West Dover inn about to be the scene of the crime

 WEST DOVER- A murder will take place in this quiet resort town this Saturday night. And Sunday morning the murderer and his victim will sit down together for breakfast. 

No, West Dover isn’t the East Coast version of “Twin Peaks.” The victim and the murderer will simply be playing the roles they’ve been assigned, along with a dozen or so other guests and participants in the Austin Hill Inn’s “Murder Mystery Weekend.” 

Inn owners John and Debbie Bailey will hold the last of approximately 10 murder mystery weekends conducted this year, and will start the series again next April. And some participants say they’re already making plans to return in the spring.

“We’re definitely talking about doing it again next year,” says Beth-Ann Waldron, a New Hampshire resident and avowed mystery fan who played a part along with her husband and two other couples at the November weekend. “Everyone had a really great time.” The Baileys say the guests usually do have a great time at the event, no matter what their background or social profile. John Bailey spends the weekend acting as a facilitator, while Debbie stays for the most part behind the scenes, preparing the scrumptious dinner and breakfast which also serve to facilitate the interaction between guests.

“We love doing it. We look forward to them,” Debbie says. “There’s more work, but everyone’s just having so much fun.” 

The murder mysteries at Austin Hill began with former owner Robbie Sweeney, who had held a few during her ownership. Because of their success with it, and the fun they have running them, the Baileys have made the event a regular feature at the inn. “I’ve had tears rolling down my cheeks at some of the things that happen,” John notes.

A minimum of 12 participants is needed, according to the scripts, prepared by a California writer for the weekends. The event can accommodate up to 21 and the Baileys have seen young and old, families, office mates, and more than a few mystery fanatics over the course of the year. Some guests become more consumed by their role than others, but almost everyone ends up getting sucked in, they add.

A local case in point would be East Dover resident Mike Seaton, who played “Guido Ravioli” so well that his wife Andrea Seaton says some of the other guests thought the two were actors. 

“My husband was so obnoxious, they didn’t know what to think,” Andrea says of the other guests’ reaction to her husband. “He’d put so much vegetable oil in his hair for his costume that I didn’t really want him to touch me.”

The Baileys say Mike Seaton was “the loudest and most obnoxious Guido ever,” adding his gold chains and shirt open to the navel were also a big hit with fellow participants. And even those less outgoing than Mike will find themselves committed to their roles, Andrea said.

“At these you can really take on the persona of your character and never leave it,” she said. “At a cocktail party I’m likely to be the most shy person there. But for those who find it difficult to make small talk or who feel uncomfortable trying to initiate conversation, this is an excellent way to go at it.”

Debbie Bailey agrees. “People who are shy, they get here and it’s a whole different side of their personality. They end up being the best actors and actresses,” she said.

The weekends also give guests a chance to deck out in their finest (or oiliest in the case of Mike Seaton.)

“It was a wonderful excuse to pull my wedding dress out of the mothballs and put on all of my grandmother’s fabulous jewelry,” Andrea said. “I really felt like the star of the day.”

The script the Baileys currently use tells a story set in the 1940s, but they’ve used a few different versions, including one set at a sock hop, and another called “Spies Among Us.” There are also disco, Star Trek, prohibition and medieval era themes available. 

At Waldron’s weekend, only one participant correctly guessed the identity of the murderer, though that may be thanks in part to John Bailey’s tweaking of the scripts. “If I didn’t, they would just be too obvious,” he says. “And the script writer likes what I do with them, so it works out well.”

Participants have ranged from the age of six up to a woman whose family held her 75th birthday celebration at one of the weekends. The Baileys are happy to accommodate almost any twist. The two six-year-olds assumed the roles of “Boffo” and “Rocko,” water-pistol packing bodyguards to their 75-year-old grandmother. 

The players receive their information packet, including a description of their character, background information, costume suggestions, a guest list, and instructions on how to play. The packet also includes a “newspaper” article which for the more observant among the guests will provide clues as to “whodunnit.” 

The mystery weekends had previously been open only to guests of the inn, but the Baileys have begun to order four extra scripts per event, in order to accommodate local interest. 

“We had a local couple fill in when we were short a few players and they just had such a great time,” Debbie Bailey noted. “That’s when we decided to open it to the public.”

Local players are invited to attend the opening reception Saturday night, followed by a candlelight dinner and an awards breakfast on Sunday morning. 

After the mystery is unraveled Saturday night, the Baileys give each participant a ballot with two questions–whodunnit? and why? John Bailey says some of the whys make for particularly funny reading. John reads all of the ballots and then asks everyone who has been accused to stand up. The real murderer is then asked to remain standing. 

“One time, we asked the real murderer to remain standing and one of the guys who wasn’t the murderer was still standing up,” John Bailey recalls. “We asked him what he was doing and he said ‘Well didn’t I kill her?’”

The December 4 and 5 event is full, but the Baileys say they’re looking forward to beginning again in April. They are also willing to accommodate private parties of 12 or more who want to “take over the inn” for a mystery weekend. 

Cost to participate in the murder mystery weekend is $410 per couple and includes:

.For information on overnight stays and accomodations, contact the Baileys at austinhi@sover.net.

“There’s definitely a lot of work behind the scenes to put it on,” John notes. “But everyone has such a great time that it’s well worth it.”

Photo: “Marie D. Snobb,” one of the suspects at a previous Austin Hill Inn murder mystery weekend.