Loss of power on part of a circuit.
There are four outlets on my kitchen circuit. The first one appears to be working perfectly. When I plugged the AC adapter on my portable computer into the third of four outlets yesterday there was a spark. That outlet and the fourth one ceased to work. The circuit breaker did not trip. I tried flipping the circuit breaker off and on several times and still no power at the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th outlet. I disassembled the outlets, tightening the connections, no help. I replaced all of the outlets, no help. I disconnected the third and fourth outlets so that I was only working on the 2nd outlet, no help. I tightened the connections in the breaker box, no help. I checked the voltage on the replaced breaker - 120 volts. The first outlet 120 volts. The 2nd outlet 0 volts. I turned the breaker off. No power anywhere on the circuit. I went to Lowe's and replaced circuit breaker, no change. I had lunch and noticed that the voltmeter still connected to the 3rd outlet read 120 volts. I plugged in the outlet tester and it said that it was wired correctly. As I was watching the voltmeter it dropped down to 50 volts at the 3rd outlet. I tightened the connections again and the voltage dropped to zero. I am at my wit's end. Help.