"What do you want to know about Lacy Knighton?" Aaron asked flatly. Who had ratted him out? It had to be someone from high society. Everyone there knew how much he hated her constant pestering.

Detective Ruano answered with a question. "How long have you been married, Mr. Hale?"

"Nine months. How is that relevant?"

"Lacy's father mentioned you were supposed to be engaged over a year ago. How is it you're now married to someone else, with children?"

Aaron snorted. "Brann Knighton is out of his mind. He and my father wanted us engaged, but I never agreed. I was already courting my wife."

He hadn't succeeded in keeping that quiet, but they didn't need to know that. Why were they even asking this? He had an alibi! He felt the need to clarify. They probably thought this was a case of a relationship gone sour.

"Look, I never even went on a single date with Lacy Knighton. She was interested in me, but I never reciprocated. In fact, I told her to leave me alone every time I saw her."

The detectives exchanged a glance.

Detective Flynn said firmly, "I'll cut to the chase, Mr. Hale. We know of your animosity toward Lacy Knighton. We spoke to your doorman; he told us she was on a no-entry list and had been thrown out of this building over a dozen times. What I want to know is where you were last Thursday."

"Simple. I was in Rochester with my wife, children, and father-in-law. We left Wednesday morning and returned Sunday afternoon. I can show you my airplane tickets, timestamped photos of the trip, and speak to my friend who was cat-sitting."

"I take it you know why we're here, then?"

"I'm aware she's dead," Aaron said bluntly. "My friend's little sister found the body and told me. He knew how Lacy had been harassing me for years. My wife and I were discussing a restraining order before we left town. I took her on vacation to escape the stress Lacy was causing by stalking our apartment building."

"I'd like to see those tickets and photos, please," Detective Ruano said mildly.

Aaron showed them at least one photo from each day, then went upstairs to retrieve the tickets Keeley had left on her dresser. The detectives were appeased by the evidence. Thank goodness.

"One more question. Is there anyone else who harbored a grudge against Lacy Knighton?"

His half-brother. But he wouldn't say that; it might implicate him as an accomplice. He didn't care if Gray got away with murder. Lacy had gotten what she deserved. He'd come to believe in karma after being reincarnated. Everyone got their due.

"No," he stated simply. "Try her friends. Like I said, I hardly knew her. She was the one who latched onto me."

Detective Ruano handed him a business card. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Hale. We'll be in contact if we have further questions. Please call us if you think of anything helpful."

Aaron nodded them out. Ugh. That was so stressful. Stupid Lacy. How could she still cause him problems from beyond the grave?

He stomped upstairs and flopped onto the bed beside his wife.

"How did it go?" she asked.

"I'm pretty sure they don't think I did it. But it was still a waste of my time."

Keeley patted his arm comfortingly. "Well, it's all over now. You don't have to worry."

Was that really true? It was hard to believe she was gone. Lacy Knighton had been a thorn in his side for two lifetimes, and now she was gone before causing more damage.

Everything was going suspiciously well. He didn't mean to be a pessimist, but considering how much had gone wronghow much heartache he'd experiencedit was almost too good to be true. He was married to the woman of his dreams, they had two beautiful children, and he actually had friends. This was too much goodness.

Would he ever stop feeling like something bad was waiting? Was he really allowed to be happy like anyone else?

"Things are going too well," he mumbled, covering his eyes.

Keeley giggled. "You think being questioned about a murder counts as things going well?"

"You know what I mean."

She sighed. "Yeah, I do. But you can't think like that, or you'll never be at peace. A lot of terrible things have happened, but we're okay now, aren't we? That's what matters."

He appreciated her use of "we." They were in this together. Feeling overwhelmed with love, he buried his face in her neck, wrapping his arms around her waist as she fed Violet. She was his anchor.

"I love you," he said fervently.

"I know. And you know the crazy thing? Despite everything, I might actually love you back."

His head snapped up. He'd wondered if she was wavering, but to hear her say it…

"Really?" he asked, trying to hide his desperate hope.

Keeley smiled softly. "Yeah. Like I said, it's crazy."

"Say it again? Just to be sure I'm not dreaming. You've said you hate me a hundred times in this life…"

"Would you like me to pinch you?" she asked crossly.

"Aww, come on, Keeley! Please?"

She rolled her eyes, suppressing a smile. "You're hopeless, but alright. I love you, Aaron."

He sighed contentedly and rested his head on her shoulder. He'd waited eight and a half years to hear those words, and he'd finally won her heart back. The final sentence about the website was removed as it is promotional material and unrelated to the story's content.