Mystery at the Washington Monument Read Free

said. “The president really likes animals.”
    Butch and Dr. Grift looked at KC.
    “We already have a dog and three cats,” KC told them.
    Dr. Grift rubbed his hands over his face. “Thank you, Miss Thornton,” he said. “If you can take the monkey to the White House, that would be a help.”
    “My last name is actually Corcoran,” KC said. She took the monkey from Butch and nestled it in her arms. The monkey didn’t seem afraid. “And I’ll tell the president about the hole in the stone.”
    “Um, yes, of course he’ll have to know,” Dr. Grift mumbled.
    Butch carried the ladder down the stairs, with Dr. Grift at his heels. KC and Marshall followed them.
    “Want to carry him?” KC asked.
    “Sure!” Marshall said, reaching his arms out. “Come to Uncle Marshall.” The monkey climbed onto him. It stuck a tiny paw into Marshall’s pocket and pulled out the peanut shell.
    He chewed on the empty shell for a few seconds, then spit it out.
    When the kids reached the bottom of the stairs, Butch and Dr. Grift were nowhere in sight. The ranger named Opal was leading a group of tourists toward the elevator.
    Suddenly the monkey shrieked andbegan struggling to get out of Marshall’s arms.
    The tourists looked up. “Look, a monkey!” one of them cried.
    “Why is there a monkey in the Washington Monument?” another tourist asked.
    “Please step into the elevator,” Opal said.
    They stepped in, the door closed, and KC heard the whirring sound as the elevator rose.
    Marshall stroked the monkeys back. “He’s trembling,” Marshall said. “I guess he doesn’t like tourists.”
    “Come on,” KC said. “Let’s take him home. And we have to name him. We can’t just call him Monkey!”
    “Any ideas?” Marshall asked.
    “Yeah. Let’s call him Marshall,” KC teased.
    “Very funny,” Marshall said. “But I think we should name him Washington.”
    KC smiled. “Excellent!” she said.

4
Too Many Mysteries
    KC and Marshall walked back to the White House.
    “Come on, Marsh, let’s go online and find out what kind of monkey Washington is,” KC said when they were inside.
    “He’s a spider monkey,” Marshall said.
    KC laughed. “Of course you’d think that,” she said. Marshall loved anything with more than four legs—bugs, spiders, you name it.
    “No, really! They’re called spider monkeys because they have long, skinny legs like spiders,” he told KC. “They eat fruit and insects.”
    The kids went to KC’s room. Marshall put the monkey on the bed. Right away Washington hopped off and began exploring. He picked up things, tasted them, shook them, smacked them together.
    KC sat down and turned on the computer. Over her desk was a framed map of Washington, D.C. Marshall pulled up a second chair. “Should I search for all monkeys?” she asked Marshall.
    “Naw, there are too many different kinds,” he said. “Why not type in
spider monkey
and see what you get?”
    In a few seconds, they were looking at a Web site about spider monkeys. There was a picture of a monkey that looked exactly like Washington.
    “You were right, Marsh,” KC said.
    “Told you so,” Marshall said with a grin.
    Both kids read the page silently. “It says spider monkeys can even grab things with their tails!” KC said.
    Marshall pointed to the screen. “Look, if you click on that button, we can hear what spider monkeys sound like,” he said.
    “Cool!” KC clicked the mouse, and the room filled with chirping and squeaking noises. Washington leaped through the air and landed on the desk. He put his tiny hands on the computer and listened. His eyes were wide. He began to make his own squeaky noises.
    KC clicked again, and the monkey sounds went away. “I don’t want him to get sad,” she told Marshall. “He probably thought he was back home again.”
    Washington stood on his back legs and rested his front paws on the framed map.He put his nose against the glass where the word
WASHINGTON
was printed in block