Andy folded his arms in front of him and leaned back against the railing to think. He nodded slightly. “You know,” he said, “I’ve been thinking that something’s up with Chip. He told me the same thing he told you, that he’s just losing stuff. But I think someone’s stealing it!”
Kate looked at Mike. “That’s what we thought!” she said.
“That’s why I’ve been stopping by the clubhouse a lot lately,” he said. “I’ve been trying to check on Chip’s stuff before and after my tours.”
Kate pulled Mike in closer to Andy. “We think we found out who’s doing it!” she said.
Andy straightened up. “What?” he asked. “Who?”
“It’s the bald man we saw in the clubhouse yesterday, wearing a blue suit and red tie,” she said. “After we left, he followed us around the stadium.”
Andy’s face grew serious. “That’s Mr. MacKay. He’s new around here. I think you should check him out.”
Mike and Kate nodded. “We’re going to see if we can find him at tonight’s game,” Mike said.
“Good idea,” Andy said. “Let me know if you learn anything.”
After Andy left, Mike and Kate waited for Kate’s mother to make a phone call. Down on the infield, some of the Washington Nationals players were taking batting practice.
Mike and Kate leaned over the railing and watched the players hit. The bright late-morning sun warmed the stadium.
Kate nudged Mike. She pointed to one of the Nationals players walking up to home plate. “Hey, that’s Chip,” she said.
Even though he couldn’t hear them, Mike and Kate cheered for Chip.
“Woo-hoo! Chip!” Kate called. “Knock one out of the park!”
“Hey, up here!” Mike yelled. He stomped on the ground with his sneaker. “Hit one up here!”
Chip let a few pitches fly by. But on the third one, he swung and nailed a long line drive into left field. Mike and Kate clapped.
As they watched Chip go back to his batting stance, Kate gasped. She pointed to the other side of the stadium.
“It’s him!” she said. “It’s Mr. MacKay, the man who was following us yesterday!”
Mike tugged her shirt. “Quick, there’s no time to lose,” he said. “Let’s go sneak up on him!”
They took off running. Their sneakers pounded on the ground as they raced around the walkway that circled the inside of the stadium.
When they got close to where Mr. MacKay was standing, Mike reached out and stopped Kate. They caught their breath behind a big pillar. Mr. MacKay was standing with his back to them.
On the count of three, Mike and Kate burst from behind the pillar. They ran at Mr. MacKay from both sides so he couldn’t escape. By the time he turned and realized what was happening, it was too late!
They skidded to a halt right in front of Mr. MacKay.
“We caught you!” Mike said.
“Why were you chasing us?” Kate demanded.
MacKay stared back at Mike and Kate without answering.
“Were you afraid that we’d discovered you’re the clubhouse thief?” Mike asked.
“And that we’d report you to the president of the United States for stealing Chip’s things?” Kate asked.
MacKay’s eyebrows went up. “What?” he asked as he studied Mike’s and Kate’s faces.
Then he burst out laughing!
“You think I’m stealing Chip’s things?” he asked. “That’s good. Wait until the president hears about that.”
“Huh?” Kate asked. “You know the president, too?”
MacKay stopped laughing. A big smile filled his face. “Of course I do,” he said. “But you can’t tell anyone.”
“Tell anyone what?” Kate asked.
“What I’m doing is a secret. But I’m not stealing Chip’s stuff,” the man said. He offered his hand for a handshake. “I’m Agent MacKay, Secret Service.”
“Wow!” Mike said as he shook his hand. “I’m Mike, and this is my cousin Kate.” Kate shook Agent MacKay’s hand as well. “I met the president yesterday. He asked us to figure out who was stealing Chip’s stuff.”
“That’s funny,” he said. “I’m watching Chip, too! The president asked me to keep an eye on him because he thought someone might be after Chip. I followed you yesterday because I wasn’t sure who you were.” He laughed. “You two gave me a run for my money. I can see why the president asked you to investigate.”
Kate pointed to Chip down at home plate. “So does he know you’re keeping an eye on him?” she asked.
“No,” Agent MacKay said. “And we need to keep it that way. The Nationals owner knows. But everyone else on the team thinks I’m working on a special project for the owner.”
“Well, last night we thought you might be the one stealing Chip’s stuff,” Kate said. “But I guess not. Any idea who might be?”
“No,” Agent MacKay said. “But it has to be someone who has access to the clubhouse.”
He rummaged around in his pocket and pulled out a scrap of paper. “I did find something this morning near Chip’s locker,” he said. “But I’m not even sure it’s a clue.”
He handed the paper to Kate. On the top, it had pictures of Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson, with a line across the page underneath them. Scrawled on the paper were the words LM 3:00 p.m. Friday.
“I don’t have time to chase down this clue,” Agent MacKay said. “I’m busy protecting Chip. Maybe you two can do it?”
Kate pulled out her phone and took a picture of the note. “We’ll keep our eyes open,” she said.
“Sounds good,” Agent MacKay said. He looked out at the field. “Chip is done batting, so I’ve got to move along. Here’s my card. Give me a call if you figure anything out or need help.”
Agent MacKay headed to the stairs. Mike and Kate studied the photo of the note. There wasn’t much to look at. It just seemed like a piece of paper.
“Maybe it’s from the White House,” Kate said. “It’s got famous presidents across the top. Maybe President Diaz sent his brother a message and that’s all this is.”
Mike shrugged. “Maybe,” he said. “Though it looks like someone named LM is having a meeting at three o’clock. But we don’t know where, or who LM is.”
“Maybe LM is someone who works for the Washington Nationals,” Kate said. “I’ll bet Andy would know. We could stop by his gift shop this afternoon while we’re sightseeing.”
“Good idea,” Mike said.
Kate checked the time. “Hey, let’s go,” she said. “My mom is probably waiting for us at the front gate.”
A little after two o’clock, Mike, Kate, and Mrs. Hopkins were in downtown Washington, D.C. They had taken a short ride on the Metro, the subway in Washington, D.C. Their first stop was the National Air and Space Museum, where they saw the Wright brothers’ airplane. They also saw Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis airplane and lots of rockets. They even got to touch a real moon rock!
After that, they walked up the big grassy park that runs through the center of Washington, D.C., to the Lincoln Memorial.
“Hey, this is what’s on the back of old pennies,” Mike said.
“It must have taken a lot of pennies to build this,” Kate said. “It’s huge!”
Behind them was a long reflecting pond that stretched toward the towering pillar of the far-off Washington Monument. It seemed like everywhere they looked, there was another important monument.
Mike and Kate scrambled up the marble steps of the building, while Mrs. Hopkins followed.
“Whoa!” Mike said at the top of the stairs. “He’s huge!”
In front of Mike and Kate was the biggest statue of Abraham Lincoln they had ever seen. He was seated in a tall chair with his arms resting on the sides.
“According to the guidebook I read, the statue is nineteen feet tall,” Kate said. Before she and Mike went on trips, Kate often read about where they were going. “And look at his hands.”
Lincoln
’s hands hung over the front sides of the marble chair. The fingers in his right hand pointed down, and the fingers in his left hand curled into a fist. “Some people think that Lincoln’s hands are forming an A and an L in sign language, for Abraham Lincoln,” said Kate. “I’m not sure it’s true, but it could be.”
“Hey, you two, how about a picture?” Mrs. Hopkins called out. Mike and Kate turned around and smiled. Then they looked inside the memorial. Kate went off to the side to read the Gettysburg Address carved into the wall. Then she and Mike read the words to Lincoln’s speech for his second inauguration on the other wall.
“There’s the gift shop where Andy works,” Kate said. She pointed at a small door to the left of the front entrance. “Let’s go ask him if he knows anyone with the initials LM.”
They went through a bronze door into a small gift shop just off the main floor of the Lincoln Memorial. The shop was filled with Abraham Lincoln T-shirts, books, and other souvenirs. They spotted Andy behind the counter.
“Hey, it’s you two again,” Andy said. “How do you like the memorial?”
“It’s great!” Kate said. “The statue of Lincoln is huge!”
Andy nodded. “It’s really neat to work here. I get to learn all types of things from the park rangers who give tours,” he said. “Sometimes I even get to trade collectibles with them. Here, let me show you my collection of presidential campaign buttons.”
Andy pulled out a tablet from behind the counter. He tapped on the screen a few times and showed Mike and Kate a bunch of pictures of his collection.
“Wow, that’s a lot of buttons,” Kate said.
Andy nodded. “There are many stores around here that sell political and sports collectibles, like campaign buttons and signed baseballs,” he said.
Kate glanced at Mike and then tapped on the counter. “Speaking of baseball,” she said, “we were thinking about Chip’s missing stuff. Mike and I wondered if someone with the initials LM might have taken it.”
Andy thought for a moment. “I don’t know anyone with the Nationals who has those initials,” he said. “But you might want to question the batboy. He’s new, and the things started disappearing after he started. Plus, he’d have access to the clubhouse, so he’d be able to steal Chip’s stuff.”
Mike bounced up and down. “We can do that tonight,” he said. “What’s his name?”
Andy took a pad of paper from near the cash register and wrote down the batboy’s name for them. “It’s Larry,” he said.
Andy handed the paper to Kate. She looked at it quickly before stuffing it into her pocket.
“Larry will probably be down near the dugout before the game,” Andy said. “I bet he did it.”
“Thanks,” Kate said. “We’ll check it out. Let’s go, Mike.”
Kate was in such a hurry that she practically pulled Mike out of the gift shop. She led him over to a quiet area just behind the Abraham Lincoln statue.
“What was that about?” Mike asked. “We were getting good information from Andy on Larry. Why leave now?”
Kate scowled at him. “Because of this!” she said. Kate pulled out the note that Andy had written. She flipped it open and showed it to Mike.
“L-a-r-r-y,” Mike read. “Okay, so what?”
“It’s not about Larry,” Kate said. She pointed at the notepaper. “Look at this!”
There, across the top, were pictures of Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson!
“This matches the piece of paper that Agent MacKay found!” Mike said.
“Exactly!” Kate said. “Larry isn’t the one stealing Chip’s stuff. Andy is!”
“Andy? But why would he steal Chip’s stuff? They’re friends. He doesn’t want Chip to go to the minors,” Mike said.
“What if he’s stealing Chip’s baseball stuff and selling it to pay for all the presidential souvenirs he’s collecting?” Kate asked.
Mike thought for a moment and then nodded. “Maybe,” he said. “Yeah, I bet you’re right! Andy has access to the clubhouse. He’s there during the day when Chip isn’t. And the note matches the paper at Andy’s counter. It sure seems like it could be Andy.”
Mike studied the note in Kate’s hand. “And if it’s Andy, then maybe we still need to look for a person with the initials LM,” he said. “He’s probably the one who’s buying the stuff from Andy.”
Kate laughed. “LM isn’t a who. It’s a where!” she said.
Kate stepped back and pointed at the statue and the walls of the building. “LM stands for the Lincoln Memorial!” she said. “I’ll bet Andy is meeting someone at three o’clock today, right here. In about twenty minutes, he’ll probably be selling more of Chip’s stolen stuff.”
“What time is it?” Mike asked Kate.
Kate checked her phone. “It’s a few minutes before three,” she said.
They were hiding behind one of the big columns in the Lincoln Memorial. By peeking around the column, they could spy on the front counter at the gift shop. It was easy to see Andy as he helped customers and rang up sales.
Kate had told her mother that she and Mike wanted to spend some extra time at the Lincoln Memorial. Kate’s mom had agreed. She told Kate that she’d be waiting outside, exploring the other nearby monuments. Kate was supposed to call her when she and Mike were ready to leave.
For the past twenty minutes, they had been watching every person who went into the gift shop. But they hadn’t seen anyone suspicious. Then, a little after three o’clock, a woman in a red shirt walked into the shop. Instead of browsing or picking up something to buy, she walked right to the counter.
Mike nudged Kate. “What’s she doing?” he asked.
“She just handed Andy a bunch of money. He gave her a bag, but she didn’t bring anything up to the counter to buy!”
The woman nodded to Andy and left the gift shop. She headed around the corner and down the front steps.
“Let’s follow her!” Kate said.
Mike and Kate raced down the front steps. They stayed to the side so they wouldn’t be spotted. The woman headed away from the monument.
Mike and Kate ran to catch up. The woman walked through the paths of the park until she came to the main street. She crossed at the light and continued past a row of government buildings. Mike and Kate crossed the street a little bit behind the woman. Once they got to the other side, they paused so they wouldn’t be too close to her. The woman continued walking, then turned left and disappeared into a store.
“That store is called Capitol Collectibles!” Mike said. “I think we’re on the right trail. Now what?”
Kate tapped her foot. “I’ve got an idea,” she said. She whispered something to Mike. He nodded. They walked up the street to the corner, and then turned back. Mike took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
The shop was filled with display cases of different types of collectibles. There were pieces of paper with famous people’s signatures, and autographed pictures. There were also all types of sports jerseys and signed baseball cards and photos.
“Wow! This is a cool store,” Mike said as he looked around.
The woman in the red shirt was behind the counter. “Can I help you?” she asked.
“We’re looking for souvenirs,” Kate said.
“Then you’ve come to the right spot,” the woman said. “We’ve got everything from politics to sports. Looking for anything special?”
Mike nodded. “Yup, baseball stuff. Chip Diaz is my favorite player. Do you have anything of his?” he asked.
The woman smiled. “We have lots of Chip Diaz stuff,” she said. She pulled out a pair of batting gloves and laid them on the counter. “I just got these in today. They are game-used batting gloves. You can see Chip’s number, number eight, right here on the inside.”
Kate nudged Mike. The woman showed them a bunch of other Chip Diaz equipment. She had a travel bag, more batting gloves, a catcher’s mitt, and even a jersey.
“Do you see anything yo
u like?” the woman asked.
Mike nodded. “Yes, but I have to get my mother to pay for it,” he said. “Can we take a picture of the stuff to show my mom?”
The woman nodded, and Kate used her phone to snap a picture.
“We’ll be back later,” Mike said. “Thanks!”
As soon as they were on the sidewalk and the door to the shop had closed behind them, Mike gave Kate a high five and then hopped up and down.
“We did it! That’s all Chip’s stuff,” Mike said. “Andy must be stealing it and selling it so he can buy presidential souvenirs.”
“And I just thought of a way to catch him in the act,” Kate said. “Let’s go back to the Lincoln Memorial.”
Mike and Kate practically ran back to the monument. After they sprinted up the big steps, Kate led Mike to the door of the gift shop. “Quick,” Kate said. “Give me your baseball that’s signed by the president!”
Mike fished around in the pocket of his sweatshirt and pulled out the ball. Kate took the ball in the case and marched inside the gift shop. A few customers were browsing, but no one was at the cash register.
“Oh, hey, it’s you guys again!” Andy said when he spotted them.
“Yes,” Kate said. “We’re leaving soon, but since you were so interested in Mike’s signed ball, I wanted to tell you a secret.”
Andy put his hands on the glass countertop and leaned over. “What?” he asked.
Kate showed him the ball again. “Chip told us he could get the vice president to sign the ball, too!” she said. “So we’re going to drop it off before the game at Chip’s locker. He said he could hide it there until he got the ball signed. Then it will be worth even more!”
Andy’s eyes lit up. “I’ll say,” he said. “Hey, I was just thinking, I’ll be at tonight’s game, too. Maybe you could find me and show it to me when you get the signature!”
“Sure,” Kate said. She handed the ball back to Mike, who slipped it in his backpack. They headed for the door. “We’ll catch you later tonight!”
The Capital Catch Page 3