Chapter 1 — Unclosed Profile

The phone rang at two in the morning, pulling Dang Thao Vy out of her fitful sleep. She reached out to pick up the phone almost on reflex, her voice was still sleepy but she regained consciousness as soon as she heard the number displayed on the screen - the duty line of the criminal technology department.

"There has been a murder in an apartment on Le Loi Street," the voice on duty rang out, neatly and decisively. "The major crime team has arrived. The forensics team is needed urgently."

"I'll be right there," Thao Vy replied, jumping up from the bed, reaching for the set of tools that she always kept ready next to the room door - a habit she has maintained throughout her six years of working, since the day she officially put on the blouse of a forensic doctor.

Fifteen minutes later, she was at the scene, where flashing red and blue police lights reflected the dark windows of the apartment building. Yellow crime scene tape was placed around the area, and several uniformed police stood guard, preventing curious people from gathering outside.

"Miss Vy, this way," a young investigator called, leading her inside.

The apartment is located on the fifth floor, the space is unusually neat and tidy compared to a murder scene. Thao Vy quickly put on a protective suit and gloves and entered the living room where her forensic engineering colleagues were carefully collecting traces.

Standing in the middle of the room, a tall, serious-looking man in a simple business suit was directing the work with a calm but powerful voice. That was Tran Bao Nam, the captain of the major crime investigation team - someone she had only heard of through a few previous work collaborations, but had never worked directly with.

"Miss Dang Thao Vy?" he asked, turning when he saw her enter, his sharp eyes quickly scanned the tools she was carrying.

"Yes, I'm the forensic examiner on duty today," she replied, nodding. "Can you briefly tell me the situation?"

"The victim is male, about forty-five years old, discovered by a neighbor after smelling a strange odor," Bao Nam said, his voice maintaining the cold professionalism necessary for someone familiar with scenes like this. "There are no signs of break-in, the door is locked from the inside. You take a look at the body first, we need to determine the time and preliminary cause of death."

Thao Vy approached, focusing completely on her professional work, putting aside all personal emotions - a skill she had practiced for many years to be able to do this job well. She checks every detail meticulously, taking careful notes in her own notebook before making a preliminary judgment.

"Based on body temperature and muscle stiffness, I estimate the time of death to be between ten and twelve hours ago," she said, her voice professional and final. "There were no obvious sharp object or gunshot wounds. A more thorough autopsy at the laboratory is needed to determine the exact cause."

Bao Nam nodded and recorded the information. "Thank you. The technical team has collected most of the fingerprints and footprints. We're looking for a motive - it doesn't seem like robbery, valuable assets are still intact."

When Thao Vy was about to complete the preliminary inspection, her eyes accidentally stopped at a small object hidden under the edge of the sofa, almost missed if it weren't for the flashlight shining at the right angle. She bent down and used tongs to pick it up Carefully picked it up - a small wooden bead, meticulously handcrafted, dark brown in color that had become shiny over time.

Her heart suddenly beat faster, a cold feeling spread down her spine. She had seen something exactly like this before — not at work, but in the old, yellowed pages of files she kept carefully in a wooden box at home, files on the case her father, investigator Dang Van Hung, had left unfinished before he suddenly died twelve years ago.

"Miss Vy, are you okay?" Bao Nam asked, noticing her unusually stunned expression.

"I... I'm fine," Thao Vy replied, trying to keep her voice calm even though her hands were shaking a bit. She carefully put the wooden beads into the evidence bag and fully labeled them according to the correct procedure. "Just a small detail I need to note down."

She couldn't say it right now - not because she didn't trust the investigation team, but because she understood that such a detail, if there wasn't enough clear linking evidence, could make others doubt her objectivity, especially when it was directly related to her own father's case - a case that still has no official solution.

After completing work at the scene, Thao Vy returned to the laboratory to prepare for the official autopsy the next morning. But before leaving, she couldn't help but drive around the house, opened an old wooden box stored in the closet, and took out a file that had become yellow over the years.

Turning to the page describing the first crime scene in the "Bead case" — the name her father's former colleagues often call it, even though it has never been officially announced to the public — Thao Vy reread her father's familiar handwriting: "Discovered a small wooden bead at the scene, unknown connection, needs further investigation."

"Twelve years," she whispered, her fingers trembling over her father's faded handwriting. "It can't be a coincidence."

She flipped through the following pages, trying to review everything she remembered about that case. The first victim was a real estate broker named Vu Dinh Long, who was found dead in his private office, with no signs of break-in and unknown motive. Her father, then the lead investigator, followed clues related to a large land project in dispute, but before completing the official report, he died in a car accident that was concluded to be caused by rain and slippery roads.

Thao Vy was only sixteen years old at that time, too young to fully understand the mysteries behind her father's sudden death. Only when she became an adult and re-read all the records he left behind did she begin to doubt whether that "accident" was really just an unfortunate coincidence, or contained something deeper that no one had ever dared to delve into.

The phone in her pocket vibrated, bringing her back to reality. Message from her mother, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa: "You're home so late, are you okay? Remember to eat well, don't stay up too late." Thao Vy looked at the message, her eyes stinging. She still worries about her, especially when she knows her daughter is working on complicated cases, afraid that she will once again let herself immerse herself too deeply in re-examining the family's sad past.

"I'm fine mom, I'll be home soon here," she texted back, even though she knew she would stay up a while longer to study this old file more closely.

She put the files in her briefcase and carried it with her instead of leaving it in the wooden box as usual. This time, she needed it nearby, so she could compare it whenever necessary during the investigation of the new case. Before turning off the light, she looked back at the old family photo on the desk - her father in a police uniform, a gentle smile, his hand on the shoulder of the sixteen-year-old girl that day.

“Dad,” she whispered, “if this really is the trail to the truth about your case, I won't give up, no matter how long it takes.”

That night, Thao Vy's sleep was restless, mixed with fragmented images of the recent crime scene and vague memories of the day her father passed away. The next morning, when she went to the laboratory to prepare for the official autopsy, she brought with her all the old files, along with a new determination, more steadfast than ever - this time, she would not let the truth continue to be buried in darkness for another day.

On the way to the laboratory, she passed by a notice board posting recruitment notices and suddenly remembered the reason why she chose to become a forensic scientist instead of any other profession. Not because of her simple passion for criminal science, but because she believes that only by standing in this position, closest to the objective truth that evidence can provide, will she have a chance to one day reach the answer to her father's death. After six long years of studying and training, she never dared to hope that that opportunity would come so soon - in the form of a small wooden bead, quietly hidden under the edge of the sofa in a strange apartment.