CpM3.The Skeleton in the Smithsonian by Ron Roy

Author:Ron Roy
Language: eng
Format: mobi
ISBN: 9780307546647
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2003-08-15T06:00:00+00:00

5

Caught in the Act

KC sat back and hummed along with the music coming from the radio. She knew Marshall was looking at her, so she hummed louder.

“Why do I hang out with you?” Marshall asked.

KC knew he didn’t expect an answer, so she didn’t give him one.

“Wow!” The bus driver leaned forward and turned up the radio. “Did you hear that?” he said.

The music had stopped, and a reporter with a very smooth voice was speaking: “According to White House officials, it has been determined that Leonard Fisher is a direct relative of James Smithson. Smithson is the man whose money started the Smithsonian Institution over one hundred and fifty years ago. Today, Fishers DNA was compared with Smithson’s. It was a definite match. Fishers claim that the Smithsonian fortune is his seems to be true.”

KC leaned forward as far as she could. Then she heard a different voice.

“As Mr. Leonard Fishers attorney, I can state that he is very happy that his claim is being honored. But he has no intention of taking over the Smithsonian. He will settle for one hundred million dollars, only a fraction of the total worth of all the Smithsonian buildings and their contents.”

The reporter took over again. “White House officials will comment later today. Stay tuned for more on this modern rags-to-riches story of a common man who became a multimillionaire!”

“Imagine, a hundred million smackers!” said the driver

“Well, that’s it,” Marshall said to KC. “Leonard Fisher really is related to James Smithson.”

“But then why was he lying about his job?” KC insisted.

Marshall sighed. “KC, we don’t know if he was,” he said. “It’s possible that he is a gardener and a musician and he works for a cemetery.”

KC wasn’t satisfied with that answer. She looked out the window and let her mind wander back to when she’d first met Fisher, in the White House. Something about him still bothered her

The bus drivers voice broke into KC’s thoughts. “The cemetery’s just ahead on the left,” he said. Glancing into his rearview mirror, he added, “You sure you want me to leave you here?”

“Yes!” KC said.

“What time will the bus come by again?” Marshall asked.

“I go back to D.C. in ten minutes,” the driver said. “But I make the same trip again in about an hour. If you’re waiting here, I’ll pick you up.”

“We’ll be here!” Marshall told him.

The driver flashed his left-turn signal and pulled over. “Have a nice time,” he joked as the door swooshed open. “And good luck finding your friend.”

“Thanks a lot,” KC said. She and Marshall got off the bus. The driver waved and pulled back onto the road. In a minute the bus had disappeared around a corner.

The kids were standing in the grass on the side of a road. There were no buildings nearby. The road into the cemetery passed through a gate attached to two stone pillars. One of the pillars held a sign that said:

BOWIE CEMETERY

VISITING HOURS:

DAWN TO DUSK

“Come on,” KC said. “Let’s see if Leonard Fisher is in there.

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