Free Trouble at the Treasury by Ron Roy Page B

grinned as he sat down. He ran his fingers over the stacks of money. “All fake,” he moaned.
    KC and Marshall took off their coats. A tall kid wearing an apron and a Santa hat came over holding a pad and pencil. “What can I get you?” he asked.
    “Do you have hot chocolate?” KC asked.
    “You bet. Whipped cream or marshmallows on top?” the waiter asked.
    “Whipped cream, please!” KC said.
    “I’ll have the
Marsh
mallows,” Marshall said, grinning at KC.
    The waiter left, tucking his pad and pencil in a back pocket.
    KC pulled her digital camera from her pack. “Hey, Marsh, let me take your picture next to all that money,” she said.
    Marshall leaned down so his face was almost buried in green bills.
    He made a goofy face and KC snapped his picture. She checked the screen. “Good. Nice face, Marsh. This makes you look like you’re a millionaire!” she said.
    While they waited for their hot chocolates, KC glanced around the small room. At one table, a woman with red hair sat by herself. She wore dangly earrings made oflittle silver bells. In front of her was a mug with a tea-bag string hanging out of it and an open book.
    The woman’s lips were moving. It looked like she was repeating what she was reading. KC glanced at the book cover. It said LEARN ITALIAN FAST.
    Every now and then, the woman shook her head, as if she’d gotten something wrong. When she moved her head, the bell earrings jingled.
    “Marsh, that woman works in the BEP,” KC whispered. “She emptied the trash during our tour.”
    “KC, you notice the weirdest things,” Marshall said.
    KC wanted to be a TV news anchor after college. And if there was one thing she was sure of, it was that news reporters paid attention!

    The door opened with a blast of cold air. A tall man wearing a cowboy hat and a leather jacket walked in. He looked around, then headed for the table where the woman was studying Italian.
    She looked up and beamed. She lowered the book as the man sat down. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
    KC leaned forward, hoping to hear what the man would say. But just then the waiter stepped in the way, blocking KC’s view.
    “Two hot chocolates!” he announced. He set the steaming drinks down. A candy cane stood in each mug.
    KC stirred her chocolate with the candy cane. Marshall took a sip. “Youch, it’s hot!” he gasped.
    “It’s
hot
chocolate, Marsh,” KC said. “Duh!”

3
A Very Expensive Brick
    The kids finished their hot chocolates, pulled on their coats, and left The Vault. They headed toward the Metro station to catch the train that would take them to the White House.
    A cold wind was blowing right into their faces. KC shivered. Marshall’s nose was red.
    “Wait a sec,” KC said. She pulled Marshall over to a pet-store window. Through the glass, they could see a box of puppies. They were all asleep in a pile. KC pulled out her digital camera and snapped a picture.
    “Don’t even think about it,” Marshallsaid. “You already have three cats and a dog in the White House.”
    “I just like to take pictures, Marsh,” KC said. “Stand in front of the puppies and I’ll get one of you, too.” She stepped back and aimed her camera.
    A man and woman stepped into the scene just as KC pushed the button.
    “Oh, look, Travis, puppies!” the woman squealed.
    She was bundled into a down ski jacket with a bright red scarf. Blond hair fell from under a red knit hat. The man wore a cowboy hat and leather jacket.
    “No puppies,” the man said. He gave the woman a kiss. “Come on, let’s keep moving, honey.”
    The couple moved off with their arms around each other. KC snapped their picture as they walked away.
    “Didn’t we just see that man in the restaurant?” KC asked Marshall.
    “So?” Marshall said. He tugged KC toward the Metro stop.
    “So nothing,” KC said. “But five minutes ago, he kissed that woman from the BEP. And now he’s kissing a different lady.”
    “Don’t be so nosy,”