Chapter 9 — Unclosed Profile

The interrogation continued, Pham Anh Tuan gradually revealed the entire story of the crime chain that lasted for twelve years. "The first case, twelve years ago," he said, his voice low and heavy, "victim Vu Dinh Long discovered a discrepancy in the compensation documents and threatened to report it to the authorities if he did not receive his share. Ms. Yen panicked and ordered me to completely resolve it."

"What about investigator Dang Van Hung?" Bao Nam asked, his voice tense, glancing through the one-way glass where Thao Vy was standing and watching.

Pham Anh Tuan was silent for a long time, then nodded heavily. "He has found so many clues, there are only a few days left before the official report can be completed. Ms. Yen ordered me to stop him at all costs, but the request must look like an accident, not to leave any doubts."

Standing behind the glass, Thao Vy felt cold all over her body, her hands clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Twelve years of waiting, finally, the truth she always suspected but never had concrete evidence was confirmed directly from the mouth of the person who caused her father's death.

"I tampered with his car's brakes," Pham Anh Tuan continued, his voice trembling with the weight of guilt over the years. "I... I knew it was an unforgivable crime, but at that time, I was too scared, too blindly trusted Mrs. Yen, believing that I had no other choice."

Minh Duc, standing next to Thao Vy, gently placed his hand on her shoulder to comfort her when he saw her trembling with emotion. "Are you okay?" he asked in a whisper.

"I'm fine," Thao Vy replied, her voice choked but determined. "Finally... I finally know the truth."

In the interrogation room, Bao Nam continued, his voice still maintaining professionalism even though he could not help but feel moved by this testimony. "What about the two recent victims, Mr. Bui Thanh Son and Ms. Hoang Thi Kim Chi?"

"They happened to contact each other again after many years, remembering old doubts about the Song Xanh project," Pham Anh Tuan replied. "When Ms. Yen discovered that they were planning to collect evidence to denounce her, she once again ordered me to cover up the clues, using the same method as before - a special chemical I learned from my time working in the pharmaceutical industry, which causes rapid respiratory failure, difficult to detect through normal examination."

"What about wooden beads at each crime scene?" Thao Vy couldn't help but walk into the interrogation room, breaking the usual process to ask herself the question she had been waiting for twelve years.

Pham Anh Tuan looked up at her and immediately realized that this was the daughter of the first victim he ever killed. His eyes revealed deep regret. "That's... that's a strange habit of mine," he replied, his voice shaking. "My father used to work as a manual woodturner, and that bead was the last thing he left behind before he passed away. I always carry a bead with me as a way to remind myself of what I have lost, what I had to sacrifice. After each... act, I always leave a bead behind, as a meaningless atonement, a silent apology that I can never say out loud."

The whole room was immersed in heavy silence. Thao Vy stood there, looking at the man who took her father's life, feeling A storm of intense emotions rolled in my heart - pain, anger, but also a complex understanding of the image of a person who had been pushed into an abyss of sin with no way out by his own fear and blind loyalty.

"I will fully declare everything," Pham Anh Tuan said, his voice now calm, carrying the strange relief of someone who had finally been relieved of the burden of guilt that had been suppressed for a decade. "Including testifying against Ms. Yen in court. This is the only thing I can still do to partly atone for my mistakes."

The official interrogation ended, Pham Anh Tuan was taken to the detention center according to legal procedures. Thao Vy walked out of the observation room, her legs shaking so much that she almost collapsed if Bao Nam hadn't promptly caught her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice filled with worry, helping her sit down on a nearby chair.

"I... I don't know how I should feel anymore," Thao Vy replied, tears finally rolling down uncontrollably. "For twelve years, I always imagined this moment would bring a feeling of complete relief, but now, I just feel heartbroken, empty."

Bao Nam sat down next to her, gently holding her in his arms, so she could cry completely after many years of repression. "That's a completely normal reaction," he said, his voice gentle. "She had just heard the truth about her father's death in the most direct, detailed way. There were no wrong emotions — heartbreak, anger, even complicated compassion for the very person who harmed her father, all of which are very natural human reactions."

Thao Vy leaned her head on his shoulder, letting herself be weak in this rare moment, after many years of always having to act strong in front of her mother, in front of her colleagues, and in front of herself. "Thank you," she whispered, "for being here, right when I needed support the most."

"I will always be here," Bao Nam replied, his voice firm, his hand gently caressing her back to comfort her. "There's still a way to go. We still need to bring Ms. Yen to justice, but at least the most important step has been completed. Your father can rest assured."

Sitting there in Bao Nam's arms, in the quiet hallway of the investigation headquarters, Thao Vy felt that although the pain of the newly revealed truth was still intact, she no longer had to bear it alone.

That evening, Thao Vy came home, sat down next to her mother in the living room, and recounted everything that had just happened during the interrogation. Mrs. Hoa listened, tears rolling down endlessly, her trembling hands holding her daughter's hand tightly.

"So I finally know the truth," she said, her voice choking between tears. "For twelve years, I thought I would never get this answer."

"I'm sorry for making you listen to these painful details again," Thao Vy said, hugging her mother tightly.

"No, you don't need to apologize," Mrs. Hoa replied, wiping away her tears, her eyes gradually changing from sadness to a complex relief. "I'm glad that your father was finally exonerated, knowing that he died for justice, not just a meaningless accident like what people have concluded for many years."

The mother and daughter sat embracing each other for a long time in the small living room, warm yellow light illuminating the space. sharing both the pain and relief of a long journey of finally finding the answer. "Your father must be very proud of you, Thao Vy," Mrs. Hoa said, her voice filled with emotion. "I have done what you could not accomplish."

Before going to bed, Thao Vy took out the old wooden box, opened her father's file for the last time that day, placed a blank sheet of paper next to it, and began to write the first lines of a personal report - not a professional report, but a letter sent to her deceased father, recounting the entire journey of the past twelve years, from the pain of her childhood to the moment the truth was finally revealed.

"Dad," she wrote, her handwriting trembling with emotion, "I have found the person who harmed you. Although justice is still a long way from complete, I want you to know, I have never, and will never, stop believing in the values you taught me — the truth, no matter how long it is buried, will eventually be found."

Folding the letter and placing it in a wooden box along with an old file, Thao Vy felt a strange peace spreading in her heart, mixed with unresolved pain and hope for a future where justice will finally be fully enforced.

The phone vibrated slightly, a text message from Bao Nam: "Good night. Tomorrow we will go to the final step together - bringing Mrs. Yen to justice." She smiled and quickly typed a short response: "Thank you for everything. Good night." Putting down the phone, she turned off the light, fell asleep with a relief she had never felt in the past twelve years, filled with faith that one day justice would be fully enforced, closing a chapter filled with tears but also extremely meaningful in her long journey to find the truth.