Chapter 2 — Unclosed Profile

The autopsy room at the forensic examination center was quiet early in the morning, only the sound of the air conditioner running steadily and the cold white light shining on the shiny stainless steel operating table. Thao Vy put on her blouse and prepared all the tools for the official autopsy, her mind still lingering on thoughts about the wooden beads she found last night.

At exactly eight o'clock, Tran Bao Nam appeared at the door of the autopsy room, following the coordination process between the investigation team and the forensic department. "Hello Ms. Vy, I'm here to grasp the results of the autopsy directly," he said, his voice still the same professional and calm as last night.

"Please," Thao Vy replied, starting to conduct the autopsy process according to professional standards, while explaining each step so that Bao Nam could clearly understand the process.

After nearly two hours of meticulous work, she came to a preliminary conclusion. "The cause of death was poisoning from a rare chemical, capable of causing rapid respiratory failure without leaving many external traces. This is not a substance that is easily found on the regular market — possibly a sign that the perpetrator has some specialized knowledge of chemicals or medicine."

Bao Nam took notes carefully, his eyes narrowed in thought. "That narrows the suspect field considerably. Thank you, this is very important information."

As Bao Nam prepared to leave, Thao Vy took a deep breath and decided this was the right time to share what she discovered last night, even though she was still a bit hesitant.

"Mr. Nam, I have something I want to discuss privately. Can you spare me a few minutes?" she asked, her voice serious, different from her usual professional attitude.

Bao Nam was a bit surprised by the change in her tone, but still nodded in agreement. The two went out into the empty hallway outside the examination room.

"The wooden bead found at the scene last night," Thao Vy began, trying to keep her voice calm, "I believe it is not a random detail."

"What basis do you have for that statement?" Bao Nam asked, his eyes sharp and full of concentration of an experienced investigator.

Thao Vy hesitated a bit before deciding to speak frankly. "Twelve years ago, my father — investigator Dang Van Hung — was in charge of a murder case with similar details, a wooden bead was found at the scene. That case was never solved, and my father died in a car accident shortly afterward, while in the process of investigation."

Bao Nam was silent for a moment, processing this unexpected information. "Are you suspecting there is a connection between the old case and the current case?"

"I can't say for sure," Thao Vy replied, "but such a specific detail, never publicly announced, reappearing after twelve years — I think, this cannot be a coincidence."

Bao Nam looked at her, his eyes were both serious and thoughtful, but also had some necessary professional caution. "You understand, this is a pretty big theory that needs to be thoroughly verified before it can be officially investigated. Can you show me the old case file you're keeping?"

"Of course," Thao Vy replied, feeling relieved to see that he didn't immediately dismiss her hypothesis like she had feared. "I brought it with me. I can show it to you right now."

She took out the old file from her briefcase and carefully kidney opened on an empty desk nearby. Bao Nam examined each page meticulously, occasionally stopping to carefully read her father's handwritten notes.

"Investigator Hung took very detailed notes," he commented, his voice a bit respectful. "This is the working style of a good investigator."

"My father is always dedicated to his work," Thao Vy replied, her voice choked with emotion when she heard praise for her father from a colleague in the same industry.

Bao Nam nodded, closed the file, his eyes now took on a new seriousness. "Okay, I will ask my superiors for permission to reopen and review this old case in parallel with the current case, based on the link details you just provided. But I need you to understand clearly, this process will require absolute objectivity, even when it involves your own father."

"I understand," Thao Vy replied, her voice firm. "I will not let personal feelings affect objectivity in my work, I promise."

"I believe you," Bao Nam said, and in that brief moment, his eyes softened a bit, revealing an understanding and sympathy rarely seen in a person who always kept a strict professional distance at work.

In the afternoon, Bao Nam took Thao Vy to the investigation team's office to introduce Le Minh Duc, the team's data analyst, a young man with thick glasses and a humorous, friendly demeanor that contrasted sharply with Bao Nam's serious look.

"Hello, Ms. Vy! I heard that you just brought in a twelve year old case, it sounds very interesting," Minh Duc said, his voice full of excitement, his hands still typing on the keyboard on the computer with three large screens. "Let me digitize all of this document and cross-check it with the crime data in the system to see if I can find anything."

"Thank you," Thao Vy replied, impressed by the young man's enthusiasm. "With your help, the process will definitely be much faster."

"Duc is the best at tracking digital traces that we have," Bao Nam commented, sounding a bit proud of his teammates. "If there is any hidden connection between the victims, between the parties involved in the old land project, he will find it."

Minh Duc began scanning all the old files into the system, carefully arranging them in chronological order, comparing them with public data about the real estate project that Thao Vy's father had noted in the last pages before the file suddenly stopped.

"This project," Minh Duc said, eyes still glued to the screen, "the official name is Song Xanh new urban area, invested by a large real estate corporation. Let me look up more information about the leadership of this corporation twelve years ago."

Thao Vy stood and observed, feeling both nervous and hopeful. This was the first time, after twelve years of carrying her torment alone, that she had official, systematic support from people with enough expertise and resources to help her track down the truth.

"Thank you two," she said, her voice sincere. "I don't know how to describe what this means to me."

"This is our job," Bao Nam replied, his voice calm but his eyes carrying a reassuring steadfastness. "And if there really is a truth buried for the past twelve years, we will find it, according to the law, according to professional conscience."

Late that night, when everyone had left, only Thao Vy and Bao Nam were left in the office, together reviewing the notes collected during the day one last time. The desk lamp shines down on the document pages, creating a rare quiet space amid the stressful daily work pace.

"Do you want to tell me more about your father?" Bao Nam asked, his voice was much gentler than his usual official demeanor. "If you're uncomfortable, you don't have to answer."

Thao Vy was a bit surprised by this personal question, but feeling the sincerity in his eyes, she decided to share. "My father is a very dedicated person to his work, sometimes to the point of making my mother worry because he often works overtime and forgets to eat. But he always told me, for every unsolved case, a family still has to live in unresolved pain."

"You sound like a very respectable person," Bao Nam commented, his voice sincere.

"Yes," Thao Vy replied, the corners of her eyes were slightly wet. "That's also why I chose to become a forensic scientist — I wanted to continue some of the work he left unfinished, albeit in a different way."

Bao Nam was silent for a moment, his eyes looking at her with a new respect. "I think he would be very proud of you," he said, his voice deep. "And I promise, I will accompany you to the truth of this case, no matter where it leads."

That promise, simple but firm, made Thao Vy feel a warmth spread in her heart, dispelling some of the loneliness she had silently carried for the past twelve years while alone holding the secret of her father's death. She smiled, nodded in thanks, then the two of them packed up the documents, preparing for a new, challenging work day that was still waiting ahead.