Chapter 6 — Fire Behind the Line

Le Trong Khiem arrived at the scene of Ms. Loan's grocery store at exactly seven o'clock in the morning, when the ash layer was still smoldering and smoking and the rope blocking the scene was still intact around the fire area. He wore a dark blue investigator's uniform, carried an aluminum suitcase containing autopsy tools, walked firmly and decisively, his eyes scanning the scene with intense concentration right from the first moment.

Thien Ly is standing next to Captain Dinh, observing him from afar. She had heard rumors about this new investigator - thirty years old, who had solved many complicated cases in other provinces before being transferred to Hoa Trach - but had never met him in person. Her first impression of him was of an almost unpleasant coldness, a person who seemed to only believe in what he could verify with his own eyes.

"Hello, I am Nguyen Thien Ly, part of Fire Team No. 3. I am the person who directly participated in fighting all three recent fires." She walked over, proactively introduced herself, her voice serious.

Trong Khiem looked up at her for a moment and nodded briefly. "Le Trong Khiem, Fire and Explosion Investigation Team. I have read your preliminary report, there are quite detailed notes about the unusual fire spread."

"So you also agree that something is wrong?" Thien Ly asked immediately, not hiding her expectation.

Trong Khiem did not answer immediately. He bent down, looked closely at the charred floor, took a small pair of tongs, picked up a piece of remaining material, put it in an evidence bag, and carefully labeled it. "I don't agree or disagree with anything, Ms. Ly. I just record what the evidence shows. Personal feelings have no value in investigating the cause of the fire and explosion."

That answer made Thien Ly slightly stunned, an uncomfortable feeling rising in her heart. "I'm not talking about personal feelings. I was directly present at all three scenes, observing details that may not be intact when you come to check a few hours later."

"Yes, and that's why I need you to describe exactly what you saw, in chronological order, without any further interpretation." Trong Khiem stood up straight, looking at her with sharp but not harsh eyes. "I don't doubt your ability to observe. I just need to separate facts from hypothesis, because that is the only way for an investigative conclusion to stand up in court, if this case actually leads to prosecution."

Thien Ly was silent for a moment, swallowing down her initial irritation. She realized that Trong Khiem's way of working was not cold and emotionless, but a deliberate caution - the caution of someone who has witnessed the consequences of hasty conclusions without solid evidence.

"Okay, I will narrate it in the correct order." She took a breath and began to recount the details from when she received the alarm, to when she discovered the unusual fire stains on the floor, to what Ms. Loan told her about the real estate company that had offered to buy the house.

Trong Khiem took careful notes in an electronic notebook, occasionally interrupting to ask for specific details — exact time, distance, wind direction, if there was anything special about the smell of smoke. He asked so carefully that Thien Ly felt like she was being interrogated, but she also realized that meticulousness was what she needed - someone who wouldn't miss any small details.

"Did you say all three homeowners were approached by a real estate company to buy the property?" Trong Khiem asked, his eyes still glued to the notebook.

"That's right. Prosperity Land Company." Thien Ly replied, observing his reaction.

There was a brief, almost imperceptible moment when Trong Khiem's eyes lingered on the page. He looked up at her, his voice still calm but somewhat more cautious. "Do you have any evidence to confirm that all three cases are related to the same company, or is it just the accounts of the victims?"

"It's just anecdotal right now, but all three have the same description of the agent who came to solicit the purchase of the house." Thien Ly answered frankly. "I know that's not enough legal evidence, but it's a line of investigation worth pursuing."

Trong Khiem nodded slowly and closed the notebook. "I will verify the real estate transaction registration information related to these three addresses. If there is a match, it will be an important clue."

Throughout that morning, Trong Khiem spent many hours examining the scene so meticulously that it made some members of the fire team impatient. He took samples of ash and half-burned materials, took photos from each angle, and measured the distance between the burning points. Thien Ly watched him work, gradually realizing one thing - under that cold, rigid appearance was a rare dedication, a person who truly valued every small detail because he knew that those details could decide the fate of a case.

"How long have you been doing this job?" She asked when the two took a break, sitting on the steps of a nearby house, drinking a bottle of water that Bang Tam brought.

"Eight years." Trong Khiem replied, looking far away at the ruins. "Previously, I worked in another province. I left after a case that I was sure had an intentional element, but my superiors at that time decided to conclude it was an accident to quickly close the case. I protested, but nothing changed. After that, I asked for a job transfer."

Thien Ly looked at him, a sudden sympathy rose in her heart. "So you also experienced the feeling of seeing the truth buried and not being able to do anything about it."

Trong Khiem turned to look at her, his eyes searching. "You sound like you have personal experience when you say that."

Thien Ly hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell. "My father used to be the captain of this fire team. He died eight years ago in a warehouse fire. The investigation concluded that he voluntarily returned to the scene against protocol. I have never believed that conclusion."

Trong Khiem was silent for a long time, seemingly considering something. "Is that why you're so interested in these fires?"

"Partly." Thien Ly nodded, not hiding it. "But mostly because I believe there is a real connection between the present and the past. The warehouse where my father lost his life, it is also located in this area, also has signs of an unusual catalyst that no one has thoroughly investigated."

Trong Khiem looked at her for a long time, then nodded, his voice much more serious than before. "If what you say is true, this may not be just a series of fires aimed at suppressing land prices. This may be a pattern that has been in place for a long time, and what is happening now is just a new cycle."

That sentence made Thien Ly's heart beat faster. This was the first time, in eight years, that someone in official authority had taken that possibility seriously, not as a consolation for her pain, but as an investigative hypothesis worth pursuing.

"I have records of my father's fire." She said, her voice shaking slightly. "Not official records, but private notes I collected myself over the past eight years. If you want, I can show you."

Trong Khiem nodded immediately. "I'd love to see it, Ms. Ly. But I need to tell you something in advance — if we go in this direction, everything will have to be very careful. If there really is a network behind this series of fires, and it has existed for eight years without being detected, then it is not a group of amateurs. These are people with connections, money, and the ability to hide their tracks very well."

"I understand that." Thien Ly looked straight into his eyes, her voice hard. "But I've been waiting eight years, Mr. Khiem. I don't intend to stop now."

Trong Khiem looked at her for a moment, the corner of his lips slightly raised, almost like a fleeting smile - for the first time that morning. "I believe you won't stop. Okay, let's work together. But every step must be planned, don't act impulsively."

"Agree." Thien Ly nodded, a feeling of relief mixed with determination rising in her heart.

When the scene examination ended in the afternoon, Trong Khiem packed up his tools and prepared to leave to bring the samples back to the laboratory for analysis. Before getting in the car, he turned back to Thien Ly and added a brief sentence: "I will contact you when I have the results of the sample analysis. And Ms. Ly — thank you for trusting me to share your father's story. I will treat that information as seriously as possible."

Thien Ly stood watching his car disappear behind the corner of the street, a strange feeling arose in her heart - not quite hope, not quite complete trust, but a fragile feeling in between, the feeling of a person who has waited too long to dare to believe that someone is really willing to join them in finding the truth.

She took out her phone and texted Bang Tam: "The new investigator seems good. Stiff but I think he's fair."

Just a few seconds later, Bang Tam texted back with a mischievous smile emoticon: "Stiff but you pay so much attention? Tell me more."

Thien Ly laughed alone in the middle of an empty street, for the first time after many stressful days, feeling a little lighter in her chest. But she didn't know that, somewhere in this city, there were people who had just received news of the arrival of a new investigator, and they were starting to worry in a completely different way.