by Jeff Dixon
“Do you need anything, sir?” the man stammered in a soft, gravelly voice.
“Oh, there’s a list of things he needs,” Juliette interjected. Her quick reply added a bit of levity to an overwhelming night. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She gently tightened her grip on Hawk’s arm, with a squeeze said goodbye, and left the room.
Juliette excused herself as she passed the dark-haired man. As she exited, he released the door, allowing it to swing silently closed. He bent down behind the cart and then nonchalantly rose back up to his full height, unfolding a clean, snowy towel to reveal a handgun.
He leveled it at Hawk.
“It has been quite a night, hasn’t it, Hawk?” The gravel tone to the voice suddenly became clear and harsh. “It’s a shame we missed you earlier. This makes things so much more…messy.”
Purposefully, the man stepped around the cart, never taking his eyes off of Hawk. He backed himself into the cart, rolling it against the door to block the entrance. The door had no lock, but the dubious barricade seemed to be sufficient for the armed orderly.
Hawk studied the gun. It looked like it had a customized barrel and a silencer. The hand that held it was steady, the weapon was aimed directly at his chest, and there seemed to be no hesitation in the man’s intent.
Hawk broke into a wide smile. “I’m going to register a complaint about the quality of patient care in this hospital.”
“Of course, the famous Hawk sense of humor.” The man took a step closer to the bed. “It makes everyone think you are so charming. Most people think you are the greatest thing to happen to Disney since Walt Disney himself. Truth be told, you probably are…it is a shame that it has to end this way.”
“It doesn’t have to end. All you have to do is roll your little cart right back out the door and we’ll forget this ever happened.”
“Now, somehow…I know you don’t really think that is going to happen.”
“Probably not.” Hawk was trying to think his way out of trouble. “I tell you what, you look stressed. I can arrange for you to have a week to relax in one of our resorts. You can kick back by the pool, get some sun, swim, and just chill. How does that sound?”
“Not interested, don’t like pools, can’t swim.” The man didn’t smile. “So I guess I’ll just do what I came here to do.”
“Then at least tell me why you are doing this. Are you an angry stockholder? Don’t like the direction of the company? We charge too much for parking? What is your problem?”
“I don’t have a problem, Hawk! You have the problem, and it is an M1991 sidearm pointed right at your heart.” This time the man smiled. “Preacher, I will give you a moment to tell God you are going to be seeing him in just a minute.”
“Preacher?” Hawk straightened up slightly in the bed. As he moved, he flexed his finger and pushed the nurses call button on the remote control hidden behind his leg. “Most people don’t call me that anymore. I only preach every once in a while these days. Maybe you could come hear me next time I do. It might help you with your…ah, anger issues.”
“You have preached your last sermon, done your last press conference, taken your last picture, and solved your last mystery. Your usefulness to us is over. We’re done waiting on you to help us.” The gunman’s eyes narrowed. Hawk saw his finger tense on the trigger.
“If you needed help, all you needed to do was ask.” Hawk inhaled, waiting for the gun to fire.
“Can I help you?” The nurse’s voice boomed loudly through the call box speaker.
The instant the speaker cracked and the voice spoke, the dark-haired man cut his eyes away from Hawk toward the call box. That distraction was the moment Hawk had been hoping for, and he lunged off the bed directly toward the intruder. The sidearm fired. Hawk felt the heat of the discharge as he slammed his body against the orderly. The shot struck the rail of the bed with a clang as the two men hit the wall.
Hawk reached down and grabbed the man’s hand, which was attempting to raise the gun toward him for another shot. As he wrenched his arm downward, another shot silently left the chamber. The bullet hit the cart, ringing it like a bell of doom, causing it to roll away from the door it had been wedged up against.
Keeping his hand cinched down on the assailant’s arm, Hawk now had leverage and jerked the man back toward him, lifting him off the ground and tossing him against the side of the bed. The man collided into the bed. He lost his grip on the gun and it rattled against the floor. As the fallen man rose to his knees, Hawk reached over for the metal cart and used it like a battering ram against the side of the man’s head.
With the cart now sitting over the gun, the scuffle shifted into hand-to-hand combat. Reacting quicker than Hawk had thought possible, the man sprang to his feet and gripped the rolling cart between them. He drove it into Hawk. As Hawk fell back into the wall, the attacker reached down to pick up the lost handgun. Hawk kicked the cart back over the fallen weapon, preventing the man from grabbing it, and once again the cart knocked him off balance. Hawk was surprised at the reflexes the man had as he slid the cart toward Hawk and rushed the door to make a hasty escape.
After swinging the door open, the attacker stumbled into the hallway, drawing attention with the commotion. Hawk launched himself airborne, sailed through the door, and once again got a grip on the orderly of death. A vicious fist crashed into the side of Hawk’s face. Numbness spread across his cheek, darkness crawled in from the corners of his consciousness, and Hawk let loose the man who had come to kill him.
As Grayson Hawkes hit his knees, battling to clear his head by shaking it back and forth, cobwebs dissipated. He looked to his right and saw an agitated Juliette speaking to Mitch Renner; both turned toward the activity. Looking back to his left, he saw the man whom he had almost stopped—now racing down the hall, then disappearing around the corner.
Renner ran past him, followed by additional police officers who were in the hall. Hawk felt Juliette wrap her arm around him to steady him as he stood to his feet and a swarm of doctors and nurses arrived to assist him. Warning bells and alarms began to clang as security systems in the hospital were kicked into high gear. As medical attendants eased Hawk back toward his room, they paused. Blocking their entrance was an overturned cart with a bullet hole decorating it, and next to it on the floor, the sleek black handgun that had fired it.
CHAPTER FIVE
Seven Days Ago
Night
Hawk sat in the waiting room, staring blankly out the window into the Central Florida night. He became aware of someone holding his hand. He looked down and watched tender circles being drawn by a delicate thumb, graced with a French-manicured thumbnail, steadily caressing him. Tightening his hand on the fingers touching his, he looked over at Kate Young.
“Hey.” She nestled her head against his shoulder. “Where’ve you been?”
“Here, I guess.”
“Oh no, you’ve been sitting here with me, that’s true. But for the last hour, you’ve been staring out the window saying nothing. Your mind has been somewhere else.”
Hawk breathed deeply as he looked her in the eyes. Those confident green eyes had mesmerized him the first time he had met her and still had that effect on him. Kate Young was one of the most powerful journalists in the world. She was smart, glamorous, and had managed to see Hawk at his best and worst. And they were still together. As reports leaked out that there had been a shooting in Orlando, she had not given the initial reports too much attention. When the sketchy details emerged, her curiosity had been tweaked as she heard the shooting was at a limousine, and she had tried to reach Hawk. While concluding her broadcast from Lake Eola, she received word of a shooting attempt at the hospital; at the same time, Juliette Keaton had called her and told her what had been happening.
Hawk had to give the police permission to let her in, as she had been herded into an ever-growing media zone outside the hospital. Initially, police thought she was just there to cover the story, but finally one officer�
�who reportedly knew that Kate and Hawk were a couple because his wife read entertainment magazines—had contacted Mitch Renner, who secured permission from Hawk to let her in. The vast, usually overfilled waiting area had been cleared for the few people who now sat quietly, seated in a tight circle, occasionally speaking in hushed whispers to one another. Police stood guard at every entrance, locking down the area.
Tim Keaton had arrived to be with Juliette. Tim, like Juliette, was one of Hawk’s closest friends. Jonathan Carlson and his wife, Sally, who had logged a lot of life with the preacher turned Disney executive were there too; and Shep Albert, who was now officially the head of special projects for Disney Imagineering—and head of the new theme park project Hawk had announced during the press conference, which now seemed as if it had taken place years ago. The seven of them now waited together as their dear friend Farren Rales was going through surgery.
“What have you been thinking about?” Kate whispered to him.
“Worrying about Farren, trying to replay everything that has happened tonight.” He shrugged. “Trying to make it make sense.”
“Does it?”
“No, not at all.”
Mitch Renner entered the room. Nodding at the group assembled, he accepted the invitation Shep extended for him to join their little circle. He slid a chair into the circle and looked across at Hawk.
“You doing OK?” Mitch asked.
Hawk just offered a nod. Renner smiled slightly, then turned to Juliette and asked the same question.
“Yes,” Juliette answered as Tim wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
“Rough night,” Renner said, then turned his attention back to Hawk. “You made sure the assailant didn’t take his gun with him. We’re going to be able to get some prints off it. The gun itself is a military sidearm. Pretty common, but this one does have a specialized barrel. Factory issue of this piece doesn’t allow for a suppressor to be used.”
“A suppressor?” Sally Carlson asked.
“A silencer, so you can’t hear it fire so easily. Hawk, I’m not sure what we’re dealing with here. But you are very fortunate and extremely tough. From what I can see, you have survived two different attempts tonight by a professional assassin or assassins. The effort in the hospital was brazen. To get in and even try to do what he did is gutsy. He wouldn’t have tried if he didn’t think he could pull it off. You are one lucky man.”
“I’m not lucky.” Hawk spoke without emotion. “I don’t believe in luck. Whoever wanted to kill us tonight wasn’t that good. I realize you don’t know yet if it was just the dark-haired guy that was behind this or if someone else was involved, but they weren’t good.”
“So, if you aren’t lucky, then why are we talking right now?” Renner responded.
“I’m not lucky; they were lousy!” Hawk locked eyes on the policeman. “If they were good, I’d be dead. But I’m not. Instead, they missed me, and my friend has been in surgery for…I don’t even know how long now. If they were good, I would still be stretched out in the hospital room, and your crime scene would have been a homicide. Renner, the guy was right on top of me…but he didn’t kill me. The assassins are losers. The only thing they managed to do right is not get caught yet.”
“We have you locked down safely in here. Unless they have an armored tank, you and your friends should be secure. When you leave the hospital, we’ll make sure you get home.” The investigator stood. “We need to make some arrangements to ensure your safety. I also want to make sure that all of you”—he gestured to the group seated around him—“are covered as well.”
“Have you had the chance to talk with Al Gann?” Jonathan Carlson asked.
“Yes, he’s the sheriff who interfaces with Disney security, correct?”
“Correct.”
“He has been contacted,” Renner assured them. “I believe he’s making some arrangements to tighten up security for you back in the theme parks. I will be talking with him personally soon.”
“He’s a good man. He’s also a very good friend,” Jonathan added.
The door opened and a police officer motioned for Mitch Renner. Excusing himself, he stepped into the hallway. Hawk and his friends watched in silent curiosity through glass windows as Renner listened to the officer, and they were joined by what appeared to be a doctor and another man wearing a suit and a hospital name tag. The conversation grew more animated; occasionally Renner would glance back through the window toward the group, then reengage the dialogue with the other three.
“I wonder what that’s about.” Shep stated what everyone was thinking.
Shaking his head, Renner stepped back inside the doors. “Hawk, could I speak with you privately for a minute?”
“Of course.”
Hawk got to his feet and followed Renner into the hallway. The armed officers kept their position outside the waiting room doors. As Hawk and Renner walked, the policeman remained silent. Their footsteps echoed through the isolated hospital corridor to a set of double doors, which carried them into what appeared to be a recovery room. Curtain-partitioned cubicles loaded with medical equipment and patients surrounded them. A nurses’ station in the center of the room was filled with monitors, computers, and an army of attendants who seemed to be in perpetual motion.
“I need to tell you something.” Renner’s face was grim. “I wish we didn’t have to talk about this, but we need to.”
Hawk didn’t like the look on his face or the tone of his voice. “Sure, what is it?”
“We need to talk about the death of Farren Rales.”
CHAPTER SIX
Seven Days Ago
Night
Hawk walked along the redbrick sidewalk toward the main entrance of the Magic Kingdom. Strolling next to him, eyes constantly searching their surroundings, was Al Gann. Al was an Orange County sheriff who carried the responsibility of being the chief law enforcement officer connected to the Walt Disney World Resort. His role was to coordinate between the Disney Security Department and local law enforcement agencies. Being friends with Hawk made his job much easier, except on nights like this one.
“Hawk, I have positioned extra officers and security at every entrance to every resort on the property,” Al said.
Hawk allowed the words to slide across his brain cells. The manpower to accomplish that was staggering. With over thirty resort hotels, four theme parks, two water parks, golf resorts, and Disney Springs, what he had done was no small task. Stopping, he turned toward Al.
“Every resort?” Hawk paused, giving Al time to think. “Really?”
“Yes, I believe so.” Al tilted his head as he thought. Straightening his head, he continued, “Yes, every resort is covered.”
“OK.” Hawk shrugged and continued his walk. “Just checking.”
The two moved through the main gate, entering the Magic Kingdom. During operating hours, this area was a controlled, chaotic flow of people entering and leaving the theme park. Now it was quiet and isolated, with the exception of the police officers and security personnel standing nearby. They were on high alert, and Hawk, looking through a fog of sadness, noticed that, other than a quick glance toward them as they entered, they were keeping a vigilant watch over everything. The Magic Kingdom had closed hours ago. Now, in the early hours of the morning, most motion had ceased, and with the events of the evening hanging over them, even the normal maintenance crews usually seen here had been moved out of the area.
“Hawk.” Al reached out and placed a hand on Hawk’s arm to get him to stop. “We have the place locked down. You are as safe as I can make you right now. Kate is back at the Contemporary Resort. We have security positioned all around her. We did the same for Juliette and Tim. They’re home, and there’s a patrol outside their house and another one in their house. Tim said it wasn’t necessary.”
“But he thanked your guys for being there and didn’t protest too much.” Hawk knew how Tim would have reacted.
“Yes.” Al’s eyes darted to the left and
back right. “We’re not sure if they were targeting you, Farren, Juliette, or all three of you. Obviously you were a target, that’s why you had a visitor in the hospital tonight.”
“What do you really think, Al?” Hawk lowered his head along with his tone. “Who was the real target tonight?”
“You,” Al said with no hesitation. “You know it and I know it. It’s the same junk we’ve dealt with before. Tonight the bad guys just got nastier. This craziness that Far-ren, George, and Walt Disney created for you to figure out, be in charge of, protect, or whatever it is you do…it will eventually get you or someone close to you killed.”
Hawk looked down toward the ground, and his shoulders rose as he inhaled slowly and deeply. He thought of Farren. He flashed back to the moments in the limousine as the shots exploded through the windows. Al was right, it was craziness. And Hawk had no idea what to do next. His shoulders sagged under the heaviness of his sadness.
“I’m sorry, Hawk.” Al patted him on the shoulder. “I wasn’t trying to be insensitive. I just want you to be safe. You don’t always make my job easy.”
Al Gann had been with Hawk through the wild changes that had taken place in his life after he became the keeper of the key to the kingdom. Although Al had limited understanding of all Hawk had been entrusted with, he had made it his job to personally keep Hawk safe. Hawk knew he made it more difficult than it needed to be. It wasn’t on purpose; there was just a recklessness to his personality that had ultimately made him Farren Rales’ perfect choice to become the caretaker of the secrets of Walt Disney. Those secrets had changed his life and the lives of his friends, and like any other blessing had come with a set of complications they all were still learning to navigate.
They stood in front of the huge, smiling floral face of Mickey Mouse in the garden below the train station. As one of the most photographed sites in all of the world, it invites guests to enter the Magic Kingdom. On either side of this garden are tunnels that take visitors below the train station and onto Main Street, U.S.A. The hiss of steam from the elevated train track above him made Hawk slowly turn his head toward the train station.
