Trouble at the Treasury (4 page)

Yvonne served the sandwiches and mugs of hot chocolate. KC talked while Marshall gobbled his food.

“This is what I think happened,” KC said. “Somehow, Polly stole the money yesterday morning without the other workers there seeing her. But she knew the security cameras would catch her, and the theft would be on that disc. So she went up to Mr. Royce’s office and got rid of yesterday’s disc. She switched it with a disc recorded on another day.”

“A day when she was wearing different earrings,” Marshall said. “Now I get it. But I don’t believe it!”

KC glared at him. “You don’t? Why?”

“For one thing, how would she get into Mr. Royce’s office?” Marshall asked. “She’d need keys. And she’d have to switch the discs when the office was empty. Which is never.”

“Okay, she’s a cleaning lady, right? So maybe she has her own keys. Maybe she went up there between shifts or something,” KC said. “I don’t know how, but I’m sure Polly did it!”

“And did she also change the time and date on that disc we looked at?” Marshall asked.

KC took a sip of her drink. “Plenty of people know computer stuff,” she said. “Maybe she took computer classes in high school or college.”

“Or …,” Marshall said, “maybe Polly and Mr. Royce are in it together!” He took
a sip of his hot chocolate. It left a marshmallow mustache on his upper lip.

KC nodded slowly. “Marsh, you may be right!” she said. “Let’s go—we’re having a talk with Polly Fine!”

Marshall looked at KC over the top of his mug. “We are? When?”

“Today at three o’clock, when Polly gets off her shift,” KC said. She glanced at the stove clock. It was already two o’clock.

Marshall grinned. “Are we going to arrest her and lock her in the Oval Office till the president gets back?” he asked.

“Marsh, that’s an even better idea than your last one!” KC said.

“Uh-oh, I should’ve kept my mouth shut,” Marshall muttered.

    At three o’clock, KC and Marshall walked into the restaurant called The
Vault. “There she is!” KC whispered.

Polly Fine was sitting alone again. She was reading her Italian book and sipping tea.

KC and Marshall walked over to her table.

“Excuse me,” KC said. “Are you Polly Fine?”

The woman looked up. She had pretty green eyes and a nice smile.

“Yes, I’m Polly,” she said. “Do I know you?”

KC scooted into a chair without being invited. “My stepfather is President Thornton,” she said. She kept her voice low. “And he’d like to meet you. He’s right outside in a taxi.”

Polly Fine blinked several times. “The president wants to meet me?” she said. “You’re kidding, right?”

Marshall walked outside and said something through the taxi window. Someone who looked like the president stepped out of the taxi. Of course, it was really Casey Marshall in his blue suit and red tie. He smiled and waved at Polly through the restaurant window.

“Why does the president want to talk to
me
?” Polly asked.

“He needs your help on something that’s top-secret,” KC said. “I can’t tell you any more with all these people listening. But it’s very important! You have to come to the White House right now!”

“Well, okay,” Polly said. She left some money on the table, slipped into her coat, and followed KC out of The Vault.

Marshall sat up front with the taxi driver, and KC sat between Polly and Casey in the back.

Casey held his hand out. “Miss Fine, I’m delighted to meet you. Thank you for agreeing to come to the White House.”

“Mr. President, I am thrilled!” Polly gushed. “How can I help you?”

Casey put a finger to his lips. He nodded toward the driver in the front seat. “Later,” he whispered.

The cab dropped them off at the rear of the White House. KC and Marshall took Polly to the president’s private library.

Before going downstairs, Casey pulled KC and Marshall aside. “Thank you for introducing me to Polly,” he said. “She’s the prettiest woman I’ve ever met!”

When they were seated in the library, KC felt as if her stomach were filled with butterflies. Polly seemed even more nervous.

Polly looked around the room. It was decorated with books, fresh flowers, and portraits of former presidents. “Why am I here?” she asked.

“We know about the money,” KC said. “We saw the discs in Mr. Royce’s office.”

KC crossed her fingers. She prayed that she’d gotten this right. What would they do if Polly suddenly jumped up and ran screaming from the room? Or if she turned on them? KC didn’t think Polly looked like a dangerous criminal, but you never knew.

But Polly didn’t jump or scream. She just stared at KC. Her pretty eyes filled with tears. She began to sob.

KC handed her a box of tissues.

Just then the president walked through the door. He was still wearing his blue suit and red tie. “Oh, excuse me,” he said.

KC jumped up and left the room, pulling on her stepfather’s hand.

“What’s going on?” he asked KC. “I just passed Casey. He smiled like he knew a big secret, but he didn’t say a word. Who’s that woman?”

“That’s part of the secret,” KC told her stepfather.

“Another one?” the president said. “When do I get to hear about all these secrets?”

“Right now, if you’ll come and sit with us,” KC said. “Let me do the talking, and you’ll learn how the money was stolen from the BEP!”

The president walked into the room, nodded at Marshall, and sat.

“The president would like to hear your story now, Polly,” KC said.

Polly shook her head. “I can’t. I’m too
embarrassed,” she mumbled into her handful of tissues.

“Please don’t be embarrassed,” the president said in a kind voice. “Tell us your story, Polly.”

“I didn’t mean to do it,” Polly finally said. “I never stole anything before this, ever! About six months ago, a man walked into the shop where I was working. I was doing magic tricks for a few children.”

“You’re a magician?” KC asked.

Polly nodded, drying her tears. “I trained myself while I sold magic supplies. Anyway, the man watched me doing my tricks. When the children left, he came over and began talking to me. Then he offered me a job. He promised me more money than I was making in the shop.”

“The job was at the BEP, right?” Marshall asked.

Polly nodded.

“And was the man’s name Travis Royce?” KC asked.

“Yes,” Polly said. “We’re going to be married.”

KC thought about the blond woman she’d seen Travis Royce kissing by the pet shop. She got up and took her digital camera off a shelf.

“We began dating the week after I started working at the Bureau,” Polly continued. “A month ago, he asked me to marry him. He said his dream was to live in Italy and open a small restaurant. He said he didn’t have enough money, and could I help him. I said yes, I’d do anything!”

Polly looked up. “That’s when he told me his plan to steal money from the cutting room in the BEP,” she said. “At first I
said no. I wouldn’t steal. But Travis said we couldn’t go to Italy without at least a half million dollars. He said we couldn’t get married, either. So I … I agreed to take one brick each week for five weeks.”

“A half million dollars,” the president said. “And with your skill as a magician, you were able to lift the money without being noticed.”

Polly nodded. “Yes, sir. When I was cleaning, it was easy to snatch a brick off the conveyor belt. But I knew the cameras would see everything. Travis told me not to worry. He had that part all planned. He worked in security, watching the screens upstairs. He said he’d edit the tapes, or get rid of them or something. He promised no one would ever see what the cameras saw.”

KC turned on her digital camera,
clicked to one of the photos, and handed the camera to Polly.

Polly looked at the picture of Travis Royce and the blond woman kissing near the pet shop.

KC expected Polly to begin crying again. But the woman surprised KC. She smiled sadly and shook her head.

“Oh no,” she whispered. “I saw them together one day. He said she was just his cousin. I’ve been such a fool.” She handed the camera back to KC.

No one in the room knew what to say.

Finally, Polly broke the silence. “The money is in a safety-deposit box at my bank,” she said. “Travis and I each have a key. I can get the money for you now, if you want.”

“Thank you,” the president said. “But what shall we do about Mr. Travis Royce?”

Polly sniffed, gulped, then seemed to make a difficult decision.

“Would it help if I called Travis and got him to meet me at my bank?” she asked. “I could tell him some story … like the money is gone from the box or something.”

“That would be excellent,” the president said. “And I’ll make sure Mr. Royce has a welcoming committee to meet him there!”

    KC, Marshall, and the president sat in the rear of a long black car with tinted windows. Casey Marshall sat up front, next to the driver. They were parked in front of the First National Bank, not far from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.

Polly Fine was standing in front of the
bank. A few yards away, two men were changing a car tire. Across the street, a woman stood behind a pretzel cart, blowing on her fingers to keep them warm. She had two customers.

“There he is!” KC said.

Travis Royce came jogging along the sidewalk. He stopped in front of Polly and began yelling and waving his arms in the air. Travis grabbed Polly’s arm and started to march her toward the bank.

They didn’t get far. The two tire changers and the pretzel seller moved in. “FBI! Freeze!” one of the men said. The other officers surrounded Travis Royce. The pretzel seller flicked open a pair of handcuffs. She snapped them around Travis’s wrists.

Polly stood there watching, her face white. The FBI agents put Travis into their car. When it drove away, KC and Marshall ran over to Polly.

“Polly, are you okay?” KC asked.

“Were you scared?” Marshall asked.

Polly let out a long breath. “Yes, I was shaking in my boots,” she said.

Then she squared her shoulders. “Come on,” she said. “Let’s go get the money.”

Polly, the president, KC, and Marshall all trooped into the bank. Polly pulled a little key out of her bag. She showed it to a woman working at a desk. Behind her, a thick metal door stood open.

“Can I help you?” the woman asked Polly.

“Yes, I need to get into my safety-deposit box,” Polly answered.

“Certainly,” the woman said. She slid a paper in front of Polly. “Please sign this.”

Polly signed the paper. “Come in with me,” she whispered to KC and Marshall.

The woman led them through the open door into a narrow room. She stopped in front of a wall divided into hundreds of boxes. Each box front had two keyholes. The woman and Polly each inserted a key. The box door opened, and the woman pulled Polly’s box out.

“Just lock it up when you’re done,” the woman said. She went back to her desk.

Polly lifted the lid off the box. Inside were nestled two money bricks.

“Wow,” Marshall said. “Can I touch them?”

Polly nodded.

Marshall ran his fingers over the two bricks. He grinned. “It feels better than Monopoly money!” he said.

Polly wrapped the money bricks in her
scarf. Outside the room, she handed the package to the president. He pulled out his cell phone and called the BEP. “Someone will come right over and get the money,” he told Polly.

They all got back into the long black car. “Well, you three certainly had an exciting day!” the president said to Casey, KC, and Marshall.

“Don’t blame me and Casey!” Marshall said. “KC made us do it!”

Everyone laughed.

“I hope you don’t mind too much that I pretended to be you,” Casey said to the president.

“Not at all,” the president said.

KC looked at Polly, then took her hand. “What’s going to happen to Polly?” KC asked.

“First, we’ll drop her off at her home,”
the president said. “Polly, my lawyers will help you. You stole money, but you gave it back. You also led us right to the real criminal, Mr. Travis Royce.”

The president asked the driver to take Polly to her apartment building. “My lawyers will call you tomorrow,” he told her.

“Thank you, sir,” Polly said, “for everything.” She got out of the car and walked into her building. Casey stared after Polly as she walked away. When the door shut behind her, he sighed and turned back to KC, Marshall, and the president.

Casey blushed. “Mr. President, I was wondering if you knew where I could take foreign-language lessons.”

“What language are you interested in learning?” the president asked.

“Italian,” Casey said.

KC and Marshall started to laugh.

“What’s so funny?” President Thornton asked.

“It’s a secret,” KC said, and she and Marshall kept right on laughing.