“The air-conditioning is working?” asked Sam. “Check,” said Harriet. “Cotton candy’s been tested?” “Check,” said Harriet. “And the caramel corn, the snow cones and the hot dogs.” “Ketchup, mustard and relish too?” asked Sam. “Check, check and check.” “The guards are all in place?” “Check,” said Harriet. “Right now we’ve got my brothers, the Fritzi sisters, Tina Zuccato and your father on duty. They’ll change places with the next shift at intermission.” “And all the cell phones are working?” “Check. They were all charged overnight.” “No one’s called in with anything suspicious yet?” Sam asked. “Not yet,” said Harriet. “Everyone’s got a copy of the picture of the man in the gray suit. If anyone sees him or anything strange, they’ll let us know right away so we can alert everyone else.” Sam phoned Mrs. Pigatto in the ticket booth. “How are ticket sales?” he asked. “Fantastic!” said the ringmaster’s wife. “We’ve got extra benches set up inside, but even with the extra seats, we’re still going to have to turn people away soon.”
