Chapter 5 — Guardian of the Frescoes

There was a commotion in front of the police station. Mother stood up from the ground and pulled Luc Nghien Chu.
"What do you mean? Do you want to harm Thanh Le?"
Luc Nghien Chu looked at her.
“Mom, what if that call can prove that Minh Duong was harmed?”
Mother was stunned, then immediately cried and shouted:
"So what should Thanh Le do? She has been taken away, she still has two children!"
Hearing that sentence, I was so tired that I no longer had the strength to even hate. My mother finally knew I could be innocent. But her first reaction was still what to do with Kieu Thanh Le. The old phone at the hospital was found. But the phone board was soaked in water and couldn't boot. Luc Nghien Chu put the phone on the repair table.
“Can it be fixed?”
The old worker wore glasses and looked for a long time.
"It's very difficult. It's been soaked so severely, it looks like it was done on purpose."
Chu Nam Chi banged the table.
“Who has ever touched your office?”
Luc Nghien Chu says:
“After what happened five years ago, Thanh Le helped me pack up all my things.”
Dad said:
“Take it to check for traces.”
Kieu Thanh Le's lawyer also came.
"Mr. Luc, you used a broken phone as evidence. You can't help but be too forced. My client has had a mental breakdown because of your speculations."
Chu Nam Chi scolded:
"Is she collapsed? Minh Duong's bones have been punctured!"
The lawyer pushed his glasses.
"Miss Chu, please pay attention to the way you use words. Currently there is no direct evidence to prove that Ms. Kieu kills people."
There were footsteps outside the door. Kieu Thanh Le was temporarily taken to identify evidence. She was wearing hospital clothes, her face was pale, and there was a female police officer accompanying her. As soon as she saw Luc Nghien Chu, tears immediately fell from her eyes.
“Nghien Chu, do you really want to force me to die?”
Luc Nghien Chu pushed the old phone in front of her.
“Why spoil it by soaking it?”
Kieu Thanh Le shook her head.
"I don't know."
"This phone is always locked in my office drawer. The key is kept by only you and me."
"Have you forgotten? That year, the institute moved the archive once, and a lot of things were damaged."
Chu Nam Chi smiled coldly.
"What a coincidence. Anything that is unfavorable to you is broken."
Kieu Thanh Le looked at her.
"Chu Nam Chi, I know you hate me. But you can't pour all that dirty water on me because of Tham Minh Duong."
Dad took out the silk testing report.
"The composition of the powder has been determined. It matches the substance left at the scene of the mural removal that year."
Kieu Thanh Le asked:
"So what? This only proves that the cultural smugglers removed the fresco."
Dad stared at her.
“On the piece of silk there are my fingerprints.”
Kieu Thanh Le's crying stopped. The lawyer immediately said:
"Five years ago, Ms. Kieu also participated in rescue work. It's very normal for her to have her fingerprints on the piece of silk."
Dad took out another photo.
"The fingerprint is on top of the powder. That means when you touched the piece of silk, there was painting powder on it."
Kieu Thanh Le looked at the photo, then suddenly raised her head to look at Luc Nghien Chu.
“Nghien Chu, do you really want to go to this extent?”
Luc Nghien Chu said nothing. Kieu Thanh Le burst out laughing.
"Okay. You all want proof, I'll give you proof."
She looked at her father.
"Captain Tham, that year Tham Minh Duong really did not follow the smugglers. She was taken away by them.”
Dad suddenly stood up. Kieu Thanh Le continued:
“But she's not pure either. Because she wanted to survive, she knelt down and begged me to lie for her. She said as long as I get out alive, say she was forced.”
Chu Nam Chi rushed forward, but was stopped by a female police officer.
“You lie!”
Kieu Thanh Le looked at Luc Nghien Chu.
“Before she died, she still called my name. Do you want to hear it?”
The last bit of blood on Luc Nghien Chu's face also disappeared. Kieu Thanh Le slowly said:
“In my phone there is a video from before she died.”
Luc Nghien Chu took a step forward.
“Where?”
Kieu Thanh Le stared at him.
“You withdraw your application.”
"Where?"
“If you withdraw your application, I will tell you. Otherwise, for the rest of your life, you won't be able to know what she said before she died."
Dad shouted angrily:
“Kieu Thanh Le, you are threatening the police!”
Kieu Thanh Le laughed until tears flowed from her eyes.
“I just want to live.”
Luc Nghien Chu's voice was scary low.
“Before she died, what did she say?”
Kieu Thanh Le said word by word:
“She said, Luc Nghien Chu, I'm in pain.”
Paid point Kieu Thanh Le was taken back to the interrogation room. Luc Nghien Chu stood in the hallway, one hand leaning against the wall, not moving for a long time. Chu Nam Chi punched him hard on the shoulder.
“Do you know the pain now? When she was nailed to the wall, where were you?
Luc Nghien Chu did not fight back. Dad looked at Kieu Thanh Le through the glass.
“Where is her phone?”
The lawyer sat inside and reminded Kieu Thanh Le not to say anything. Kieu Thanh Le slowly adjusted the cuff of the hospital gown, as if she was sure no one could do anything to her. Outside the door appeared a middle-aged woman wearing a gray coat.