A Spy in the White House

“Come on down, George Washington. It’s time to go outside,” KC said.

The presidents cat, George, was sitting on top of the refrigerator.

“Will you get him down, Marshall?” KC asked. “We have to practice for the wedding.”

KC Corcoran and Marshall Li were best friends. They lived in Washington, D.C. But today, they were in the White House. KC’s mom was going to marry the President of the United States next week!

KC would hold her mom’s flowers during the ceremony, and Marshall would be
the ring bearer—with George’s help.

“What’s to practice?” Marshall grumbled. “Your mom says ‘I do,’ then the president says ‘I do,’ then it’s over.”

KC rolled her eyes. “This is a White House wedding, Marsh,” she said. “Everything has to be perfect. The whole world will be watching on TV!”

Marshall raised his eyebrows. “I’ll be on TV?” he asked.

KC nodded. “We’ll all be on TV,” she said. “Even George. That’s why we have to practice making him walk down the aisle.”

Marshall grabbed George while KC opened the door that led out of the president’s private quarters.

Arnold, the marine guard on duty, saluted them. “Afternoon, KC,” he said. “Afternoon, Marshall.”

“Hi, Arnold,” the kids said.

Arnold took off one white glove and stroked George under the chin. Then he sneezed.

“Are you allergic to cats?” Marshall asked.

Arnold sniffed. “No, I have a cold and a sore throat,” he said with a hoarse voice. KC noticed that Arnolds nose was red. His eyes looked watery and puffy.

“I hope you feel better for the wedding,” KC said.

“Thanks,” Arnold said. “Ill try.”

KC and Marshall left Arnold and walked to the rose garden. Marshall set George down, and KC tied a green ribbon to his collar.

“Why does George need a silly green ribbon?” Marshall asked. “What’s wrong
with a piece of rope or something?”

“The ribbon matches Mom’s dress, my dress, and your vest,” KC reminded him. “The wedding is color-coordinated!”

“Maybe I’ll get sick like Arnold,” Marshall muttered. He looked at his hand. “You know, my skin does look a little green.”

“Perfect, you’ll fit right into the color scheme!” KC crowed. “Let’s get started.”

KC pulled a wad of string from her pocket and made a long, straight line on the lawn. “This is where we have to walk,” she said to Marshall. “The wedding guests will be sitting in chairs on both sides.”

“I
know that,” said Marshall. “But someone had better explain it to George.”

George was half under a bush, investigating a line of ants.

“Get him out of there before his ribbon gets tangled,” KC said.

Marshall tugged George out from under the bush and set him down near the string.

“Okay!” KC began humming the wedding march. She took small steps over to where the president would be waiting.

“Now it’s time for the rings,” KC called to Marshall.

“Come on, George, let’s walk,” said Marshall as he bent to pick up the cat’s ribbon. But George had a different idea. He bolted across the lawn, the ribbon flying behind him.

“Hey, that’s the wrong way!” Marshall yelled. He and KC chased after George, who disappeared in some shrubbery.

“Marsh, why’d you let him run away?”
KC asked. She peeked into a thorny bush covered with pink rose blossoms.

“I didn’t
let
him do anything!” Marshall said. “I’m not an animal trainer, you know.”

“I hope he doesn’t take off during the wedding,” KC said. “He’ll have the wedding rings around his neck.”

“That’s why we’re practicing,” Marshall said. “And so far it’s a big flop!”

The kids searched under all the rosebushes. No George.

They crawled on their hands and knees and peeked under the hedges. George stayed out of sight.

They looked up in the tall trees that lined the fences surrounding the White House. They saw birds and squirrels, but no large, fluffy cat with a green ribbon tied to his collar.

Twenty minutes later, they still hadn’t found George. They had searched most of the grounds around the White House.

“Should we check outside the fence?” Marshall asked. “Maybe he snuck under.”

“I know!” KC said. She dug a bag of Kitty Kandy out of her pocket and started shaking it.

Traffic whizzed by on Pennsylvania Avenue. Horns honked, brakes squealed, and a motorcycle roared past.

“George will never hear you rattling that stuff,” Marshall said.

Just then George walked out of the hedges. KC gave Marshall a look.

Marshall ignored her and picked up George. “Bad cat!” he said. “You could get smushed out there!”

KC gave George a treat and put the
bag back in her pocket. “That’s weird. George smells like mint. I think he’s been in the herb garden,” she told Marshall.

Marshall rolled his eyes. “You’re just imagining another mystery,” he teased.

KC checked her watch. “Well, there’s one thing I’m not imagining. We’ve got to go! The press conference is starting!”

“Can’t we skip it?” Marshall asked. “Let’s go to Rock Creek Park and look for bugs!”

“We can go to the park anytime,” KC said. “But how often does my mom marry the president?”

“You really want to see all those reporters,” Marshall said.

“I can’t help it,” KC said. “Someday when I’m a big Washington reporter, maybe I’ll interview you!”

She and Marshall hurried to the Oval Office. When they burst through the door, they saw about twenty reporters waving their hands and aiming microphones toward the president.

KC’s mom and the president were sitting side by side on a long white sofa. Lois smiled at KC and patted the seat next to hers.

KC sat down by her mom. George jumped out of Marshall’s arms and hopped onto President Thornton’s lap.

KC felt embarrassed when everyone stared at her. Her mother took her hand and squeezed it.

Marshall watched from the back of the room. For the next fifteen minutes, the president and Lois answered a lot of questions. Everyone wanted to know how they
met. Everyone wanted to know about the wedding and who would be invited.

Then one female reporter asked the president where he and Lois were going on their honeymoon.

“We’re keeping that information in the family,” the president said, smiling as the cameras clicked away.

“Ms. Corcoran, can you tell us about your wedding dress?” the woman asked. “What does it look like? Who designed it for you?”

KC had seen her mother’s pale green dress. It was hanging in a closet upstairs in the White House. KC thought it was the most gorgeous dress in the world. She couldn’t wait to see her mother wear it on her wedding day.

“That’s going to be a surprise for the
wedding,” Lois said. “But I can tell you this much—it’s beautiful!”

The president set George on the floor and stood up. “I’m afraid that has to be the last question,” he said. “Lois and I have a lot of plans to make. Thank you all for coming!”

The reporters gathered their stuff and filed out of the room.

“Well, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” the president asked when all the press had gone.

“Why didn’t you say where you’re going on your honeymoon?” Marshall asked.

“We don’t want a thousand reporters and helicopters buzzing around,” the president said. He took Lois by the hand. “Now let’s go find out what’s for lunch.”

The next morning, KC, her mom, and
Marshall arrived at the White House to have breakfast with the president. They found him in his dining room, staring at the newspaper

“You’re not going to believe this,” the president said. He turned the paper so they could all see.

Covering almost the whole front page was a picture of the Island Paradise Hotel in Maui, Hawaii. Beneath the picture were these words:

PRESIDENT AND BRIDE TO
HONEYMOON IN HAWAIIAN
ISLAND HOTEL

“How did they find out?” KC asked.

“I wish I knew,” the president said grimly. “They even found the hotel on Maui.”

He glanced at Lois, KC, and Marshall. “I don’t suppose any of you accidentally let the cat out of the bag?”

“I certainly didn’t,” Lois said. “I want our honeymoon to be private.”

“I didn’t either,” said KC.

They all looked at Marshall.

“I know how to keep a secret!” cried Marshall. “Besides, I didn’t know the name of the hotel.”

“Well, someone found out, and they told Darla Darling,” Lois said.

Darla Darling wrote the society column for the
Star
newspaper. Her picture was at the top of her column.

“I saw her at the press conference yesterday,” Marshall told them.