Ten Thumb Sam by Rachel Muller Read Free Book Online Page A

Elizabeth.
    â€œWe’ve been totally nice to you!” said Louise.
    â€œOkay, girls,” Max said, raising his hands. “You’ve all made your points. We could come up with a motive for everyone here if we thought about it long enough. Right now we’re going in circles. Unless someone steps forward and confesses, we’re no further ahead than when we started.”
    When no one spoke, Mr. Pigatto cleared his throat. “All right, then. Whoever the culprit is, I hope he or she gets the message. We will not tolerate any more pranks in the Triple Top Circus. There will be no more incidents!”
    â€œThanks,” Sam told Harriet as the meeting broke up.
    â€œFor what?”
    â€œFor standing up for me.”
    Harriet shrugged. “Think things will get back to normal now?”
    â€œWhat’s normal in a circus?” Sam sighed.

    The circus performers remained on alert for the next few days, but as the week passed and nothing happened, they began to let their guard down. By the following Sunday afternoon, they were almost relaxed.
    Sam and Harriet were selling cotton candy in the bleachers just before the matinee performance when Sam suddenly elbowed his cousin. “See that guy in the gray suit on the other side? I’ve seen him before. I crashed into him last week when we were running after Loki.”
    Harriet squinted in the direction Sam was pointing. “How can you be sure it’s the same guy from this far away?”
    â€œIt’s him for sure. It’s not just the suit—he’s got a mustache like a walrus.”
    â€œC’mon—that’s too weird,” said Harriet. “We were in Winnipeg last week. He would have had to travel halfway across the province to come to this show.”
    â€œSo maybe he’s a traveling salesman,” Sam suggested, “or maybe he’s something else.”
    â€œSomething else,” Harriet repeated slowly. “Are you really sure it’s the same guy?”
    â€œPositive. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
    â€œYou mean, do I think he might be the person sabotaging the circus?” Harriet asked.
    â€œRight,” said Sam.
    Harriet shook her head slowly. “I don’t know. Don’t you think someone would have noticed him at some point by now, if it was him?”
    â€œNot if he was careful. Maybe he comes at night, when we’re all asleep.”
    â€œDoesn’t the circus have some kind of alarm system?” asked Harriet.
    â€œNot exactly,” said Sam. “Mr. Poponopolis’s dogs are tied up outside at night. They’re supposed to bark and wake everyone up if anyone is sneaking around. But if someone gave them meat or some bones to chew on, they’d keep quiet. It’s not like they’re real guard dogs.”
    â€œI don’t know,” Harriet repeated. “It could be him, I guess. Let’s watch him this afternoon and see what he does.”
    The show was just beginning as Harriet appeared in the bleachers directly across from Sam. In between his own candy sales, Sam watched the man in the gray suit from his side of the tent. There was definitely something suspicious about him. He didn’t laugh or clap with the rest of the audience. He just sat with his arms crossed. As the last act before intermission was starting, he pulled out a cell phone.
    A commotion in the center ring interrupted Sam’s surveillance. He looked down and saw a trio of clowns buried under a safety net that had somehow fallen on top of them. Other circus performers were alreadyracing into the center ring to help untangle the clowns from the heavy netting.
    When Sam looked up again, the man in the gray suit had disappeared. Harriet was also gone. Sam quickly scanned the bleachers on the far side of the tent before hurrying down the stairs toward the nearest exit. Once he was outside, he had to dodge a few mothers and fathers chasing their