Photo courtesy of Stephanie Morgan
Senior Matt Gaetano participates in the Murder Mystery Dinner.
Among the red and white tablecloths, the sound of the mandolin and the smell of Italian food, were the quarrels of the “Roni” family, accusing each other of a heinous crime. The word on everyone's lips was “murder.”
Restaurant owner “Pepe Roni” had been found killed in his own restaurant, and the culprit was sitting amongst the guests; it could be anyone.
It was a classic case of whodunit. The gangster brother, the grieving widow or the Frenchman with a pink hat—all were suspects at Saturday night's mystery dinner, sponsored by the Catholic Society.
Members of the Catholic Society dressed up and got into character with thick New York accents to play the roles of the”Roni” family while the audience tried to guess the culprit's identity through a string of clues. The guests of the mystery dinner were treated to a three-course meal at the makeshift Italian restaurant, “La Speranza,” as they sat and attempted to solve the mystery.
“I know who it was,” one audience member said.
“No wait, maybe he didn't do it.” “But what if...?”
The guests interacted with the suspects, investigating and finding clues to discover the culprit. The sounds of deduction and elimination murmured across the room as each table tried to solve the mystery without giving any ideas to neighboring tables.
“I think it was—”
“Shhhh!”
In a lower voice, “I think it was the priest!”
“But he's not even a suspect!”
Each suspect gave their pleas of innocence as the guests listened carefully to their words, listening for any clues.
“I am so entertained just listening, I don't even want to bother figuring it out,” freshman Brittany Farrell said.
“Anyone who didn't come missed out,” junior Christine Jensen said. The clues came together as the tables made their final accusations.
“It could be either one of them,” one audience member called out, “but I think it's the wife; it's always the wife!”
The truth was told, revealing enough “Roni” family skeletons to make a soap opera seem uncomplicated, and exposing the culprit as the amorous Frenchman, an unlikely suspect according to some.
“Aww! We were so close.”
“We didn't think about that.”
The table that solved the mystery was rewarded with home-baked brownies and sparkling cider to finish off an exciting evening of murder, mystery and good home-baked food.
At the end of the night, the murder was solved, the Roni family received justice and the Catholic Society held an eventful and profitable evening—a job well-done and another case closed.
President of the Catholic Society Alycia Polce later said she was pleased with the evening and estimated the mystery dinner raised around $300 or $400 in profit.
“The point of the evening was the fundraiser to bring Kimberly Hahn, who has touched many students through her books and lectures,” Polce said. “And that was successful, but also having an event where Catholics and non-Catholics can come to a more social and open activity is important.”
Hahn will give two talks, “Born Again: What the Bible Teaches about Baptism” at 10:30 a.m. and “Life-Giving Love: Embracing God's Beautiful Design for Marriage” at 1:15 p.m. on Feb. 12 in St. Anthony Catholic Church.