Sometimes Dead Men DO Tell Tales!

by David W. Smith

  Before he went out the door, Lance had more advice. “Wear a dark hat. Your blonde hair stands out. Oh, and a black jacket you can take off in a hurry might be a good idea. Empty the pockets. I’ll get the rope out of your truck on my way out.”

  Adam pulled the baseball cap a little lower on his forehead and resisted the urge to tug at his collar. It was too warm to be wearing three layers of clothes and be dressed all in black.

  “Quit fidgeting.” Lance noticed Adam’s nervousness when they met in front of the train station. “This has to be it.”

  Adam looked enviously at Lance’s khaki-colored shorts and white polo shirt as they walked up the brick steps and through the station. They gave a quick glance at the replica of the Lilly Belle encased in glass inside the station. “I’m not fidgeting about the clue. It’s too hot today for black jeans and a jacket. Where is the rope? They didn’t see it at the Security check, did they?”

  “Not to worry. It’s in my backpack. The gal hardly looked through it.”

  Adam grinned. “Yeah, go figure.”

  Lance missed his point. “Do you still want to sit in the back car?”

  Adam nodded, thinking ahead. “Have you been here long enough to see how many trains are running?”

  “I’ve seen two trains.” They sat on one of the wooden benches as Lance recounted what he had seen. “There’s one with the regular passenger cars and one Excursion car. The Excursion might be best because the seats face forward.”

  The regular passenger car had seats facing the right side of the train. It made it easier to load and unload passengers, but also made it more difficult for what he had planned. If Adam had to jump off the slow-moving train, he would rather everyone be facing another direction.

  “You’re right. Let’s….” Adam quit talking when he saw a group of five girls taking their picture. Well, he figured they were taking Lance’s picture. He was just probably in the way.

  “Let’s what?” Lance, as usual, was oblivious to the attention he was receiving.

  When Adam indicated with his head what was going on, Lance looked over at the girls and flashed them a smile.

  They heard one long and one short whistle—the signal that a train was approaching the station. The Fred Gurley steamed by and squealed to a stop. The crowd waiting in the station surged toward the entry gates as some of the passengers got off and headed for the exit. The girls held back, obviously waiting to see where Lance went.

  “Get rid of the girls.” Adam had turned away from the onlookers as he whispered to Lance. “Pretend you’re getting on the train.”

  Lance stood up and walked towards the open gate. Looking back at the girls, he indicated the gate with a sweep of his hand. “Ladies? After you.”

  Trooping through the gate and grinning broadly, they went into the first car with a few open seats. Scooting down far enough to leave one open space for Lance, their giggling stopped when he went back to the bench and sat down next to Adam. As the train started with a jerk and slowly pulled out of the station, Lance waved good-bye.

  “How do you stand it?” After seeing it over and over, Adam still had to ask.

  “Stand what?”

  “Never mind.” With a sigh, Adam glanced at his watch. “Let’s see how long it takes the next train to arrive. The clue said five minutes, but we can’t be sure how many trains were running when Walt wrote it. In peak times, they can get four trains going at the same time. That’d be rough if I have to jump.”

  Lance leaned back, stretching his long legs out in front of him. “Well.” He had to stop for a long yawn. “There are only two trains today. If,” he stressed, “we figure out what it is you’re supposed to do.”

  Adam checked his watch again, getting up to pace the platform. Lance watched him through half-closed lids. “Will you sit, Adam? You’re making me nervous.”

  Adam looked over Lance’s 6’ 2” frame. There wasn’t one inch of nerves showing. If anything, Lance looked ready for a nice long nap. Still, to keep the peace, Adam sat down and rechecked his watch. Five minutes had passed and no train yet.

  “I’ll do it if you want, Adam. I offered before, you know.”

  “You draw too much attention. We already talked about that. I need you for the diversion.”

  Lance shrugged. He didn’t see what all the fuss was about. “Okay. How much time so far?”

  “It’s been five minutes. This is good. More time to figure it out.”

  “You have the train signals memorized?”

  Adam nodded but still drew a little notepad out of his shirt pocket. “Yeah. But the only one we have to worry about is one long whistle—which is train in distress.”

  They were silent with their own thoughts as the station filled with more people. Adam couldn’t believe it had only been four days since they were in San Francisco. It seemed a life-time ago. And here they were preparing to possibly do the same thing again. To keep from dwelling on what was ahead, Adam looked around at his surroundings. It was late afternoon, a sunny, beautiful day with a light breeze causing the flags overhead to flutter. From where they sat, they could see more people coming in through the turnstiles. Many of them took a moment to pose by the huge floral Mickey face centered on the hill beneath the train station. The mood around them was light and happy. Even the youngest of children had had their lunch and a nap and were excited to ride the Big Train.

  Presently they heard the approaching whistle as the P.A. system announced the train’s arrival and called with a long, drawn-out, “Board!”

  Adam glanced at his watch. It had been ten minutes. Good. That helped. The men stood as they saw the E P Ripley pull past with the Excursion cars. Some of the people waiting around them groaned when they saw the forward-facing seats. Not wanting to turn their heads to watch the scenery, they forestalled cricks in their necks by waiting for the next train. The guys took the rearmost seat in the last car, putting the backpack between them to take up more room and discourage anyone from sitting next to them.

  A conductor named Louise walked the length of the last two cars checking to see if everyone was properly seated. She waved her arm to signal the next conductor that all was fine. The signal was carried up to the engineer who gave two short blasts on the whistle as they got underway. Louise settled on her outside perch at the front of their car, her arm around the standard for stability. Adam noticed she glanced a second time in their direction and waved at her. She didn’t see him, her eyes focused on Lance. He smiled to himself. Good. That will help.

  The recorded announcement started as they chugged around the Park. The guys carefully examined all the tunnels on the circuit. The tunnel leading to the Frontierland station was corrugated metal. The tunnel leading into Critter Country opened into Splash Mountain, but the ride section was behind glass. The tunnel before Fantasyland was way too short. In about eighteen minutes, they were at the entrance to the Grand Canyon Diorama and Primeval World. They knew this wasn’t the answer, but they examined it anyway. As they already knew, the whole display was behind glass. The other side of the long, dark tunnel was broken up by exit doors. There had to be something they missed in the other tunnels.

  Lance looked over at Adam. “Once more around?”

  Adam just nodded as he fingered the SFDR button in his pocket. None of the cast members working the trains had that particular button on their uniforms since Santa Fe had withdrawn. The clue had to mean this train. It had to be here. He just knew it.

  More people climbed off and less got back on. It was nearing dinnertime—as Adam’s stomach reminded him. Louise was still with them as she waved her signal and climbed back on her perch.

  The first tunnel had been added in the mid-1960s and went over the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. The second tunnel was built at the same time and went through the berm behind the Haunted Mansion façade. Adam knew that if the clue was pointing to something hidden on the big train, it would have to be in one of those two tunnels. But there was nothing in the first tunnel.
It was short, bright, and had no breaks in the metal. However, in the second tunnel he noticed two small lit caverns on the Park side. Twenty-five seconds later they rode over the trestle through Critter Country.

  “Lance, did you notice those two holes off on the side? One was blue and one was yellow? They looked like caves with little stalagmites.”

  “Yeah, I saw them the first time through.”

  “You think that could be it?”

  “I didn’t see anything in them.”

  Adam shrugged. “Wouldn’t that be the point? We wouldn’t necessarily see anything. We would have to go after it.”

  “You willing to give it a try?”

  Mouth dry, he nodded. “Yeah, I have to.”

  “I’ll go if you want,” Lance offered again.

  “No, you’re too tall. Those openings didn’t look very big.”

  “You’re claustrophobic.”

  “Not anymore.” Adam reached for the backpack. Pulling it close, he found the hidden rope and stuffed it inside his jacket. His hands were a little shaky as he rezipped the pack. “I’ll be fine.” His words were more for himself than for Lance. “When we ride around again, take the backpack to the front of the car. Make sure the conductor sees you. Transfer at the Frontierland station.”

  “You’ll have to come out the far end of the tunnel into Critter Country.”

  Adam looked up. He hadn’t thought that far ahead. “That’s right. I’d be in sight of the whole train station if I came out in Frontierland.”

  “And you know to go out on the left side of the tunnel, don’t you?”

  “Umm, no. Why? Because of the window into Splash Mountain?”

  “Not just that. There’s a sheer drop on the right side that ends up in the ride flume.”

  Adam winced. “That could hurt. What’s on the left side?”

  “A wooden gate and stairway down to the ground level. It goes either into a cast member-only door or into the ride line.”

  “When did you see all that?” Adam was faintly impressed.

  “Last time around. I think you were timing the tunnel or something.”

  Adam was thoughtful. “Cast member-only area, huh? Great. Well, I’ll worry about that when the time comes. You just cause a diversion as soon as we’re in the tunnel.”

  Lance smiled as he looked up at Louise. “I think I can do that.”

  They were silent as they rode around the Park again. The canoes were paddling around Tom Sawyer’s Island. Fantasyland Theater was still showing Mickey’s Detective School—A Musical Toondunit. Autopia cars in Tomorrowland were crashing in to each other in spite of the warnings to ‘not bump the car ahead of you.’ Ferde Grofe’s “On the Trail” was still playing on the sound system as they rode past the Grand Canyon diorama again. More people got on and off at the various stations. The conductor Louise stayed with them and eyed Lance as he swung down from the train at the Frontierland station. Adam saw her little smile when Lance got in the second seat in their car, about three people in. Yes, there would be enough of a diversion. Louise was perched about four feet away from him.

  Adam found he was breathing harder and his pulse rate accelerated as the train pulled away from Frontierland. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to stuff like this, he admitted to himself. He slowly edged toward the far side of the car until he was next to the railing. It seemed like hours before the train entered the tunnel. It was getting darker when he heard Lance’s loud voice. “Excuse me, coming over, excuse me.” He began to climb over the people seated next to him. “Can I have the end seat? Excuse me.”

  “Sir, you have to remain seated while the train is in motion.… Sir.… Ok, Lance.” Adam could hear the soft change in Louise’s voice as Lance settled on the end seat.

  However, Adam didn’t have time to listen to Lance’s pick-up lines. A quick glance at the few riders in front of him showed that they were all turned toward the commotion in the front. Grasping the metal railing, he quickly threw himself over the side and dropped with a grunt on the graveled ground. He immediately crouched into a dark ball, motionless. If anyone looked back, they would be hard pressed to see his black clothes in the darkness of the tunnel. Waiting, he resisted the urge to cough in the smoke-filled tunnel. Listening to hear if someone may have seen or heard him, the noise of the train faded as it continued its journey. Only then did Adam risk peeking out of his crouched position. When the back lights of the train disappeared, he unzipped his jacket as he ran toward the first little opening.

  Reaching in first, he felt around for a capsule. Doing the same at the next cavern, he came up empty. Sticking his head in the opening, he found it was big enough to drop into. He then set his watch’s timer for eight minutes to give himself an extra two minutes. Going to the opposite side of the tunnel, he felt around for somewhere to attach the rope. The exit door would probably be alarmed. Finding a wooden beam pulled away from the wall, he tested it with his weight and hoped it would hold.

  Quickly securing the rope around the beam and tugging, both the beam and his knot held. So far, so good. Going over to the first cavern, he tossed the rope in, somewhat surprised it played out. It was deeper than he thought. Checking his watch again, he now had five minutes to get in and out and get the rope off the track before the next train arrived.

  With a silent prayer and a curse, he took hold of the rope and backed over the rim of the blue-lit cavern. With his back against the far wall, he walked down the rope, using the blue light for visibility. Every few inches he felt around, but found no cracks, no edges, no inset and no capsule. Reaching the end of his rope, he could see the empty bottom of the cavern. Reversing the process, he worked his way up hand over hand. Suddenly hearing two short blasts of the train whistle, his alarm went off. He had to get out of the tunnel—now!

  Working faster, he popped out of the cavern and coiled the rope into a tight circle. Leaving it behind the beam, he sprinted through the tunnel and kept away from the glass opening of Splash Mountain. With a quick look around, he vaulted over the wooden gate and ran down the stairs to the cast members-only door. Leaning against it, he tried to look casual as the guests waiting in line for Splash Mountain gave him questioning looks and stares. Within a minute, the Fred Gurley steamed past; its passengers all looking off the right side of the train, away from his hiding place.

  Knowing he was in plain sight and in a prohibited area, he tensed when he heard the train give one long and two short whistles. That either meant a general greeting, like someone waving from the Hungry Bear Restaurant, or there was a crew member on the track. There was no way for him to know which. But since the train was on a trestle and there was no alarm, he hoped it was a greeting for the crowd below.

  With a deep, calming breath that did nothing for his pounding heart, Adam hurried up the stairs and opened the gate as if he knew what he was doing. Once in the tunnel, he sprinted back to his rope and drug it over to the second cavern—the yellow one. Repeating the process, he lowered himself into the bright hole. I’m too old for this, he groaned. This cavern proved to be deeper than the blue one. There were a few more feet beyond the end of the rope. By stretching out his legs, he found his feet would be on one side of the cavern and his back tight against the other. Hoping he could get back up to the rope, he muttered a curse and let go to edge lower.

  It wasn’t until he had gone down another three feet that he felt the indentation on his back. He worked his body to the side and reached inside. Heart still pounding, his fingers closed over a wide capsule. It felt like the same smooth plastic as the others they had found. Holding it up to see, he was about to congratulate himself when the alarm went off.

  “Crud!” He had forgotten the time. Jamming the capsule in his pants pocket, he pushed back with his aching leg muscles and inched upwards. His fingertips grabbed at the rope, but it swung away from him. “Crud!” Pushing up higher, he finally grasped the rope. Just as he reached the edge of the cavern, the headlight from the E P Ripley began to illumina
te the tunnel. Not bothering to coil the rope, he hurled it at the opposite side of the tunnel, taking only enough time to make sure it was completely off the track.

  As the train neared, Adam realized he didn’t have time for subterfuge. As he broke into a full run down the middle of the track, he heard the whistle shrill one short blast—Attention! “Crud!” He ran past the Splash Mountain window. The headlight was getting brighter against his back. Grabbing the edge of the tunnel, he swung himself around the corner and dropped like a brick over the short gate. Falling down the wooden stairs, he rolled through the line of guests. Not taking time to apologize to the startled people, he climbed to his feet, pulled off his jacket and cap and ran under the trestle. The train emerged from the tunnel just as he rounded the corner out of their sight. He heard another short whistle and could tell from the sounds that the train had slowed down. Not daring to look back, wiping the sweat from his face, Adam headed for the Golden Horseshoe where he knew Lance would be anxiously waiting for him. Looking like any other visitor in his white T-shirt, he hoped he blended in. If only his heart wasn’t pounding loud enough for everyone to hear.…

  When he got to the curve around Splash Mountain’s entrance, he did, finally, glance backwards. The train hadn’t stopped, as he feared, and was now out of sight.

  Inside the tunnel, holding flashlights, two crew members examined a rope tied to the wall and wondered what they should do next.

  Billy Hill and the Hillbillies were into their lively rendition of “The Orangeblossom Special” as Adam tried to locate Lance in the cool darkness of the Golden Horseshoe Saloon. When his eyes finally adjusted to the change of light, he found Lance seated on the left side of the room under the curving staircase. Totally relaxed and keeping time to the music, Lance seemed to be enjoying the show. The tray on the table was littered with the remains of Lance’s dinner. He seemed surprised when Adam grabbed his soda and finished it off in one gulp.