Chapter 7 — Thirty Billion Under a Tin Roof

Mai's husband, Tan, has gone missing after leaving behind a large debt. He once knew that Ms. Nguyet had a group of tickets and wanted to use that information to borrow money.

Mai admitted that she signed the guarantee papers for Tan, then hid it from her mother. If the prize is paid, the creditor will take all her share.

Ha asked why Mrs. Nguyet didn't say anything. Mai said her mother was afraid her daughter would be dragged in.

Tuyet claimed that Man only recovered the loan, but Tan hired someone to steal the group's tickets. The person in the gray shirt is a broker, not Man's person.

Fragments show that the dispute was escalated to cover up the fact that the separate ticket was changed while the camera was gone.

Ha reopened the window. The ticket in the envelope bears the folded stamp of a group ticket, not an individual ticket. The dot may have been wiped off when the ticket was wet.

So where is the separate ticket?

Mai remembers that her mother gave the flat sheet to another person: Mrs. Sau, a neighbor, to deposit in the bank for her. Mrs. Sau died in the flood that same night; Her iron box was transferred to the relief warehouse.

Ha and Mai look for the box in the list of unclaimed assets. Inside were two tickets, one intact, one with a torn corner.

The sheet still has the same number but the last number is 7 - group ticket. The torn corner sheet has the last number 1, which is exactly Man's photo.

No one knows where the torn sheet went before entering the box.

Investigators discovered that the tear had the DNA of Ms. Nguyet and Man, but there was no sign of her giving it. Man said she took the note when she paid part of the debt.

Ha asked if the contract was recorded. Man gave additional papers, but Ms. Nguyet's signature was printed in different ink.

Mai collapsed. If the private sheet is kept by Man, she loses her rights. If the group sheet is intact, seven people have the right.

The court summoned all. Ha was asked why a ticket seller kept the envelope.

"Because I was the last person to see Ms. Nguyet alive and the first person to see the ticket after the accident. I don't want the story to change according to who paid faster."

Vinh tried to turn Ha into a beneficial person. He reminded her of her house debt and Duy's video.

Ha admitted that he needed money, but not Ms. Nguyet's money. The testimony left the courtroom silent.

The court requested a re-examination of the group ticket. The last number is 7; Group tickets win for real. Separate ticket number 1 is just a non-winning ticket.

Mai looked at the seven people, then looked at Ha. The worthy person is not the person holding the ticket, but the person who spent money and kept their promise.

But the group prize must be received within a short period of time. Vinh can still use agents to stop the procedure.

The court gave the parties three days to add evidence. On the first day, lawyer Quang submitted a new capital contribution agreement, in which each person received an equal share but the representative had the right to receive on his behalf. The representative's name is Vinh.

Nhi immediately objected. She pointed out that Ms. Nguyet's signature in the new version had a long line at the end, while all the old documents ended with a square dot. The handwriting expert confirmed that the new copy was re-signed on pre-printed paper, after the drawing date.

Vinh stood before the council, saying the agreement was just a backup copy. "I kept the documents for the guests. If it weren't for me, the other seven people wouldn't even know where the tickets were."

Ha replied: "The custodian cannot add the right to receive money."

Vinh looked at her for a long time. “You will regret turning this into a war.”

In the afternoon, the box of seven keys was found in a landfill three kilometers from Ha's house. A key was broken, inside the box lid was the words carved with a knife: “The number seven opens doors, but cannot open people's hearts.”

Duy recognized the box that had been locked under Mrs. Nguyet's desk. He remembered Ha's mother often went there to buy shampoo, but she had never seen Mrs. Nguyet give the key to anyone. Ha asked each person in the group; Only Thoa knew that Mrs. Nguyet once rented a small warehouse on the riverbank to store receipts.

They arrived at the warehouse at dusk. The outer lock is intact, but the lock has new scratches. Thoa stood guard, Ha and Nhi used key number seven to open the door.

There was no money in the warehouse, only seven cartons, each labeled with the name of a family. Ms. Nguyet's box is empty. Hau's box contains photos of donations; Thoa's box contained a calendar with leaf markings; Tan's box only had a refund receipt.

Nhi discovered at the bottom of Mrs. Nguyet's box a thin sheet of corrugated iron. Behind the corrugated iron plate is a narrow slot leading to the room behind. In it was an old tape recorder and a road map from the Vinh dealership to the kiosk.

The recording begins with Ms. Nguyet's voice: "I know there are people who want to take the group's leaflets. If I encounter problems, let them take them by mistake." Then she read each number of the group ticket, then said the last number was seven. She told listeners to only announce when there were seven people, because one person holding a ticket would be more likely to be bought than seven people speaking at the same time.

Ha held the tape recorder but his hands were cold. Ms. Nguyet knew she was being followed even before the day of the lottery. The accident may not have been an accident.

At that moment, the sound of an engine echoed outside the warehouse. A truck blocked the door. Vinh walked down, walking with the camera technician.

“I came to pick up the agent's property,” Vinh said.

Nhi raised the phone and turned back. "This warehouse is in Ms. Nguyet's name, you have no right to enter."

Vinh signaled the technician to cut the lock. Ha retreated inside, hiding the recorder under her shirt. Light a flashlight and shine it on the marked cartons. The light revealed a stain of blood on the back door handle.

A person was in the warehouse before them, and that person had just left through the back entrance. Ha ran along the dirt road, only seeing the silhouette of a woman wearing a blue raincoat climbing on a motorbike. The woman turned her head, her face was Lan.

Lan does not run. She said loudly: "Note number one is not Man's. It is a ransom for Mai's husband."

Vinh was in the back shouting Lan's name. Lan accelerated, but the car slid on the mud. Ha pulled her down before the car crashed into the ditch.

In Lan's bag there is a waterproof envelope. Inside was Tan's original debt receipt and a photo of Ms. Nguyet giving her the last lottery ticket.

Lan looked at Ha: "I don't want money. I just want to get rid of the debt that they used the ticket to tie me up with."

From afar, police sirens sounded. Vinh stood motionless in front of the warehouse door, for the first time without any answers about the process.