Read Online The Clue in the Recycling Bin by Gertrude Chandler Warner - Free Book Online

were in Jessie’s bedroom for notebook time. Notebook time was when they talked about their clues. Jessie, who loved making lists, wrote everything into her notebook. Talking things out always helped the children think more clearly. Benny lay on the bed. Henry and Violet sat on the floor. Jessie sat at her desk.
    â€œI’ll use one of my brand-new notebooks to list what we know,” said Jessie. “Using a notebook we rescued from the trash pileseems right, doesn’t it?”
    Everybody agreed.
    Jessie began her list. “Let’s start with Chad,” she said.
    â€œHe worked at Jonah’s Jewelry Store,” said Violet. “So he knew where the diamonds were.”

    â€œYes,” said Henry. “And he quit working at Jonah’s Jewelry Store the day after the robbery. I wonder why?”
    Benny’s eyes had started to close, but suddenly he was wide awake. “Chad might eat at Tío’s Tacos,” he said. “If he does, he would know there are piñatas there!”
    â€œAnd Chad was looking for something in the recycling center,” said Violet. “He said he was looking for a pocket watch. But I didn’t believe him.”
    Benny started to fall asleep again.
    â€œI think Mrs. Wickett didn’t believe him, either,” said Henry. “She said she had never seen him with a pocket watch. Maybe he was looking for the piñata.”
    â€œWhat about footprints?” Jessie asked.
    â€œHmmm,” said Henry. “We never had a chance to check the bottom of Chad’s boots to see if he’s the person who broke into the recycling center.”
    Once again Benny woke up. “Chad drinks mint-flavored tea,” he mumbled.
    â€œIs that suspicious?” asked Henry.
    Jessie smiled because she knew what Benny meant. When she and Benny were putting things into the correct bins the first day, Benny found a mint Doo-Dah Tea bottle inside the glass recycling bin. Jessie explained this to Henry and Violet, who had been working near the gate at the time.
    â€œSo,” asked Henry, “you’re thinking that Chad climbed the fence and drank some tea and then just tossed the bottle in the closest bin?”
    Benny didn’t answer because this time, Benny was sound asleep.
    â€œI’m not sure somebody would keep a bottle of tea in his pocket while he climbed a fence,” said Violet.
    Henry agreed that this was not likely. “But not likely doesn’t mean impossible,” he reminded his sisters.
    â€œThere’s one other thing about Chad,” said Jessie. “He was in the car when Kayla dropped us off on the day it rained. So he knows where we live. And that night, somebody tried to break into the sunporch.”
    After they finished discussing Chad, Jessie wrote on one of the pages of her new notebook:
    Chad:
    â€”worked at Jonah’s Jewelry
    â€”might eat at Tío’s Tacos
    â€”was looking for something in the recycling center
    â€”knew that the piñata was in the sunporch
    â€œThere’s somebody else who knows that the piñata is in our sunporch,” said Henry.
    â€œYes,” said Jessie. “Kayla knows because she drove us home.”
    â€œAccording to Mrs. Wickett, Kayla was angry with Mr. Jonah because he wouldn’t carry her jewelry,” said Henry. “Maybe she stole his diamonds because she was angry.”
    Jessie tapped her pencil against her notebook. “We saw Kayla reading the newspaper article about the diamond theft,” she said. “And then she turned the newspaper over.”
    â€œNot only that,” said Henry, “but Kayla locks all her glass stones in a drawer eachnight. Why would you lock up glass stones?”
    Jessie was thinking the same thing. “Do we know for sure that they’re glass, not diamonds?” she asked.
    â€œChad said the stone in my key ring is glass,” said Henry. “He worked in a jewelry store, so