Cabot Cove Charity Carnival comes to town, featuring professional show-persons: co-owner and magician, Carl Dormer (Bradford Dillman); co-owner and assistant, Joanna Sims (Cindy Pickett); her alcoholic husband, Don Sims (Charles Siebert); knife-thrower, Nicky Newton (Jimi Defilippis); his fiancée and assistant, Carmen (Maria Canals-Barrera); and roustabout Toby Grant (Judson Mills), with Sherman Hastings, Man in Gray Suit (Richardson Morse) standing in the shadows, and scrutinizing the crowd.
Various Cabot Cove residents also volunteer to serve with various carnival activities: ticket sellers Lisa Farrel (Lisa Lawrence) and Gwen (Jennifer Manasseri), Kathy (Kathryn Masak); supermarket manager Richard Binyon (Thom Bierdz); prize booth operator, Doctor Seth Hazlitt (William Windom); and fund-raising volunteer, Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury).
Resident librarian Jean O'Neill (Madlyn Rhue) reports that her house has been burglarized while she was outdoors with her dogs. Upon returning from NYC, Jessica, too, discovers some jewelry missing during the mysterious burglary ring, in which the intended spoil seems to be antiques and jewelry.
When Sheriff Mort Metzger (Ron Masak) and Deputy Andy Broom (Louis Herthum) tend to Jean's accounting for her loses, Joanna Sims enters the Sheriff's office to obtain the carnival permit. Joanna and Mort recognize each other from their college days, when she stood him up to run off with Don Sims some 22 years back, she nor Mort having contact since that night on the pier, where he remained waiting. Don then enters to whisk Joanna back to the carnival, he, neither having seen Mort in the duration.
That afternoon, Carl Dormer performs his magic act for the audience, while Jessica suspects that the carnival is keeping two sets of books, as profits for the charity seem underestimated, according to her perception of customer turnout. While she investigates the matter, there are additional break-ins around the carnival, which may or may not be related to the recent Cabot Cove burglaries.
Lisa Farrel takes a break from her ticket booth to accompany Richard Binyon to the show, while planning to meet Toby Grant back on the concourse later that evening, after her parents turn in for the night.
When Lisa arrives back at the carnival, she witnesses a stabbing and flees into the night. Carmen then witnesses a carnival ride's spinning into motion with its music volume cranked to loud a decibel level. She screams at the discovery of a body on the ride of a "Wheel of Death."
The next day, while Sheriff Metzger begins to arrest suspects, Jessica tries to figure to where the funds have been disappearing, trying to connect the swindling and the burglary ring with the murder.
As she questions witnesses, regarding a stolen antique knife as a clue, Jessica takes on a secondary mission of interceding on behalf of couples to foster young love and to reignite the flames for the middle-aged in distress. Mort maintains that Joanna did him a favor by dumping him, to pave the way for his wonderful relationship with the ever-unseen Adele.
Various Cabot Cove residents also volunteer to serve with various carnival activities: ticket sellers Lisa Farrel (Lisa Lawrence) and Gwen (Jennifer Manasseri), Kathy (Kathryn Masak); supermarket manager Richard Binyon (Thom Bierdz); prize booth operator, Doctor Seth Hazlitt (William Windom); and fund-raising volunteer, Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury).
Resident librarian Jean O'Neill (Madlyn Rhue) reports that her house has been burglarized while she was outdoors with her dogs. Upon returning from NYC, Jessica, too, discovers some jewelry missing during the mysterious burglary ring, in which the intended spoil seems to be antiques and jewelry.
When Sheriff Mort Metzger (Ron Masak) and Deputy Andy Broom (Louis Herthum) tend to Jean's accounting for her loses, Joanna Sims enters the Sheriff's office to obtain the carnival permit. Joanna and Mort recognize each other from their college days, when she stood him up to run off with Don Sims some 22 years back, she nor Mort having contact since that night on the pier, where he remained waiting. Don then enters to whisk Joanna back to the carnival, he, neither having seen Mort in the duration.
That afternoon, Carl Dormer performs his magic act for the audience, while Jessica suspects that the carnival is keeping two sets of books, as profits for the charity seem underestimated, according to her perception of customer turnout. While she investigates the matter, there are additional break-ins around the carnival, which may or may not be related to the recent Cabot Cove burglaries.
Lisa Farrel takes a break from her ticket booth to accompany Richard Binyon to the show, while planning to meet Toby Grant back on the concourse later that evening, after her parents turn in for the night.
When Lisa arrives back at the carnival, she witnesses a stabbing and flees into the night. Carmen then witnesses a carnival ride's spinning into motion with its music volume cranked to loud a decibel level. She screams at the discovery of a body on the ride of a "Wheel of Death."
The next day, while Sheriff Metzger begins to arrest suspects, Jessica tries to figure to where the funds have been disappearing, trying to connect the swindling and the burglary ring with the murder.
As she questions witnesses, regarding a stolen antique knife as a clue, Jessica takes on a secondary mission of interceding on behalf of couples to foster young love and to reignite the flames for the middle-aged in distress. Mort maintains that Joanna did him a favor by dumping him, to pave the way for his wonderful relationship with the ever-unseen Adele.
