched the area thoroughly before acting, just like they did with the fire truck."

"That means they are still watching me and my family closely." Thien Ly said, her voice shaking because she realized the severity of the situation.

"Yes, and that's why I need you to be extremely careful from now on." Trong Khiem looked at her, his eyes filled with unconcealed worry. "I will suggest installing security cameras around the fabric stall area and your house, disguised as upgrading neighborhood security, so as not to alert anyone who is watching."

Mrs. Van Khanh, although still shaking with fear, tried to regain her composure and held her daughter's hand tightly. "I don't want you to have to stop because of me, Ly. But I also don't want to lose anyone else in this family. You have to promise me, be really careful."

"I promise, mom." Thien Ly hugged her mother, clearly feeling the trembling in her skinny body. For the past eight years, this woman has alone suffered the pain of losing her husband, and now has to face the fear of losing another daughter, just because of a truth that should have been exposed a long time ago.

That afternoon, a police team was sent to help patrol the area around Ms. Van Khanh's house, although not too loudly to avoid causing confusion in the neighborhood. Thien Ly also moved to temporarily stay at the fire station for a few days, partly for safety, partly because she did not want to bring more danger closer to her mother and younger brother.

That night, sitting in the station break room, Thien Ly called Viet Cuong, telling her younger brother to be more careful in everything, not to go alone at night, and to always inform his mother of his schedule.

"Miss Ly, I'm not afraid." Cuong spoke on the phone, his voice was stronger than Thien Ly expected. "I'm just worried about you. Remember to keep yourself safe."

"I promise." Thien Ly replied, touched by her younger brother's maturity. "Me too, be careful."

After the call, Thien Ly sat alone in the dark bedroom, looking out the window, where the streetlight cast a faint streak of light. She felt a real fear creep into her heart, for the first time since starting this investigation. Not afraid for herself, but afraid for the people she loves — her mother, younger brother, and now, Trong Khiem.

The door opened slightly and Trong Khiem walked in, carrying two cups of hot tea. He sat down next to her, gave her a glass, was silent for a moment before speaking.

"You're scared." He said, not as a question, but as a definite statement.

"Yes." Thien Ly admitted, her voice smaller than usual. "I'm not afraid for myself. I'm afraid for the people I love to suffer the consequences of what I'm doing."

Trong Khiem looked at her for a long time, then gently held her hand. "I understand that feeling. But Thien Ly, if we stop because of fear, we are letting those people win. We are letting the truth about your father be buried forever, and allowing those who caused all this suffering to continue to rampage without paying the price."

"I know." Thien Ly nodded, tears threatening to flow. "But I don't want to pay the price with the lives of the people I love."

"We won't let that happen." Trong Khiem said, his voice was firm and full of determination. "I promise you, I will do everything I can to protect you, your mother, your brother, and everyone involved in this case. We will be more careful, smarter, but we will not back down."

Thien Ly looked at him, feeling a deep comfort from the determination and sincerity in his eyes. She leaned her head on his shoulder, letting the long-held tears finally flow.

"Thank you for being here." She whispered.

"I will always be here, Thien Ly." He replied, wrapping his arms around her, a sincere gesture of comfort amid these turbulent days. "No matter what happens, I won't let you face all of this alone."

That night, although her fear was still there, Thien Ly felt a new strength growing inside her — the strength of knowing that she was not alone, that there was someone willing to stand by her side, no matter how great the danger ahead. And with that strength, she knows she will never give up her journey to find the truth for her father, no matter how cruel and reckless the enemy is.

Before leaving the room, Trong Khiem stopped at the door and turned to look at her again. "Tomorrow I will submit an urgent report to my superiors in the province, not to Mr. Tho. I will also contact Doan Thuy Van, asking her to temporarily stop posting any more articles related to the case for the time being, to avoid further provoking those who are following us."

"You think that will help?" Thien Ly asked, looking up at him.

"I think we need to reduce public attention for a while, focusing on quietly consolidating the evidence, until we have enough grounds to act decisively." Trong Khiem replied, his voice returning to its usual calm, strategic tone. "If we keep everything going public, the enemy will have more opportunities to react, even destroy evidence or flee before we can act."

Thien Ly nodded, realizing the wisdom in his words. "So what should we do next?"

"Tomorrow, I will arrange for Uncle Thien and Mr. Tam Rang to provide official, recorded testimony, confirmed by a third witness, to ensure their testimony cannot be denied or edited later." Trong Khiem said, his voice full of determination. "We need to turn these fragmentary evidence into a solid legal record that cannot be bent by anyone, including someone as powerful as Mr. Tho."

"I will go with you." Thien Ly said, her voice had regained some of its usual assertiveness.

"I know." Trong Khiem smiled slightly, a rare smile amid stressful days. "I don't expect anything else from you."

He closed the door, leaving Thien Ly alone in the darkness of the bedroom, but this time, she no longer felt as lonely or helpless as she had felt in the past eight years. She closed her eyes, envisioned her father's face in the photo hanging at home, and whispered one last promise before falling asleep: no matter how many threats her enemies sent, no matter how cruel they were, she would never let fear stop her from seeking justice for her deceased father.