BACKGROUND
You are about to become a detective in a murder mystery! It is up to you to figure out whodunit by denouncing the guilty secrets of each character.
Each round will provide information and clues you will use to rule out each suspect in the mystery.
“Secret Clues” will provide special information used to further the mystery.
At the end of Round Five, everyone will be given the opportunity to submit their solution to the mystery: Whodunit? How? And Why?
Round Six will provide a Confession Statement from each character. The Confession Statements provide the correct solution to the mystery.
The Winner of the game is the person whose accusation form most closely matches the actual solution to the mystery as revealed in Round Six.
Round 1: Introductions – Oct 2 thru Oct 4
Round 2: The Search – Oct 7 thru Oct 9
Round 3: The Discovery – Oct 10 thru 14
Round 4: The Examination – Oct 15 thru Oct 17
Round 5: The Final Clues – Oct 18 thru Oct 22
Submit your guesses: Oct 22 thru Oct 25
Round 6: The Confessions – Oct 28 thru Oct 31
Round One Scenario
The sun is setting beyond the rolling hills of California’s lush wine country, and six people find themselves standing in the front hall of the main house on Killingsworth Farms. They arrived earlier in the day to see Elizabeth Killingsworth, a recent widow who, due to hard times, is looking to sell the farm that she and her husband purchased just over a year ago. Everyone has gathered in the hall. Elizabeth, however, is not present. The strangers in the room are looking at each other with interest. They each help themselves to a glass of wine from the hall table and begin to make introductions.
Introducing Dr Chelsea Barren
Sophisticated pantsuit, colorful blouse, sensible shoes, expensive jewelry, disheveled hair, notepad and pen in hand.
Who She Is:
Although she does not consider herself a friend to Elizabeth (just nodding terms as they pass), she lives next door to the Killingsworth Farm. She bought her land just about a year ago (the same time as the Killingsworth’s) when the original farm was sub-divided and sold.
She is a retired psychiatrist. She lived in Los Angeles for many years and brought mental peace to many big name stars, but she had a strict policy against name-dropping. While most of her patients droned on and on about their boring problems, she daydreamed about murder and mayhem. Soon she completed a mystery novel that sold very well (just 17 books away from the top ten best-seller list) and allowed her to move to Marcocain and focus on writing a sequel.
Her husband is currently overseas on business, but that does not stop her from socializing. She enjoys her newfound fame and often host parties for the cream of the society’s crop. In fact, she came to Killingsworth Farm today to ask if she could use some of Elizabeth’s farmland for extra valet parking for her party next week.
Her Darker Side:
The novel that made her famous also made her a social outcast in Los Angeles. Her fictional novel about a celebrity murder was assumed by some to be based on fact – facts she was told by her celebrity patients. As rumors of her sources surfaced, her career plunged. Celebrity clients found new psychiatrists and she had no work. Invitations stopped arriving. She was blackballed. She had to move.
With her husband constantly away, the pressures of social climbing alone can be too much. She likes to find relief in the arms of the hot farm hand next door. But he is not the only one she has been having an affair with. She fell in love with Robert Killingsworth before he died. He had promised to leave Elizabeth for her, but when Elizabeth discovered the affair, Robert felt so ashamed that he decided to work it out with Elizabeth and save their marriage. He died only days later…
Introducing Enrique Graves
Tight faded jeans, rolled-sleeve shirt over muscle shirt, thick belt, slicked-back hair, hammer in tool belt.
Who He Is:
He works on the Killingsworth Farm helping with the crop and doing odd jobs as needed. Little is known of his past, and he likes to keep it that way. A year ago, he was a drifter with no ambition. While hitchhiking to Mexico he camped for the night in the Killingsworth’s Barn. Elizabeth found him the next morning, but rather than kick him out, she took a liking to him and allowed him to stay on the farm if he worked for his keep. He has been working the farm ever since.
Encouraged and financed by Elizabeth, he has even returned to college. He seems to have really turned himself around. He works days and spends nights in school or at the library where he has become good friends with Kathryn, the librarian.
Life was really looking good… until Robert died. Now that the farm is going under, he is worried that he will have to drop out of college again and do who knows what for a living…
His Darker Side:
He was kicked out of school after being arrested for selling drugs to an undercover police officer. He spent only a little time in jail, but it was enough for his family to disown him. With nobody to turn to, he headed out west – everyone heads out west eventually – to make a name for himself and show them back home that he IS somebody.
He enjoys his new lifestyle with a cushy job and free education, but he cannot escape the power of drugs and still indulge in them frequently. He even grows marijuana down near the barn by the lake.
For English class, he is writing a paper on the history of the town. Since Kathryn is an amateur historian, he has worked out a deal – she does the research that he needs, and he keeps her company on lonely nights.
Kathryn is not the only one with whom he is having an affair. While Kathryn does his homework, he is free for more pleasurable pursuits. The psychiatrist next door seems to like to play when her husband is away. He has seen her bedroom on more than one occasion.