Kidnapped at the Capital Read Online Free Page B

me right after I hung up.” Marshall grinned. “I let him think he got me before I made the phone call.”
    “Marshall Li, I’m mad at you!” KC said. “Why didn’t you tell me you made the call?”
    Marshall held up the red cloth. “I was gagged, remember?”

9
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
    The next morning, another black car picked up KC, her mom, and Marshall. They were driven to the White House and escorted to President Thornton’s private residence. They found him sipping a glass of orange juice.
    “Good morning,” the president said when they entered. He looked much better. His eyes were still a little red, but he wasn’t sneezing anymore.
    “How are you feeling?” KC asked.
    “Much improved, now that I know you’re all safe.”
    “So where’s Casey?” Marshall asked.
    “Poor guy, I sent him on a vacation. He’s in disguise, so no one will mistake him for me this time.” President Thornton looked at KC’s mom. “Ms. Corcoran, please accept my—”
    KC’s mom interrupted. “Please call me Lois, Mr. President.”
    The president smiled. “Okay, if you’ll call me Zach.” He cleared his throat and started again. “Lois, I’m so sorry I didn’t come to meet you yesterday.”
    Lois nodded. “At first I thought Casey was joking,” she said. “He asked the secret service men to give us a moment alone and started to explain. That’s when those two men grabbed us.”
    “Who were they, anyway?” KC asked.
    The president took a sip of juice. “Chip Hornbeck and Waldo Weeks are disgruntledastronauts,” he said. “They were kicked out of NASA two years ago, and never got to go into space. They were unhappy and decided to get revenge.”
    “So they were only pretending to be janitors, right?” KC asked.
    The president nodded. “Because they were astronauts, they knew all the off-limit places in the Air and Space Museum.”
    Just then Marshall’s stomach growled.
    “Well, I guess we’d better eat,” said the president. “Please sit down, everyone.”
    They all sat and began passing platters of scrambled eggs, fruit, and bagels. The president’s cat sat by his feet and meowed loudly.
    “Sorry, George,” the president said. He dropped a cherry onto the carpet.
    “Why did you name him George?” Marshall asked.
    The president grinned. “For the first president,” he said. “And you know how he liked cherries!”
    George held the cherry with his front paws and took delicate bites.
    “Anyway,” the president continued, “Chip and Waldo will be in jail for quite a long time.”
    “There was a third man,” KC’s mom said. “He was waiting inside the rear door of the museum. He had rags dipped in something awful that they put over our faces. When I woke up, they were putting me in that space suit!”
    “Ralphy Bird,” the president said. “We’ve already got him. He was caught in a helicopter, hovering over the museum.”
    “Was it scary hanging up there?” Marshall asked KC’s mom.
    “Oh, honey, you have no idea!” she said. “When I saw you two walk into the room, I thought I was dreaming.”
    “And we might not have gone in if KC hadn’t seen the flower you dropped.”
    KC’s mother laughed. “I shook it out of my hair when they were stuffing me into that space suit,” she said. “I prayed someone would spot it there.”
    The president grinned. “Good thinking, Lois!” He picked up his juice glass. “Here’s a toast to KC and Marshall. What would the White House do without you two?”
    That night, KC and Marshall were watching TV. Lost and Found chased each other around the apartment.
    A buzzer sounded. KC’s mom walked over to the door and pressed a button.
    “Sorry to disturb you, Ms. Corcoran,” Donald’s voice said from the wall unit. “I have a package for you.”
    “For me? Okay, send it up.”
    A few minutes later, she opened the door. Donald grinned and handed her a long white box.
    “What is it, Mom?” KC got up and walked over to the