by Ron Roy
KC swallowed back her tears. “Thank you,” she said.
“Please be my guest in the White House while we wait this out,” the president offered. “You too, Marshall.”
“Thank you, sir,” KC said. “But is it okay if I go home and feed my cats?”
“I’ll have a car take you,” Mary Kincaid said. She reached for the telephone.
“Um, we’d rather walk,” KC said. “It’s not far.”
The president scooted the cat off his lap and stood up. “Try not to worry,” he said. “We have a hundred of our best people looking for Casey and your mother. I know we’ll get them back soon.”
He leaned over the desk and scribbled something on a small pad. “Here’s my private phone number,” he said, handing the top sheet to KC. “Call if you need anything at all.”
The president sneezed again. He wiped his nose with a handkerchief. “I’m going back to bed. Mary, will you show KC and Marshall the way out?”
“Of course. Come on, kids.”
Mary Kincaid escorted them to the hall, then signaled to the marine who was waiting. “Please take KC and Marshall to the special exit,” she said.
“Yes, Madam Vice President,” he said.
KC and Marshall followed the marine down the hall, into the elevator, and out the private exit. He gave them a salute as they headed toward Pennsylvania Avenue.
As soon as the marine was out of sight, Marshall stopped KC. “Okay, you’re up to something,” Marshall said. “What’s this about feeding your cats? I saw you fill up their food bowl an hour ago.”
“I know,” KC said. “We’re not going home.”
“We’re not? Where are we going?”
“To look for my mother.” KC started walking again. Marshall hurried to keep up with her.
“But the president told us a hundred guys are already looking,” Marshall said.
“And women, too, Marshall,” KC said. “Not all FBI agents are men, you know.”
“Okay, sue me,” Marshall said. “But how are we supposed to find your mom and Casey?”
They were approaching the Museum of Natural History. Across Madison Drive, they could see the flags flying over the Smithsonian castle.
“By looking for clues,” KC said.
“How can two kids …” Marshall stopped and gave KC a long look. KC didn’t meet his eyes. “Okay,” he said after a minute. “We’ll do whatever you want. Where should we start?”
They ended up on Constitution Avenue, near the Washington Monument. “Let’s start here,” KC said. “Then we can walk toward the Capitol. And check every building—inside and out!”
“There are a lot of buildings,” Marshall said.
“So we’ll split up,” KC said. “We’ll meet in about half an hour in front of the Air and Space Museum.”
They decided that Marshall would take the buildings on the north side of the Mall. KC would check the south side. She started in the Washington Monument. From there she went to a couple of art museums, then the Smithsonian castle.
KC worked her way along the Mall, looking everywhere she could think of. She searched the sculpture gardens and the carousel. She went in every museum. Luckily, they all had free admission.
KC was hot, tired, and sweaty when she finally met Marshall by the Air and Space Museum. “Any luck?” she asked.
“No,” he said. “But in the Natural History Museum, I saw a tarantula even bigger than Spike!”
KC sat down on the steps outside the space museum. “Do you want to do this one, or should I?”
“Do you really think we’ll find them?” Marshall commented. “I mean—”
“We can’t just go back to the White House and do nothing, Marsh,” KC said. “Someone took my mom and I’m getting her back … even if I have to search every inch of Washington, D.C.!”
5
Space Mission
“Okay, okay, we’ll check in here,” said Marshall. He shoved open the door of the museum. KC and Marshall were greeted by cool air and a crowd of people.
The room they entered was cavernous. The walls were glass, letting in the sunlight. Airplanes, spacecraft, missiles, rockets, and other things were on display. The Wright brothers’ 1903 Flyer was there, along with the Spirit of St. Louis. Some displays were roped off to keep visitors from touching anything.
“Okay,” KC said, “let’s ask people if they saw the president.”
They split up. KC approached a man with two little boys. They were looking at an exhibit about hot air balloons.
“Excuse me,” KC said. “But have you seen the president today?”
“What president?” the man asked.
“Of the United States,” KC said. “President Thornton.”
“Cool!” one of the boys said. “The president is here!”
The man looked at KC. “Is he really?”
KC sighed. “I don’t know,” she said. “Did you see him? He was with a woman in a purple dress.”
The man shook his head. “Sorry, I was too busy watching my kids.”
KC asked other people. She saw Marshall doing the same thing. Everyone shook their heads, no.
She walked across the room to join Marshall. “No luck, huh?” she asked.
“Nope. But I talked to one guy who shook his hand outside.”
“That was before they disappeared.” KC glanced at a wide set of stairs. A small sign posted by the steps read:
More Displays on Second Floor
“Come on,” she said, starting up the staircase. At the top, she stopped to watch the crowd in the main gallery.
Marshall bumped shoulders with KC. “Let’s keep looking,” he said.
They checked out the second floor displays. They saw war planes and an exhibit about exploring the planets. Marshall stopped in front of a meteorite found in Antarctica.
They came to an open doorway with a sign on a pedestal that read:
CAUTION—WET FLOOR
APOLLO 11
LUNAR MODULE
EXHIBIT CLOSED TODAY
A red velvet rope blocked the entrance. A man in a gray uniform was standing on the shiny floor just inside the room.
“This is so neat,” Marshall said. He leaned over the rope for a better look.
In the center of the room stood the lunar module of Apollo 11, the first spacecraft to land on the moon. Under Apollo 11, a circle of dust and rocks represented the moon’s surface. Twenty feet above, two fake astronauts wearing space suits hung from cables attached to the ceiling.
“Excuse me,” the man said. He was tall and thin, with a deep voice. “This exhibit is closed today.”
“Sorry,” Marshall said.
For about the hundredth time, KC asked, “Have you seen the president in here today? He was with my mother. She was wearing a purple dress.”
The man frowned and shook his head. “I’m too busy to notice who comes in and out,” he said. He left them at the door and walked toward the module.
Near the Apollo 11, the man stooped and picked something off the floor. He stared at it, glanced back at KC and Marshall, then quickly shoved it in his pocket.
“Did you see that?” KC whispered.
“What?” asked Marshall.
“There was a cherry blossom on the floor,” KC said. “That janitor put it in his pocket.”
Marshall shrugged. “So? There are about a million cherry blossoms all over Washington.”
“But this floor has just been cleaned. No one is allowed to walk on it. So how did a cherry blossom get there?”
KC stared at the man in the gray uniform. “And besides, my mother had one in her hair,” she said.
6
Flowers on the Moon
“What are you saying?” Marshall asked.
“Marsh, my mom had a pink flower in her hair when she disappeared. And there was a cherry blossom on the floor where there shouldn’t be one. It doesn’t make sense.”
“So maybe somebody dropped it,” Marshall said.
They walked from exhibit to exhibit. They looked in every room on the second floor, but didn’t discover anything new. Marshall flopped down on a bench. KC joined him. They didn’t talk.
KC sat and stared at the floor. Suddenly two pairs of feet stepped into her line of sight.
“Did you find your mother?” a familiar voice asked.
KC looked up. The feet belonged to the tall janitor they had spoken to before. Another man was with him, dressed in a similar uniform. The second janitor was short and round, with little eyes that kept blinking.
A tingly feeling crept up KC’s spine. Something was wrong here. She took a deep breath and smiled at the two men. “No, but my mom is supposed to meet me here later,” she said. “We’re gonna hang out until then.”
“Okay,” the taller man said. “Just stay off the wet floor.”
“Sure thing,” KC said. As the men walked away, she grabbed Marshall’s arm.
“What do you mean your mom’s supposed to meet us here?” Marshall hissed. “What’s going on?”
“Did you see the shoes those guys are wearing?” KC asked.
Marshall started to turn around.
“No, don’t look now!” KC said, grabbing him again.
“How can I see their shoes if you won’t let me look?” Marshall asked.
“They’re wearing dress-up shoes,” KC said.
Marshall stared at KC. “What do you mean, ‘dress-up’ shoes? I don’t get it.”
“Marsh, if you were mopping floors, would you wear expensive shoes?” KC asked. “The janitor at school wears work boots or old sneakers. But those two guys are wearing good shoes, real shiny.”
“And that means …?”
“It means maybe they’re pretending to be janitors, Marsh.”
“Why would anyone pretend to be a janitor?” Marshall asked.
“That’s what we need to find out,” KC said. “Come on.”
KC checked over her shoulder to make sure they weren’t being watched. Then she led Marshall back to the Apollo 11 display.
They stopped at the red rope. KC bent down and touched the floor. “The janitor just said it was wet. But it’s dry,” she mumbled. “So why is the exhibit still closed?”
KC and Marshall gazed past the velvet rope. Nothing had changed. The Apollo 11 stood in the middle of the room with its spindly legs stuck in powdery “moon dust.” The two fake astronauts hung from above.
Suddenly Marshall jumped. “Huh?” he said. He blinked his eyes and stared at the hanging space suits. “Did you see that?”
“See what?” KC asked.
“You’re not gonna believe this,” said Marshall, “but I swear one of those space suit guys just moved.”
KC looked up at the hanging space suits. “Stop joking around, Marshall,” she said. “They’re fake.” Feeling an itch, she rubbed her nose.
When she looked up again, one of the astronauts was rubbing its face mask.
“There it is again!” Marshall said. “It moved!”
“I saw it!” KC shouted. She wiggled her fingers.
The astronaut wiggled its fingers.
KC knocked the velvet rope out of the way. She sprinted into the room and waved her arms frantically at the two space suits.
Slowly, one of them waved back at her.
7
Run and Hide
“Mom!” KC screamed up at the two space suits.
“Is it them?” Marshall asked from behind KC.
“It has to be!” KC said to Marshall. “Help me figure out a way to get them down!”
“Hey, you kids! Get away from that exhibit!” a voice rang out.
“Uh-oh,” Marshall muttered.
The tall janitor entered the room. “What do you think you’re doing?” he asked.
The man walked slowly toward KC and Marshall. His eyes were squinty, and his long hands curled into fists.
KC took a deep breath. Then she bent over and picked up a small rock from the pile beneath the Apollo 11.
“Thank goodness you’re here!” she said, holding out the rock. “Look, I’ve found a clue about the missing president!”
The man’s frown turned to a look of puzzlement. He stared first at the rock in KC’s hand, then turned his eyes upward toward the two space suits.
Which is exactly what KC hoped he would do.
“Run!” she screamed at Marshall.
The man reached for KC, but she dodged away. He positioned himself in front of the exit with an evil sneer on his face.
Marshall charged right for the man, as if he was going to knock him over. But at the last second, Marshall flung himself down like a kid sliding into second base. He slid across the floor, slipping right between the man’s long legs. When the man whirled around, KC darted past him.
KC and Marshall dashed down the stairs and out into the crowded main room.
“This way!” KC said, running over to a group of kids. She and Marshall wiggled to the front, right next to one of the chaperones.
Safe for now, KC caught her breath. She was still holding the rock, so she slipped it into her pocket. Cautiously, she looked over her shoulder.
The man glared back at her. His face was red and his eyes flashed with anger. She saw him start walking toward the school group.
KC forced herself to stay calm and think. He wouldn’t dare grab two kids in front of all these people, would he?
She decided he would. He’d just say that these children had stolen a moon rock from the Apollo exhibit. Then he’d take her and Marshall away and …
KC felt herself begin to panic. The man was coming closer. Should she yell out that this guy had kidnapped the president and hidden him in a space suit?
KC realized that nobody would believe her. They’d laugh or think she was lying to get out of trouble.
Marshall tugged on her arm. “KC, that guy’s getting closer! What are we gonna do?”
KC made a decision. “We have to split up,” she whispered, slipping Marshall the phone number. “You call the president. Tell him we found my mom and Casey. I’ll try to get that guy to follow me.”
Marshall hesitated. “Okay. Be careful, KC.”
“I will,” KC said. “Tell the president to send the SWAT team!” Then KC turned to the group’s chaperone.
“Excuse me!” she said loudly. Out of the corner of her eye, KC saw the janitor stop and watch her. “Would you please take me to the bathroom?” she asked the chaperone.
The woman looked puzzled. “You’re not part of my group, are you?” she asked.
“I know,” KC said. “I lost my group, and I really have to go!”
“Of course I’ll take you,” the chaperone said. “It’s this way.” She took KC’s hand and they headed away from the group.
KC glanced over her shoulder. Yes! The man was following her, not Marshall. She shuddered. He reminded her of a lion stalking its prey.
The chaperone paused in front of the bathrooms. Before KC could thank her and dash inside, the man put his hand on her shoulder.
“I’m sorry,” he said to the chaperone. “This girl stole something from the Apollo exhibit.” He held out his large hand. “May I have it, please?”
KC gulped and looked down. The rock she had picked up made a bulge in her pocket. She slowly took it out and gave it to the man.
The kind chaperone was staring at her. KC felt her face turn red.
“Now, if you’ll come with me,” the man said, “I’m taking you to security.”
“Is that necessary?” the chaperone asked, smiling at the fake janitor. “She’s returned the rock.”
The man glared at the woman. “Stealing moon rocks is a federal offense!” he said. He put his hand on KC’s shoulder and led her away.
“Where are you taking me?” KC demanded.
&
nbsp; “Quiet,” the man said. His hand felt as if it were burning KC’s shoulder.
They came to the Apollo exhibit. The wet floor sign was gone, and the door was closed. The man pulled a key from his pocket and inserted it into the lock. He shoved KC into the room and closed the door behind them.
The other janitor stood there with his hands on his hips and a smirk on his face. His piggy eyes blinked rapidly. When he moved aside, KC almost fainted.
Marshall was sitting on the floor beneath the Apollo. His hands and feet were bound, and a red cloth was tied around his mouth.
8
Doomed
KC felt sick. Marshall stared back at her, mumbling something through his gag.
The tall man laughed. “Waldo here caught your little friend trying to make a phone call,” he said.
He held up the slip of paper with the president’s phone number. He ripped it into pieces and let them fall from his hands.
KC watched the bits of paper flutter to the floor by her feet. Calling the president had been their only chance. Now no one knew where they were. She and her mom, Marshall and Casey were doomed.
With tears in her eyes, KC looked up at the two space suits. One of them waved down at her.
“Very clever of you to have found them,” the tall janitor said. “What tipped you off?”
KC wiped her nose with her sleeve. “The flower you picked up,” KC told the man. “My mother dropped it there.”
“Well,” the man said, “like Hansel and Gretel’s bread crumbs, the flower won’t do your mother and the president any good.”
“I hope you go to jail for a million years!” KC shouted.
The man snorted. “First they have to catch me. And where I’m going, they won’t.”
“Please let my mother down,” KC pleaded. “She gets dizzy from heights.”
“What’re we gonna do with them, Chip?” Waldo asked, ignoring KC. “We don’t need four hostages.”
Chip laughed. “We’ll take them with us,” he said. “With the president as our guest, nobody will bother us. I doubt anyone will try to destroy the space station with the President of the United States aboard!”