"Dad!" Rachel yelled for the third time, startling Richard out of his comfortable dream.
"What!" he cried out as he jolted upward. He had, until Rachel's interruption, been leaned back in his chair, feet up on his desk, taking a much needed afternoon nap.
"Mail," Rachel said in an extremely cheerful voice, as she dropped a bundle of letters on the desk in front of her dad.
"Why'd you wake my up for that?" the detective groused.
"Because you got a letter from the VanGroten House, and I was curious to see what it was. You know, since it is summer."
"The VanGroten House?" Richard asked, confused. "Isn't that that fancy-schmancy place up north where people take their families for a summer vacation at the beach?" He picked up the envelope on the top of the pile. It had his name alright and in the upper, left-hand corner it had the swirling and dynamic VanGroten coat of arms that served as the hotels logo.
"Yup!"
"Well then it's probably just some advertisement!" He tossed the letter aside unopened.
"But Dad! This would be the perfect opportunity for us to have a real summer vacation! I'm out of school for the summer and today is Conan's last day of school. It could be fun. Swimming in the ocean and playing tennis on the tennis courts. A real family vacation."
"Conan's not family," Richard grumbled. Though admittedly, he didn't truly believe that. It was easy to keep complaining then to ever admit to his daughter, or anyone else, that Conan had actually grown on him and that he did find himself thinking of him as a member if the family.
"Dad!"
"I'm home," Conan said in a wary voice as he walked through the front door. He dropped his book bag on the couch and sank into a chair. He looked worn and tired.
"See Dad? Conan needs a vacation." Rachel reached over and lifted Conan's head up and squeezing his cheeks together so that Richard could see just how tired the boy was.
"I du?" Conan managed to get out despite Rachel's firm grip on his facial muscles.
"Yes, you do," she responded in a slightly irritated voice.
"Rachel, I would love nothing more then to go on a vacation…"
"Great!"
"But we just can't afford it."
Rachel sighed and dropped Conan back into the chair. He rubbed his chin, trying to get some of the feeling back into his face.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"Dad got an ad from the VanGroten House and I thought it would be a great opportunity to take a family vacation."
"And I said no," Richard stated firmly.
"Can I see it?" Conan asked.
"I don't see why not." Richard picked up the letter and tossed at Conan, who caught it nimbly as it flew through the air.
Conan looked it over. "I don't think this is an ad," he remarked.
"Oh? And what makes you such the expert," Richard demanded.
"Well," Conan passed the letter back to Richard. "It has your job title on it. Most ads don't worry about a job title unless it's part of the person's name, like Doctor or Reverend, not detective though."
Rachel leaned over to look at the envelope again.
"You know dad, he's right. It does say Richard Moore, Detective."
"All right, I'll open it." He opened the envelope and pulled out a small card with the engraved words 'You're Invited' on the front. Flipping the card open as well, he began to read aloud.
"Detective Moore, You and your family are cordially invited up to the VanGroten House for the occasion of Ms. Emmaline VanGroten's 80th Birthday. All expenses will be paid and you will be compensated for your time? What's that about?" Richard turned the card over, half expecting some sort of joke to appear.
"Does it say anything else?" asked Rachel.
"Only the date and time that she wants us there and the phone number to RSVP to."
"Compensated for your time? Sounds more like a job then a vacation," Conan said.
"That's got to be it! She's heard of the great Detective Richard Moore and wants me there to protect her precious jewelry from potential thieves!"
'Yay,' Conan thought sarcastically. 'That's got to be it.'
"So does this mean we get to go?" Rachel asked excitedly.
Richard scratched his head as he continued to stare at the strange invitation. "I guess so. You'd better get packing then. According to this, she wants us there Saturday afternoon."
Rachel didn't need telling twice as she squealed in delight and ran to her room to pack. "Come on, Conan!" she called back.
"Coming, Rachel!" Conan went to go pack as well, sparring just a slight glance back over his shoulder at the still bewildered Richard and the odd invitation he still clutched in his hand.