Who Broke Lincoln's Thumb? Read Free Page A

Pool.”
    Marsh looked. He saw a bunch of tourists taking pictures of a man on stilts. The man was dressed as Abraham Lincoln in a black top hat and a beard.
    â€œSo?” Marshall said. “He’s around a lot. He charges a dollar to take his picture.”
    â€œI know,” KC said. “I saw him here earlier, too. But check out the stilts, Marsh.”
    Marshall looked, then gulped. The stilts were as red as a fire engine.

4
The Color of Clues
    Marshall and KC sat on the steps and stared at the man on the red stilts. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” KC asked.
    Marshall nodded. “Yup. That guy wouldn’t have to climb on anything to get to Lincoln’s hand!” he said.
    â€œYeah, he could reach up with one of his stilts and smack the thumb off,” KC said. “The red paint on the stilt could have left that mark I saw.”
    KC skipped down the steps and Marshall followed her. She handed her camera to her friend and pulled a dollarbill from a wallet in her pack.
    â€œTake my picture with him,” KC whispered as they approached the man.
    â€œWhy?” he asked.
    â€œYou’ll see,” KC said mysteriously.
    KC and Marshall walked over to the man on stilts. He glanced down at them. “Want a picture with Honest Abe?” he asked.
    â€œYes, I do!” KC said. She posed between the stilts, hoping the man didn’t notice as she pulled her Swiss Army knife from her pack.
    Marshall backed up so he could get KC and the man in the picture. “Okay, one, two, three, say pizza!” he said.
    As Marshall snapped the picture, KC scraped a tiny curl of red paint from one of the stilts. She slipped the knife andpaint sample into a pocket. Then she handed up the dollar bill.

    â€œThanks, kids,” the man on stilts said.
    â€œThank you, too!” KC said.
    More people approached the man on stilts as KC and Marshall walked away.
    â€œOkay, I saw that,” Marshall said. “Why did you steal a piece of his stilt?”
    â€œI wanted a sample of that red paint,” KC said. “And I got it! Now we can see if it’s the same as the red mark on Lincoln’s hand.”
    â€œOkay, but what about the red nail polish and the red Frisbee?” Marshall said. “How are you gonna get those samples?”
    â€œI’m not sure,” KC said. She looked at her watch. “Gosh, we only have four hours to get the thumb back!”
    â€œLess than that,” Marshall said. “Evenif we find the thumb, it’ll take some time to attach it to Lincoln’s hand again.” He giggled. “I wonder if superglue would work.”
    â€œFunny,” KC said. “Come on, let’s hit the bookstore first.”
    KC and Marshall raced back up the stone steps. Ralphie and Stub and their ladders were gone. The two black cars were gone, too. The yellow crime-scene tape was still wrapped around the columns.
    In the corner to the right of the Lincoln statue was a small bookstore. KC and Marshall walked in and looked around. A few people wandered among the rows of books.
    KC bumped Marshall’s shoulder. “There she is!” she whispered.
    Fiona was sitting on a stool behind the counter. Her book,
Ten Ways to Get Rich Fast
, was opened and she was reading.
    KC marched over to the counter. “Hi,” she said. “I was wondering if you could do me a favor.”
    Fiona looked up. She recognized KC and Marshall. “Like what?” she asked.
    â€œI want to get my mom a gift, and I think she’d like your nail polish,” KC said. “Could I see it again?”
    Fiona held up her hands, wiggling her ten red fingernails. “It’s called Racy Red,” she said. “Would you like me to paint one of your nails so you can show it to your mom?”
    â€œGreat, thanks!” KC said, holding out her left hand. “How about doing my thumb?”
    â€œThumb it is,” Fiona said. She