The real killer behind the string of murders was finally behind bars, bringing long- overdue justice for the victims and their families.


    After months of unease, the whole town could finally rx now that the case was closed. People started to smile again, life slowly returning to normal.


    When it came time for recognition, Hank stood head and shoulders above the rest. He''d put in the hard work, made sacrifices, and Jason made sure that didn''t go unnoticed in his report. He even put in a good word for Hank with the higher- ups.


    Suddenly, Hank was the precinct''s star. Everyone wanted to buy him a drink, get the inside scoop on how he caught Harry, and tease him about his undercover disguise would he ever go undercover in women''s clothes again? Did he secretly enjoy it?


    Harry''s downfall was cause for celebration. Even Ryder, who''d been covering for him, ended up at the police station, charged with harboring a criminal and disturbing the peace.


    But while most breathed easier after Harry''s arrest, Alisa was on edge. She was anxious and scared-without Harry, who would pay her bills? And what if he betrayed her to save himself?


    Panicked, Alisa called in sick as soon as she got the news. She didn''t take her daughter, didn''t say a word to the Browns, just packed a bag and slipped away.


    But Harry wasn''t the loyal type. Faced with overwhelming evidence, he quickly turned on Alisa.


    Alisa had helped Harry dress a wound after one of his crimes, making her an essory. She''d also tipped him off about the cops. Put it all together, and she was looking at several years in prison.


    When Harry named Alisa as his aplice, Jason was stunned. Who''d have thought gentle, helpless Alisa was mixed up in all this?


    Jason didn''t want to believe it, but when the team went to bring Alisa in, she''d already vanished. There was no denying it now.


    A warrant was issued for her arrest, and the hunt was on


    A few dayster...


    Southridge Estates.


    Anastasia had just soaked in a hot bath and changed into fresh clothes. She''d barely taken her medication when she heard Salma and the kids chattering in the hallway.


    Salma had moved back in for a bit, mostly because she was worried about Anastasia.


    Anastasia shuffled out in her slippers, only to be swarmed by Emmie and Nancy, who clung to her legs like little kos.


    "Mommy!"


    "Mommy!"


    Anastasia couldn''t help butugh. She could only carry one at a time, so she scooped up the lighter Emmie.


    "What''s with those sad little faces?" she asked, wiping a smudge from Emmie''s cheek.


    Emmie, in her babyish voice, tattled, "Nancy hit my face. He''s mean."


    Anastasia looked at her son. "Nancy, did you hit your sister?"


    Nancy pouted. "She broke my toy."


    Salma picked up Nancy and exined, "He was ying with his toy car. Emmie wanted him to y with her, he ignored her, and things got a little rough. It was just an ident."


    With all these kids in the house, there was never a dull moment. If you didn''t keep the peace, there''d be tears and usations of favoritism.


    Now that they were getting older, the kids had their own personalities, which only made things trickier.


    Still, both kids respected Pattie. No matter how wild things got, as soon as Pattie showed up, they straightened right up.


    That''s the magic of being the oldest, Anastasia thought with a smile. Thank goodness Pattie came first.


    She grinned at the little ones. "You


    arth


    two are brother and sister. Why be so petty? It''s just a little


    bump-nothing to fuss about.


    Emme you have to respect your


    brother, and Nancy, you should look


    after your sister, okay?"


    Nancy grumbled, clearly still upset, but Anastasia knew how quickly kids'' moods


    could change. They''d probably be ying together again in no time.


    "Mom, I need to head out for a bit. Can you watch the kids?"


    Lately, Anastasia had been quietly trailing Caterina and noticed she often brought Daria along to meet Autumn. Something about it didn''t sit right-she was sure Autumn had an agenda.


    Salma frowned. "Out again? Did you tell your husband?"


    Nobody else knew about her and Herman sleeping in separate rooms, but Salma wasn''t fooled.


    Anastasia''s reluctance to be close to Herman had Salma worried, especially with so much time passing.


    At the mention of Herman, Anastasia''s expression dimmed. "He''s busy. I''m just stepping out for a while-I''ll be back soon."


    The truth was, Anastasia knew if she didn''t stilove Herman, moving an would be easy. But because she did, she just couldn''t bring herself to cross that invisible line between them.