Chapter 23 — Shrimp Street Without Name

With the recording and internal emails provided by Ms. Tuyet, Kien decided this was the right time to officially propose reopening part of the file related to his brother's death, citing the connection between Mr. Son and the fraudulent acts being audited. He drafted a detailed proposal, attached Mr. Tam Lanh's notes about the unusual ship, and sent it to the Captain of the Inspection Team, his immediate superior at the port.

The meeting took place in the small office of the Captain, a man in his fifties named Hung, who had worked at the port for nearly thirty years and was famous for being cautious and rarely risking confrontation with sensitive cases related to large businesses in the area.

“Kien, I understand this is your personal matter, related to your younger brother,” Mr. Hung said, his voice somewhat concerned. "But you must understand, the authority of the inspection team is only limited to customs, import and export goods. The labor accident on the fishing boat was concluded seven years ago, under the jurisdiction of the police investigation agency, not ours."

"I'm not asking to reopen the entire case," Kien replied, trying to keep his voice calm even though he had mentally prepared for this refusal in advance. "I just ask for permission to officially transfer this information, along with evidence related to fraud in Ocean's supply chain that the audit party is detecting, to the competent police agency for review. This is within the scope of my reporting responsibility when detecting signs of law violations related to activities at the port."

Mr. Hung pondered for a long time, his fingers lightly tapping on the table. "This is not a simple matter, Kien. Dai Duong is a large enterprise, contributing a large amount of budget to the locality, and has wide relationships. If you report to higher ups, it won't just affect you, but it could affect the whole team, including me."

“I understand those risks,” Kien said, his voice steady. “But if we, those who are directly responsible, also choose to stay silent for fear of repercussions, then who will stand up to protect people like your brother, like families who have lost loved ones without ever knowing the truth?”

That statement seemed to touch something in Mr. Hung's heart. He was silent for a long time, looking out the office window, where containers were being smoothly unloaded by cranes on the docks.

“Okay,” he said finally. "I will sign and transfer this file to the superiors, along with a request to transfer it to the investigation agency for consideration. But I do not promise what the results will be, and I have to be honest, from now on you should mentally prepare for the fact that your work here may be more difficult than before."

“Thank you,” Kien said, bowing his head to express sincere gratitude. “No matter the outcome, I have done what I owed Khai for the past seven years.”

Leaving Mr. Hung's office, Kien immediately called Hai Yen to tell him the news, his voice was both relieved and worried. "The file has been transferred. Now we just have to wait to see if the investigation agency considers this enough grounds to reopen the case."

“This is a big step forward,” Hai Yen replied, her voice full of encouragement. “Whatever the outcome, at least now everything is in the official system, no longer just our personal doubts.”

“I think about steps next," Kien said, his voice becoming serious. "With Ms. Tuyet's recording, with Ms. Ut Phuong's notebook, I think it's time for us to face Mr. Son directly. Not to press charges right away, but to see his reaction when he found out what we had in hand.”

Hai Yen was silent for a moment, considering carefully before answering. “I agree, but we need to prepare carefully. If he panics, he may find a way to destroy other evidence that we haven't collected yet, or worse, he may alert Mr. Bao before we are ready for the next step."

“So we need a specific plan,” Kien said. "Not a random meeting like last time at the restaurant, but a purposeful conversation, recorded, with witnesses if necessary."

They agreed to spend the next few days planning in detail the meeting with Mr. Son, ensuring everything was prepared as thoroughly as possible before taking a step that could completely change the outcome of the investigation that they had both been pursuing for more than a month.

Before planning the meeting with Mr. Son, Hai Yen decided to find a lawyer to consult, ensuring that all next steps are within the legal framework, and not turning herself into a violator while trying to expose the mistakes of others. She contacted Minh Khang, who introduced her to a lawyer she knew who had provided free legal assistance for several cases related to the environment and workers' rights in the area.

Lawyer Hoang, a woman in her fifties, whose small office is located in a quiet alley in Ca Mau city, spent an entire afternoon listening to Hai Yen present the whole story, from her father's case ten years ago to the newly collected evidence.

"Legally, Ms. Tuyet's recordings and emails are valuable evidence, but need to be verified for authenticity by the forensic agency before they can be used as a basis for prosecution," lawyer Hoang explained, her voice calm and professional. "The same goes for Ms. Ut Phuong's notebook. It is a document with high reference value, but it alone is not enough to incriminate anyone. It needs to be combined with official financial data for comparison."

“So what do we need to do next?” Hai Yen asked.

“You have two options,” lawyer Hoang said, giving a clear analysis. “One, file an official complaint with the police right now, with what you have, so that they can conduct an official investigation and have the authority to collect evidence that you cannot do yourself, such as a search warrant or a summons to take a mandatory statement. Second, continue to quietly collect more evidence to have a more solid record before going public, but the risk is that it prolongs time, creating opportunities for the other side to disperse or destroy the evidence."

“If you apply now, what are the chances of success?” asked Kien, who accompanied Hai Yen to this consultation.

“It's hard to say,” lawyer Hoang replied frankly. “For a business with extensive relationships like Dai Duong, the investigation process can be prolonged and even hindered from many sides. But I advise the two of you to do it in parallel: both file a complaint to formalize the case, bring it into the legal system where it is unlikely to be completely suppressed, and continue to collect information. Additional evidence to support the police investigation process.”

Hai Yen and Kien exchanged looks, both realizing this was the most reasonable advice in the current situation. They spent another half hour for lawyer Hoang to guide them on how to properly prepare a complaint, what documents to attach, and notes on personal safety protection while the case is being processed.

“One thing I have to remind you two,” lawyer Hoang added before they left, her voice quite serious. “Once a complaint is filed, information can leak, no matter how confidential the investigation agency is. You two need to prepare yourself for the possibility that the Ocean side will react much stronger than what has happened so far.”

On the way back to Nam Can after the consultation, Hai Yen sat silently looking out the car window, considering lawyer Hoang's final warning. She knew that the decision to file an official denunciation, although necessary, also meant opening a new, riskier period than what she and Kien had experienced up to now.

That evening, while sitting alone planning the upcoming meeting with Mr. Son, Hai Yen realized she was standing at an important crossroads. Until now, she has always played the role of an observer, carefully collecting evidence, avoiding direct confrontation. But facing Mr. Son, along with the decision to file an official denunciation, will be the first time she proactively steps out of that comfort zone, accepting risks in exchange for the ability to speed up the process of finding the truth, even though she knows full well that once she crosses that line, there will be no turning back.

She looked out the window, the streetlight illuminating the room with faint streaks of light, and told herself to keep her mind more alert than ever for the coming days.