Chapter 3 — Mystery At 3 A.M

Khuong Hoa looked at those two words and her throat became dry. The other end of the line was silent for a moment. Then, the man coughed softly twice. That cough made An An suddenly raise her head. The girl's face was pale, without any blood left. Khuong Hoa unconsciously held her child's hand. An An's hands were cold as ice. The man spoke slowly.

“The iron box your mother left behind.”

“Don't tell me you don't know.”

"As for which bank the key was kept in, do you remember? How could you not know what was in the box?"

Khuong Hoa's breathing stopped for half a beat. She has never talked about this with anyone. Even An An just mentioned it. The man seemed to see her expression and laughed again.

“Miss Khuong, you are still the same as before.”

“The outside is gentle, but the inside is tougher than anyone.”

“That year you dared to put the copy out, now you also dare to hide this box.”

Team leader Dien wrote on the paper again. Ask him what he wants. Khuong Hoa bit the tip of her tongue, the pain made her a little more alert.

“What do you want anyway?”

“The box.”

“What's inside.”

“Before six o'clock tonight, bring it under Nam Kieu bridge in the old neighborhood.”

“Only you can come.”

Khuong Hoa looked at Captain Dien. Captain Dien shook his head. Khuong Hoa continued to prolong the time.

“My house has been blocked by the police.”

“I can't get it.”

The man's voice suddenly turned cold.

“Don't get the police involved.”

The atmosphere in the room immediately tensed. Captain Dien's hand stopped. The man continued.

“The person in the dark coat next to you is holding a pen.”

“And the young man by the window is making a phone call.”

The blood in Khuong Hoa's body was cold. She suddenly looked out the window. Opposite the hotel is another building. The window glass in the morning reflects white light, making it impossible to see clearly what's inside. Team leader Dien immediately went to the window and pulled the curtain closed. Officer Ha also bowed low and backed up against the wall. The man spoke softly into the phone.

“Stop looking.”

“You can't see me.”

“You guys are on the twelfth floor, the last room number is seven.”

Khuong Hoa's hand trembled, almost dropping the phone. An An suddenly reached out and pressed the back of her hand. She stared at the phone, her voice very low.

“The box is not in our hands.”

The other end of the line was silent for a few seconds.

“It's you again.”

An An did not avoid it.

“You know me?”

The man's smile disappeared.

“Of course I know.”

“Last time you cried so loudly.”

Khuong Hoa suddenly stood up. Captain Dien immediately held her shoulder. An An's lips trembled, but she still stared at the phone.

“Do you remember last time too?”

There was only electrical noise on the other end of the line. After a long time, the man spoke softly.

“I just remember that children shouldn't talk too much.”

“You shouldn't live a second time.”

That sentence was like a rock hitting the room. Khuong Hoa's head exploded. An An's pupils slightly shrank. For the first time, an undisguised shock appeared on Captain Dien's face. The man did not say unnecessary words anymore.

“Nam Kieu Bridge.”

“If the box doesn't come, you won't have any stairs to run this time.”

The phone is disconnected. There was only a prolonged beeping sound in the room. Khuong Hoa stood in place, as if his strength had been drained. Police Ha immediately reported the phone number phone. Team leader Dien asked him to check cameras around the hotel and contact support forces below. But An An suddenly looked towards the door. Khuong Hoa followed her eyes. I don't know when, under the door of the room, a corner of white paper appeared. Captain Dien walked over, put on gloves and slowly pulled the paper in. It was a photo that had just been printed. In the photo is their room door. The room number appears clearly. On the back of the photo is an inscription. Don't let the child die for you again. The hotel hallway was quickly blocked. Team leader Dien did not let Khuong Hoa and An An leave through the main door. He asked the hotel to find two sets of cleaning staff's clothes, and arranged for two female police officers to come out from another room to attract attention. Khuong Hoa tucked her hair into her hat, held An An's hand and walked through the employee entrance. All the way, An An didn't say anything. Her eyes always stared ahead, as if someone was lurking behind every corner. There was a smell of disinfectant in the staff aisle. Smelling that smell, Khuong Hoa suddenly remembered the cold wind in the stairs last night. Her stomach rolled. The lights in the underground parking lot were still on. But when he saw the light, Khuong Hoa became even more uneasy. The building was too dark last night. It was so dark that it looked like someone had preemptively extinguished all the places that could light up. Captain Dien told them to get in a car without police lights. After leaving the hotel, the car did not go on the main road but went around two small streets.