Murder on the Orion Express, the next chapter

"I've almost got the door open." Jan the Intergalactic Aviator was huddled over the control panel to the door leading to the cockpit. The sonic screwdriver was whirring, manipulating the panel until at last the entryway slid open.

I moved my way towards her and the door. She had already stepped into the cockpit and I was right behind her. Her jaw dropped as she looked at the two empty chairs staring out into the rippling waves of hyperspace.

"Where are they?" she asked.

I looked around, then behind me. "There."

Jan looked and her jaw dropped at the horror. The jump into hyperspace had pushed the pilot and copilot back, phasing them into the back wall of the ship's control room.

"unbelievable," she gasped.

"What could cause this?" I asked.

"In all my years...." her voice trailed off. "Things like this don't just happen. There are too many safeguards."

"But what could cause this?" I asked again.

Jan's brow furrowed. "Let me think. There are Hyperspace Probes, basically a small pod of sensors strapped to a faster than light engine. They're used to track traffic in hyperspace routes, pinpoint disasters, military recon. Stuff like that."

"So one was near us when we made the jump?"

"No," she answered, sitting down at a station and looking at the terminal. "It would've had to have been activated onboard at the same time as our leap. The Orion Express' larger engines would have made short work of the probe, but before that happened, we'd get something like we just got."

"I see. But we were all affected by the anomaly."

"That's the thing," she said. "I don't know. Maybe a power suit or something. Nobody in the passenger's cabin was wearing anything like that, though."

"You're right. Do me a favor," I said. "Can you punch me up the passenger manifest? I'm going to have to interview all of those people. Starting with the suit."

"Sure," she answered. I walked out towards the businessman. He stopped taking pictures of the body and looked up at me.

"This is so disgusting," he sneered. "I can't believe you've got me doing this."

"You can stop," I said. "I need you to answer a few questions, though. First, what are you going to Orion for?"

"A deal," he answered. "One that is worth billions when I land it. What? Do you think I offed that chump?"

"I'm interviewing everyone onboard," I said. "Someone here did it."

"Tell me, why would I kill some jerk on a ship while on my way to make the biggest deal of my life? He's smalltime. Not worth it."

"You do have a point," I conceded. "I need just two more things from you; first, if you see anything unusual, tell me right away."

"Oh, you mean like the space gypsies, or the artist's valet, or that passenger that appears to be a giant pile of rags? Sure, I'll tell you right away," he said sarcastically. "What's the second?"

"Go into the cockpit and take pictures of the crew."