Chapter 13 — Mystery At 3 A.M

The noise under the car had turned into a very small ticking sound. The girl grabbed the policeman's arm and pulled him out. Less than three seconds after the two people rolled down the grassy slope on the side of the road, a plume of white smoke rose from under the minivan. Not fire. It's thick, choking smoke. Smoke spewed out from under the car, quickly covering the entire car. If they were half a minute late, they would be locked inside. An An lay face down in the grass, her throat choked. She finally understood that the other person did not intend to kill her immediately. They want to erase her from the screen. Don't let her see what happens next in the old grave site. Deep in the cemetery, Khuong Hoa stood in front of an anonymous stele, his back covered in cold sweat. After the man took off his mask, she also recognized that face. He is the police officer sitting next to An An in the afternoon. Or rather, he wasn't a police officer in the first place. His face was still young, but there was no panic in his eyes like that of a young man. He slowly walked forward, holding a small black box in his hand. The noise in Khuong Hoa's headphones is caused by that thing.

“Don't wait for Dien Minh Vien anymore.”

The man said.

“His ears can't hear you now.”

Khuong Hoa's finger is still placed on the new layer of soil under the incense burner. The soil is very porous. Below is empty. But she did not dare to continue digging. The man looked at her hand and laughed.

“Your mother really knows how to hide things.”

“Every year I go around and around, even my own daughter doesn't understand.”

Khuong Hoa forced herself to calm down.

“Cousin Dong?”

The man did not deny it.

“You can call me Mr. Dong.”

This way of addressing made Khuong Hoa's heart even colder. He doesn't look like the type of henchman that Luong Thua Vien bribed with money. He is like the person behind everything, silently recording everything. Khuong Hoa asked.

“Where is Luong Thua Vien?”

Mr. Dong gently shook his head.

“He's old.”

“An old person always thinks that if he just gets back his books, he can sleep well.”

“But it's not him who's really losing sleep.”

As he spoke, he squatted down and used the tip of his knife to scrape off the soil under the incense burner. In the soil revealed a package of tar paper. Khuong Hoa's breathing immediately became disordered. But Mr. Dong did not immediately take it. He looked at her. Khuong Hoa did not move. Mr. Dong raised his hand and pressed the headset.

“Let the child hear the voice.”

A few seconds later, the backup phone on Khuong Hoa rang. That was the phone Captain Dien gave her. It could only receive internal numbers. But now an empty call appeared on the screen. Mr. Dong took the phone from her pocket, dialed it, and put it next to her ear. The sound of An An's breathing was heard on the phone. Very quick, very light. Khuong Hoa's heart suddenly contracted.

“An An, where are you?”

An An did not answer the location. The child only said one sentence.

“Don't dig.”

Mr. Dong's eyes darkened. An An's voice came from the phone, carrying an irrepressible trembling.

“That's not something grandma hides.”

“They just buried it.”

Khuong Hoa's fingertips stiffened. Mr. Dong slowly turned his head and looked towards the cemetery entrance. The smile on his face finally disappeared.

“How did you get out?”

An An did not answer him. On the other end of the line suddenly a shrill car horn sounded. One long sound, two short sounds. That is The emergency code Captain Dien taught everyone before getting off the bus. It means the insider has been exposed, immediately cancel the original plan. Mr. Dong suddenly stood up. Behind the pine forest in the distance, the grave site that had been in silence suddenly lit up with three strong lights. Not a wireless device. They were hand-held headlights that had been ambushed in advance. Captain Dien's voice came from the mountainside.

“Dong Dien.”

“I can't run anymore.”

Hearing this name, Khuong Hoa's whole body shook. The Dong person in her mother's tape. But Dong Dien did not look at Captain Dien. He lowered his head to look at the oil paper package next to Khuong Hoa's feet, then suddenly raised his foot and stomped down hard. The oil paper package in the ground was trampled and torn. There are no records inside. There was only one folded yellow paper. On yellow paper write a sentence. Tieu Hoa, don't believe the first anonymous stele. Dong Dien's face finally changed. At the same time, An An hurriedly spoke on the phone.

“Mom, run quickly.”

“He didn't come to look for things.”

“He came to confirm whether mother knew about the second stele or not.”

Khuong Hoa turned and ran away. She did not run towards Captain Dien. Dong Dien stood between her and the mountainside. She could only rush deeper into the old grave site. The stele on both sides passed one after another in the darkness, like countless expressionless faces. Behind me came the sound of footsteps. Dong Dien chased very quickly. His shoes stepped on dry leaves, the sound was blown away by the wind, making people even more nervous. Khuong Hoa still clutched the bouquet of white chrysanthemums.