Trouble at the Treasury

  To Judy and Ed, Jennifer and John,

  little Jack and wee Will

  —R.R.

  Contents

  1. Money, Money Everywhere

  2. No Stealing Allowed

  3. A Very Expensive Brick

  4. The Other President

  5. The Man with the Flying Fingers

  6. Three Suspects

  7. Casey on the Case

  8. Polly Talks

  1

  Money, Money Everywhere

  “Hurry up, Marsh. It’s almost two-thirty!” KC said.

  “They can’t start the tour without us,” Marshall answered, racing after KC. “You’re the president’s stepdaughter!”

  “Yeah, but I didn’t tell them that,” KC said.

  It was the week before Christmas. KC Corcoran and her best friend, Marshall Li, had signed up for a tour of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. The BEP is where paper money is printed in Washington, D.C.

  KC had always wanted to see how paper money was made. Marshall agreed to go on the tour with her, but she had to promise to visit the bug museum with him next week.

  KC and Marshall ran up the steps of the massive BEP building and tugged open the heavy door.

  Inside, a man in a blue uniform was talking with a small group of people. He held a clipboard and wore a name tag around his neck.

  “Here they are,” the man said to the group.

  Four people turned and looked at KC and Marshall.

  KC felt her face blush.

  The man glanced at a list on his clipboard. “Are you Katherine Corcoran and Marshall Li?” he asked.

  KC and Marshall nodded.

  “Great, all seven are here,” the man said. “I’m Vincent. Please hang your coats and bags over there on those hooks. We’ll be going through metal detectors. So if you have any metal, leave it in your coat pockets.”

  “Can I take my camera with me?” KC asked.

  “No pictures allowed, miss, sorry,” Vincent said. “You can leave your camera with your coat.”

  They all walked to a row of brass hooks and left their coats. There were cubbies over the hooks for briefcases, hats, and gloves.

  “Just like in school,” KC whispered.

  “Gee, I forgot to bring my lunch box,” Marshall cracked.

  “Don’t worry about your personal belongings,” Vincent said. “Jason will watch them.” He pointed to a guard sitting behind a TV screen at a desk. Jason waved to the group.

  “Are you ready to see millions of dollars being printed right before your eyes?” Vincent asked.

  Everyone smiled and nodded.

  “Do we get free samples?” one woman teased.

  KC and Marshall laughed.

  Vincent led the group through a metal detector. One man set off the alarm, so he had to remove his gold watch. He gave it to Jason, who put it in an envelope and slid it into his desk. “It’ll be here when you come out, sir,” he said.

  After the metal detector, the group went up a flight of stairs. At the top was a hallway with windows on both sides. The windows looked down on long rooms. “Those big pieces of green paper are sheets of money being printed,” Vincent told the group.

  Below one window, a huge machine was shooting sheets of green paper along a conveyor belt. Workers stood near the machine. They watched the paper carefully. “We have many machines that print the money,” Vincent said. “Today, that one is printing hundred-dollar bills.”

  Vincent pointed to the conveyor belt. “Each of those sheets has thirty-two one-hundred-dollar bills,” he said.

  Everyone gawked as the sheets of money sped through the machine.

  KC noticed that Marshall was having fun. “Are you glad you came on the tour?” she asked.

  Marshall nodded. “This is almost better than the insect room at the Smithsonian!” he said.

  “Where do the sheets go after they’re printed?” a woman asked.

  “Look through the other set of windows,” Vincent said.

  Everyone turned around. The window looked over a room as long as a school bus. A single machine reached from end to end.

  “That blade on the left is extremely sharp and heavy. It cuts the sheets into thirty-two single bills,” Vincent told his group. “Notice that nobody touches the blade or the money. That blade would cut through a finger!”

  “Yuck!” Marshall said.

  The blade sliced easily through thick piles of money.

  Vincent showed them a part of the machine that looked like a robot’s arms and fingers. “The next section of the machine piles the bills into stacks. Each stack holds one thousand bills. Once the stacks are wrapped, they’re called bricks.”

  KC did some quick math in her head. “So each brick is worth one hundred thousand dollars!” she said.

  “That’s right,” Vincent said.

  They all watched the money being cut, counted, stacked, and wrapped.

  “Hey! That guy is touching the money!” Marshall said. “Is he counting it?”

  At one part of the machine, far away from the blade, a man was taking handfuls of bills off the conveyor belt before they were stacked and wrapped. He flipped through the bills, then put them back on the belt. He worked fast. His fingers flew over the money so quickly they were a blur.

  “No, he’s just checking some of the bills to make sure they are okay before they’re wrapped into bricks,” Vincent explained. “Bills that are bent or torn or have a printing error are destroyed.”

  A woman with long red hair entered the room. She wore a dark blue smock to protect her clothing. The woman was pushing a cart that held a large cardboard box half filled with trash. She stopped and emptied a small trash can into the box, then left the room.

  “Where do the money bricks go?” a man asked.

  Vincent pointed to the right end of the machine. The conveyor belt ran through a small doorway and out of sight. “The bricks go through there to the vault,” he said. “Eventually, the money will be sent to banks. Then it will find its way into stores and your wallets.”

  “No hundred-dollar bill ever finds its way to my wallet!” Marshall said.

  Everyone laughed.

  “How much money is made in a day?” a woman asked.

  “Over six hundred million dollars,” Vincent said with a straight face. “Every day.”

  2

  No Stealing Allowed

  Seven mouths dropped open.

  “I know it seems unreal,” Vincent continued, “but the machines print money around the clock. The only days they stop are Christmas and New Year’s.”

  “Workers are here even at night?” KC asked.

  Vincent nodded. “Yup. There are three shifts. Each shift lasts eight hours.”

  Just then a bell went off. “Three o’clock. This shift is over,” Vincent said. Below them the workers left the room. Four more workers entered.

  “Does anyone ever steal money?” KC asked.

  Vincent laughed. “No. Every room has security cameras,” he said. “They’re never turned off. Our security staff checks the tapes several times a day. It would be impossible for anyone to take money without being seen by other workers or by the cameras.”

  The group stood and watched the bricks of money zip along the conveyor belt, then disappear through the small door.

  “So where is the vault?” Marshall asked.

  Vincent pointed at the floor. “Under the street,” he said. “About twenty feet below where you’re standing.”

  “H-how much money is down there?” Marshall whispered.

  Vincent smiled. “I don’t know for certain,” he said. “But at least a few billion dollars. Well, that’s the end of the tour, folks. I’ll take you back to your coats and the
exit.”

  “A few billion dollars right under our feet!” Marshall said. He and KC walked down the steps in front of the BEP. The sky had gotten darker and it looked like it would snow.

  “Want to come back tonight and dig it up?” KC suggested with a sly smile.

  “No way, it’s too cold!” Marshall said. He pulled his coat up around his ears. “Can we get some hot chocolate? I’m freezing!”

  “Why didn’t you wear a hat?” KC said.

  “I don’t like hats,” Marshall said. “They make my hair look dorky.”

  “Let’s go in there.” KC pointed across the street to a small restaurant. A sign in the window said THE VAULT. The door had been painted to look like the front of a giant safe. Fake money was stacked on a ledge inside the window.

  They crossed the street and entered. People sat at tables and booths, eating and talking.

  “Let’s sit by the window,” Marshall suggested.

  “So you can touch that money?” KC asked.

  Marshall grinned as he sat down. He ran his fingers over the stacks of money. “All fake,” he moaned.

  KC and Marshall took off their coats. A tall kid wearing an apron and a Santa hat came over holding a pad and pencil. “What can I get you?” he asked.

  “Do you have hot chocolate?” KC asked.

  “You bet. Whipped cream or marshmallows on top?” the waiter asked.

  “Whipped cream, please!” KC said.

  “I’ll have the Marshmallows,” Marshall said, grinning at KC.

  The waiter left, tucking his pad and pencil in a back pocket.

  KC pulled her digital camera from her pack. “Hey, Marsh, let me take your picture next to all that money,” she said.

  Marshall leaned down so his face was almost buried in green bills.

  He made a goofy face and KC snapped his picture. She checked the screen. “Good. Nice face, Marsh. This makes you look like you’re a millionaire!” she said.

  While they waited for their hot chocolates, KC glanced around the small room. At one table, a woman with red hair sat by herself. She wore dangly earrings made of little silver bells. In front of her was a mug with a tea-bag string hanging out of it and an open book.

  The woman’s lips were moving. It looked like she was repeating what she was reading. KC glanced at the book cover. It said LEARN ITALIAN FAST.

  Every now and then, the woman shook her head, as if she’d gotten something wrong. When she moved her head, the bell earrings jingled.

  “Marsh, that woman works in the BEP,” KC whispered. “She emptied the trash during our tour.”

  “KC, you notice the weirdest things,” Marshall said.

  KC wanted to be a TV news anchor after college. And if there was one thing she was sure of, it was that news reporters paid attention!

  The door opened with a blast of cold air. A tall man wearing a cowboy hat and a leather jacket walked in. He looked around, then headed for the table where the woman was studying Italian.

  She looked up and beamed. She lowered the book as the man sat down. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

  KC leaned forward, hoping to hear what the man would say. But just then the waiter stepped in the way, blocking KC’s view.

  “Two hot chocolates!” he announced. He set the steaming drinks down. A candy cane stood in each mug.

  KC stirred her chocolate with the candy cane. Marshall took a sip. “Youch, it’s hot!” he gasped.

  “It’s hot chocolate, Marsh,” KC said. “Duh!”

  3

  A Very Expensive Brick

  The kids finished their hot chocolates, pulled on their coats, and left The Vault. They headed toward the Metro station to catch the train that would take them to the White House.

  A cold wind was blowing right into their faces. KC shivered. Marshall’s nose was red.

  “Wait a sec,” KC said. She pulled Marshall over to a pet-store window. Through the glass, they could see a box of puppies. They were all asleep in a pile. KC pulled out her digital camera and snapped a picture.

  “Don’t even think about it,” Marshall said. “You already have three cats and a dog in the White House.”

  “I just like to take pictures, Marsh,” KC said. “Stand in front of the puppies and I’ll get one of you, too.” She stepped back and aimed her camera.

  A man and woman stepped into the scene just as KC pushed the button.

  “Oh, look, Travis, puppies!” the woman squealed.

  She was bundled into a down ski jacket with a bright red scarf. Blond hair fell from under a red knit hat. The man wore a cowboy hat and leather jacket.

  “No puppies,” the man said. He gave the woman a kiss. “Come on, let’s keep moving, honey.”

  The couple moved off with their arms around each other. KC snapped their picture as they walked away.

  “Didn’t we just see that man in the restaurant?” KC asked Marshall.

  “So?” Marshall said. He tugged KC toward the Metro stop.

  “So nothing,” KC said. “But five minutes ago, he kissed that woman from the BEP. And now he’s kissing a different lady.”

  “Don’t be so nosy,” Marshall said.

  “I’m not being nosy,” KC retorted. “I’m being observant!”

  A half hour later, they were back home. Ever since KC’s mom married the president, KC had lived in the White House. Arnold, a tall marine, stood guard outside the door of the president’s private residence.

  “How was your tour of the BEP?” he asked.

  “It was totally awesome!” Marshall said. “Guess how much money they make in just one day!”

  Arnold looked up at the ceiling and counted on his white-gloved fingers. “A million dollars?” he said.

  “Try six hundred million!” Marshall said.

  Arnold whistled as he opened the door. “Maybe I should ask the president for a raise,” he whispered.

  KC giggled. “I’ll see what I can do,” she whispered back.

  She and Marshall hung their coats on a set of hooks in the kitchen.

  The president’s maid, Yvonne, was standing at the stove. “Did you have fun?” she asked.

  “Guess how much money they make in a day,” Marshall said, grinning.

  “Six hundred million,” Yvonne said.

  “How did you know?” Marshall asked, surprised.

  “I took my nephews on the tour last week,” Yvonne said. “How about a snack?”

  “That will be great,” KC said. “Where are the president and my mom?”

  Yvonne pointed to the closed door that led to the library. “Big doings in there,” she said. “The Secretary of the Treasury is with them.”

  After a snack, KC and Marshall went upstairs to her room. “You want to play Monopoly?” she asked. “We can pretend it’s real money.”

  They were still playing an hour later when they heard a knock on the bedroom door. The president and KC’s mom walked in.

  “Hi, how was the tour?” Lois asked.

  “It was great,” KC said. “We saw millions of dollars being printed!”

  “And they keep it all in a vault right under the street!” Marshall added.

  “Well, the vault is going to be short some money today,” the president said. “Someone stole one hundred thousand dollars this morning.”

  KC and Marshall stared at President Thornton.

  “What do you mean?” KC asked.

  “They stack one thousand bills together into a package they call a brick,” the president said. “A brick of hundred-dollar bills is missing.”

  “We saw those bricks on our tour!” KC said.

  “Actually, the same amount went missing last week. The Bureau thought that one was just a counting mistake,” the president went on. “Now they’re sure that someone stole the money.”

  “But the tour guide told us it was impossible to steal money,” Marshall said. “Because of the security cameras!”

  “I know,” the president said. “Impossible or not
, someone did it … twice.” He smiled at his stepdaughter and Marshall. “You kids didn’t happen to notice anyone stuffing money in a pocket, did you?”

  “No, we were too busy watching the machines making it,” Marshall said.

  “Well, nothing we can do about it,” Lois said. “Kids, Zachary and I are going out of town tomorrow, so we’re eating early tonight. Five minutes, okay?”

  “Okay, but can Marshall roll first?” KC asked. “He’s going to land on my hotel and I’ll be rich!”

  “Fine, but then come right down to eat,” Lois said. She and the president left the room.

  Marshall picked up the dice and rolled.

  KC crossed her fingers.

  He landed on KC’s hotel. “Rats, this game is rigged!”

  KC grinned. As she counted the money Marshall handed her, she had an idea. “Marsh, remember the guy who was checking the money? You asked Vincent about him.”

  “Yeah, the guy with the fast fingers,” Marshall said. His eyes opened wide. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

  KC nodded. “Maybe he didn’t put all the money back on the conveyor belt after he checked it! Maybe some of it went somewhere else, like inside his shirt!”

  “But what about all the cameras?” Marshall asked. “Someone would have noticed if the guy took any bills. They watch the tapes every day.”

  “I guess so,” KC said. In her mind, she was seeing the man handling the money. She had not noticed him stick any bills in his pocket. All she saw was those fingers flying back and forth. “Come on, let’s go eat.”

  Yvonne set platters of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and thin green beans on the table.

  “Thanks, Yvonne, this all looks and smells delicious,” the president said.

  “You’re welcome, sir,” Yvonne said. “Will you need me anymore? This is my bowling night.”

  “Go and have fun,” Lois said. “We’ll take care of the dishes.”

  Just then the phone rang.

  “I’d better get that,” the president said. “The folks at the BEP are checking the camera videotapes. Maybe they’ve already caught our crook!”

  The president left the table, but came back in less than three minutes.