Free Mystery at the Washington Monument by Ron Roy Page B

said EMPLOYEES ONLY on the door. KC raised her eyebrows at Marshall. “That sounded strange,” she said. “He must know something about those white lights!” They went outside, found an empty picnic table, and sat to wait for the ranger.
    The Monuments shadow fell on the lawn in front of them. “Maybe they measured the shadow to tell how tall the Monument is,” Marshall suggested.
    “But, Marsh, the shadow would beshorter or longer when the sun was higher or lower in the sky,” KC said. She grinned. “You know, when the earth moves.”

    “Yeah, I get it,” Marsh said.
    Just then Butch joined them. He sat and opened a brown paper bag. “Pardon me if I eat in front of you,” he said. “I only get fifteen minutes and I forgot to eat breakfast.”
    “We don’t mind,” KC said.
    Butch pulled a cheese sandwich and a bottle of juice from the bag. He took a big bite of the sandwich. “So you saw lights in the windows last night?” he asked as he chewed.
    KC nodded. “We were having a sleep-out on the White House lawn,” she told him.
    Butch stopped eating. The look on hisface changed. “You slept on the White House lawn?” he asked.
    Marshall laughed. “She’s telling the truth,” he said. “The president is her stepfather.”
    “Oh yeah, I read the presidents new wife had a daughter,” Butch said, tipping his sandwich toward KC. “And you’re her!”
    “I’m her,” KC said. “My name is Katherine Christine Corcoran, but everyone calls me KC.”
    “And I’m Marshall Li,” Marshall said.
    Butch nodded. “I’m Lloyd Emerick, but you can call me Butch.” He set his sandwich on the bag and wiped his mouth on a paper napkin. “I think someone was inside the Monument last night. This morning, I found some small pieces of plaster on the floor,” he said.
    “Maybe someone was trying to steal a memorial stone!” KC said.
    Butch shook his head. “That would be impossible,” he said. “The stones are really big and heavy. They’re also concreted into the walls.”
    Butch sipped some juice. “There’s something else weird,” he said after a minute. “I heard an awful screeching sound this morning. It was like a big bird.” Butch laughed. “I was pretty spooked,” he said. “I don’t believe in ghosts, but you never know.”
    KC remembered the glowing lights. She didn’t believe in ghosts either, and she’d never heard of a bird that glowed in the dark!
    “Could we see that stuff you found?” she asked.
    “Yeah, I guess it would be okay,” Butch said. “Come on.”
    The ranger bagged his snack and led the kids to a small room inside the Monument. He unlocked the door. There was a workbench in the middle of the room, and shelves lined all the walls. The shelves held cans of paint, cleaning supplies, and tools.
    On the bench was a small pile of broken plaster. KC picked up one of the pieces. It was white on one side and gray on the other. “Where did you find it?” she asked.
    Butch pointed toward the ceiling. “Up there, a few hundred steps,” he said. “Feel like doing some climbing?”
    “Sure!” Marshall said.
    KC put the plaster piece in her pocket.Butch unlocked the gate to the stairs. The Monuments inside walls were on their left as they climbed. A metal railing was opposite the walls.
    Marshall stopped and stared up into the darkness. “How many stairs are there altogether?” he asked.
    “Eight hundred and ninety-seven,” Butch said. “In the old days, before the elevator was put in, a lot of tourists tried to walk up. Some of them gave up and turned around.”
    The kids climbed the first of many flights. They were able to look at some of the memorial stones up close. KC paused in front of a four-foot-long stone with the word
Maine
carved into its surface. Smaller carvings of animals and trees surrounded the state’s name.
    “That one is granite,” Butch said. “See what I mean about how big these are? Of course, some are smaller. But they’re all at least a