Jasper had already picked up the kids so all I did was buy groceries and go home. Tom was on the porch and helped bring the groceries inside. Once that was done Tim ran off. Jasp looked up from the stove. "Ed? What are you doing home so early?" He asked.
I put the groceries away then looked at him. "It's over. Night Wolf has been arrested."
Jasp stared. "Really? You caught him? What was his name?"
"Hilda caught him even after he stabbed her. His real name is Ken Sole."
He blinked. "Isn't that the name of the person…?"
"Lisa was about to date? Yes. Apparently, he cared about her." I smiled. "Am was right about the reason he was killing people too."
"The one about his having a girlfriend grow up with each one he killed?"
"Yes though it was just a female friend. No romance." Which sucks for Ken but I think Lisa would have been his first romance. But I'm not going to tell that to Jasper because he is her twin. I just don't want to get into that.
He nodded. "So what's next?"
I chuckled. "Amanda asked that exact same question. I think it's time for me to take two weeks off."
His eyes widened. "But you never do that."
I shrugged. "After all that's happened, I think we all need a break." More like after all those dead kids we need a break.
He nodded. "So will we be going somewhere? Or will we be staying home for you two weeks off?"
I sighed. "We could stay here but I was thinking about going somewhere. Camping or something."
He smiled. "Before Tim starts school."
"Yes, and before my boss can put me on another case."
Jasp frowned. "You haven't asked?"
"I called but he didn't pick up the phone so I left a message."
"How about we go camping then? We'll leave in two days and go to Kernville."
I nodded. "Camp James is the perfect place. We can get a campsite by a stream. I know the kids will love that."
"I'll make the call while you try your boss again." He walked away after turning the stove off.
I called my boss and this time, he answered. "Hello?"
"Hey, boss. It's Zone. I was wondering if you had gotten my message?"
"The one where you were asking for a two-week holiday?"
"Yes." At least I know that the boss actually listens to his messages instead of deleting them. So Amanda lost that bet.
"Then yes, I got your message," Chief Tone said.
"Do I have permission?"
"Your whole team is getting a two-week vacation. You all deserve it after catching Night Wolf."
"Sir, with all due respect, it was Hilda who caught him."
He chuckled. "You're a very honorable detective, Zone. You won't let the credit go to anyone who doesn't deserve it."
"That would be wrong, sir. Hilda did the work, she deserves the credit. She had been injured, yet she made sure to cuff him."
"You're a good leader, Zone. Your team tells me that repeatedly. I don't know how you can solve cases and still make time for your family."
I chuckled. "To be honest, I don't know how I do it either. It just happens."
"So what are you going to do for your vacation? If you don't mind me asking."
"I don't. We're going to go camping in Kernville."
"Ah, an excellent spot. Camp Frandy or Camp James?"
"Camp James. Jasper and I are planning to get a campsite by the stream." We can walk to town and look at the Kern River because it runs right by Camp James. I know that kids will absolutely love it just like I did when I was their age.
"You'll have two very wet kids in two seconds flat."
"Yeah, but it will be fun and it will keep them cool." Jasp came back in and smiled. "I'll be back to work in two weeks. I'll see you then, sir," I said.
"Have a good time, Zone."
"I will. Bye."
"Bye. We hung up.
"I got a site by a stream," Jasp said.
I nodded. "Okay. My team got two weeks too. That gives Hilda time to heal and Julian time to get into a relationship with her."
Jasp blinked. "Julian's planning to date Hilda?"
I turned the stove back on. "Yes. He realized how he felt after sleeping with her and seeing her injured."
He smiled. "All your team members will be with each other. Are you sure you can handle two couples on your team?"
"Why do people keep asking that?" I wondered out loud. "I want all my teammates to be happy. Having two couples on the team won't be hard." My phone buzzed with a text. "Great, Amanda is pregnant." She could have told me that earlier. Unless she just found out. Then she couldn't have told me before because she didn't know. Or she just didn't want to tell me in person. Either way, that's not going to be over in two weeks. That will be over in nine months. Oh, boy.
He chuckled. "Two couples and a baby."
I rolled my eyes. "Kids! Dinner!" They came in, washed their hands, and sat at the table. I served them then Jasper and I served ourselves. "Guess what you two," I said after a few minutes.
"What?" Tim asked.
Jasp and I smiled. "Dad has two weeks off so we decided to go camping," Jasp told them.
"All of us?" Time asked.
"Yes."
"Yay!" Am said as she put more food in her mouth.
Time frowned. "Small bites, Am!" He turned to me. "But what about the case?"
"It's done. Night Wolf was caught. That's why I have two weeks off," I explained then looked at Am. "You were right about him making the people he killed someone he cared about."
Amelia beamed. "I'm smart!"
I laughed. "You are."
"I want to be an ME when I grow up," Tim announced.
"I'd rather be a detective," Am said.
I looked at them one at a time in the eye. "We'll support you no matter what you choose to be," I said thinking about Lisa. If she had that choice, she would still be alive. It was her mother's fault. I just wish she had come to Jasp and I because we would have helped her.
"As long as it's not a killer that is," Jasper added.
Time and Am nodded. "I can't wait for our trip," Am said. We finished eating and went to bed. Honestly, I was glad that I had some time off. I really wasn't ready to face another killer. But I know I will be ready after the trip. I smiled into the darkness. I had a loving family and a good team. What more could I ask for?