The Clue in the Recycling Bin (8 page)

Chad looked at the bull piñata that was still hanging in the sunporch. “I wanted that piñata,” he told Benny. “But you got to it first.”

“
Sí
,”said Tío as he cooked. “That is one of my old piñatas. Chad came in one morning and was very upset when the old piñatas were gone. I told him I took them to the recycling center.”

“That piñata would look great in my den,” Chad said to Benny. “I'd like to buy it from you.” Chad pulled out his wallet. “How much do you want?” he asked.

Benny shook his head. “I don't want to sell my piñata. I want to break it open.”

Tío laughed. “Benny is right,” he said. “This is a party. It is a good time to break open a piñata! I hope somebody stuffed the piñata with good things. You must always put good things into a piñata—shiny half-dollars, wrapped cookies, things like that.”

Chad frowned. “If you break it open, you ruin the piñata.”

“Then I'll get another one,” said Benny, “and we'll have another party!”

Jessie and Violet stayed with Kayla, Ethan, and Mrs. Wickett. Violet noticed that both Kayla and Mrs. Wickett were wearing sparkling stones.

“I have a great idea,” Kayla told Mrs. Wickett.

“What's that?” asked Mrs. Wickett.

“I know how we can solve the problem of the recycling bags and boxes that people leave outside the gate every night,” said Kayla.

Jessie and Violet were very glad to hear that Kayla wanted to solve this problem.

“I want to hire you,” Kayla said to Mrs. Wickett. “I want to hire you to keep the center open from five o'clock in the afternoon until midnight. That way, people can drive into the center and sort all of their recycling or drop it off alongside one of the Dumpsters.”

Mrs. Wickett thought about this. “That way, there won't be any trash outside the recycling center. I won't have to look at it all the time.” She frowned. “But I already have a job. I work at Jonah's Jewelry Store in the evenings.”

“Oh,” said Kayla. She seemed disappointed. “I was really hoping you would say yes.”

“Hmmm,” said Mrs. Wickett as she sipped iced tea. “I like your idea. I think recycling is important. But Mr. Jonah gives me a big discount on jewelry,” she said. “If he didn't, I couldn't afford to wear these diamonds.”

Kayla looked at the rings. “If you worked at the recycling center, you could make your own rings. I try to keep my designs secret until I'm ready to sell them,” said Kayla, “but I can show them to you.”

“Is that why you cover up your jewelry when people walk into your studio?” asked Violet.

“Yes,” said Kayla. “I don't like people to see my art until it's finished.”

Suddenly Mrs. Wickett smiled. “Yes!” she told Kayla. “I'll take the job. I'll keep the recycling center open until midnight. And I'll learn how to recycle junk into jewelry!”

Kayla smiled as she and Mrs. Wickett shook hands.

Jessie and Violet smiled, too.

Then everybody helped themselves to the wonderful food that Tío and Mrs. McGregor had prepared. All the food was laid out in bright dishes on the new purple tablecloth that Violet had made from the cloth Kayla had found in the Other Stuff bin.

Each person found a lawn chair or blanket to sit on while eating.

After everybody finished, Henry stood up and announced that it was time to swing atthe piñata and see what kind of prizes fell out.

The guests followed Henry into the sunporch. Violet gave each guest a purple blindfold. She had also made these from the cloth Kayla had given her.

“Benny will go first,” said Tío as he tied the blindfold around Benny. “Here is the stick,” he said, putting a sturdy stick in Benny's hand.

But before Benny could swing at the piñata, Chad pushed him away, pulled the piñata off the ceiling, and ran out the door.

“Hey!” shouted Ethan. “You pushed Benny!”

Ethan and Henry both ran after Chad, but Ethan was faster.

Ethan tackled Chad. The piñata few out of Chad's hands and onto the lawn.

Everybody rushed out and surrounded Chad and Ethan.

“That was a terrible thing to do,” Mrs. Wickett said to Chad. “What is wrong with you?”

Henry picked up the piñata. “I think Chad wants something that's inside this piñata,” he said. “But it's not in there anymore. We took it out before we could swing at the piñata.” Henry reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small brown cloth bag. “Are you looking for this?” he asked Chad.

Mrs. Wickett gasped. “That's a Jonah's Jewelry Store bag! Those are the stolen diamonds!”

“Let me up,” said Chad. “I can explain.”

Ethan let Chad stand up—but as soon as Chad stood, he raced away toward the street.

“Let him go,” Henry told Ethan.

All the guests watched as two men stepped out of a car that had been parked alongside the street. They grabbed Chad and handcuffed him.

“Oh,” said Mrs. Wickett to Grandfather. “Do you always have unmarked police cars parked on your street?”

Grandfather chuckled. “No,” he admitted, “but I called them before the party to let them know that the diamond thief would be at the party.”

Mrs. Wickett looked at Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny. “You must have great confidence in your grandchildren,” she said.

“Yes,” said Grandfather proudly. “They know right from wrong.”

Mrs. Wickett looked at the children again. “I'm sorry that I wouldn't let you see the bottom of my boots,” she said. “They are very old and shabby. I didn't want you to see that there are holes in the bottom.”

“Oh, Mrs. Wickett,” said Kayla. “Old and shabby can be very good.”

Mrs. Wickett smiled. “Yes,” she said, “I suppose I could give you the boots and you would find a use for them.”

Kayla smiled and nodded.

Tío spoke up. “So tell me, how did the diamonds get into my piñata, which is now Benny's piñata?”

“Well,” said Jessie, “we figure that the night Chad stole the diamonds, he went across the street to your restaurant. Then, when you were back in the kitchen and there was nobody around, he put the bag of diamonds into the piñata.”

Tío rubbed his chin. “Chad was a customer that night,” he said. “And there was nobody else there. And I
did
go into the kitchen.”

Tío thought some more. “That explains why when Chad came in again last week, he was very upset that the piñatas were gone.”

One of the police officers pushed Chad into the car. The other officer came up to the guests.

“Here are the diamonds,” said Henry, handing the bag to the officer.

The police officer looked inside the bag. Everybody could see the sparkling stones. He closed the bag, nodded to everybody, and walked back to his car.

“Wow!” said Kayla. “I guess what I'm always saying is true—there are treasures in recycling!”

“Yes,” said Benny, picking up his piñata. “But you can't eat diamonds. Piñatas should be stuffed with things you can eat!”

About the Author

G
ERTRUDE
C
HANDLER
W
ARNER
discovered when she was teaching that many readers who like an exciting story could find no books that were both easy and fun to read. She decided to try to meet this need, and her first book,
The Boxcar Children,
quickly proved she had succeeded.

Miss Warner drew on her own experiences to write each mystery. As a child she spent hours watching trains go by on the tracks opposite her family home. She often dreamed about what it would be like to set up housekeeping in a caboose or freight car—the situation the Alden children find themselves in.

When Miss Warner received requests for more adventures involving Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden, she began additional stories. In each, she chose a special setting and introduced unusual or eccentric characters who liked the unpredictable.

While the mystery element is central to each of Miss Warner's books, she never thought of them as strictly juvenile mysteries. She liked to stress the Aldens' independence and resourcefulness and their solid New England devotion to using up and making do. The Aldens go about most of their adventures with as little adult supervision as possible—something else that delights young readers.

Miss Warner lived in Putnam, Connecticut, until her death in 1979. During her lifetime, she received hundreds of letters from girls and boys telling her how much they liked her books.

The Boxcar Children Mysteries

T
HE
B
OXCAR
C
HILDREN

S
URPRISE
I
SLAND

T
HE
Y
ELLOW
H
OUSE
M
YSTERY

M
YSTERY
R
ANCH

M
IKE'S
M
YSTERY

B
LUE
B
AY
M
YSTERY

T
HE
W
OODSHED
M
YSTERY

T
HE
L
IGHTHOUSE
M
YSTERY

M
OUNTAIN
T
OP
M
YSTERY

S
CHOOLHOUSE
M
YSTERY

C
ABOOSE
M
YSTERY

H
OUSEBOAT
M
YSTERY

S
NOWBOUND
M
YSTERY

T
REE
H
OUSE
M
YSTERY

B
ICYCLE
M
YSTERY

M
YSTERY IN THE
S
AND

M
YSTERY
B
EHIND THE
W
ALL

B
US
S
TATION
M
YSTERY

B
ENNY
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NCOVERS A
M
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T
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H
AUNTED
C
ABIN
M
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T
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D
ESERTED
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IBRARY
M
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A
NIMAL
S
HELTER
M
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T
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LD
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OTEL
M
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M
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P
AINTING

T
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MUSEMENT
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ARK
M
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T
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M
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M
IXED
-U
P
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T
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AMP
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M
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T
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M
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G
IRL

T
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M
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C
RUISE

T
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D
ISAPPEARING
F
RIEND
M
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T
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HOST

M
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P
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M
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HOW

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ASTLE
M
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T
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YSTERY OF THE
L
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ILLAGE

T
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M
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I
CE

T
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M
YSTERY OF THE
P
URPLE
P
OOL

T
HE
G
HOST
S
HIP
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
YSTERY IN
W
ASHINGTON
, DC

T
HE
C
ANOE
T
RIP
M
YSTERY

T
HE
M
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H
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B
EACH

T
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YSTERY OF THE
M
ISSING
C
AT