Riddle of the Unfair Tickle Fair

         Summer was in the kitchen, whipping up some pancakes for her and Mouse, when she heard her baby sister cry out excitedly, “DADDY! Are you home already?”

         Summer heard her father say something to Mouse, and then her Dad entered the kitchen with lil’ sis in tow at his pant-leg. “Hey hon!”, he said, giving Summer a quick smooch on her forehead while grasping her shoulders affectionately, yet looking at her seriously, “There’s been a slight change of plans. I’m still going out of town, but I’m going to need you two to pack a suitcase each for a little staycation at a motel with Mom. Okay?”

         Summer could tell that something wasn’t quite on the up-&-up with Dad, but she didn’t want HIM to know that just yet. Perhaps there was a way she could help him with whatever obviously had him looking kind of edgy.

         “But I just made pancakes!, Dad!”, Summer countered, “Can’t we eat first and then go?”

         Her Dad was in an obvious rush to get back to their parent’s bedroom for something he’d apparently forgotten to bring with him on his trip, but he consented, “That’s fine, honey. You two go ahead and eat up those pancakes and have one for me. I’d join you, but I have to catch this plane.”

         Dad was already almost back up the hall from the master bedroom as he continued, “Now, I’ve arranged for an Ebus driver to come pick you up for the motel, and they should be here within an hour, so eat those pancakes quickly and get out of those pj’s girls. Tick-Tock! Time’s a-wastin’! I want you to be ready when he gets here, got it?”

         “Mmokay, Dadnmm! num-num!” agreed the girls as tried to reply with their mouths full of delicious pancakes, gobbling them down as fast as they could, which earns the two loving tousling of their hair by their Dad as his keys clink in the door, “Now girls, I know your Mom and I say this to you all the time, but seriously – don’t let anybody you don’t know in here until your ride comes. Deal?”

         “Deal, Daddy!”, the girls smile and wave as he departs, but even little Mouse senses that things are out of sorts with Dad.

         The girls look at each other quizzically, then decide to finish their breakfast before hurriedly getting prepared for their move to some motel for apparently several days with their Mom. It didn’t make sense! Why not just stay here at home as usual, and have Aunt Denise look in on them from time to time?

         “No adventure, huh Dad?”, Summer mumbled to herself while trying to think through what could possibly be going on.

         “Huh?”, asked little Mouse, “Did you say something, Summer?”, she looked up at her sister, obviously worried by events some herself.

         “Oh! Nothing. Umm, just go get ready. Don’t pack too much. Don’t forget your toiletries, your phone, maybe a swimsuit in case there’s a pool at the motel”, Summer dwindled off, still trying to reason out what was happening, “I’m going to clean the kitchen up then join you in our bedrooms to pack.”

         And the girls hustled to it, changing right out of their pajamas and into their regular ware. Summer made sure she packed as much of her sleuthing gear as she could in amongst her everyday things. She had a hunch she just might be needing them!

The Salt sisters were still in their bedrooms getting packed to go to the motel with their Mom when -