Chapter 14 — The Man Behind the Rain in Old Street

While the article was being final edited at the editorial office, Bao Ngoc took the time to visit Mr. Ly Cong Tuan to update the situation and thank him again for his valuable cooperation. Mr. Tuan welcomed her with a warm smile, his appearance much more relaxed than when they first met.

"I heard Captain Duc say that the investigation is progressing very well," he said, pouring tea for her. "I feel like a burden has been lifted from my shoulders for the past thirty years."

"It's thanks to your courage in deciding to speak up," Bao Ngoc replied, sitting down opposite him. "Without evidence from you, it would be difficult for us to get this far."

Mr. Tuan pondered for a moment, his eyes looking far away. "You know, during my thirty years working in the industry, I have witnessed many similar cases - people with power using money and influence to bend justice. Ms. Nhat Lan's case is just one of them, but it always haunts me the most, perhaps because I was the one who directly had to compromise with my conscience when I was too young, too lacking the courage to protest."

"You don't need to blame yourself anymore," Bao Ngoc said, her voice sincere. "I've fixed that now, and that's what really matters."

"Thank you for saying that," Mr. Tuan replied, his smile containing many emotions. "I hope, when her article is published, it will be a reminder to all those who hold positions of power in the public system, that justice cannot be corrupted forever."

***

On the way back to the editorial office, Bao Ngoc received a call from Captain Duc with important news. "We've obtained an emergency search warrant," he said, his voice filled with suppressed excitement. "Based on all the evidence collected, the court agreed to issue an order allowing the excavation of the suspected area within the grounds of the Ton family mansion."

Bao Ngoc's heart was pounding at this news. "When will the excavation take place?" she asked.

"Tomorrow morning," Captain Duc replied. "We need to act quickly, before there is any move from Bao Long Group to hinder or delay."

"Can I be at the scene?" Bao Ngoc asked, even though she knew this might be a difficult request to get approved.

"As a news reporter, you can observe from the designated area, but cannot interfere in the investigation process," Captain Duc replied after a moment of consideration. "I will arrange for you to have legal access to the scene."

After the call, Bao Ngoc immediately announced this news to Nhat Quang, who received it with a complex mixture of hope, worry, and vague fear at the prospect of finally having to face directly the truth about his sister's fate.

"I want to be there," Nhat Quang said, his voice determined even though he couldn't hide the trembling in it.

"I understand how you feel," Bao Ngoc replied, "but you need to be mentally prepared for what may be found. This will be an extremely difficult moment emotionally."

"I've been waiting for this moment for twenty years," Nhat Quang said, his voice low but filled with determination. "No matter how painful it was, I needed to be there, to finally be able to bring my sister home, even if it was just what was left."

Bao Ngoc nodded, deeply feeling the emotional weight of the upcoming moment. "I'll be with you," she said, holding his hand over the phone with her own warm voice. "Whatever happens tomorrow, you won't have to face it alone."

***

The night before the excavation day, Bao Ngoc could hardly sleep, her mind was constantly spinning with countless mixed thoughts and emotions. She thought about Nhat Lan, about the long journey that young girl had to go through in the last moments of her life, about the family that had been waiting for the truth for thirty years, and about herself, who had accidentally stepped into the heart of a tragedy greater than anything she had ever imagined when she accepted the assignment to write an article about a folk legend.

She also thought about Nhat Quang, about the feelings that had quietly blossomed between the two during the past challenging weeks and months, and about what might happen to that relationship after the truth was finally fully revealed. Will finding the answer to the question that has haunted him all his life bring him peace, or will it open up a new pain, deeper than anything he has ever experienced?

Looking out the window, the faint moonlight filtering through the gradually approaching clouds, signaling that a rain might be about to fall, Bao Ngoc couldn't help but feel a haunting coincidence — could it be that, like that fateful night thirty years ago, another rain would witness the moment when the truth was finally fully revealed in the light of justice?

She pulled out her phone and texted Thanh Son: "Have you prepared all the cameras and recording equipment for tomorrow?" He texted back immediately: "It's all ready. I'll come pick you up at six in the morning, so we can get to the scene before it all starts." Bao Ngoc smiled with relief at the thoughtfulness of her colleague who had always stood by her side throughout this arduous journey.

She also called Phan Duc Long to inform her of the news that a search warrant had been issued. “This is an important turning point,” Mr. Long said, his voice filled with seriousness. "I will make sure to have a team ready to report as soon as there are official results from the excavation. But Bao Ngoc, I need to remind you that no matter the results, we must report objectively and responsibly, not letting personal emotions dominate the professionalism of the article."

"I understand, sir," Bao Ngoc replied, even though she knew this would be one of the toughest challenges of her career — maintaining the necessary objectivity of a journalist while witnessing a moment that could decide the fate of the people she had become deeply attached to throughout her journey.

Near midnight, when Bao Ngoc finally lay down on the bed, she received one last text message from Nhat Quang: "Thank you for everything, no matter what tomorrow brings. I just want you to know that meeting you is the luckiest thing that has happened to my life in the past twenty years." Bao Ngoc read that text message, tears suddenly rolled down her cheeks, a complex mixture of happiness and anxiety filled her heart.

"Me too," she texted back, her hands shaking slightly as she typed each word. "No matter what tomorrow brings, we will face it together, as we have always done."

She put down the phone, closed her eyes, trying to find a bit of peace before restless sleep finally came, bringing with it fragmented dreams of white silhouettes, abandoned gardens, and a young girl forever stopped at the age of nineteen, waiting to be found, to be heard, and finally, to return home.

In that flickering dream, Bao Ngoc saw himself standing in the middle of the deserted garden of the Ton family's mansion, rain falling all around, and in the distance, a figure in a white shirt was standing with his back turned, long wet hair sticking to his shoulders. Bao Ngoc stepped closer, wanting to see his face clearly, but with every step she took forward, that figure seemed to take a step back, forever out of reach.

"Wait," Bao Ngoc called in her dream, her voice echoing through the rain. "I came to help you, I came to take you home."

The figure stopped and slowly turned his head, but before Bao Ngoc could see his face clearly, she suddenly woke up, her heart pounding in her chest, sweat beading on her forehead even though the room was still cool. She looked at the clock, it was only four in the morning, two hours left before Thanh Son came to pick her up.

She sat up, made herself a cup of hot tea, trying to dispel the lingering feeling of insecurity from that strange dream. Looking out the window, she saw the first drops of rain had begun to fall, gently but steadfastly, as a premonition of what was to come in the fateful morning ahead — a morning that might finally bring the answer to a mystery that had haunted a street, a family, and now, herself, throughout a long, arduous journey but also full of profound and indelible meaning.