Outside the townhome, two uniformed officers stand next to their patrol car. They greet me professionally and introduce themselves.

"Miss Hyrule," says the taller one as I approach. "I'm Officer Basht. This is my partner Bisht." I give a polite nod to the other man, who lifts his fingers slightly from his belt to wave hello. "We're here about the investigation into the fire at your property. We have some updates we'd like to share, but it might be better to discuss this at the station."

"We apologize for doing this on Christmas. We wouldn't have shown up unannounced if it weren't urgent."

"I'm not sure I understand," I say. "Can't you tell me here?"

Bisht takes a step forward. His face is earnest, like he genuinely cares about getting to the bottom of whatever this is. "I know this is all very overwhelming, but some of the information we have is sensitive. It's important that we speak privately."

"And," Basht says, "the station will give us access to the full case files."

What are they talking about? What's happened? I glance at Impa standing next to me, her arms crossed over her chest. She notices my eyes but keeps her focus on the two officers.

"She doesn't have to go if she doesn't want to, right?" Impa asks with a defensive undertone.

Basht gives a small nod. "That's correct, ma'am. It's her choice. But we believe this is urgent enough to warrant a discussion now."

I look at Impa again, and at Link by the door. Then I turn back to the two men in front of me.

"It should only take an hour or two," they say.

The thought of facing whatever this is gnaws at me, but I know I have to hear them out. It might be important. And so I reluctantly agree to go with them.

. . .

I sit in the back of the patrol car, trying to keep my breath even, but the world outside is a blur of city lights that flicker and streak past the windows. Every so often, Basht glances at me through the rearview mirror.

When we get to the station, they lead me to a small room with white walls and a metal table in the center piled with files. Bisht gestures to a chair at the table. "Have a seat."

He places a bag on the table. Inside, through the thin plastic, I see my diary, and some other familiar items. They are slightly charred, black at their edges but otherwise fine.

"We wanted you to have these back," Basht says. "They were recovered during the initial sweep of the property but kept as evidence until now."

My hands tremble as I reach out and take the bag. "Evidence?" I whisper.

The officers give me a moment of silence, letting me compose myself. When I glance back up at Bisht, I catch him exchanging looks with his partner. He clears his throat and takes a seat on the edge of the table, looking down at me with a mix of concern and earnesty.

"Miss Hyrule," he starts slowly, "our investigation indicates that the fire wasn't accidental. Your security guard reported seeing two individuals on the property just before the fire started."

Basht nods once, as if bracing himself for my reaction. "According to Cado's statement, the two individuals were both dressed in black. One was wearing a mask we believe is associated with the Yiga Clan, so his identity is unknown, but the other one has been identified as Ganon Dragmire."

Ganon...

I feel my stomach twist in knots and lean forward, hands gripping the edge of the table. "That doesn't make sense... he's in prison."

"He was released from prison just hours before the fire."

The blood drains from my face. "What? Why" I search their eyes for answers. "He's a criminal. He—"

"Yes," Bisht says. "That's why we're here. We're investigating whether this case might involve premeditated arson. If so, then your father's death might have been murder."

I blink, trying to process the words. "Murder?" Every part of my brain is trying to keep my body under control, to behave as composed as possible, to handle this maturely. But my hands won't stop shaking and it's hard to breathe in this small, airless room.

Bisht lowers his eyes compassionately. "There is always a chance that it is all just a coincidence, but..." He pauses, and Basht continues on.

"The evidence points in a very specific direction."

"Ganon being on the property so soon after his release," says Bisht, "it's very unlikely that there is no connection here."

I lean back in my chair, my thoughts spiraling.

Bisht exhales heavily, rubbing the back of his neck. "There's more." His partner reveals to me another piece of evidence. "During our investigation, we recently recovered a phone."

"What phone?"

"It was found near the property," Basht answers. "In the field where the two individuals were reportedly seen the night of the fire."

As I take a closer look, my heart tightens in my chest. Tucked between the phone and its transparent case is a Polaroid photo of me and Impa, taken last year at a summer fair.

"We need you to confirm whether it's yours."

I nod slowly, forcing myself to speak. "It... it does look like mine."

"Any idea how it could have ended up 600 feet north of your house?"

I don't say anything. I need to think for a second, get my thoughts straight. The last time I saw my phone was last fall, when Karusa cornered me at Lorule's soccer stadium. I was on a call with Impa when he took my phone from me to end the call. Ever since, my phone has been gone.

I didn't believe he stole it until Father told me he had tracked my location to Lorule's fraternity. Since I didn't hear another word about it afterwards, I figured Karusa must have thrown it away at some point, but what if he kept it all this time? This would mean that the unidentified person... the masked Yiga Clan member... could very well be Karusa.

I picture him and Ganon, cloaked in black, sneaking up to my home on the night of Thanksgiving, setting the fire and watching demonically as it burns down with my father still inside.

I picture Karusa's vile smile, curling up in the flickering light like a burning match. I picture Ganon taking a deep breath of freedom as he stood there, proudly. Shamelessly.

I picture the perverse pleasure they must have felt hearing my father's shouts for help. I picture them running off together without an ounce of regret. Not even looking back. Not stopping once to consider saving him.

And then I picture them in prison. Paying for what they've done.

"Miss Hyrule?"

I snap out of it, eyes darting quickly between the two officers. "I'm sorry," I say. "I lost this phone over a year ago. I've been using a new one since."

"Do you recall where you might have lost your phone?"

Should I tell the truth?

If I tell them it was Karusa who helped Ganon set fire to my home, I will lose every last bit of Malice's trust. What if what she told me earlier was true? What if Karusa is just a puppet in Ganondorf's grip?

Even if Karusa was manipulated, forced, or threatened, it does not excuse his actions. Especially not murder. Any decent person should be able to tell right from wrong, to stand by justice and act with integrity. As much as I want to put aside my bias and try to see Karusa the way Malice does, I can't ignore the truth. He shows every hallmark of a sociopath—someone entirely indifferent to the pain or happiness of others, unless it directly involves Malice. Feeling empathy for one person does not make him a good person.

"I lost my phone at Lorule Academy," I answer truthfully.

"What were you doing there?"

"I attended their soccer game against Hyrule University. I was supporting my school's team."

"Do you remember when this game took place?"

"It must have been sometime in November, I think."

Bisht puts on a pair of blue nitrile gloves and carefully removes my phone from the evidence bag. His partner steps forward, holding out a clipboard with a written consent form.

"This form explains that by providing your passcode, you consent to law enforcement accessing the phone's contents—messages, photos, and other data," the partner explains.

I take the clipboard and skim the form. My hands feel cold, but I sign it without hesitation. There's no time to question their procedures when my mind is consumed by the thought of Karusa and Ganon murdering my father.

"Do you think Ganon might have found your phone in the stadium?" Bisht asks.

The question twists something inside me. I don't want to lie, but admitting that Karusa stole my phone might narrow their focus on him alone. If Ganondorf is the real mastermind behind everything, then he's the one they should be pursuing.

"Have you looked into his father?" I murmur, fingers tightly clutching the pendant on my necklace.

Bisht's pen pauses mid-note. His partner, standing silently nearby, shifts his attention fully to me. "Ganondorf?" he asks.

"Yes," I say. "He is Lorule's chancellor, and the coach of their soccer team. The day I lost my phone, I overheard him threatening his own players."

Basht leans slightly forward. "He threatened them? In what way?"

"He told Ganon that if he failed to injure Link during the game, he shouldn't bother coming home."

Bisht looks up now, his expression sharpening.

"And then, only a few months later," I continue, "Ganon looked at his father right before joining the baseball brawl at Hyrule University, as if asking for permission. Recall that he was the one who hospitalized Link during that fight. There has to be video footage of Ganon looking back at his father."

There is a moment of silence, but their faces don't exhibit shock.

"We've looked into Ganondorf," Basht tells me calmly. "He has an airtight alibi for the night of the fire. He hosted a Thanksgiving charity event at a church downtown. Multiple witnesses and photos confirm it."

"Even if he wasn't there during the night of the fire, you should look into him," I beg.

"We understand. But our focus here is on the masked individual."

"Do you have anything else to add?" his partner prompts. "Any details about the masked figure? Or other potential motives we should consider?"

I hesitate. Ganondorf terrifies me, and I wish they would focus more on him, but next to all that, Karusa won't leave my mind. The way he looked at me, the things he said to me, the places he touched me. I am certain I'm not the only girl he has ever harassed. He spoke ill toward Impa right in front of me, I remember it clearly. Malice simply can't defend those actions.

"Ms. Hyrule, we have Ganon's current location and are ready to make the arrest tonight. As of right now, he thinks we're still convinced the fire was just an accident, that we haven't figured out it was arson. But once we make the arrest, things change. His partner, the masked figure, might be tipped off. If that happens, he might cover his tracks and escape. We could lose him."

I glance at the detectives, torn. If I speak, there's no going back. If I stay quiet, the consequences could be just as bad. Either way, someone's going to get hurt. And it's in my hand to choose who.

I take a deep breath and give them a faint nod. "Karusa Valley," I finally say, his name slicing my lips like a deep papercut. "I'm pretty sure he stole my phone during that soccer game."

Both officers are staring at me as if nothing else mattered.

"Karusa Valley?" Bisht tilts his head, his pen poised over his notebook.

"I think he might be the masked man who helped Ganon set fire to my home. They are close friends."

"Does Karusa have a motive for attacking your home? Or your family?"

"Does Ganon?" I ask them back, but they don't answer. "Karusa has harassed me and my friends in the past."

Basht takes a slow breath, jotting down more notes. "Anything specific, Ms. Hyrule? Do you have evidence, anything we can use to track Valley down?"

"There..." I swallow, uncertainty eating at me. "There is a video tape," I mutter. "Security footage of Karusa assaulting me on HU's campus..."

This information comes as a complete surprise to the two men. They don't say anything for a moment, waiting patiently for me to go on.

"Karusa was recently on trial—not for the assault on me, but for his actions at Hyrule University. Our lawyer had planned to use the tape as evidence to demonstrate Karusa's true character. While most assumed the tape was destroyed in the fire..." I exhale a shaky breath, "There is a copy still preserved at a safe location."

"This could link Karusa to the fire," Bisht says, his eyes filled with determination. Their calm demeanors have vanished, replaced by urgency. The room suddenly feels charged, as if every move counts, and every second matters. "If you want justice for your father, and for what happened to you," he speaks abruptly, eyes staring into mine, "then we need that tape. We'll handle the legalities of it. Just help us make sure it's in the right hands."

My pulse drums violently against my skin at the thought of retrieving the tape—the one thing I've kept hidden... What will my friends think when they find out we could have won the lawsuit if I wasn't so weak? If shame and fear didn't dictate my life? Link thinks I've put it all behind me... How will he react when he realizes that his assaulter, and mine, could be in jail right now. Will he accuse me of justifying Karusa's actions again? Will he lose his trust for me the way Malice will when she finds out about all this?

"I will bring it to you right away," I tell them as they prepare to leave. "But please promise you will look into Ganondorf too. Alibi or not, he is dangerous, you don't know what he is capable of!"

"We'll follow up on that once we've dealt with Karusa and Ganon. Right now, our priority is getting them in custody." Bisht signals for them to head out, then turns back toward me one last time. "We're tracking them as we speak. They're not far, but we're moving fast. One team will go after Karusa, the other after Ganon."

"Be careful, you might be a target," Basht says to me, walking to the door, notes in hand. "When you go grab that tape, stay alert of your surroundings. Until we have confirmed the arrest of Ganon and Karusa, it's dangerous to go alone. Especially at night."

I nod. "I'll be careful. Just make sure you catch them."

"We're on it," Basht says, turning back to his partner. "Come on, we need to move before we lose sight of them."

They head out, their footsteps echoing in the hallway as they hurry to make the arrest.

---

Guys, I have a question: how many of you would be interested in a physical/printed version of this book series?