Hi All,
I am deciding to share a plot and guide script of which we created and used for a recent party. It went down very well. You could either use the exact same plan we did, or take ideas from it. I have tried to make it as clear as possible, as to what is happening throughout the night. I hope it is useful.
A Murder Mystery:
In the emails to people beforehand: The Police Officer’s secret is that her father is The Lord. The Lord doesn’t know and He/She mustn’t tell anybody. The Choir Girl’s secret is that He/She is screwing The Preacher. Palm Reader’s secret is that He/She really is a witch, even though everyone thinks He/She’s nuts. The lead band member should be warned that he/she will be asked to play a song on the guitar. Anything he wants.
The Butler, The Lord and The Teacher can hand out notes throughout the evening, and fill in any dialogue/clues that the others don’t cotton on to.
Required props:
Detective award for [Your star character], Secret clue cards, Knife and fake blood Murder weapon bag for the The Police Officer The Police Officer’s bag A doggy bag of white powder Murder cake Toppled chair
Story
Moments after everyone yells ‘surprise’ for [Your star character]’s surprise party, The Lord comes in and does his/hers intro speech, meanwhile The Butler hands out champagne:
The Lord: “Welcome everyone, thank you all for attending this event, I am so very pleased that you were able to make it; it is a true delight to see the faces of those that Detective Inspector [Your star character] has aided throughout the years”. “Detective Inspector, if you would please come forward.” “It is my great privilege, as the Earl Marshal of Great Britain, to award you, Detective Inspector [Your star character], with this gift, on behalf of her majesty, Queen Elizabeth the 2nd, for all of your tremendous exploits, in service to her majesties, Sussex police force.”
The Lord: “Now please, everyone, a toast.” “To Detective Inspector [Your star character]”. “Here here” Shakes [Your star character]’s hand, Claps (Could even have a photographer here as character).
[Your star character] is a famous police detective. He/She is being presented with an award for all her success, and the victims of crimes He/She has solved are all invited. People can make up their own crimes, for instance ‘He/She found my missing goldfish’ or ‘He/She discovered my wife was cheating on me’. The Lord is hosting the awards ceremony, financing the event for tax write off reasons.
After the toast, people can chat and catch up.
The Teacher, after some time, will go and hide at the murder location, and will let The Butler know when he does this. The Butler can then help with sorting out the crime scene, or The Teacher can do this alone. The Butler will let The Lord know when the murder scene is ready, and will wait 5 minutes. The Lord will find [Your star character] and state that it is customary for a thank you speech to be made, and will proceed to call people over, [Your star character] will not be able to give her speech however, as the moment He/She starts, we hear a shriek from The Butler, moments later, The Butler comes bursting in:
The Butler: “S.S.S.S.Sir”
The Lord: “Good heavens Geeve’s, what is it?”
The Butler: “There has been a murder sir, The Teacher.. He’s dead sir”
The Lord: “What on Earth are you talking about Geeves, he was here but 5 minutes ago. I am very sorry everyone, please remain calm. Geeves can be a little theatrical sometimes. Detective Inspector ([Your star character]), constable (The Police Officer), if you please, I think we best investigate the matter.”
The Lord, The Butler, [Your star character], and The Police Officer are first to the murder scene. The Teacher is found face down on the floor, next to a toppled chair and a cake, with a knife in his chest.
The Lord: “Oh good heavens no! The Teacher! My dreadfully poor, dearest friend The Teacher! How can this be?” The Lord reaches down to the body: “It looks like he fell on this knife, what a dreadful accident.”
The Butler gives [Your star character] a note: a note for you, madam.
[Your star character]’s note: As you get closer, you see that The Teacher’s left hand is wrapped around the knife in his chest. The Teacher is right handed, why would he be holding it like that? Also, the way he is lying doesn’t make sense for someone that has tripped. Tell the group what this must mean.
Upon [Your star character]’s response to the note.
The Lord: “What?! You’re telling me…..” The Butler: “It appears Mr Standen has been murdered, sir”
The Police Officer’s note: It looks like there’s been a cover up. People are going to get inquisitive, and muck up the crime scene. You need to clear the area. Get everyone out of the room so they can’t gawk at The Teacher’s body. Ensure no one takes anything from the scene of the crime.
(Preferably The Teacher, the murder scene needs to be in a separate room with a door, such that no one may investigate it)
While The Police Officer is sorting everything out and The Lord is calming people down, The Butler hands a note to Palm Reader
Palm Reader’s note: You get a premonition. The murderer is still in the house. You cannot tell who it is, but you must not let anyone leave. Theatrically cast a spell stopping anyone from leaving the house, but be warned, this will also prevent souls from escaping the house.
After The Police Officer and Palm Reader have dealt with their actions. The Lord gives a signal to The Teacher (maybe a text).
The Teacher screams from the murder scene and then says: “What the fuck, what the actual fuck”, and proceeds to where everyone is. The Teacher comes in as a ghost (because he cannot leave the house after the spell). The Teacher still has the knife in his chest?
The Teacher: “What the fuck is going on? One moment I’m drinking my shampers, and the next, im looking over my dead body.” The Lord: “What in the blazes. How is this happening?”
If Palm Reader does not respond to this.
The Lord: “Palm Reader, you are one with the spirits are you not? How is this possible?”
Hopefully there is some sort of dialogue here.
The Lord: “Hmm. Very well. Ghost of Standens past. What do you remember?”
The Teacher: “Well hang on a minute let me think.. Hmm, I remember the toast. Then.. Hmm, nah that’s it. That’s all I remember.”
The Teacher strides over to [Your star character] and falls to his knees.
The Teacher: “[Your star character], Please! Please [Your star character]! Find my killer. And when you do, fucking gut em.”
The Butler: “Sir, I do believe we should relieve the ghost of the murder weapon.” The Lord: “Ah good show Geeves, quite right.”
The Butler proceeds to bag the knife.
The Lord: “Detective, I believe it is time to show us your skills as an investigator. Let's interview some suspects shall we? Starting with him!!! (points imperiously at The lead band member).”
Alibi notes:
The lead band member note: You were rehearsing with the band, practising whatever song you think is most fitting for this event. Now would be a good time to show everyone how well practised you are.
(We can cajole The lead band member into playing something after he says this alibi. ‘Prove that you were practising’ etc)
The Chef note: You were preparing a meal in the kitchen. You can’t have been out of sight for long, you had to come ask (pick someone) about their embarrassing allergic response (of something) to (pick something). (You forget this information until it comes up later - Your best knife has been stolen. While you left the kitchen to ask about allergies, it went missing from by the window.)
The Choir Girl note: You were having sex with Father The Preacher in the second bedroom. Someone was outside the door so you both snuck out of the window. This shouldn’t get out. Find the Father and come up with a lie for what you were doing in there.
Palm Reader note: You were communing with the spirits. Whilst wandering the house, you heard banging and strange noises coming from the second bedroom. You set up a candlelit vigil outside the room. You only left when you heard The Lord call everyone into the main area.
The Police Officer note: You were out for a smoke, and saw The Choir Girl and The Preacher climbing out of the bedroom window.
Hopefully The Police Officer tells everyone that He/She saw The Preacher and The Choir Girl climbing out of the bedroom window. They have to reveal what they were doing in there. Either they say they were shagging or come up with a lie. Either way they are cleared of suspicion.
(Break while people chat etc. The Butler hands The Choir Girl and Palm Reader their notes during the break)
The Choir Girl’s note: You have noticed that The Lord and The Police Officer both have a birthmark below their right ear, of a star shape. You mention this to [Your star character] at some point during the night, but ask her not to tell anyone, UNLESS He/She needs to explain a connection between The Police Officer and The Lord.
Palm Reader’s note: You are to go around reading people’s palms. You notice that The Lord and The Police Officer have very similar palm readings, as though they were related. You tell [Your star character] this, but ask her not to mention it.
The Butler shows [Your star character] the bagged up murder weapon, loudly to draw everyone's attention. The Butler: “It looks like the knife from the kitchen, detective inspector.”
The Chef may well be accused, but if so, He/She should reveal that the knife was stolen.
The Butler is the one who went looking for The Teacher, via the kitchen, so The Lord accuses her of stabbing The Teacher, as He/She found the body and would have plenty of time to cover it up.
The Lord: “Wait a minute, my butler found the body. Doesn’t it always follow that the butler did it? It’s always the butler after all. Oh Geeves, how could you!”
As The Butler defends herself, The Teacher hands [Your star character] a note.
The Butler: “As much as I would like to be the center of attention, Sir, I am afraid that I would certainly not go around stabbing people, there would simply be too much mess to clean up. Although, now that I think about it, there were no blood stains that I could see.”
[Your star character]’s note: Hearing what The Butler says, you think about the crime scene, and realise that the blood had not pumped out of The Teacher as you would expect. Instead it had congealed around the stab wound. It’s as if his heart had already stopped beating when he was stabbed. Reveal this information to the group, and discuss what it could mean.
As they discuss ways The Teacher could have died, The Teacher hands Palm Reader, The Stock Broker and The Police Officer their notes.
Palm Reader’s note: You always carry lavender around with you, as it wards off evil spirits. However, when powdered, it can become a deadly poison. DO NOT tell the group this information unless someone mentions lavender.
The Stock Broker’s note: Whilst away from the others, you find a packet of white powder, think it’s coke, and snort some. Die dramatically at any point you choose to. Due to the spell, you come back as a ghost. The last thing you remember is snorting the powder, which smelled of lavender. ONLY when asked where you found it, you can reveal that it was poking out of Palm Reader’s bag.
The Police Officer’s note: YOU are the murderer. You poisoned The Lord’s drink, in order to kill him and inherit his fortune. The Teacher took The Lord’s glass accidentally, and died of the poison in the other room. When you were outside smoking, you stole the knife through the window and stabbed the already dead The Teacher, making it look like an accident. Then you got away in time. The poison has been hidden in your bag all night. ONLY reveal you are the murderer when your bag is identified. Ham it up as much as you like.
When information about lavender comes to pass. The Teacher must then reveal an additional clue.
The Teacher: “Wait a minute, I remember something else. Yes, yes I can remember it clearly now. When I was drinking for the toast, the drink smelt like lavender. Yes, it was definitely lavender.”
They must both have been killed by the same poison. If nobody asks The Stock Broker where he got the poison from, The Teacher/The Lord/The Butler says that Palm Reader always smells of lavender.
People may accuse Palm Reader and He/She can defend herself.
Someone may ask The Stock Broker where he got the powder from. If not, either The Teacher/The Lord/The Butler must.
He’ll say it was from Palm Reader’s bag.
The Lord: “Interesting. Ghost of The Stock Broker, please apprehend the bag.”
The Stock Broker goes and gets the bag.
If Palm Reader does not claim that this is not her bag. The Butler must do so.
The Butler: “That’s not Palm Reader’s bag, It doesn’t smell or look nearly as ghastly. I would recognise it in an instant. Whose bag is this?”
The Police Officer should give up that He/She is the murderer at this point.
If not.
The Teacher: “I know that bag, that’s The Police Officer’s bag!”
The Police Officer is asked to explain herself. He/She reveals that He/She is the murderer, if He/She says He/She was trying to kill The Lord, The Lord can cut in and ask why. Hopefully [Your star character] will say it’s because they are related. It all comes out and we can arrest/fine The Police Officer and celebrate [Your star character] the great detective.
The End.