All of the characters featured in this article are fictional.

The party was going quite well until Nick Nemetz, the North side mob boss, was shot just as he was about to propose to his girlfriend, Molly Moll.

This was how act two of Stony Brook’s Student Activities Weekend Life Murder Mystery Dinner started—with Nick’s murder.

Amy Wallin, Program Advisor for Evening and Weekend Life, coordinated the event, and said it went really well. “People really go all out,” she said, referring to the costumes. The guests this year totaled 40, increasing by eight people from last year. The event was brought back because it did so well, making this the second year running for the murder mystery event.

As a member of the South side gang, I should not have had a problem with Nick’s untimely passing, yet the clues I was provided with made everything seem a little suspicious.

My clue upon walking into The Juice Joint, the swanky speakeasy of the 20s-themed dinner party of colorful characters, was that my mob boss, Sal, was in the midst of a relationship with Natalie Nemetz, Nick’s sister. Not only that, but Nick’s ex-wife Flora also had a thing for Sal.

I wondered about absent mindedly waiting for the party to begin when I was offered some non-alcoholic sparkling cider to keep with the theme. Music from the time period also played from a Pandora station; it was not exactly of the time period, but it was still appreciated.

My friends for the evening, a flapper and politician, ate with me as we waited for Rosie Marie, the owner of The Juice Joint, to get the party started.

The party commenced, and my objectives were simple: I was to spread discontent in Flora’s mind about her chances with Sal while questioning Natalie about her relationship.

My attempts at bribery and trickery – which are encouraged at such an event – were highly ineffective. My offer was nonchalantly blown off by Natalie when I threated to expose her secret to Flora.

In order to get new information, I had to make friends with some of the people at the party. Gino Gin, the bartender, and Mabel Biggs, the mayor’s wife, proved to be worthy allies. Gino and I met numerous times to exchange information.

Then the murder took place. I watched as Nick was shot. I looked around to see who was present and to catch a glimpse of everyone’s reactions.

Everyone hastily opened their envelopes labeled “Do not open until after the murder.” Everyone set to work on using their new clues and objectives find the murderer. I soon discovered, through my politician friend’s information, that Nick was actually poisoned before he was shot.

This led me to the conclusion that Nick’s sister, Natalie, committed the crime. My clue had indicated that Natalie would be the one to receive the inheritance money from Nick’s demise. Not only that, but Private Investigator Pinkerton brought to light evidence that Nick’s banking ledger showed suspicious transactions.

My guess, however, was wrong. The killer was not Natalie, but instead it was the police chief, Chief Cameron. Chief Cameron murdered Nick because while the mayor promised Cameron re-election, the mayor was actually working with Nick who guaranteed the job to Cy Ramsey, Nick’s henchman. Cameron found out and took the opportunity to kill Nick.

As part of weekend life, the event is geared toward keeping students on campus during the weekend. Lily Sarrafha, a sophomore biology and environmental studies major said it didn’t keep her here during the weekend, but “it was really cool,” and she would definitely do it again.

I left feeling disappointed with my wrong guess, but hopeful that I would deduce the killer’s identity next year.