The Ghost at Camp David Read online

  This book is dedicated to my readers.

  —R.R.

  Contents

  1. The Deer in the Fog

  2. The Lonely Little Cabin

  3. The Strange Red Stain

  4. Mud or Blood?

  5. Noises in the Night

  6. Mysterious Visitor

  7. What’s Under the Floor?

  8. Trapdoor

  9. A Face at the Window

  10. Marshall and the Mole People

  1

  The Deer in the Fog

  KC and Marshall hurried through the White House gate. It was three o’clock on Friday afternoon, October 14. School was out, and the kids were going to Camp David with the president for the weekend.

  “Are we really taking the helicopter?” Marshall asked.

  “Yup,” KC said. “My stepdad said it will only take half an hour to get there.”

  Both kids had packed the night before. Their duffel bags were already in the president’s helicopter.

  KC and Marshall ran across the White House lawn. Two marines stood at attention next to the helicopter. They gave KC and Marshall a boost up into the passenger compartment.

  President Thornton was sitting next to his pilot. “Hi there,” the president greeted KC and Marshall. “How was school?”

  “We had science, and it was great,” Marshall said. “We learned why leaves turn different colors in the autumn.”

  “And this March we’re gonna go to a place where they make maple syrup,” KC added.

  “There are plenty of maple trees at Camp David,” the president said. “Maybe we can try making syrup this spring!”

  “Cool!” Marshall said.

  “Okay, buckle up, you guys,” the president said. He clicked his seat belt shut.

  KC and Marshall buckled themselves into their seats.

  “You can take off now, Jeff,” the president said to the pilot.

  “Yes, sir!” Jeff said. The copter lifted into the air. KC and Marshall waved at the marines down below. They waved back as Jeff turned the chopper into the clouds.

  “Where is Camp David, anyway?” asked Marshall. He had to shout to be heard over the noise of the helicopter.

  “In Thurmont, Maryland!” KC yelled back.

  The president turned around. “Camp David is in the Catoctin Mountains,” he explained. “If we’re lucky, we’ll see some wildlife. There are plenty of deer, bobcats, and a few bears.”

  “I wish Mom could have come,” KC said. Her mother, the First Lady, had gone to Florida to visit KC’s aunt.

  “You’ll have lots of stories to tell her when she gets back,” the president said.

  About thirty minutes later, the helicopter hovered over a thick, dark forest. Fog covered the trees, making it hard to see the ground.

  “Gee, how can we land with all this fog?” Marshall asked KC. He had his nose mashed against his window.

  KC didn’t answer. She was watching the fog swirl over the tops of the trees. She thought it looked like flying ghosts.

  “There’s the camp,” the president said, pointing.

  KC’s breath was fogging the window. She wiped it clean. She could just make out a few buildings through the fog and the blue water of a swimming pool. A tall fence wound among the trees.

  “Taking her down, sir,” Jeff said to the president.

  KC and Marshall watched the ground get closer. The wind from the helicopter blades blew the fog around and bent the tree branches.

  Just before they landed, a deer bounded from a clump of bushes. “Look!” KC shouted. “A deer!”

  “Where?” Marshall asked. He leaned across KC to look out her window. “All I see is fog!”

  Then KC spotted something else—or thought she did. Something the color of fog was scurrying between the trees. She couldn’t tell if it was a human or a wild animal. She wiped her breath from the window and looked again. The thing had disappeared.

  2

  The Lonely Little Cabin

  Jeff helped the president and the kids step to the ground. He handed a heavy briefcase to the president. KC knew it was filled with books, files, and a laptop. The president had told her he had a lot of work to do that weekend.

  “Here you go, kids,” Jeff said. He gave them their duffel bags.

  “Thanks, Jeff,” the president said. He was shouting over the noise of the helicopter blades. “Have a good flight back.”

  The president led KC and Marshall away as the helicopter rose, then vanished into the fog.

  KC looked around. They were in a grassy clearing. Through the fog, she saw what looked like a guard’s hut near the fence. Two marines stood near the hut. Then she saw a shed near a grove of trees. The shed door opened and a man jogged toward them.

  “That’s Gus,” the president said. “He’s the caretaker here.”

  Gus and the president shook hands. “Gus, this is my stepdaughter, KC, and her friend Marshall.”

  KC glanced at Gus’s green overalls. Had he been what she saw from the helicopter?

  “We didn’t expect you this weekend, sir,” Gus said.

  “I know,” said the president. “Sorry about the short notice.”

  “It’s fine, sir. Always a pleasure!” Gus said. “Aspen Lodge is all ready for you.”

  “Who’s Aspen Lodge?” KC asked.

  The president chuckled. “That’s the name of the cabin presidents always stay in,” he said. “There are a lot of smaller cabins for guests. Each one is named after a different kind of tree or plant.”

  Gus led them to a small golf cart. He climbed into the driver’s seat. “Hop in!” he said.

  Gus turned a key, and the golf cart lurched forward. It putt-putted along a gravel road lined by trees. Most of the leaves had turned red and gold.

  Parked between two small cabins was a white van with the words WHITE’S LAUNDRY SERVICE on the side. Not far away was another guard hut. KC had read that Camp David security was especially tight when the president was visiting.

  After a few minutes, Gus pulled the golf cart up in front of a large building. It had two floors, a lot of windows, and a tall chimney. A sign near the front door said ASPEN.

  “Here we are, sir,” Gus said. He looked at the sky. “Storm coming, I’ll bet.”

  “I think you’re right,” the president said. “But we’ll be cozy and dry inside Aspen.”

  After KC, Marshall, and the president hopped out, Gus left with a wave.

  The door to Aspen opened. A woman in a black dress and white apron stepped out. She had dark hair and a round face. “Welcome, Mr. President,” she said. “I’m Anna. Florence is sick, so I’m filling in for her. She had to stay home.”

  The president shook hands with Anna. “I hope it isn’t serious,” he said.

  “Just a bad cold,” Anna told them. “Please, come in. I already lit a fire and made a snack.”

  “Thank you, Anna.” The president led the way to the large living room. On one wall, a fire crackled in a stone fireplace. Filled bookcases and display cases ran along the other walls. KC counted three sofas and at least ten big chairs.

  “This place is awesome!” Marshall said.

  KC walked over to a long window. “Hey, Marsh, there’s the pool I saw from the helicopter,” she said. “Too bad it’s too cold for swimming.”

  KC thought the pool looked spooky with fog over the water. Then she noticed a tiny cabin not far from the pool. It resembled the cottages she’d seen in fairytale books when she was little.

  KC grabbed the president’s hand. She pulled him over to the window. “Can Marshall and I sleep in that little cabin?” she asked. “It’s so cute!”

  “Sure, I guess so,” the president said. He looked at Anna. “Can you get
someone to make up the beds?”

  “Sir, there’s only the one bed and the sofa,” Anna said. “I’m afraid it’s a bit dirty, too. No one uses Witch Hazel.”

  “The cabin is called Witch Hazel?” Marshall squawked. He peeked out the window. “It looks like a witch lives in it!”

  The president laughed. “Witch hazel is the name of a tree,” he explained. “Come on. While Anna gets Witch Hazel ready, I’ll show you around Aspen.”

  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?”

  3

  The Strange Red Stain

  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!”

  4

  Mud or Blood?

  “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?”