Free The Clue in the Recycling Bin by Gertrude Chandler Warner

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.
    â€œThat 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!”
    â€œLet me up,” said Chad. “I can explain.”
    Ethan let Chad stand up—but as soon as Chad stood, he raced away toward the street.
    â€œLet 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.
    â€œOh,” 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.
    â€œYes,” 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.”
    â€œOh, 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?”
    â€œWell,” 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.
    â€œHere 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.
    â€œWow!” said Kayla. “I guess what I’m always saying is true—there are treasures in recycling!”
    â€œYes,” 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