The Clue in the Recycling Bin Read Online Free PDF Page B

explained.
    â€œAhhh!” said Mrs. Wickett. “Very good. I’m their bookkeeper. I could work days, but I prefer to work nights. Everything is quiet then so I can concentrate on the numbers. Well, it’s so nice to have met you, but I must get back to work.”
    The Aldens said good-bye to Mrs. Wickett and watched her walk out the door and down the block.
    â€œDid you notice the jewelry she was wearing?” Violet asked. “She had a diamond pin on her blouse and three diamond rings on her fingers.”
    Grandfather smiled at Violet. “You make it sound suspicious,” he said. “But Mrs. Wickett works at a jewelry store. Maybe she’s supposed to wear jewelry while she works there.”
    â€œOr maybe she can buy it because the store gives her a big discount,” said Jessie.
    â€œOr maybe she’s not wearing diamonds,” said Henry. “Maybe she’s wearing glass that looks like diamonds.”

CHAPTER 5
    Footprints and Key Rings
    T he next morning, the children loaded Grandfather’s car with recyclables, and he drove them to the recycling center. They unloaded the recyclables into the proper bins and said good-bye to Grandfather.
    â€œLet’s walk around the outside of the recycling center,” said Henry.
    â€œGood idea,” said Jessie. “We might find footprints.”
    The children walked out the front gate of the recycling center and turned rightto follow the chain-link fence around the outside of the center.
    Violet noticed that Mrs. Wickett was sitting on her porch, holding something in her lap. Violet waved. Mrs. Wickett waved back.
    There weren’t any suspicious-looking footprints along the front of the recycling center. There were none along the side.
    But as soon as the children turned the second corner, Henry raised his hand.
    â€œStop!” he said.
    Benny, Violet, and Jessie crowded around Henry so they could see what he was looking at.
    On the ground were two blurred footprints. The toes of the footprints were clearer than the rest of the footprints. The toes were pointing toward the back fence of the recycling center.
    â€œLook,” said Benny, pointing through the fence. “The toes point right at the bags filled with leaves and grass on the other side of the fence.”
    Jessie stared at the two prints. “The back footprint is a left foot,” she said. “And the front footprint is a right foot.”
    â€œThe two footprints are very far apart,” said Violet. “It looks like somebody was running.”
    â€œWe don’t have our camera with us,” said Jessie. Then she grinned. “But I do have one of my recycled notebooks!”
    Henry pulled a small tape measure out of his pocket. Henry loved tools, and he often had some with him. He measured one of the footprints from front to back. “Exactly eleven inches,” he said.
    Jessie wrote that in her notebook. Then she sketched the tread pattern of the shoe.
    When Jessie’s sketch was finished, the children bent down to hold the drawing near the footprint.
    â€œGood work,” Henry told his sister. “Now look at the top of the fence,” he said.
    Jessie and Violet looked. “The top of the fence is fine,” said Jessie. “It’s not bent at all.”
    â€œThat’s right,” said Henry. He looked up at the sky. “It looks like it’s going to rain, so it’s a good thing we have this drawing.”

    â€œYes,” said Benny, “because the rain will wash everything away.”
    Being careful not to step on the two footprints, the Aldens continued walking along the back of the recycling center.
    Soon Henry raised his hand again and said, “Stop!”
    â€œWow,” said Benny. “More footprints! Look at them! They’re all on top of one another.”
    â€œHmmm,” said Jessie. She was looking through the chain-link fence into the recycling center. The footprints