The Secret at Jefferson's Mansion by Ron Roy

1
The Hidden Cupboard
    â€œMarsh, I can’t see anything in here!” KC said. “Hand me the flashlight.”
    Marshall Li grinned. “It doesn’t work,” he fibbed. “The batteries must be dead. Better watch out for spiders. They love to hide in dark places.”
    KC backed out of her bedroom closet. “I just changed those batteries last week,” she told him. She took the flashlight from Marshall and switched it on.
    â€œDon’t try to scare me,” she said. “Spiders are gross, but I’m not afraid of them.”
    â€œSpiders aren’t gross!” Marshall said. “They’re smart and shy and wouldn’t hurt a fly … well, maybe they would.”
    Marshall loved all creatures, but especially those with eight legs. He had a pet tarantula and hoped to work in the insect zoo at the Smithsonian someday.
    KC Corcoran was President Zachary Thornton’s stepdaughter. KC had moved into the White House when her mother and the president got married. Marshall Li, who lived nearby, was KC’s best friend.
    KC had decided to paint the inside of her closet, and Marshall was helping her. They piled all her clothes on KC’s bed.
    KC had brought cleaning rags and a stepladder from the kitchen.
    â€œCome on, let’s get started,” she said to Marshall. They each grabbed a dustcloth and crowded into the closet. KC set the flashlight on top of the stepladder.
    â€œWhy isn’t there a light in your closet?”Marshall asked. “Mine at home has one.”
    â€œThis is one of the oldest bedrooms in the White House,” KC said. She wiped dust and cobwebs from the wall in front of her. “There was no electricity when it was built. I guess they just forgot about the closet when electricity was added to the White House.”
    Marshall climbed up the stepladder and aimed the flashlight around the space. He paused when it shone on one corner.
    â€œHey, what’s that thing on the wall?” Marshall pointed to a small lump under the paint. It was perfectly round and the size of a half-dollar.
    Marshall tapped the bump with the end of the flashlight. Some of the old paint flaked off. He looked at the bump more closely. “I think it’s a ring,” he said. Hewiggled a finger under the paint and tugged. Suddenly a square piece of wall came away in his hand. He jumped off the stepladder as paint flakes fell onto his hair.
    â€œLet me see!” KC took his place on the ladder. She shone her flashlight into a square hole in the closet wall. “It’s a secret cubbyhole!” she said.
    â€œIs there anything inside?” Marshall asked, wiping dust and paint off his shirt.
    â€œCobwebs,” KC said. “And a couple of shelves.” She stood on the top step and reached into the hole. The shelves were deep, so she had to shove her whole arm in.
    KC felt a sharp edge. “I think there’s something in here! It feels like some kind of box,” she said.
    â€œMaybe it’s a pirate’s chest filled with treasure,” Marshall cracked.
    â€œHere, take the light.” KC handed the flashlight to Marshall so she’d have both hands free. She slid the thing forward and pulled it into the closet. It was a chest, but not a pirate’s. About the size of a pizza box, it was made of wood and stood only six inches high.
    KC set the box on top of the stepladder next to her. She wiped dust and grime off the wood.
    â€œI wonder what’s in it,” Marshall whispered. He tried to lift the lid. “It won’t open.”
    KC noticed a small round hole. “Maybe this is a lock,” she said.
    She thrust the chest into Marshall’s arms and reached all the way into the corners of the hole. She ran her fingers across the rough wood.
    â€œFound something,” KC muttered. She brought her hand out, holding a small key.
    KC’s heart was beating wildly. She put the key into the small hole