Hat Kid checked herself in the mirror as she finished her breakfast. With an early start to the day, she had to make sure she looked presentable for the camera. She planned to keep her usual look but had to make sure she had no dirt or messy hair. Once she finished checking herself over, she gave her reflection a smirk and finger guns. Putting on her hat, she hopped down to Dead Bird Studio.
She landed right outside the large building and was about to enter when she heard the familiar Scottish accented voice of the Conductor.
"Over here, lass!" She looked over and her eyes lit up with wonder. Right on the left side of the Studio's open lot was a large steam train. It blew its whistle as Express Owls began to gather inside. The Conductor was standing at the back end of the caboose, where there was a sort of balcony where passengers can stand and observe their surroundings as they travel. He had a pocket watch in hand as he waved her over.
With an eager smile, Hat Kid ran right up and hopped on the train, right next to the Conductor.
"Was wondering if ye were gonna make it, lassie. Glad yer here bright and early. So, where's that prop I loaned you?"
Hat Kid's smile dropped when she realized she didn't have it on hand. She had it locked back up in her safe where it belonged. Besides, she was mainly excited by the fact she will get to star in two movies.
The Conductor's smile dropped as well, seeing her expression. He sighed and asked, "Ye left it, didn't you?" She looked down, giving him a small sad nod. He looked back up and replied, "It's fine. I had a feeling that would happen since the owls do it all the time. I have an extra we can use. But next time, make sure you have everything prepared before coming."
Hat Kid gave a small nod in understanding, quietly looking down. The Conductor then smirked and tousled her hair a bit, causing her to look up with mild surprise by the friendly gesture. He then went into the train car and shouted, "Alright, owls! Let's get this train rolling!"
With a loud whistle from the Owl Express, the train started rolling down the tracks. It was amazing to Hat Kid that the lot was big enough to have a whole train track system set around the area. She bounced up and down as she watched the environment move around her. The wind in her hair and sun on her skin felt amazing as the train chugged along.
The Conductor then came back to the caboose. He leaned against the railing, pocket watch open, and looked to Hat Kid while saying, "Now. I haven't finished writing out the script for the movie yet, so we're not recording. You go on ahead and explore the train. I'll call for yer when the script is ready."
Hat Kid smiled and nodded, then headed inside to explore. The Conductor shook his head with a small smile. "Kids…" He turned back to the view of the environment, enjoying the scenery.
Once inside, Hat Kid did not even have a chance to take a look in the caboose car as a tall figure in a trench coat and fedora walked right up to her. A bit startled by the sudden stranger approach, she gripped the handle of her umbrella, ready to fight if necessary. Upon closer inspection, this shady bird looked more like a crow than an owl. He spoke with a deep gruff voice.
"Why hello there, fellow owl. I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting? As you can tell, I am also an Express Owl. I do much hooting." Hat Kid looked at him up and down warily. She wasn't buying it.
"From one owl to another, we can share details, yes? What is your uncle sister's maiden name?" Hat Kid blinked. This was full red flag stranger danger. A shady tall figure approaches the small kid and asks for personal details. She was close to attacking and running, but since she was on a moving train, she would not have much of an escape route.
Besides, she did not want this stranger to get any ideas of harming her after she may harm him. After considering her options, she decided to give what he wants, but lie at the same time. She doesn't even know her uncle's sister. Actually, she's not sure if she has even met her uncle. At least not for a long time.
"Terry," Hat Kid answered. It was the first name that came to mind. The crow nodded as a few of his black feathers molted off.
"Oh, it is Terry. I see I see. This is the kind of uncle's sister's maiden name I would expect from a fellow Express Owl."
"Ha...yeah…" With that said, Hat Kid quietly walked around him and avoided eye contact. He seemed to leave her be, much to her relief. She looked to one of the actual Express Owls, who was eyeing the three crows.
"What's up with those crows," she asked.
"I-I don't know. They all just kinda got on at the last stop. And now they're asking these personal questions that are making me a bit uncomfortable."
"Weird…" Okay, so it's not something normal. A bunch of shady crows asking personal questions is considered not normal on this planet. Good to know there's something Hat Kid can relate to.
She was about to move to the next car until she was stopped by another crow. She recoiled her hand from the knob and looked up at him as he leaned down to her level.
"Did you know having a pet improves self-confidence and relieves stress? Did you also know that pets can have pets? It is true!"
"Uh-huh, mm-hmm…" Hat Kid kept her eyes on the door, wanting to really get past him. But since he was standing right in between her and the door, it was not going to happen.
"Unfortunately, us Express Owls are not allowed to have pets. It is a sacrifice we must make in the name of hooting. But, if you had a pet, what do you think the name of your pet's childhood pet would be?"
Isn't this an odd question. As far as Hat Kid knew, she couldn't have a pet either back home. "Too much care" or "too expensive," they said. That's why she has Rumbi on her ship. They're probably the closest thing she could call a pet. So if that's the case, what would Rumbi's pet's name be?
"Scooter." Again, the first thing that came to mind.
"I see. Scooter is certainly an interesting name for a pet. Even for a pet's pet." He then finally stepped to the side, allowing Hat Kid to pass through.
Hat Kid exhaled with relief, thinking she was out of the crow's nest. But when she looked around the library car that connected to the baggage car and cafeteria car? Nope. Even more crows.
She sighed and adjusted her top hat. 'Better get this over with,' she said in her thoughts. Thankfully, it did not take long for her to get past the crows. After telling a couple crows that her superhero name would be "Hattington" and somehow agreeing to the terms and conditions on a chalkboard, she entered the cafeteria cart. But her eyes widened when she saw what was present.
On the left were a bar and a staircase that lead up to a VIP room. On the right? A long lane of booths. All seats taken by the same shady crows. That Express Owl wasn't kidding when he said a bunch of them got on. Those previous 5 were only just a few of the large flock.
They did not seem to bother Hat Kid or even notice her as she walked by, much to her relief. Instead, they were telling "jokes" to each other. At least, that's what Hat Kid assumed they were. What's so funny about too much sauce on a pizza or telling a lady to not go into a store?
She quietly walked past and entered the door in front of her. She found herself at the front of the train, also known as the locomotive. No owls, no crows, and no Conductor. Aside from the controls, it was empty. At least, that was what she believed until she looked down in front of her. A mysterious present sitting in the middle of the room.
She walked up and knelt down in front of it, looking at the name tag. "To the kid with the hat." Her eyes widened a bit. A present from no addresser. That's...peculiar. But curious to see what it was, she opened it. What she saw inside made her eyes sparkle.
A crime-solving outfit! It had its own brown flat cap and brown detective coat, all nicely set in the gift box. This must be for the Conductor's next movie. A mystery one, perhaps. A bit excited, she giggled and buttoned the detective coat over her clothes. She then took off her top hat and put on the crime-solving one. All she needed was a magnifying glass and she'll be an ace detective, much like the ones she has read in her books.
Her smile vanished, however, when she heard a dial phone beside her ring. Its ringtone sounded mysterious and suspenseful. She looked around as if expecting someone to come in and answer it. But since she was the only one, she shrugged and decided to pick up. It would be rude not to.
"...Hello?"
A scratchy, distorted voice answered, making her jump a bit. "Is this the kid with the hat? I hope you like my present...heh heh heh. Go to the back of the train. Your uncle's sister Terry has come to visit you. You better show your fam' some love, or I will be talking to a corpse next time." With that stated, there was a click and beeping. They hung up immediately.
Hat Kid stood there, confused and mildly perturbed. Firstly, this mysterious stranger was the one that gave her the gift. Who are they though? Secondly, her uncle's sister is here? There was no way. She never met her back at her old home, so how, if she existed, would she know that this place was where she would go to look here for her? Thirdly, "talking to a corpse?" Something about that did not sit right. She had to see for herself.
She marched right out of the locomotive, past the cafeteria car where the crows were still cracking "jokes," past the library car, and into the caboose car. But when she opened the door, she fell back with a small scream at the sight she was greeted with.
An Express Owl, laying on the floor in a puddle of blood. He had a knife stuck into his back and he did not appear to be moving. Behind him was a cardboard cut-out of a lady, as if she was the one that stabbed him. Either way, seeing the corpse made Hat Kid tremble.
The Conductor then barged in through the back door. "Lass? I heard ye scream! What's-..." He froze, seeing the scene before him.
"A-a-a-a-a-a-a MURDER? ON MY OWL EXPRESS?!"
Some Express Owls heard the Conductor shout this out and gasped when they entered behind Hat Kid. They were just as shocked and shaken up. A large group of the mysterious crows came in as well, eyes widening to the scene. Hat Kid went to the Conductor's side, visibly shaking.
The Conductor was, altogether, shocked. He put his hand on his head and said, "I can't believe someone would murder one of the Express Owls!" He then looked at Hat Kid, who was trying to regain her composure while not looking at the corpse of the innocent owl. "And I can't even believe even more that it's yer uncle's sister Terry!"
'Was it really though,' was Hat Kid's silent question. The Conductor then turned to the cardboard cut-out. "What do yer have to say for yerself, Terry?!"
No words from the cardboard cut-out, as everyone else should have expected. The Conductor crossed his arms and tapped his foot.
"Ohhh yer givin' me the quiet treatment, eh?! That's what a murrrderrrerrr would do!" Hat Kid could easily tell the Conductor was on edge. When he rolls his r's, that meant to her that he was angry. Or at least, angrier than usual.
"Leave this case to us." The Conductor, Hat Kid, and Express Owls all turned around and looked at the crows. In the large group, one of the crows stepped forward and held out a sort of badge with his wings.
"We're CAW, the Crow Agent Watch. We've been monitoring everyone on this train since the last station." That explains the personal questions. The crow put away his badge as he continued, looking at everyone in the room.
"We'll be searching the entire train for evidence. No one is allowed to go outside of this wagon."
"WHAT?!" Hat Kid winced a bit by the Conductor's sudden loud outburst. He stomped his foot and stormed up to the leading crow, throwing his winged arms up. "I can't even walk around in me own train?!" He growled and pointed his winged finger at him. "How dare yer!"
Not intimidated in the slightest, the crow continued, "Once the clock hits midnight, we'll get off at the station with the murderer in cuffs. Stay here while we investigate further." To Hat Kid, it should be noon since the sun was still out, but she decided not to openly state that and go with it.
All the crows gathered out of the car and shut the door behind them. On cue, the clock struck 11 as its chime rang out through the train. The Conductor huffed and stood to the side, arms crossed. Hat Kid went to his side, looking up to him and avoiding eye contact with the dead Express Owl.
11:00
"Ohhh those C.A.W. peck necks can't tell me what to do! I bet they committed the murder, and are destroying all the evidence!"
That was not a bad theory. At this point, Hat Kid was not sure who really did it. Everyone seemed suspicious. Relying on the crows to get evidence seemed like a bad idea.
"What if...I investigated then?" The Conductor stopped tapping his foot in irritation and looked down at her.
One of the Express Owls spoke up. "But the crow agents told us to stay in here while they investigated the whole train."
Hat Kid smirked and put her hands on her hips with small pride. "If I can sneak past a lot of guards in a movie studio, then you can count on Detective Hat Kid to solve this mystery."
The Conductor put his hand under his chin, thinking this idea over. It did not take long for him to agree with it. "Alright, lassie. Find out who our murderer is so we can bring the real justice to my express. Just be careful of those crows."
Hat Kid nodded with a confident smile and quietly exited through the door. She immediately spotted 3 crows looking around in small areas. She snuck past one that had his back turned to the door. Then she went past the other by going behind the blackboard. Finally, climbing over the bookshelf, she got past the third one.
Now, where to start? She spotted the open Rec Room, which was previously closed off by a crow standing in her way. She quietly entered and immediately found a folder on the floor. It had a large red stamp on it stating, "CONFIDENTIAL." Sounded clear enough that it was evidence.
Hat Kid opened it up and she blinked in mild surprise. Inside, there were pictures, background checks, and a couple news articles inside about the Conductor. Two pictures that stood out to Hat Kid the most were the one that showed him holding a knife and the other that showed him talking in secret with the crows. She then also read the news article titled: "Loss of Award 42."
"At the 124th Annual Bird Movie Award Ceremony, a devastated Conductor lost his winning streak as DJ Grooves claimed the first place position in the competition. What caused this victory was based on DJ Groove's popular movie in the charts: 'Disco Fever from the Stars.' Its hip music, suspenseful plot, and bedazzling effects were enough to blow the crowd away. The Conductor claimed to do whatever it took to win the next trophy, regaining his lost winning streak."
Hat Kid noticed the "to do whatever it took" part was underlined in red. "Hmm…" She closed the folder and tucked it away. She allowed her thoughts to process this. What would the Conductor achieve in murdering one of his employees? He is a pretty violent-looking guy and quick to anger, but would he really go as far as to killing someone? Keeping those thoughts in mind, she continued searching for clues.
Climbing up to the next floor of the Rec Room, she spotted another door that leads into the Night Cabin. When she entered, there was not much there except a large key in the middle of the room and two crows marching around it. It almost seemed like they were guarding it.
Hat Kid tilted her hat down a bit and carefully went behind one of the crows, tip-toeing behind him. Once she was near the key, she quickly grabbed it and snuck back around. After exiting, she looked down at the key and pocketed. Surely this will come in handy. All keys do.
Spotting a door just above the Rec room exit, she hopped from platform to platform past the crow watching the area and entered.
11:10
She was standing on a platform above the floor below her in the library car. She saw across the way a locked door. She smiled, proud to see the key came in handy after all. A crow was standing nearby on another platform, but he kept his eye on the door to her right. She'll have to investigate there once she figured out how to get past him.
She hopped over to the door in front of her, unlocked it, and entered the Luggage Room. Inside, she looked around the large room of suitcases and lockers. Of course, some crow agents were looking around here.
She jumped, startled when a nearby phone rang. She quickly picked up, not wanting the crows to hear. She then spoke softly.
"Hello?"
It was the same scratchy, distorted voice. "So you think you can just sneak around the train like this?" Hat Kid's eyes widen a bit. She looked around for any signs of anyone watching her. But she appeared alone.
The stranger continued, "Just drop the detective act. You'll never catch the real murderer...heh heh heh. You can't point your finger at someone without clues. The clock is ticking. Will you be able to find enough clues to point your finger at the murderer?"
The line clicked and beeped, showing that they hung up. Hat Kid put the phone back and adjusted her hat, motivated. She was now more determined to find out who the murderer was. If she was going to do it, however, she would need more clues.
Climbing over a few suitcases, she took a look around for any signs of confidential folders. Past two crows pacing back and forth, separated by a tall metal fence, she spotted a confidential folder. She climbed up more suitcases until she was in jumping range of it. She leaped over the crows and landed right in front of it. Grabbing it, she snuck back to the Luggage Room exit. She then opened it to see who's her new suspect.
Pictures of suspicious activity and background checks of the C.A.W. agents. She did think this over while looking over a few pictures. Why would the crows, members of the justice system, wish to murder one of the Express Owls? Then again, they have been suspicious from the start. The personal questions, claiming they were also Express Owls, and now ordering them to stay in one car while they investigated. The Conductor's claim on them destroying the evidence did not sound far-fetched.
Pocketing the folder, she continued looking around. With another locked door in the room and no key on hand, she exited the Luggage Room and decided to check the cafeteria. Her eyes widen when she saw all the crows here earlier were still here. She kept her back to the wall and tried to figure out how to get past them without noticing her.
She noticed that every few seconds, after every "joke," they laugh really hard. No one can really laugh with their eyes open. Hat Kid's eyes lit up. She had an idea and it might just work. She watched the crows as they told each other "jokes" and waited until they laughed, eyes closed. Finding her window, she ran past and up the staircase.
She looked around, but no evidence so far. She then looked up to the VIP room. Surely there must be something there. She entered cautiously.
11:20
Quite the fancy room. Elegant carpeting, chandeliers, and comfy fancy chairs. Past the glass panel and a crow pacing back and forth from the entrance, entrances to specific owls' rooms, a TV way bigger than Hat Kid's in her Main Hub, and rooms with comfy-looking beds.
Sneaking past the crow at the entrance, she spotted a confidential folder on a small round table, with another crow pacing around it. She had to be quick on grabbing this one. Waiting until his back was turned, she quickly grabbed the folder and ran out of sight. She hopped up on top of the TV and onto a few platforms that sat above. She then sat down and opened the folder to see who's her next suspect.
A couple pictures and a few witness statements on Terry. Could the cardboard cut-out really be the murderer? She was right there, standing behind the killed owl as if she backstabbed him. What if the cardboard cut-out was an act? Or what if it wasn't?
Hat Kid pocketed the folder and noticed a key one platform away from her. What luck! She stood back up and hopped over, grabbing the key. Exiting the VIP room after sneaking past the crow guard once more, she made her way back to the Luggage room.
Once there, she unlocked the locked door and entered. She was now on another platform sitting in the library car, but this time with a button in front of her. When she stepped on it, the crow that was watching the large door ahead of her was lowered down as his platform went down.
With a new room open for her to investigate, she hopped through the large door and entered.
11:30
The clock chimed its 30-minute mark. Hat Kid was running low on time. Tilting her hat down, she immediately ducked behind a large machine. In the room were a very large group of C.A.W. agents, standing in front of static computer monitors and discussing amongst themselves.
Hat Kid was going to need to up her game in stealth now. Sneaking past a few wandering crows, she took a small lift up to the next floor. Two rooms were open to her: the Boiler Room and the Engine room. She took the one on the left first, which was the Boiler Room. Inside, a large steaming boiler sat in the middle of the massive room. Crows were all around, joking with themselves and gossiping. On the other side of the room, she spotted a key.
She recalled a locked door on the other side of the room she was just in earlier and made her way across. After hiding from the pacing crows and dashing past the laughing ones, she grabbed the key and made her way back to the main room.
Before she decided to unlock the door, she went into the Engine room to make sure she did not leave any evidence unchecked. The moment she entered, a telephone rang. She looked to her left and spotted it. She walked over and picked up.
"He-"
"You don't give up, do you," The same scratchy voice interrupted. "It seems the only way I can get rid of you...is to make you run out of time. So here's a fun time-eater."
A spotlight shone on a spot above Hat Kid and she looked up. Her eyes widened as she spotted a cardboard cut-out of a cute puppy tied up and over a wood-cutting machine below. Cardboard or not, that puppy was in danger!
"Seems Scooter has gotten itself in an unusual situation. It's hanging on to a thin rope for dear life, just above a wood cutting machine. What an odd coincidence! So what are you going to do? Save Scooter from becoming saw dust, or figure out who the murderer is?" With a click, the stranger hung up.
"I'm gonna do both." Adjusting her hat with a determined expression, Hat Kid started making her way up to the control panel. She zipped past a few crows, jumped a few gaps and landed right by the control panel. She quickly flipped a switch and lowered the cardboard dog to safety.
She hopped down, using her umbrella to land safely, and went up to the dog, patting its head. "You're safe now."
To her surprise, the cardboard cut-out actually responded. Strangely, it sounded like the same voice on the phone. "Thank you kind human for saving me. Woof woof. I found this clue on the murderer. Hope it helps you. Woof woof." Something was heard falling to the ground behind the dog. When Hat Kid looked, she saw it was a confidential folder.
11:50
Smiling, she took it and read it over as she made her way to the locked room. Her next suspect was...the victim himself? Hat Kid slowed her pace as she re-read it over. There was not too much evidence there, but showed a couple pictures and a background check. He was known to be pretty lazy and one of the pictures shows him looking over a knife. But...if that's true, wouldn't that make it a suicide?
The very thought of it made Hat Kid's heart twist a bit. She shook her head and put away the folder as she entered the locked room, which was the Lounge. It was like the VIP room, only a little less fancy and with a sauna. After sneaking past a few crows, she entered the sauna.
She took off her hat from the heat and waved it in front of her like a fan as she looked around for any clues or keys. At the very end, past a few owls that were surprisingly still here, she ran over to grab it. Then she quickly exited. Her time was running really short.
She spotted another room where she was standing just across a wooden plank. But also, she spotted another confidential folder below on a tray table with a pacing crow. Taking the risk, she jumped down on top of the tray, grabbed the folder, and dashed out of sight. As she made her way back to the room she spotted, she checked her next suspect.
Pictures and background checks of the Express Owls. Did they murder one of their own? It was surprising given their quiet, clumsy nature. But then again, there were owls just hanging in the sauna even after the crows told them they all had to stay at the caboose. But what if they were never present for that and hid away after the murder?
Keeping that in thoughts, she entered the room. She was back up high in the main room and found a button beside her that activated another lift. Once she pressed it, the lift turned on and lead to a large room that had red writing on it. It mainly said: "Keep Out." That sort of message only told Hat Kid she had to enter.
Jumping her way back down while avoiding the crows, she climbed onto the lift and unlocked the door with the key she held onto. Carefully entering, she found a small room with the last folder of evidence. She approached and opened it.
Her eyes widened at the suspect. It couldn't be…
Pictures and witness statements of...her. She was a suspect now? The claims that she was a strange alien that not many know about. Even if she could deny herself, others do not know her well enough to not feel suspicious about her. But Hat Kid knew she wasn't the one that killed him. She would never kill anyone! After all, she denied Mustache Girl's idea of putting Mafia guts in a jar and selling it. Why would she backstab an innocent owl?
12:00
The clock chimed. Midnight. Or noon, to her time. She needed to get back to the caboose before the crows found out she was missing. Tucking away the folder, she ran back.
"Sooo, um...who dun it?"
The C.A.W. agents looked at each other and the leading one glanced to the side while saying, "We don't know. We couldn't find any conclusive evidence. We have no idea who murdered this owl."
"What?! So you've done peck all to solve the case?!" The Conductor looked to Hat Kid. "Surely you've found something, lassie. Who's the murrrdererrr? Which one of you did it?!"
It was time for a decision. Hat Kid looked at everyone and considered her options. She glanced back through a couple evidence folders in silence and paced back and forth a little to help her think. The crows watched her carefully, the Owls watched a little anxiously, the Conductor watched, slightly impatient, and Terry stood there, silent as always.
Hat Kid stopped, finally coming to a decision. She looked at everyone and held her finger up.
"The schmuck that did it is…"
She then pointed at who she believed was the murderer. The one she pointed to made everyone gasp.
"The Conductor."
He was completely caught off-guard by the accusation. Everyone was, except Hat Kid.
"Wh-...ME?! I can't be the murrrderrerrr! I'm the Conducterrrrr!"
"Exactly." Hat Kid took a small breath and began to explain, speaking the most she ever has since she fell onto this planet.
"After the loss of your winning streak in the movie awards, you wanted nothing more but to do anything you could to beat your rival. Your temper grew shorter. You started running out of ideas as you did the same kind of movie. Your owls were always useless to you. So, in attempt to make a good movie, you murdered one of the Express Owls to make a murder mystery out of it."
She also pointed to the knife stuck in the victim's back, while avoiding eye contact with the victim. "This knife is also the same one in the picture I found with you holding it. Thus, this was your knife that stabbed the victim."
The Conductor was baffled. "What?" He looked at everyone. They were all looking at him, starting to believe Hat Kid's words. "No seriously, what?"
Hat Kid crossed her arms. She was not backing down on this decision. The Conductor looked a bit nervous. "I-it wasn't me!"
Everyone continued staring at him. "S-stop."
He avoided eye contact, crossing his arms. "Cut it out."
Sweat beaded down his forehead as his winged-hands started to shake a bit. Hat Kid walked right up to him, keeping her arms crossed and staring. The Conductor grew uneasy.
Until, "ALRIGHT, FINE!"
He looked at everyone. "It was me. I did it. There, yer happy?"
Hat Kid smiled. Looks like she made the right decision. She was debating earlier between the Crows and the Conductor, but she believed the crows were just...too suspicious. Besides, she found plenty of evidence and did not see any great suspicious activity from them. Perhaps the Conductor brought them in to do those personal questions as well and set up Terry and Scooter.
The Conductor looked down at her, showing an expression that made it look like he was raising his eyebrow. "How'd you figure out it was me, hm? I tried really hard to avoid being the villain in me own movie. The Express Owl isn't even dead."
Wait, what? "I just gave him a rubber knife and asked him to play dead for a few hours."
"Yeah, can I go now? I'm kinda sore from playing dead for so long."
Everyone turned to the victim, who was now standing and untucking the knife from between his arm and torso. "This rubber knife is also a bit uncomfortable."
Hat Kid was surprised, but it soon changed to relief. For a moment, she thought he really was dead. The blood looked so real. She supposed that explained why there was no metallic sort of smell from it.
The Conductor then turned to Hat Kid and crossed his arms with an amused smile. "Well, thanks for solving the murder, lassy. Not only did you reveal the murderer, you also revealed that the victim was never harmed."
Hat Kid smiled brightly. Not bad for her first ever detective case. "And you gave us intense footage for the movie!" Her smile faded. Wait, this was all part of the movie? She showed confusion as she tilted her head.
"But...I thought you said the script…"
The Conductor chuckled a bit with an amused smile. "It was to get you into the moment, lass. What better way to act out a scene than to experience it yourself, believing it was real?"
He did have a fair point. If she knew the murder was fake, she doubted she would freak out and be more determined to solve the case than she did before. The Conductor continued, "Besides, you think I'd let a murder happen on my Owl Express? Oh, think again. It was all just a setup for my newest Owl Express movie: Murder on the Owl Express!"
He had a smug grin when he said, "Ho ho, you think DJ Peck Neck will make a movie that's even remotely as good? Ha! I think not. So here, take this thingamajig and get out of here."
He held out in his hand a Time Piece. Hat Kid smiled and took it, then turned to a camera she spotted behind her. She tilted her hat down a bit and smirked.
"Case closed."
The audience cheered in the theatre. They loved it! Credits rolled as they showed the roles each actor played.
The movie was directed by the Conductor, who also played as the Savvy Train Conductor. Hat Kid, named "Some Girl" in the credits, played as "Detective Useless." She found that a bit insulting given all her work, but it was already up and running. No use changing it. Crows played as the C.A.W. Agents. Finally, the Express Owls played themselves.
The ratings boosted up fairly high, to around 550-600 points. DJ Grooves was in the back of the theatre to see the credits and he crossed his flippers, clearly irritated.
"Oh. It is on, darling."
.
.
.
Whew! This one took long. I did not want to split this act up into two parts, so I give you probably the longest chapter this fic will have. I probably would have been done sooner, but a lot has been going on in school, so with finals coming close, I gotta be prepared. Anyways, until next chapter, where the Hat Kid fanclub will be established.