“Maybe Chad told her where we live,” said Jessie.

  CHAPTER 10

  The Diamond Thief

  The next afternoon was bright and sunny as the children welcomed people to their party. Grandfather was there, of course, and so was Mrs. McGregor. Tío brought some delicious food along with him. Chad arrived with Mrs. Wickett. Watch growled at both of them. Kayla came with Ethan. She kept staring at the green metal frog.

  Everybody helped themselves to lemonade or iced tea, then they all played games. Ethan and Jessie paired up to play badminton. Sodid Henry and Chad. Benny watched to call the birdie fair or foul.

  It looked as if Kayla was going to win at croquet, but Mrs. Wickett wound up winning.

  After games, the children and their guests gathered around to talk. Henry, Benny, and Chad stood around the grill where Tío helping Mrs. McGregor prepare more food.

  “Did you see Kayla looking at that green frog?” Chad asked. “I think she wants it back.”

  “No,” said Henry, “I think she’s just happy the frog has a home.”

  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

  GERTRUDE CHANDLER WARNER 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

  THE BOXCAR CHILDREN

  SURPRISE ISLAND

  THE YELLOW HOUSE MYSTERY

  MYSTERY RANCH

  MIKE’S MYSTERY

  BLUE BAY MYSTERY

  THE WOODSHED MYSTERY

  THE LIGHTHOUSE MYSTERY

  MOUNTAIN TOP MYSTERY

  SCHOOLHOUSE MYSTERY

  CABOOSE MYSTERY

  HOUSEBOAT MYSTERY

  SNOWBOUND MYSTERY

  TREE HOUSE MYSTERY

  BICYCLE MYSTERY

  MYSTERY IN THE SAND

  MYSTERY BEHIND THE WALL

  BUS STATION MYSTERY

  BENNY UNCOVERS A MYSTERY

  THE HAUNTED CABIN MYSTERY

  THE DESERTED LIBRARY MYSTERY

  THE ANIMAL SHELTER MYSTERY

  THE OLD MOTEL MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE HIDDEN PAINTING

  THE AMUSEMENT PARK MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE MIXED-UP ZOO

  THE CAMP-OUT MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY GIRL

  THE MYSTERY CRUISE

  THE DISAPPEARING FRIEND MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SINGING GHOST

  MYSTERY IN THE SNOW

  THE PIZZA MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY HORSE

  THE MYSTERY AT THE DOG SHOW

  THE CASTLE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST VILLAGE

  THE MYSTERY ON THE ICE

  THE MYSTERY OF THE PURPLE POOL

  THE GHOST SHIP MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY IN WASHINGTON, DC

  THE CANOE TRIP MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE HIDDEN BEACH

  THE MYSTERY OF THE MISSING CAT

  THE MYSTERY AT SNOWFLAKE INN

  THE MYSTERY ON STAGE

  THE DINOSAUR MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN MUSIC

  THE MYSTERY AT THE BALL PARK

  THE CHOCOLATE SUNDAE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE HOT AIR BALLOON

  THE MYSTERY BOOKSTORE

  THE PILGRIM VILLAGE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE STOLEN BOXCAR

  THE MYSTERY IN THE CAVE

  THE MYSTERY ON THE TRAIN

  THE MYSTERY AT THE FAIR

  THE MYSTERY OF THE LOST MINE

  THE GUIDE DOG MYSTERY

  THE HURRICANE MYSTERY

  THE PET SHOP MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SECRET MESSAGE

  THE FIREHOUSE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY IN SAN FRANCISCO

  THE NIAGARA FALLS MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY AT THE ALAMO

  THE OUTER SPACE MYSTERY

  THE SOCCER MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY IN THE OLD ATTIC

  THE GROWLING BEAR MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE LAKE MONSTER

  THE MYSTERY AT PEACOCK HALL

  THE WINDY CITY MYSTERY

  THE BLACK PEARL MYSTERY

  THE CEREAL BOX MYSTERY

  THE PANTHER MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE QUEEN’S JEWELS

  THE STOLEN SWORD MYSTERY

  THE BASKETBALL MYSTERY

  THE MOVIE STAR MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE PIRATE’S MAP

  THE GHOST TOWN MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE BLACK RAVEN

  THE MYSTERY IN THE MALL

  THE MYSTERY IN NEW YORK

  THE GYMNASTICS MYSTERY

  THE POISON FROG MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE EMPTY SAFE

  THE HOME RUN MYSTERY

  THE GREAT BICYCLE RACE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE WILD PONIES

  THE MYSTERY IN THE COMPUTER GAME

  THE MYSTERY AT THE CROOKED HOUSE

  THE HOCKEY MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE MIDNIGHT DOG

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SCREECH OWL

  THE SUMMER CAMP MYSTERY

  THE COPYCAT MYSTERY

  THE HAUNTED CLOCK TOWER MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE TIGER’S EYE

  THE DISAPPEARING STAIRCASE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY ON BLIZZARD MOUNTAIN

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SPIDER’S CLUE

  THE CANDY FACTORY MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE MUMMY’S CURSE

  THE MYSTERY OF THE STAR RUBY

  THE STUFFED BEAR MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF ALLIGATOR SWAMP

  THE MYSTERY AT SKELETON POINT

  THE TATTLETALE MYSTERY

  THE COMIC BOOK MYSTERY

  THE GREAT SHARK MYSTERY

  THE ICE CREAM MYSTERY

  THE MIDNIGHT MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY IN THE FORTUNE COOKIE

  THE BLACK WIDOW SPIDER MYSTERY

  THE RADIO MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE RUNAWAY GHOST

  THE FINDERS KEEPERS MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE HAUNTED BOXCAR

  THE CLUE IN THE CORN MAZE

  THE GHOST OF THE CHATTERING BONES

  THE SWORD OF THE SILVER KNIGHT

  THE GAME STORE MYSTERY

  THE MYSTERY OF THE ORPHAN TRAIN

  THE VANISHING PASSENGER

  THE GIANT YO-YO MYSTERY

  THE CREATURE IN OGOPOGO LAKE

  THE ROCK ’N’ ROLL MYSTERY

  THE SECRET OF THE MASK

  THE SEATTLE PUZZLE

  THE GHOST IN THE FIRST ROW

  THE BOX THAT WATCH FOUND

  A HORSE NAMED DRAGON

  THE GREAT DETECTIVE RACE

  THE GHOST AT THE DRIVE-IN MOVIE

  THE MYSTERY OF THE TRAVELING TOMATOES

  THE SPY GAME

  THE DOG-GONE MYSTERY

  THE VAMPIRE MYSTERY

  SUPERSTAR WATCH

  THE SPY IN THE BLEACHERS

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook onscreen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or l
ocales is entirely coincidental.

  copyright © 2011 by Albert Whitman & Company

  ISBN: 978-1-4532-1311-7

  This 2011 edition distributed by Open Road Integrated Media

  180 Varick Street

  New York, NY 10014

  www.openroadmedia.com

 


 

  Gertrude Chandler Warner, The Clue in the Recycling Bin

 


 

 
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