A Thief at the National Zoo by Ron Roy Page B

enclosure. They stopped to look at the huge mother tiger. She was lying next to her twin cubs.
    “Can you believe little Lucy and Ricky will grow up to look like that?” Marshall said.
    They watched the tiger and her cubs for a few more minutes, then walked down paths past other animal exhibits to agate. “Is this where you came in?” KC asked.

    “I think so,” Sunwoo said. “Oh, there’s my driver!”
    Sunwoo shook hands with KC and Marshall. “I will see you tonight!” she said.
    Sunwoo passed through the gate and walked up to a white stretch limo. The driver, dressed in a dark suit, opened the rear door for her.
    KC and Marshall watched the stretch limo leave.
    “Wish we had one of those,” Marshall said.
    “Not me. I like riding on the Metro trains,” KC said. She pulled her subway ticket out of a pocket. “And that’s where we have to go now. We have a party to get ready for!”

2
Creepy Fingers in the Dark
    At seven o’clock, KC and Marshall were back at the zoo. They came with the president and KC’s mom, Lois, in a presidential car. Two other cars followed. Each held four secret service agents.
    The president was wearing a tuxedo. Lois wore a long white dress. A flower was tucked into her hair.
    KC and Marshall wore their best dress-up clothes.
    Dr. Tutu was waiting at the entrance of the zoo. He had dressed in a black tuxedo and white shirt. He carried his leather briefcase.
    “Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. President,” Dr. Tutu said. He escorted them, and the presidents secret service agents, through the empty zoo to a room near where KC and Marshall had played with the tiger cubs.
    There were about twenty-five well-dressed people already there. Waiters carried trays of food and drinks across a thick red carpet. A crystal chandelier cast a soft light. Music came from a pair of speakers mounted on the walls.
    When the president and Lois entered, everyone clapped. The secret service agents moved into the room and stood where they could keep an eye on the president and his family.
    “Look, KC, there’s Sunwoo and her parents,” Marshall said.
    Sunwoo and her mother wore matching yellow dresses. Sunwoo had a small purse with a thin gold chain slung over one shoulder. Her father was dressed in a tuxedo, like most of the men in the room.
    “Let’s go say hi,” KC said.
    KC and Marshall walked across the deep carpet. Sunwoo saw them coming and smiled.
    “Mother, Father, these are my new friends,” Sunwoo said. “KC and Marshall, these are my parents, Mr. and Mrs. Chu.”
    They all shook hands.
    “I enjoyed my meeting with your stepfather,” Mr. Chu told KC. He winked. “And I like your big White House!”
    Marshall glanced around the room. “Is the Tigers Eye here?” he whispered to Sunwoo.

    Sunwoo nodded. “Father, I told them about it,” she said. “Can you show them?”
    Sunwoo’s father was carrying a small black box with a tiger painted on the lid. Mr. Chu opened the lid and removed a square of red silk.
    Nestled at the bottom of the box was a round yellowish object the size of a baseball. The roughly shaped emerald inside seemed to float in the amber.
    KC stared at the emerald through the amber covering. The green gem appeared to glow. She had never seen anything so old or mysterious.
    “Is it worth a lot of money?” Marshall asked.
    “To the Chinese people, the Tigers Eye is priceless,” Mr. Chu said. “We would not sell it for all the money in the world.”
    Dr. Tutu approached Sunwoo’s father. “If you’re ready, Mr. Chu,” he said.
    Dr. Tutu led Mr. Chu to a corner of the room, where a table stood near the door. A velvet cloth lay in the center of the table. Mr. Chu placed the black box on the cloth. Dr. Tutu set his briefcase on the floor and nudged it under the table with his foot.
    “Good evening, everyone,” Dr. Tutu said. “We are here tonight to accept a generous gift from this gentleman, Mr. Chien Chu. As you all know, many species of tigers are now extinct