Chapter 8 — The Darkness After a Model Marriage

They all call the same person. My mother. “He once deleted part of the data, but the technical department was able to restore it.” The police officer in charge of the case said over the phone. “How much can be recovered?” “The whole thing. Including the recordings of him practicing before each call.” “Practice?” “Yes. Before calling, he would continuously record, listen back and adjust. He kept at least more than a hundred practice recordings.” I stood in front of the office window, listening to the phone. “Can you send me some of them?” The police officer asked. "According to the rules, it's not possible, but you are a family member of the victim so I can let you listen to a part." A few seconds later, my messaging account received an audio clip. I pressed open. That is Lam Vu Hang's voice. He's practicing. "Mom, the company's capital turnover is a bit stressful." Not right, do it again. "Mom, the company's capital turnover is a bit stressful, in your hands..." The intonation is wrong. Do it again. “Mom, the company's capital turnover is a bit stressful…” Still not right. He stopped. Then I heard another voice. Coming from behind. It's To Uyen Thanh.— Your nasal voice is too heavy. When talking on the phone, his nasal voice is not as strong.— Do it again.— When you finish, prolong it a little more. When he talks, he likes to prolong the sentence by half a beat. Lam Vu Hang opens his mouth again. This time, the intonation, pauses, and final sounds were all exactly the same as mine. He said it again. To Uyen Thanh's voice rang out again.— Okay. Call out. The audio ends. The phone screen goes dark. I stood in front of the window, not moving for a long time. Tran Nham walked in. "President Tham, the police said Lam Vu Hang had started to confess." "Declared what?" "He said General Director To was the leader." I turned around. "He said that?" "Yes. He said most of the money he defrauded was transferred to accounts designated by General Director To. He only received twenty percent." "Twenty percent?" "About three million." I laughed. Very cold. "He's avoiding responsibility." "Blame it on General Manager To?" "If it was really directed by To Uyen Thanh, she wouldn't just use twenty percent to chase him away." Tran Nham was silent. "He lives in an apartment with a rent of twenty thousand, drives a luxury car, spends cash. Add it all up, three million is not enough." "What do you mean?" "He has his own calculations." "So General Manager To..." "She's a greedy person." involved, but not the only manipulator.” At five o'clock in the afternoon, the police informed me to go to the Economic Investigation Team. To Uyen Thanh is being interrogated there. I don't see her. But the police officer in charge showed me the summary of the statement. I turned to the important page. Question: When did you know that Lam Vu Hang was impersonating Tham Nghien Dinh and calling to scam money? A: Last April. Question: What did you do then? Answer: I do not prevent it. Question: Why not prevent it? Answer: Because he said he could get money by doing so. Question: Can you share the money? Answer: Yes. Question: How much is divided? Answer: I don't remember clearly, about a few million. I closed the record. "Did she confess so frankly?" "From last night until now, she has hardly made any excuses." The policeman said. "It's like she's been waiting for this day for a long time." "She admitted her guilt?" "Partially admitted." "Partly?" "She firmly said that she did not directly participate in making phone calls to scam money, only knew about it but did not report and assist in dividing the money. She said that the intention of defrauding money was proposed by Lam Vu Hang, she just did not object." I remained silent. "Legally, what crime does this act constitute?" "If the testimony is true, she belongs to the case of an assistant in a contract case." The penalty will be lighter

a little mastermind, but the amount of money defrauded is particularly large, the basic sentence will be ten years or more."Ten years. I repeated those two words. Then I walked out the big door of the Economic Investigation Team. The afternoon sun sank between the buildings. The wind was very strong. Tran Nham drove over. I sat in the backseat, the city outside the window kept receding. "President Tham, go back to the company or to the apartment?" "Go to Mom's place." me." The car drove through the evening rush hour, stopping under the apartment building. Mom lived on the fifteenth floor. When I got up, she was cooking rice. Shredded potatoes, meat stir-fried with green chili and a bowl of egg-tomato soup. Three dishes, the portions were very small. "Mom, why don't you make a little more?" "I can't eat it all by myself." She turned her head to look at me, smiling. A cautious smile. "Have you eaten yet? Let me make one more dish." "You've eaten." "Then sit down, I'll pour you some water." She turned around and went into the kitchen. The apron was a bit old, the corners had been washed until faded. I sat on the sofa, observing this temporary rented apartment. Sixty square meters, one bedroom and one living room. The living room window faced the wall of the building next door. The lighting was very poor. There weren't any photos hanging on the wall. The family photos were still in the old house. Now that place is empty. is also our home.