Selectman Peter Teitelbaum is used to being the bad guy.

Exposed as the killer in the “Murder of the Mystery Detective” performance at the Wareham Library Friday night, he had no qualms playing the villain.

“I'm a villain enough in real life,” he said. “I’m perfectly ok with it.”

The whodunit, which was presented by the Wareham Library Foundation, Inc., was performed for the second year in a row to benefit the library. In the show, a thrill-seeking, gameshow-loving library owner Arthur Conan Doyle (played by Wareham Week’s own Bill Whelan) assembles a cast of six of the “world’s best mystery detectives” for an “Ultimate Challenge of Detection,” only to be murdered in his own library.

A flock of other familiar Wareham faces filled up the cast.

Selectman Judith Whiteside directed and acted in the performance, playing flirty librarian Lotta Books. The six detectives included Teitelbaum, who played Hemlock Bones; Superintendent Dr. Kimberly Shaver-Hood, who played Kutesy Millstone; School Committee member Melvin Lazarus, who played Hercules Perot; Library Board of Trustees member Jim Mendes, who played Sam Slayed; Board of Assessors member Roxanne Barboza, who played Agatha Mystery; and Conservation Commission Vice Chair and devoted citizen Sandy Slavin, who played Nancy Prude. Rounding out the cast was Boys and Girls Club Director Ken Fontes, who played Inspector Dogleash.

Audience members were invited to participate in the mystery acting as detectives themselves, as clues were spread both throughout the characters’ performances and the library. Only one person—Wareham resident Jenna Correia—could figure out the mystery.

Correia picked “Bones” or Teitelbaum’s character, also correctly naming the room he did the killing in, which was the spa.

“I took notes on all the clues,” said Correia, adding that Bones hinted at the killing earlier in the performance by not including his location at the time of the murder in his alibi. She was awarded a gift certificate to a local business for her sleuth skills.

Kerry Mello, President of the Wareham Library Foundation, said last year’s event raised over $4,000 for the library, and she expected this year’s results to be similar.

“It’s something that people seem to enjoy,” she said, noting the challenge the library is currently facing in the wake of severe cuts to its budget. “We’re raising money and we’re having fun—you can’t beat that.”

The night also included food and beverages, as well as dessert, and a silent raffle.

Mello also thanked Whiteside for her participation.

“She organized the whole thing, which is very generous of her,” said Mello.

“We hope to do it every year,” said Whiteside, who also mentioned that proceeds from the event would go towards the purchase of new books. “It’s a good night out with dinner and dessert. It’s just a good cause.”