Murder on the Lake - From Shot in the Dark

Murder on the Lake

For generations, Brizo Island has been a place of legend, with talk of shipwrecks, ghost crews and even sunken treasure. These legends stemmed from unexplained shipwrecks in even the most mild weather conditions and have earned the passage a reputation of being akin to the Bermuda Triangle – and the name “Sirens Pass.:” The island itself was founded by a group of families, referred to as The Founders, at the turn of the twentieth century and the heirs of these founding families own the residences and cottages on Brizo Island today. Each year, the islanders throw a private regatta, with all sorts of enjoyment and boat races. Yesterday, the races had to be postponed as the chop was so fierce it sunk one of the boats! This morning, all eyes were on the bay as everyone waited to see if the regatta could continue. But when a body was found in the bay, the regatta is postponed indefinitely as the residents of Brizo Island suddenly find themselves suspects in a private murder investigation! No one wants mainland law enforcement stumbling on their secrets, so it’s up to all of them, suspects or not, to get to the bottom of the murder!

Suspect List

✰ Trixie Dagwood – Trixie Dagwood, nee Trixie Getty, has recently moved into the Getty residence on the east side of Neptune Bay (now called The Dagwood Residence, much to the chagrin of the others on the island). Trixie inherited the estate from her estranged father, a man named Samson Getty, who was recently murdered in another of his estates. While she had been disowned for marrying Judd Dagwood, Getty still remembered Trixie in his will, giving her one of his twelve estates in spite of the fact that the two had not spoken since her engagement to Judd. Before his death, Getty had wanted to sell his estate on Brizo Island, but the Founders’ Council stopped him. After a heated argument, Getty abandoned his property and the other residents believe that Getty leaving his estate to Trixie was his revenge against the Founders Council not allowing ho sell his property. Trixie is loud, crass and spends most evenings in the bay in her motorboat with music blasting – or arguing with her husband, Judd Dagwood.

✰ Cora Grimes – Head of the Brizo Island Founders Council, Cora Grimes role is similar to that of a city mayor, however Brizo Island does not have its own political system. A divorcee, Cora lives on Brizo Island and takes a wage from the Founders Council coffers to ensure the island runs as the island’s founders and the current residents themselves, demand. Cora is a tough woman who lives at the northeast-most part of Brizo Island, atop a hill the residents refer to as Grimes Point, after her grandfather who first set up his home atop the cliff.

✰ Alexa Barnes – A younger resident of Brizo Island, Alexi lives in a large residence on the north east end of Brizo Island. She shares the house with her parents and her grandfather and makes up the fifth generation of Barnes on Brizo Island. She comes from a close family and lives on Brizo Island year-round. Each morning, she can be found paddling Neptune Bay on her stand up paddle board before beginning her yoga practice and meditation on her beach. Alexia is a peaceful addition to Brizo Island and enjoys harmony and balance in her life. She loves Neptune Bay and plans to live out her days on BrIzo Island. She is kind, caring and calm and rarely gets upset, excited or angry about anything.

✰ Kristen Ferris – A younger resident of Brizo Island, Kirsten lives in the boat house of her parents’ property. Having grown up on the island, Kristen is passionate about Brizo Island, the community and its history. She started the Brizo Island Museum in the base of the lighthouse on Damien’s Look-Out. Kristen is friendly, outgoing and tends to be the social coordinator… she heads up the Regatta Committee each year and organizes all the boat races, contestants and festivities.

✰ Judy Ferris – Mother of Kristen Ferris and Wife of Jack Ferris, Judy has long family ties on Brizo Island, A proud woman, Judy is a strong advocate for Brizo Island’s traditions. Anyone wanting to purchase a house on the island who is not a descendant of the Founders of Brizo Island has a tough fight on their hands with Judy on the Founders Council. A tenacious woman, none of the other islanders want to be the center of Judy Ferris’ crosshairs. Thanks to her family’s wealth, neither Judy nor her husband need to work.

✰ Claudia Gable – A reporter for a local newspaper in the big city, Claudia Gable is tenacious and fierce and never let go of a potential story once she has it in her sights. Not a resident of Brizo Island, Claudia has been staying on a boat anchored off Grimes Point since she arrived in the area yesterday. Her confidence and straight-forward manner of speaking intimidates even the most self-assured person. Her reason for being on the island isn’t clear, but all of Brizo Island’s residents will feel a lot better when she leaves.

✰ Millie Rainier – Millie (short for Millicent, nee Glastonbury) Rainier is the wife of Otis Rainier and one of the older residents on Brizo Island. Having lived there for most of her adult life, she comes from a long line of Glastonbury’s on Brizo Island. Millie is one of the most cherished residents on the island as she is the quintessential “sweet old lady.” She has a very active social life, being in charge of church activities, fundraisers and she heads up the Brizo Island Crochet and Knitting Club. She can usually be found having tea and sharing gossip with any of the other of the more aged society of Brizo Island and she finds amusement and joy in the other residents here.

✰ Judd Dagwood – Husband of Trixie Dagwood, heir to the Getty residence on the east side of Neptune Bay, Judd is taking full advantage of his wife’s inheritance on Brizo Island. He loves racing their motorboats around the bay while playing music loudly, drinking beer on his deck while playing music loudly and racing the estate ATVs on the city streets at night – while playing music loudly. Judd is fun-loving and never takes anything seriously – especially the fury he receives from island residents like Nathan Smithers, who hits golf balls from his dock toward them at night when the couple is cruising around the bay. Life is a party for Judd and he has no intention of leaving Brizo Island anytime soon.

✰ Nathan Smithers – Retired golf pro Nathan Smithers took his family residence after deciding to leave the world of professional golf for good. Immediately preceding his arrival, he had a number of “enhancements” made to his house, which sits right on the south end of Neptune Bay. These enhancements included a tee box on his dock, from which he hits golf balls into the bay. The residents of Brizo Island quickly learned that Nathan Smithers has a temper when they complained about the mess of golf balls in the bay and while Nathan has since hired someone to dive down once each week and collect the golf balls, he makes sure to let the other residents of Brizo Island know that he is not happy about having to endure them day-to-day.

✰ Zac Burden – Zac is head of the Brizo Island Regatta, a dragon boat racer and a scuba diving enthusiast just like his father and grandfather before him, who also lived on Brizo Island. A single man, Zac enjoys the outdoors and heads up the Brizo Island Regatta Committee, planning all the details of the Regatta each summer. Zac is young, fit and single – one of the most eligible bachelors on the island, but in spite of the number of people trying to set him up, Zac lives alone in his large estate on the south east side of Brizo Island.

✰ Old Man Barnes – Grandfather of Alexa Barnes, Frank Barnes, A.K.A. “Old Man Barnes” has lived on Brizo Island his whole life. In fact, he has rarely strayed from Brizo Island and now spends his days as the local historian, working in the island museum. He is still an active member of the Founders Council and has a heavily-weighted vote on all things regarding the island. Old Man Barnes is one of the last surviving members of his generation on the island and is much-loved by the residents, despite his sometimes grouchy persona and disdain for the generations that followed his. A mano who loves to fish, Old Man Barnes used to take his notorious white canoe out on the lake at the crack of dawn to catch that evening’s dinner, but lately his canoe goes largely unused – at least, not used by him. If his white canoe isn’t enough for him to stand out in the bay, the other residents can always tell it’s him because his wardrobe is solely made up of plaid shirts.

✰ Jack Ferris – Father of Kristen Ferris and Husband of Judy Ferris, Jack won his citizenship on Brizo Island the day he and Judy married and he has been a devoted islander ever since. Having no need to work thanks to Judy’s family estate, Jack spends his days taking care of their property and keeping the gardens of the Ferris lake house pristine and beautiful. He does his best to keep out of Founders Council business, but with his wife a prominent member, he still finds himself privy to all the island gossip and drama.

✰ Otis Rainier – Otis Rainier is the husband of Millie (short for Millicent) Rainier and one of the more aged residents of Brizo Island. Having lived here since his marriage to Millie many, many years ago, it has been decades since he has ventured off Brizo Island. Otis enjoys a quiet, slow-paced life. He takes joy in working in the couple’s large garden and always seems to have some sort of landscaping project on the go. Some islanders greet Otis by asking him what he’s “digging up today”. His hard work has paid off though, as Millie and Otis have one of the most beautifully landscaped properties on the island.