“I guess we’re just going to have to wait until recess to find out how rich we are,” Gavin said as they sat down at their desks.

“I don’t know if I can wait two hours,” Sam said. “I wish Rashid would just tell us now.”

It took forever to get to recess. First they had to do math, then they had to do science. Math was subtraction, which Sam didn’t like, but they were doing weather in science, which was neat because it meant they got to go outside a lot to study clouds. Right before recess, they had writing time. In second grade, you had to write a whole book, and when everyone was done, they would read their books to the kindergarteners. Sam’s book was about a boy who ate so many frozen waffles that he turned into a frozen waffle. Usually he liked working on it, but today he was too excited about what was inside the box to focus on his story.

Finally it was time for recess. The members of the World’s Greatest Detective Club asked for permission to go to the library. Sam wondered if after today they would make Rashid club president because he’d figured out how to open the box and make them all rich.

“So is it wedding rings with diamonds in them?” Gavin asked as soon as they all sat down at the conference room table. “Are they worth a million bucks?”

Rashid shook his head. “Not even close. Any other guesses?”

“I think it’s gold coins,” Marja said. “Like pirate treasure or something.”

“Where would somebody find pirate treasure around here?” Will asked. “Forget the fact that there’s no such thing as pirates.”

“Actually, there were pirates,” Emily said. “Edward Teach was a famous pirate known as Blackbeard. He was a real person.”

“Why are we talking about pirates?” Sam asked. “I want to know what’s inside the box.”

“Yeah,” Gavin said. “Open it!”

“Open it!” everyone else said.

“Hold your horses,” Rashid said. “First I need to do the combination.”

“You locked it back up?” Sam said.

“Of course I locked it back up,” Rashid said. “I didn’t want the treasure to get stolen!”

“He said ‘treasure’!” Marja said. “See, I told you it was treasure!”

“You said it was pirate treasure,” Will pointed out. “That’s different from just regular treasure.”

“Could you guys be quiet, please?” Rashid said. “I’m trying to remember the combination.”

Everybody groaned. This is taking a century, Sam thought. He glanced nervously toward the door. Mrs. Haynie didn’t have a story time group this morning. What if she walked in while Rashid was trying to remember the combination? What would they say? That there was a bird in the box? Who kept a bird in a locked box? Mrs. Haynie would never believe that.

“May I have everyone’s attention, please!” Rashid said after a few more very long moments. “The lock is now off! Any other guesses about what’s inside?”

“Could you just show us?” Sam asked. “My stomach is starting to hurt.”

“Mine too,” Will said. “This is making me nervous.”

Rashid carefully lifted the box’s lid. He pulled out a smaller box. It was navy blue and had a lid on it.

“See, it’s a jewelry box, just like I said!” Gavin whispered excitedly to Sam.

“But it’s more like the box my dad gave my mom for her birthday,” Sam said. “It had a bracelet inside it, not a ring. That box is a bracelet-sized box.”

“Shhh!” Marja shushed them. “Let Rashid talk!”

“There are actually three things inside this box,” Rashid said as he took off the lid. “Two are the same and one is different.”

“Two apples and an orange!” Gavin shouted.

“Shhh!” everyone told him.

“Here are the two things that are the same,” Rashid said. He lifted two silver coins from the box. “They are John F. Kennedy half dollars.”

“Are they worth a million bucks?” Gavin asked.

“No,” Rashid said. “My dad helped me look it up. These were made in 1966 and are in good condition, so they’re probably worth ten dollars apiece.”

“Do you think twenty dollars makes us rich?” Will asked. “Because my grandma gave me twenty dollars for my birthday, and I’m pretty sure I’m not rich yet.”

Rashid held up his hand. “I haven’t gotten to the good part.” He pulled a card out of the box. “This is what’s going to make us rich. It’s a Michael Jordan card from his rookie year.”

“Who’s Michael Jordan?” Marja asked. “And what’s a rookie year?”

“A rookie year is the first year an athlete plays professionally,” Rashid explained.

Mrs. Haynie stood at the door. “And Michael Jordan is one of the world’s greatest basketball players,” she continued. “But I’m not sure what he has to do with bird-watching.”

“Mrs. Haynie, we can explain!” Emily said. “Can’t we, Sam?”

“We can?” Sam asked.

Mrs. Haynie folded her arms across her chest. “I certainly hope so, Sam.”