Kidnapped at the Capital (3 page)

“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.

“Yes, and maybe that somebody was my mother!” KC said. “It’s the first clue we’ve found, Marsh. Come on, let’s search the rest of this place. Maybe my mother is here!”

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.

“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.

“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.

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!”

He glanced down at the kids. “But I have other plans for the woman and these two. Once we get to the space station, they’ll be taking a space walk of their own. Only they won’t be wearing space suits!”

The two men high-fived each other.

“You’ll never get away with this!” KC said.

“Wrong,” Chip said, holding up his cell
phone. “We’ve just been notified that we’re cleared to get on the shuttle. Ralphy’s on his way with the helicopter.”

“Prepare to say bye-bye to Earth,” Waldo said. He pulled a rope from his pocket and began tying KC’s hands behind her back.

Suddenly he stopped and looked up. His tiny eyes blinked. “Did you hear that?” he asked Chip. “I think it’s our ride.”

The taller man smiled. “Yes, it’s the chopper. Next stop, Florida.”

Waldo finished tying up KC, then sat her next to Marshall. He and Chip walked away and stood by the closed door.

KC moved closer to Marshall, directly under her mother. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. She thought about her father
again, and her kittens. She wondered if Marshall was thinking about his family.

Suddenly three things happened at once—a terrific crashing noise made KC jump, the door burst open, and two men thundered into the room. They were followed by about ten men and women wearing SWAT team uniforms.

One of the women strode up to Chip and Waldo, who were cringing in a corner. “Hands out and mouths shut,” she said. She snapped her fingers at one of her team members. “Wrap these two to go.”

“With pleasure,” the man said as he clicked handcuffs onto the kidnappers’ wrists.

The woman strode over and knelt in front of KC and Marshall. “Are you okay?” she asked.

KC couldn’t find her voice. She nodded instead.

“Are you Marshall?” the woman asked, untying his gag.

Marshall licked his lips, then grinned and said, “Yeah. What took you so long?”

“Long?” The woman looked at her watch. “You called only ten minutes ago.”

KC stared at Marshall. “You called the president’s number?”

“Yup. That goon grabbed 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?”