La Villa Romaine
Horse Racing Murder Mystery Weekends
"A Race to the Finish - Thoroughbred Races"
Story Line: This mystery is set in the mansion of an
old thoroughbred horse family in the Virginia hunt country. Five years ago, Albert
Worthington, owner of the prestigious Worthington Horse Farm of Virginia, as well as La
Villa Romaine mansion in Petersburg, Virginia, mysteriously disappeared during Virginia's
annual thoroughbred horse festival. A massive search at the time failed to turn up any
clues and the case has been in the FBI's unsolved files since then.
Now, five years later, it is once again the annual festival. Early Thursday morning,
a worker in the stables putting in a bathroom in the tack room dug up the floors to lay
some pipe. To everyone's shock and surprise, Albert's well-preserved body was
discovered under the cedar planks. The murder mystery weekend begins on Friday night with
a gathering of family and friends to mark the discovery of Albert Worthington's body, and
to attempt to solve Albert's murder. The clues and revelations begin to emerge on Friday
night and continue through the next day. More clues are uncovered at a visit to
Worthington Horse Farms' own Colonial Downs Racetrack. The final solution is disclosed the
morning after a night at the racetrack, and a breakfast in the Virginia hunt country
tradition at the mansion.
Murder Mystery participants are:
Duckie Seymour: Albert's fiancée at the time of his death. Perky and pretty,
Duckie has an effervescent personality, is fun-loving, and has a razor-sharp mind.
She is now married to the new horse farm owner, Payne.
- Costume suggestions: An innocent girlish appearance. Wool skirt
and sweater set. Scarf, charm bracelet, and single strand of pearls.
Stewart Chamberlain: A handsome, charming English art dealer who loves
beautiful art but just can't quite afford to keep it for himself. Stewart travels
the world searching for hidden art treasures for the wealthy from America and Europe.
A racing enthusiast, also claims to know "all the king's horses."
- Costume suggestions: Tweed jacket and complementary shirt with an
ascot. Wool pants. Always carries lots of cash.
Miss Rita Hayworth: A redhead with a fiery temper. Crowned the
first Miss Virginia Wheat Field at the thoroughbred horse festival ten years ago, she went
on to become a Hollywood movie star. She's returned for the festival for her ten year
anniversary, and to brag about her success to all her "Miss Wheat Field
runners-up."
- Costume suggestions: Flaming red hair, luscious
lips, false
eyelashes. Provocative, flashy dress, and a collection of jewelry unmatched for its
"sparkle."
Payne Rottingham: Albert's first cousin and
heir-apparent to the Worthington Horse Farm. Long considered the black sheep of the
family, Payne took over as manager after Albert's disappearance and has been running
things his way ever since.
- Costume suggestions: Boyish good looks, devilish smile, and a heart of
stone. Dresses in denim shirt, jeans, western boots, and leather jacket.
Scotti Tanglewood: The owner of the neighboring thoroughbred farm and a
fierce competitor of the Worthingtons. Albert's disappearance unleashed a new breed
of troubles for unhappy Scotti as she was trying to enhance her bloodline.
- Costume suggestions: White oxford blouse, tan stretch pants, leather
riding boots, and tweed blazer. A "well-tended" look.
Uncle William: Brought over from Scotland 60 years
ago by Albert's grandfather to develop Worthington Horse Farm, Uncle William has devoted
his life to the Worthington thoroughbreds.
Now he just wants to retire and go to the track everyday.
- Costume suggestions: Rugged Scottish outdoor look, plaid flannel
shirt, jeans vest, cowboy hat, cowboy boots and a bushy mustache.
Detective Hunt: A tenacious local police detective assigned to investigate
Albert's murder. Hunt has his own intimate knowledge of the race track. He's
determined to solve this unsolved mystery.
- Costume suggestions: Blazer with white shirt or turtleneck. Tweed
pants, and a pipe.
Catherine O'Hara: An Irish tourist attending the thoroughbred horse festival
while vacationing in the US. A mystery writer and best-selling novelist, she knows a thing
or two about hidden bodies and old stables.
- Costume suggestions: Tartan/plaid skirt, white blouse, black shoes,
glasses, pad and pencil to take notes.
Return to Murder Mystery Information Page
Return to La Villa Romaine Homepage (With photos of bedrooms, directions, etc.)
http://lavilla.tierranet.com/mystery2b.htm