Piano chords and full-bodied violin strings drift through the grand foyer of a monastery-turned-mansion. The smell of roast chicken and potatoes wafts from the kitchen. Staff dressed in all black putter about, making sure everything is ready for the night. Sixteen women enter in ballgowns and suit jackets. One will not live to see the end of the night. One will leave in handcuffs.
What was supposed to be a dinner party celebrating a great accomplishment turns deadly, and it is up to the guests to solve the murder and find the culprit amongst them.
Makenna Butler became Billi Wintersole for the night. All attendees of the event were members of this year’s River Days pageant or returning queens from last year, as in Butler’s case. Wintersole, Butler’s character, was a daytime actress who was always falling short to Julia Marlowe, the host of the night’s event. “To bring this character to life, I wore a simple black dress with a blue cardigan over top, with classy black heels and a headband to give it some personality,” Butler explained.
The night began with Julia Marlowe, played by last year’s River Days queen, Brylen Scarfpin. Marlowe stood at the head of the grand dinner table to address the other guests, all of whom had some relationship with Marlowe – some friendly, some simmering with jealousy or enmity. Marlowe was celebrating her upcoming Grammy award, as it would make her the first Portsmouth native to earn an EGOT; an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award. Some guests were named as inspirations for Marlowe, such as Pearl Thomas Conley and Faith Esham. “The character names were derived from famous Portsmouth figures,” explained Jerod Walker, owner of Deadbolt Escape Rooms and coordinator for the event. “I did extensive research on individuals from Portsmouth’s past that made an impact on our area. I had to genderbend some individuals to make them fit female parts, such as Joy Rogers and Blanche Rickey.” Character selection was randomized, as the court picked envelopes containing their character names at the opening River Days meeting.
Marlowe then went on to gift each guest at the table with a ring, inlaid with a different gemstone. These were important, as Marlowe’s will listed certain gemstones to be heir to her fortune. Ultimately, this also became the motive for her untimely death. After this welcome speech, guests were served dinner as they mingled and learned more about one another.
This was Deadbolt’s third annual Murder at the Monastery event in collaboration with The Old Monastery and other event sponsors. “The Old Monastery looks like something straight out of the board game Clue,” said Walker.
“The owners of The Old Monastery had been wanting to do something like a murder mystery for a long time, but never had the right person or situation to make this happen. I took advantage of this, and we have made this event happen for the last three years, making it one of the most unique murder mysteries in the area.”
Butler expressed how much she enjoyed the event both times she attended. “I am very sad I can’t come back next year because it is always so much fun. It’s a great challenge and I love getting to play a character. It’s also really cool to see everyone putting together a costume and bringing their character to life. Having an event where you are encouraged to interact really helps to get to know one another. This event is for sure my favorite of the year! Last year’s event brought me my best friends throughout my River Days journey, and I truly believe without this event we wouldn’t have gained the connection we have.”
The sound of a bell ringing cuts through the noise of the dinner table. Attendants open their first clue envelope, detailing what room they are designated to explore; from the library on the first floor to the main bedroom on the third floor and places in between.
Moments later, a scream pierces through the air, heard all the way from the top floor. Mansion staff freeze and startle, eyes wide and worried as they rush everyone to the foyer where the noise came from. The guests, murmuring amongst each other and in a hurry, leave their rings in their respective rooms – evidence of where they were during the murder.
In the foyer, two mansion staff announce the death of Julia Marlowe. An air of shock and suspicion settles heavy amongst the dinner guests. The mansion has become a crime scene, and the guests have 30 minutes to gather as much information as they could about the unfortunate death of their dinner host.
As the owner of Deadbolt, Walker has plenty of experience in original murder mysteries. “The narrative for the murder mystery came from inspiration from many other murder mysteries that I’ve either participated in or read. When writing a murder mystery, it’s important that everyone be a suspect at least initially, but as the story unfolds, it becomes clear who has the true motive for murder.” These murder mysteries are unlike those available online, as guests can physically explore a location full of clues and interact with other guests.
“Preparation takes weeks for something like this. I think I did hand calligraphy on over 100 envelopes for this event.” The hand-written envelopes were wax sealed, and props for the event were handmade – even the printing of the necessary clues and stationery took a full day. On the day of the event, the set-up took about five hours. All of this preparation, however, paid off very well.
“I had so much fun both years, but this year was even better!” Butler said. “The storyline was different, and this year they added rings for each character that had a different meaning. The gems in the rings played a huge part in the mystery,”
Walker also voiced his satisfaction with how the night played out: “This year was amazing. I feel like the girls really went all out with their costumes and their characters. We had some amazing moments like live accusations, amazing photography of the event by Studio 2184, and many that actually solved the murder correctly.”
Ding, ding, ding.
The sound of the bell signals the beginning of the accusations. The guests return from their investigations, gathering in the foyer. Everyone has a notebook full of questions, observations, and information. There have been confrontations throughout the night – pointed fingers and raised voices, accusations of murder cornering certain guests. Now, everyone can solidify those accusations. Guests fill out accusation cards with who they believe the murderer was, what the cause of death was and where the murder occurred.
Everyone gathers once more at the dinner table. One by one, they explain why they had motive to kill Julia Marlowe, but reveal that they were not the murderer.
Until we get to Billi Wintersole.
“My favorite part about this year’s event was I, Billi Wintersole, was the murderer,” Butler said. “However, my cards did not tell me that. The entire evening, I had gained trust from many other characters but not even on purpose because I did not know I was the murderer. So, at the final reveal, I was very shocked to find out I was guilty.”
Billi Wintersole had received an emerald ring instead of her desired diamond, putting her lower on the list for Marlowe’s inheritance. So, after dinner, Wintersole forged a new will and burned the old one in the library fireplace, placing the new will in Marlowe’s safe. Marlowe caught her burning the will and threatened to expose her to the group – it was then that Wintersole knew; Marlowe would have to die.
Wintersole convinced another guest at the party, Dr. Mary Dight, to provide her with a copy of Marlowe’s medical records, under the guise of being the celebrity physician for Marlowe’s next acting job. In these records, Wintersole found that Marlowe had a deathly peanut allergy. To take advantage of this, Wintersole found peanut butter powder in the kitchen and mixed it with a glass of red wine. Dr. Dight witnessed this and witnessed Wintersole throwing the peanut butter powder container into the kitchen’s incinerator.
Upstairs, Wintersole and Marlowe shared wine and smoothed over the situation in the library. Soon, however, Marlowe began to asphyxiate. Wintersole left her there on the carpet, wine spilled and gasping for air.
As Wintersole left her glass of wine in the foyer, she did not realize that she had trailed through Marlowe’s spilled wine, leaving footprints. Marlowe, with what strength she had, found her jewelry box and left a yellow and blue stone out on the carpet.
Marlowe studied art and color theory with another guest, Claire Holbrook Carter. She did not have a green stone in the box to symbolize an emerald – however, she did have blue and yellow, which created green when mixed. A color theory chart next to Holbrook Carter’s painting in the lookout had the color combination circled.
Wintersole had not meant to commit the murder that night, but her motive was one of jealousy and revenge. She was always Marlowe’s underdog – while Marlowe got the lead, Wintersole was left in the background. After finding out Marlowe had auditioned for the same long-term role as her, she knew that getting rid of Marlowe would be her chance to shine in the spotlight.
Wintersole ended the night with these parting words. “Now I’m caught and will have to teach acting in prison. I hope vertical stripes look good on this soap opera star, because it looks like I’ll be wearing them for a long time.”
This event was not only a fun night for the River Days contestants. Scholarships and gift baskets were also rewarded to some select guests, such as the best dressed and the best detective. The event is a great icebreaker for the River Days contestants, as stated by Butler.
“Murder at the Monastery brought me closer to my court/contestants both years. The event is held at the beginning of River Days right after first meeting all of the girls, so having an event where you are encouraged to interact really helps to get to know one another.”
Though the event is named Murder at the Monastery, it has only taken place at The Old Monastery in Portsmouth for the past two years. The first event was held inside Deadbolt itself in 2022.
Adrienne Whitley, now a junior communication major at Shawnee State University, was Miss Clay at the very first River Days murder mystery. At the time, the event was based on a theme – which was titled “The Missing Crown.” River Days contestants gathered in the Deadbolt Escape Rooms lobby and party room. “The girls and I all wore our River Days shirts to showcase the development and positive changes happening in the organization,” said Whitley.
“The entire night was full of amazing memories and was one of the highlights of my reign. I specifically remember one of my pageant directors and I cracking a code together that we eventually got after many laughs and concentration!”
Whitley also shared the same sentiment as Butler about the event bringing the River Days contestants together. She reminisced on the night, in which they began with a shared dinner at Market Street and discussed how excited they were for the months to come during their River Days journey. “I remember not wanting to leave that night because of how much fun and pure joy I felt to be around the court and enjoy each other’s company.”
Whitley expressed her gratitude for events like this, which has helped her grow friendships that she still has to this day. “I am so grateful Deadbolt continues to contribute to River Days to begin every candidate’s year with pure bliss and fun!”
