by Jeff Dixon
A new noise clashed with the sound of the steam engine. Hawk turned to see what it was. George heard it at the same time and also leaned out with him as the sound continued to grow louder. The thump-thump battling the air came from a helicopter that suddenly dropped out of the night sky to fly alongside the train. The helicopter was jet black with no markings and no running lights illuminated.
“What?” George asked as he leaned forward, straining to see the inky flying machine.
“Helicopters can’t be here,” Hawk heard himself saying. “Walt Disney World is restricted airspace.”
Warning alarms clanged in his head. At first, he’d thought the helicopter was a security measure Al Gann must have put into place. But as soon as he realized the aircraft had no marking and no lights, he knew it meant trouble. The door of the craft was open, and in the darkness Hawk thought he saw movement. He reached over to grab George as the first ping-ping of gunfire struck the metal of the train engine. Hawk felt George slip out of his grasp and watched as the older man lunged forward over the control panel with his hand firmly gripping the throttle. The train sped up at the action of the Imagineer, and the sudden change of speed and the jerking motion caused Hawk to tumble backward inside the engine compartment. Another ping danced off the metal right next to where Hawk landed, and he rolled behind the protection of the steel wall of the engine cabin.
Gunfire continued to echo through the train as Hawk refocused on George.
“George, get down!”
Hunched over the control panel of the locomotive, George did not move. Hawk slid forward, reached up and grabbed the Imagineer across his back to pull him down to the safety of the floor of the cabin. Offering no resistance, Colmes fell back into Hawk’s arms and slid down the control panel to the floor.
Hawk watched in horror as streaks of blood trailed after him.
Cradling George in his arms, he leaned him back to look into his face. His eyes were wide open and staring blankly at Hawk. Immediately Hawk reached down and placed his hand on George’s neck to check for a pulse. There was none. He gently shook the old man as if trying to awaken him from a deep sleep. A red stain spread across the man’s chest, and Hawk could see the overalls had been pierced with two holes over the left chest pocket. Again Hawk gently shook the man and rechecked for a pulse. George was not responding. There was no breath, no pulse, no life… George was gone.
The sting of tears burned the corner of Hawk’s eyes, and he slowly and calmly closed George’s eyelids as chaos ensued around him. Despite the sound of gunfire, the churning of the train engine, the panicked voices Hawk could now hear coming from the security detail riding in the passenger cars…all melted away, and for a moment Hawk’s world was silent as he prayed. The prayer was quick, less than a few heartbeats. He thanked God for the gift of the man whose life had just been taken away. He thanked God for the honor of knowing him and for the impact he had in the world. As he whispered amen, the silence evaporated and the world suddenly exploded with gunfire ringing against the speeding train.
Hawk rose cautiously and moved toward the controls. Using the panel as a barricade, he tilted his head and began to scan the night sky, trying to see the helicopter that continued to pursue him as he looped the Magic Kingdom.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Seven Days Ago
Night
The red cabin of the Walter E. Disney steam train became Hawk’s fortress as the massive locomotive snaked its way along the tracks, trying to escape the nightmare that was chasing it from the nighttime sky. Positioning his body where he could peek through the windows of the cab, he kept low enough to prevent anyone in the helicopter from getting a good line of fire toward him. But as the engine rattled at full throttle, he knew he could not stay where he was, in such a disadvantaged position. He tried to look back across the tender to see if the security detail was still with him in the passenger cars. It didn’t matter how he tried; he couldn’t get an angle to see them without leaving himself open to injury. He hoped they were alright.
The pounding rotors of the black chopper shifted to the other side of the train, and Hawk knew it was flying back and forth over the engine, trying to get a clear view of him. He moved from side to side opposite the sound as the train jerked along the railway, making the turn behind Fantasyland. Exhaling slowly, he forced himself to think through his predicament and what he needed to do next. He had to keep the men on board with him safe, if they were still alive. As he glanced down at the lifeless body of George Colmes, his throat tightened in the grip of sadness, anger, and frustration. The finger of each emotion caused him to strain to keep his thoughts on the immediate tasks before him.
The helicopter played back and forth across the top of the train, flying low, and Hawk reflexively grabbed the lever for the steam whistle of the train. He pulled it, and the long, forlorn wail of the whistle drowned out all other noise he could hear. Still leaning on the lever, he grinned as the whistle screamed while the steam belched upward around the helicopter, forcing it to increase its altitude. The extended blast of the train whistle would normally indicate the train was approaching a blind curve. Hawk wasn’t sure why he knew that, but he did. And he was hoping that if the men riding on board knew that, it would give them a warning of what was coming.
As the train streaked toward Tomorrowland, the plan in Hawk’s mind formulated. Carefully watching out the window, the sound of the horn echoing around him, he reached over and activated the train’s emergency braking system. Instantly opening the brake pipe to air started a chain reaction throughout the system, causing the train to seize up as it shrieked in its effort to stop. The billowing steam and the sudden change in speed gave the train a little more distance from its airborne pursuer.
The Walter E. Disney shuddered as it struggled to stop, and Hawk leaned out to see the very sight he was waiting for. The train tracks circled around Tomorrowland past the Tomorrowland Speedway on the right side of the railway. The train would then go under a bridge designed to carry passengers on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority People Mover to travel inside of Space Mountain. As the train moved under this bridge, Hawk was protected on both sides. With the Space Mountain attraction on one side and the Tomorrowland Light and Power Company on the other, he was going to exit the engine as the train continued to slow and hopefully disappear around the bend.
He was hoping that if the assailants in the helicopter could see he was no longer on board, they would attempt to track him and break off the attack on the train. It was the only way he could provide an escape for the men still on board who might not yet be harmed. He was trusting that if he was no longer on the train, the black chopper would cut away, providing an escape for the men still on board that might not yet be harmed.
The engine passed beneath the bridge, and Hawk leaped out toward Space Mountain. Landing with a thud, he rolled to make sure he was away from the tracks and as close to the building structure as possible. The train clacked past him as it continued its rapid deceleration. Once the last car had cleared the track in front of him, he scrambled across it, stumbling behind the Tomorrowland Power and Light Company and flattening himself against the building. Creeping slowly along the wall, he took a glimpse around the corner to see the train come to a stop surrounded by massive puffs of steam billowing white against the dark night sky. The chopper closed in on the cab of the engine and hovered momentarily. The repeating thuds of the helicopter faded as it banked away and disappear into the blackness. It had worked, at least for the moment. The attack had stopped.
Hesitating until he could confirm the noise of the helicopter had disappeared, he risked heading back toward the train sitting on the tracks. Legs pumping, Hawk moved back onto the track and churned toward the parked train cars sitting on the railway line. The train had come to rest in the bend that gave riders a view of the Contemporary Resort alongside a line of trees as it made its final turn toward the Main Street Station. The train hissed as it was now in the open where others could see it.
Arriving at the last car, he saw one of the security guards fall out of the seat. Hawk knelt to assist him, and the guard looked up at him in stunned surprise.
“What happened?” The security officer blinked away blood streaming from a cut over his eye.
“Are you hit?” Hawk asked as he looked over the man for signs of gunshot wounds.
“I hit my head.” The guard reached up and wiped away the red mask crossing his forehead. “You OK, sir?”
“I’m fine,” Hawk said, as he once again scanned the sky for the return of the helicopter.
The other two security team members arrived, both seemingly unharmed. As they raced to check on the condition and safety of Hawk and their team member, Hawk was back on his feet and charging toward the engine. One of the security detail mirrored his motions.
“What are you doing, sir?” The security officer puffed as they ran.
“Call for help,” Hawk told him as he outpaced him to the engine.
“I already have.”
Hawk arrived at the cabin and jumped inside to get to George Colmes, who lay slumped against the steel wall at the side of the compartment. Hawk gently cradled his lifeless form and laid him down on the floor of the engine. The security officer stuck his head inside the opening and surveyed the scene; he stepped back and again yelled into his radio.
Hawk knelt by the man, who he had barely had the chance to know yet had forever changed the trajectory of his life.
Hawk whispered aloud, knowing there was no one to hear him. “I’m so sorry, George…I will figure out what I’ve got.”
CHAPTER NINE
Six Days Ago
Morning
The executive office of Grayson Hawkes was located in a two-level suite in the Bay Lake Towers at the Contemporary Resort. Hawk used this luxury office for meetings and official business. The suite was nothing if not spectacular. Designed specifically for him by the creative staff of the company, it looked as if it were a museum stuffed with Disney collectibles. Some had belonged to Hawk before he became a part of the organization. Many of the pieces had been given to him by others now that he was the chief creative architect of the Walt Disney Company.
The gathering was scheduled to happen upstairs from the executive office, in the spacious conference room located directly across from Hawk’s private office. It had a view like none other in the resort. The floor-to-ceiling windows looked out over the Magic Kingdom and offered a vista that could be found only on postcards and in picture books.
Juliette, Shep, and Jonathan had all received middle-of-the-night phone calls informing them of what had happened in the Magic Kingdom and of the latest attack resulting in the death of George Colmes. Each had been escorted to the office by members of the sheriff’s department and Disney security officers assigned to them. Mitch Renner, from the Orlando Police Department, sat at the table next to Cal McManus, the Orange County sheriff. Officers from both departments were scattered throughout the room as well as the suite.
The previous evening, after law enforcement had arrived, Hawk had been taken back to his apartment home on Main Street, U.S.A. Living above the Fire Station offered him a place to escape, stay close to the theme parks, and have a connection to Walt Disney, since Walt had kept an apartment above the Fire Station in Disneyland. Guards had been placed at the stairs leading up to the apartment, and the night had been spent talking with investigators who were busy trying to navigate the crime scene. The decision was made to delay opening the Magic Kingdom until noon; guests would not be able to get near the train, which was still sitting on the tracks just beyond Tomorrowland. Though the train attraction would be closed all day, Hawk had insisted they open the park. He was convinced the guests would be safe, as he was the target and he would stay away from them, ensuring their safety.
Under heavy security, a series of police cars pulled out of the parking area behind Hawk’s apartment, the offstage area where only cast members were allowed; it had been cleared and swept to make sure no one was there. This escort had moved out of the Magic Kingdom’s back entrance and then made its way across the property, through the main tourist areas, toward an undisclosed destination. As these cars made an obvious display for observers, and a burgeoning number of media outlets had been arriving all night, a monorail was making the short trek from the Magic Kingdom monorail station to the Contemporary Resort. Hawk, hidden under a touristy hat, sunglasses, and clothing, along with Al Gann dressed in plain clothes, exited the private monorail ride and strode into the Contemporary Resort looking like every other resort guest. They strolled across the bridge to the Bay Lake Towers and into the elevator that carried them to Hawk’s office. Al had made sure Kate Young was waiting for them at that elevator; she embraced Hawk and held on to him as the elevator rose toward the office suite.
When the three entered the office and made their way into the conference room, all in the room rose. Juliette, Jonathan, and Shep surrounded Hawk as members of the law enforcement community gave them some time to reconnect. It had been a horrific night, they were in danger, and this was the first time they had seen one another since the assassination attempts at the hospital and hearing the news of Farren Rales’s death. Their night had been disrupted further as they were told of another attempt on Hawk’s life, resulting in the death of another Disney legend, George Colmes.
After a few moments, Renner tried to herd the group into places around the table. A big man blocked Hawk’s path and extended a hand. Hawk recognized the face but knew he didn’t know the man wearing the Disney security uniform. He shook his hand as the man spoke.
“I’m Douglas Hall,” the man said. “I was on the train with you last night. I ran with you to the engine and called for help.”
Hawk made the connection. He removed the silly hat he was wearing. “Thanks for being there to help. I’m sorry it got so out of control.”
“No sir, I’m sorry we didn’t do a better job protecting you and Mr. Colmes. I appreciate what you did to get the train to stop and how you jumped off the train to divert the attack. It took guts and was pretty heroic. Probably saved our lives, since we were like sitting ducks.”
Hawk nodded, let loose of the handshake, and moved to where Al had motioned for him to sit. Kate sat next to him, and assembled around Hawk at one end of the table were Juliette, Jonathan, Shep, and Al. The sheriff was seated at the far end with Renner and other security people Hawk didn’t know.
“Hawk, it’s been a rough night,” Cal McManus began. He and Hawk had met on a number of occasions over the past few years. Hawk respected the sheriff, thought he did a good job, and had even voted for him. “I wish this wasn’t happening, but it is. The Magic Kingdom is now part of a murder investigation. We’ll do our best to stay out of the wandering eyes of tourists, but we’re going to need your cooperation on a lot of levels.”
“You have it, as always.” Hawk pointed toward Al. “Al can coordinate with our security, and we’ll do whatever we need to do to help.”
“OK, good. Somebody wants you dead. Why?”
Nothing like getting right to the point, Hawk thought. “I don’t really know, Sheriff. In the past, there has been a certain group of people who have attempted takeovers to move me out of my position here at Disney, but nothing like this.”
“I am aware of those cases.” Sheriff McManus smiled gravely and leaned forward. “I am also aware that there is a lot of your story that is not included in my case files. You are a man with secrets, Hawk…and I am good with that, as long as those secrets are legal and they don’t get anyone hurt. But now people have been killed. All of you are in danger, and this is extremely serious. Your full cooperation isn’t optional—if I make myself clear.”
“As I said, you have it.” Hawk sat back in his chair and rubbed his chin. He stopped as he brushed up against one of the bandages on his jaw from the glass the night before. “What do you want us to do?”
“You are going to have to let us keep you safe. In the past, you have not made th
at easy.” Cal curled his lip and narrowed his eyes at Hawk. “I would consider it a personal favor if you made it easier on my team this time.”
“I’ll behave and make your life easy.” Hawk stared back at the sheriff. “I want you to do whatever you have to. Find out who is behind this.”
“Rest assured, I will.” Cal pushed back from the table and stood to his feet. “Media people are descending on this place in droves. They want to hear from you, they want an update from you, and they want to see your smiling face…I suggest you stay away from the cameras. The media is something that we are going to have to work around. They’re a nuisance, and we’ll try to keep them out of the way.” He paused and looked at Kate. “No offense, Ms. Young.”
Kate tilted her head, and her dark mane of hair drooped slightly over one eye. She smiled at the sheriff and brushed back the stray strand of hair. “None taken.”
Hawk knew she was lying. He, however, agreed with the sheriff that the media would get in the way—but since he was dating one of the most well-known media personalities in the world, he would never admit it either. He could be reckless, but he wasn’t foolish.
Juliette assured the sheriff. “We’ll get out an official statement for the media and update them with information concerning theme park operations.”
“We will keep them updated as needed on our investigation. I appreciate your willingness to work with us.”
“We’ve staged the news organizations in one of the Epcot parking areas,” she continued, forming her hands into a steeple. “That keeps them a long way from Hawk, the Magic Kingdom, where you are currently investigating, and out of our guest resort areas. If you can have your public information officer coordinate with our staff there, it would help us as well. If there’s any problem, feel free to call me directly.”
