The Ghost at Camp David (2 page)

Everywhere they looked were photographs of past presidents and world leaders. In the center of the dining room stood a gleaming wooden table and twelve chairs. There was another fireplace in the corner.

KC stopped in front of a glass case at least ten feet long. Inside were shelves of silver cups, bowls, and candlestick holders. The silver was polished to a glow and looked old and expensive.

“What’s this for?” KC asked.

“Those are gifts left here by other presidents,” her stepfather said. “Each president leaves a piece of silver as a gift. There are pieces from Franklin Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Nixon, and the Bush family. Your mom and I bought that bowl.” He pointed. “See my name on it?”

“What about George Washington?” Marshall asked.

“The first president to stay here was Franklin Roosevelt in 1942,” the president explained. “When Washington was president, Native Americans lived in this area.”

The president leaned in closer to KC and Marshall. “There’s a legend that says the ghosts of all those old presidents come back to visit,” he said in a low voice.

“You’re teasing us!” KC said.

“Nope. It’s true. On their birthdays, the presidents’ ghosts come and wander around the camp, peeking in windows.” He winked at Anna, who had returned with a tray of snacks. “On warm nights, they even splash in the pool!”

Marshall made a face. “They better not peek in my window!”

Hearing the ghost story made KC remember the figure she’d seen through the fog. “I saw something running just before we landed,” she said. “I saw a deer, too, then this other thing. I’m not even sure it was a person.”

“It could have been almost anything,” the president said. “A lot of deer live here inside our security fences. It may have been a coyote. Sometimes they sneak under the fences or through the gates.”

“Great!” Marshall yelped. “Ghosts and coyotes and witches! Can I call my mom and go home?”

Anna put a plate of cookies, a pitcher of milk, and three glasses on the table.

“Thank you, Anna,” the president said as she left the room.

KC was flipping through a large book. “Look, Marsh,” she said. “This tells about all the presidents who used to come to Camp David.”

Marshall grabbed a cookie and dunked it in his milk. “Is your picture in it?” he asked KC’s stepfather.

“Not yet,” the president said, sipping his milk.

“Guys,” KC said, “it says here that today is President Eisenhower’s birthday!
He was born on October 14, 1890.”

The president grinned. “That means his ghost may be visiting us tonight.”

KC showed Marshall and the president a picture in the book.

“Why is he wearing an army uniform?” asked Marshall.

“He was a general before he became our thirty-fourth president,” President Thornton explained.

“When was he president?” KC asked.

“From 1953 to 1961,” her stepfather said. “Two terms. In fact, he named Camp David after his grandson, David Eisenhower. David was about your age when he first came here with his grandfather.”

“Don’t tell me he’s dead, too,” Marshall groaned. “This place will be crawling with ghosts!”

“Don’t worry,” the president said. “David is alive and well.”

Anna came back into the room. “The cabin is ready,” she said.

They left the cookies and followed her out the back door. KC and Marshall carried their duffel bags. Anna led them along a stone path past the pool. The clouds had turned darker, and a strong wind blew through the trees. The tiny cabin looked lonely.

“Are you sure you want to stay here by yourselves?” the president asked.

“It’ll be fun!” KC said. “We can pretend we’re Hansel and Gretel!”

“Oh, great,” Marshall said. “Didn’t a witch try to cook them?”

Anna opened the door. KC stepped inside first. They were in a small room with
dark green walls. A round rug covered most of the floor. There was one sofa and one chair. A wooden trunk sat near the sofa. Pictures of birds and flowers hung on the walls. The window looked out at the back of Aspen Lodge.

Between the living room and bedroom was a bathroom. KC peeked in and saw fluffy towels on a rack. A pile of paper hand towels sat on the sink.

“I like it!” KC said.

Marshall stuck his head in the bedroom. Someone had made the bed and turned on a lamp. There was one small window. “This place was built for little forest creatures,” he muttered. “It even smells like a cave.”

KC sniffed the air. “That’s just nature you smell,” she said. She dropped her bag
on the sofa. “This is where I’m sleeping.”

Marshall tossed his bag onto the bed in the next room.

“Well, I need to do some work,” the president said. “Come over to Aspen later.”

“Can we go exploring before it rains?” KC asked.

“Sure, just don’t get lost,” the president said. “There are two hundred acres of woods here.”

The president and Anna left. KC switched on the lamp near the sofa. She unzipped her backpack and dumped everything onto the rug.

“You brought books?” Marshall asked.

KC laughed. “Duh, we have homework, remember?”

“Oh yeah,” Marshall groaned.

KC had also brought her Swiss Army knife and a flashlight, plus some jeans, a sweatshirt, and pajamas. “I can keep my stuff in this little trunk,” she said.

KC opened the trunk’s lid. It was empty except for some dirt on the bottom. She wet a few paper towels at the bathroom sink and wiped the inside of the chest.

The paper towel turned red. “Yuck!” KC said.

“What did you find? A spider?” asked Marshall. “Let me see!” Marshall got along with all kinds of animals. He especially liked spiders.

“No spiders,” KC said. “Just some red dirt.” She took the towels into the bathroom and dropped them in the trash can.

Marshall let out a spooky laugh and made his eyes cross. “No, it’s not red dirt, little girl,” he whispered. “It’s
bloooood
!”

“Ha-ha. Very funny, Marsh,” KC said. “Maybe it’s blood from Hazel the witch!”

Marshall laughed. “Stop, or I’ll have nightmares!”

“You started it,” KC said. She dumped her stuff into the trunk and closed the lid. She set her books and a notebook on the top. “Let’s go exploring.”

Marshall looked out the window. “It’s gonna rain pretty soon,” he said.

“We can run back when it starts,” KC said as she opened the door.

The kids passed Aspen Lodge. A few lights were on, glowing softly through the fog. Soon they came to the swimming pool.
It was surrounded by a fence with a locked gate. Red and yellow leaves floated on the water.

A bat flew low over their heads. “Yikes!” KC said, ducking. The bat zoomed between Aspen Lodge, Witch Hazel cabin, and the pool.

“Is it drinking or looking for mosquitoes?” KC asked.

“I don’t know,” Marshall said. He lowered his voice. “Maybe it’s a vampire, looking for you!”

More bats flitted overhead. “The bats sure like it here,” KC said.

She and Marshall started walking again, but a minute later, KC stopped.

“Hey, Marsh, look!” she said. She was standing next to a post with a sign on it. The sign said NANCY’S WALK.

“Who’s Nancy?” Marshall asked.

“I don’t know,” KC said. “It looks like a nature trail. Come on.”

The kids turned right, heading away from Aspen Lodge. The trail was covered in leaves and pine needles. Small labels named some of the trees. They crossed a narrow wooden bridge over a stream. Their feet made clunking sounds.

“Isn’t this cool?” KC asked. “Think how many presidents have hiked along this exact path!”

Just then thunder rumbled somewhere in the distance.

“I’ll bet none of them were dumb enough to do it in a thunderstorm!” said Marshall.

“It’s only thunder,” KC said. “Let’s keep going.”

KC and Marshall hiked further. KC spotted a tree with bright red leaves. She picked a handful of the leaves and slipped them into her jacket pocket.

Marshall read the small sign next to the tree. “It’s called a swamp maple,” he said. “Excellent, KC, we’re hiking through a swamp! There could be alligators watching us, licking their lips!”

KC laughed at her friend. “Alligators don’t hang out in Maryland,” she said. “And they don’t have lips!”

A few yards along, the trail bent around a giant pine tree. When the kids followed the trail, KC noticed a tall iron fence on one side. The fence ran in both directions, through the fog and the trees.

KC went over to a pile of dirt near the fence. She looked around for a hole but didn’t see one. “I wonder why this dirt is here,” she said to Marshall.

“Some animal dug a burrow,” Marshall said.

KC shook her head. “I thought so, too, but there’s no hole. And look, another pile of dirt over there.”

“Good evening, Miss Corcoran, Mr. Li,” a deep voice said.

KC and Marshall both jumped and turned around. A tall marine was standing near the pine tree. He glanced up at the sky. “You’d better head back to Aspen soon,” he said.

“How did you know our names?” Marshall asked.

“I know everything about President Thornton,” the guard said. “Don’t get wet.” The marine disappeared into the fog.

“Wow, he scared me,” Marshall whispered. “What’s he doing wandering around in the woods?”

“Security, Marsh,” KC said. “The president told me they have patrols watching this place all the time.”

“Well, I wish they wouldn’t just pop up and give people heart attacks,” Marshall said.

“He’s right, we should head back,” KC said. “I just felt a raindrop.”

A bolt of lightning lit the sky in a streak. Thunder followed.

“Race you!” KC said. She took off running, with Marshall on her heels.

Marshall stopped when he got to the wooden bridge. Rain was falling faster now, splashing in the stream. The wooden railing felt slick under his fingers.

KC was nowhere to be seen.

“Okay, KC, where are you?” Marshall called out.

“Right behind you, licking my big, fat alligator lips!” KC yelled. She jumped out from behind a bush.

“Very funny,” Marshall said. “It would serve you right if that was poison ivy. Come on, I’m getting soaked!”

They ran along Nancy’s Walk until they came to Aspen Lodge. Behind Aspen, Witch Hazel looked sad and wet. The kids cut across some lawn to their cabin. Lights were on in both rooms.

KC and Marshall grabbed towels and wiped their hair and faces.

KC pulled the leaves she’d collected from her jacket pocket. “I’m going to press these,” she said. She opened her notebook
and placed the leaves between the pages.

“Hey, check your feet,” Marshall called from his room. “My sneakers are pretty muddy.”

KC looked at the soles of her sneakers. “Mine too,” she said.

There were chunks of mud on the floor and rug. She took her sneakers off and went into the bathroom to get some paper towels.

Marshall came in, carrying his sneakers. “It’s probably from those dirt piles in the woods,” he said.

KC wiped her sneakers as clean as she could get them. When she dropped the towels into the trash can, she noticed something. “Look,” she said. “The mud on our sneakers is like the red dirt I wiped from inside that little trunk.”

Marshall grabbed some towels to wipe his own sneakers. “So?”

“Nothing. I’m just wondering what red mud is doing inside that chest,” KC said. “Especially since Anna told us no one uses this cabin.”

Marshall compared the red stains on both paper towels. “It does look like the same stuff,” he said.

KC tossed the towels away. “Let’s go next door,” she said. She went to put her sneakers back on.

“Wait a sec while I wash my hands,” Marshall said.

Suddenly Marshall popped his head out of the bathroom. His hands were dripping water.

“I heard something!” he said with big eyes.