Who dunnit?

Caroline County Council of Arts presented its sixth murder mystery dinner theater fundraiser April 4 and April 5 to a packed house at the Greensboro Volunteer Fire Company Community Center.

“Murder for Nonprofit” was the third interactive murder mystery written and directed by Keith L. Shaffer for the arts council. Shaffer is on the council’s board of directors and said he started with the idea of something similar for the script.

He invented an organization called the Loyal Order of the CRABB (Center for Recreation and Arts by the Bay), only CRABB has a dysfunctional board of directors. The events unfold at the nonprofit’s annual fundraiser, the CRABB Ball.

Once he had the concept, Shaffer said he just followed where the characters led.

During the evening, CRABB board members proceed to air their dirty laundry at an “informal” meeting in front of the guests during the gala event. Bickering ensued, tempers flared, secrets were revealed, and things took a murderous twist, all to the delight and laughter of the audience.

Shaffer praised the cast, calling them “a talented group.”

Bringing the colorful board characters to life were Jason Lerch as Andy Zof and Michelle Christopher as Heidi Loote, who each think they should run the meeting; Caitlyn Poole as Gail Forswinze, who has strong opinions; Paul Briggs as Will Knot and Chris Leslie as Morris Beddar, whose every conversation leads to an argument; and Lauren Grande Lerch as Misty Meenor and Kathy Knierim as Natalie Drest, vamps with their own agendas.

Jane Terebey was a standout as the elderly, hard-of-hearing Stella Payne. Her comedic timing was flawless.

Rounding out the board were Sam Harper as the sweet, earnest Benny Zaluzer and Michael Lee Dean as Pete Sayk, who agrees with whoever spoke last and responds whenever anyone exclaims, “For Pete’s sake!”

Michelle Spain played former CRABB secretary Anna Nutherthing, who is angry about how she was treated and then fired by Zof. Kim Hering played Stormy Neitz, the new secretary now being mistreated by Zof.

Turns out Beddar and Drest were having an extra-marital affair, Knot and Beddar used to be partners in a failed business, Meenor and Drest both wanted funding for their pet projects, and Nutherthing had proof of embezzlement, leaving the audience with plenty of food for thought as the first act ended and dinner began. Dinner was catered by the Chesapeake Culinary Arts Center.

By the time act two ended for dessert, there had been not just one, but two murders. The characters asked guests what clues they had noticed and polled them on who they thought the killer, or killers, might be.

All was revealed in the final act to a huge round of applause. On Saturday night, Tina George of Marydel received a stuffed crab doll as a prize for correctly solving the murders.

Raffle winners were drawn, and the arts council thanked everyone for coming.