Chapter 3 — Guide to Judgment

The police quickly verified that several friends from that year all corroborated Chu Minh's words. The owner of the internet shop also vaguely remembered that there were indeed a few students who rented computers overnight that night, including one who looked very similar to Chu Minh. The surveillance tape three years ago was soon overwritten, making it impossible to find direct evidence. The case once again fell into deadlock. That perfect alibi is like a high wall, blocking everyone's path. 5 The case analysis meeting in the team took place with an extremely heavy atmosphere. On the whiteboard, Chu Minh's photo was pasted in the middle, surrounded by a circle of question marks. “The alibi is so perfect, the statements of several witnesses all match.” “Is it possible that they together gave false testimony?” "The possibility is not great. It's been three years. If it weren't true, their statements wouldn't be so consistent." “But besides him, who else has a motive?” Everyone couldn't find a solution, the atmosphere was extremely heavy. Everyone's eyes couldn't control themselves and they secretly glanced at me, who was still sitting quietly in the corner. I was leisurely wiping my red sandalwood incense box with a wet towel, as if the impatience outside had nothing to do with me. Finally, someone couldn't stand it. It's Truong Sieu. He stood still for a long time, then finally stood up and walked towards me. Everyone's eyes were focused on him. This arrogant forensic team leader looked extremely uncomfortable, as if he had been constipated for three days and three nights. He cleared his throat, the sound hard as if pressed from between his teeth. “That thing of yours…” He paused, seemingly looking for the right word: “Can you do it again?” The whole room was silent. I raised my eyes to look at him. His face was red, his eyes avoided, not daring to look directly at me. This is him asking for my help. Bowing to the "mystical" he despised the most. I put down the incense box and calmly said: "It's possible. But the attachment will gradually dissipate over time. The first time burning incense has consumed most of it, and the effect of the second time will be much weaker." “Furthermore…” I added: “It requires an intermediary object, an object that the deceased frequently used while alive and that has her aura attached to it.” “I'll take care!” Captain Giang seemed to see new hope and immediately said: "I'll take care of it! I'll immediately send someone to Tran Tuyet's hometown to ask for her mother!" An hour later, I had another wooden comb in my hand. The comb is made of peach wood, very old, the edges of the comb's teeth are rounded and smooth, and a few thin strands of hair are still wrapped on it. Tran Tuyet's mother said this comb, which Tran Tuyet used from middle school to college, is one of the things she treasures most. “Where to choose a location?” Captain Giang asked me. “The riverbank where the body was discovered.” I said: “That's where her obsession finally stopped.” “I'll go with you.” A voice suddenly rang out. It's Truong Sieu. He faced everyone's surprised eyes and tried to explain: "Don't misunderstand, I just came to monitor the scene, to avoid letting some feudal superstitious activities affect the professional image of our police!" This excuse is ridiculously clumsy. On the riverbank in the middle of the night, the cold wind blew. The water surface under the moonlight reflected dark light, like a giant mouth choosing who to swallow. I found the specific location where the body was recovered that year, and set down the incense burner. Truong Sieu stood a few meters behind me, arms crossed, expression serious like a gatekeeper. I again lit three sticks of "Three Births Lead". This time, the blue smoke no longer flew straight like in the morgue, but wobbled uncertainly under the night wind, as if it could go out at any time. In the smoke, the woman's silhouette appeared again. But it was much more vague than last time, it was almost impossible to see the complete human figure, just a pale white mist. She seemed even more miserable, constantly drifting in place. I placed the wooden comb in front of the incense burner and concentrated

shook his entire spirit, trying to establish a connection with that weak notion. Fragments of fragmented and broken thoughts passed into my head. “It's not him…” “Picture…” “Warm…” Just those few words. After that, the white mist completely disappeared into the night. I opened my eyes, my eyebrows furrowed. “How?” Captain Giang asked impatiently. Truong Sieu also focused on listening. I shook my head: "The information is very vague." I told them those few discrete words. “Not him?” Truong Sieu immediately analyzed: "What does she mean that the murderer is not Chu Minh?" I nodded. “So what do ‘pictures’ and ‘warmth’ mean?” He asked again. "Warm?" He frowned, using the thinking of a natural science student: "Could it be somewhere related to the heating system? For example, a boiler room? Or a place with the word 'warm'?" I shook my head again. "Are not." I said: “I feel 'warm' is not a place, but a kind of feeling.”