Checking Out a Murder Plot

Everyone knew the Oxnard Public Library needed money. But only Carrol Mills knew how to get it.

A couple of dead bodies, a missing antique book collection, fraud, prostitution. She could make it all happen. And if everything came together as planned, the library would soon be on Easy Street.

Or at least on A Street. South A Street. 251 South A St., to be precise. And by the way, where are you going to be on the nights of Jan. 31 and Feb. 1?

Well, if you are planning on attending the “Murder in the Library” fund-raiser, we have a good idea where you’re likely to be. And so does Mills.

“There are some very strange things going on in the library. For one thing, Marian (The Librarian) Peruse died mysteriously Jan. 6 of this year,” said Mills, who ought to know. She and fellow writer James Bidwell operate their Ventura-based business, Red Herrings for All Occasions, by creating custom-made murder mysteries all over town.

For the Oxnard library event, the pair have written “The Case of the Licentious Librarian”--(our poor, checked out Marian).

All suspects, detectives, possible victims and just plain philanthropists will join Mills at the library to determine the facts--that’s right, just the facts--behind Peruse’s demise.

“Everybody will come to the library the night in question for the memorial service,” Mills said. “The idea is to make the audience feel part of the action. For that reason we have a lot of surprises planned. . . . They will be able to touch the evidence, read it. If there’s a weapon involved, handle it.”

The “Murder in the Library” is the first major fund-raiser organized by Oxnard Friends of the Library, which for 25 years has raised money for the nearly 90-year-old institution, generally through a gift shop and book sales.

Proceeds from the murder mystery will support the library’s children’s programs and its business, medical, legal, multilingual and CD-ROM collections.

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Along with the 100 or so guests expected to turn out each of the two nights, there will be a cast of 14 characters--a combination of library staff and Mills’ acquaintances. The special guest will be Oxnard Police Chief Harold Hurtt in the role of Police Chief Harold Hill.

The list of six sordid suspects will include aspiring young actress CousCous Miranda; John Steinpecker, the library’s newly hired custodian; known thief Daniel Steal; Oxnard poet Sylvia Plethora; and Holly Golikely, a disgruntled library employee.

Audience sleuths will be guided through the evening by narrator T. Killa Mockingbird and three ad-libbing detectives, Huey Longstocking, Dewey DeCimal and Looie Lamore. In addition to questioning the suspects, the crew of crime solvers will try to rip holes in the guests’ alibis.

“At the end of the evening, everybody gathers around,” Mills said. “Each of the characters will have a part of the solution to read and explain what they did, why they did it and when they did it. And we will do a reenactment of the actual murder itself.”

Mills said as with all of her murder mystery functions, she has tailored the library’s show to fit the surroundings. Before putting pen to paper, she first met with members of Friends of the Library to find out a little more about the institution and the city in which it is located.

“We listen to the people and they tell us the concerns they have. One of the main concerns was that Oxnard gets bad press all the time, that people don’t realize Oxnard is a good place to live,” Mills said. “We say, ‘Uh-oh, why does Oxnard get bad press? Well, of course. Because there are secret agents out there trying to bring Oxnard down.’ ”

Thus, spies are implicated in the murder of madam librarian.

“Then we noticed that there were a lot of empty desks in the library where they plan to put computers,” Mills said. “We said, ‘Uh-oh, let’s take that element and say somebody’s taken their money.’ And now we have embezzlement at the library. That’s why they have those empty desks.”

And then there is the mysterious “Janitor’s” closet.

“There’s a room upstairs in the library with a sign that says, ‘Janitor,’ Mills said. “Everyone knows there’s no such person [they are now maintenance engineers]. So what’s in that room? Why is the door always locked?”

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Mills, president of the Gold Coast chapter of Romance Writers of America, said the best part about producing the mysteries is the reaction from those attending.

“We absolutely adore it when we see what happens when we turn 100 people loose on one of our plots, trying to solve it,” she said. “They can be intensely more creative than we can.”

Mills said a successful night ends with 50% to 60% of the guests solving the crime.

For the folks at Oxnard library, those figures might be considered quite an accomplishment, given that they haven’t had much practice solving murders. At least that’s the story told by Delores Bensor, a 35-year library employee.

But then again, she’s as suspicious as any of them.

“At least there hasn’t been a murder since 1960 when I came to the library. And I’m sure if there had been a murder before that, we would have heard about it,” said Bensor (a.k.a. Holly Golikely), who is in charge of circulation services.

Kathy Tomason, a five-year library employee and the alter ego of Detective Lamore, sneers at such shameless claims of innocence.

“I’ll be looking for who has red socks and why they are wearing red socks, why does their breath smell like pistachio nuts, when did they last see the victim. Maybe they’ve been in and out of the library a lot lately, but we have no patron record for them,” Tomason said. “I read a lot of mysteries.”

DETAILS

* WHAT: “The Case of the Licentious Librarian.”

* WHEN: 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Jan. 31 and Feb. 1; doors open at 7 p.m.

* WHERE: Oxnard Public Library, 251 South A St.

* HOW MUCH: $20, with proceeds benefiting a variety of library services.

* CALL: 385-7534.