by Jeff Dixon
“I will. Thank you.” The sheriff moved to leave, along with some of the deputies assembled in the room. “We’ll talk soon.” He nodded and walked out the door.
The group sitting around the table watched him leave, and then Mitch Renner cleared his throat. He smiled slightly. Looking down at the notebook he had in front of him on the table, he flipped through it briefly.
“It has been a bad night,” Renner summarized. “Hawk, as we have already stated, we’re convinced you are the primary target in all of this. Yet you don’t know what the reason for these acts is…other than someone possibly wanting to oust you from your position within the company and to somehow control the Disney empire.”
“I don’t know what they want.” Hawk leaned forward and placed his hands flat against the tabletop. “But I do want to know who they are.”
“I know.” Renner nodded. “And we will figure it out. You’re going to have a lot of security around you from this point forward. Last night, the black helicopter was able to get to you because we didn’t monitor the airspace around the property at a heightened security level. They surprised us. It will not happen again.”
Renner pointed toward Al Gann, who picked up the conversation and the debriefing for the group. “It was my mistake to let you get on that train last night. Here is what we have planned for you, Hawk: You are not going out anywhere in public. You will not be out and moving around as you please. When you do move, you will move with security—as a matter of fact, Douglas Hall or a member of his team is going to be with you around the clock. We will use misdirection and decoys like we did today. You go nowhere without letting us know. Got it?”
“Yep, got it.” Hawk sighed.
“I want you to stay on property. Despite what happened last night, we can keep you safer here. However, since you are the target, we do not want you around guests. There is no need to expose others to potential danger. You can move around a bit more freely after areas of the resort close if you need to…so you won’t feel like a prisoner. I know how much you hate to be confined and to feel like you can’t participate and contribute.” Al smiled at Hawk. “And I do want you to do what you do best.”
A brief, uncomfortable silence hung in the air.
Renner wrinkled his brow. “I’m not sure I even know what that means. But I expect you to stay out of trouble and cooperate fully with us.”
The investigator got up and motioned for the officers to exit. Al Gann followed suit and moved toward the door. Douglas indicated to Hawk by pointing that he would be right outside. Hawk nodded, and the door silently clicked shut, leaving the five friends alone for the first time since the night Farren was shot and killed.
“Someone tried to assassinate you last night from an unmarked black helicopter!” Kate blurted out. “This isn’t about someone trying to take over an entertainment empire or someone upset because Walt Disney designed a contingency plan for a new leader to emerge long after he was gone…this is about something far more serious and bigger”—she raised her eyebrows—“if the other stuff wasn’t big enough.”
Juliette nodded her agreement. “Hawk, do you know how close you were to not being in this room right now?”
“I do.” Hawk sighed again. “It was surreal. I was talking with George”—he swallowed hard—“about Farren dying, and then out of nowhere we were under attack. It was happening so fast, I couldn’t get my mind focused on what to do quick enough.”
“Hey.” Kate reached across and placed a comforting hand on his arm. “There was nothing you could have done fast enough to save George. Whoever is doing this is to blame. But Hawk, with your past few years here at Disney, you have to know that there’s something huge happening right now.”
Jonathan leaned back in his chair. “And you’re going to have to figure it out.”
“And not get yourself or us killed along the way.” Shep shook his head, engulfed in the enormity of the past twenty-four hours.
Juliette leaned in closer to the table and lowered her voice. “What did George tell you, Hawk?”
“He wanted to help me, but he didn’t really know anything.”
“If he didn’t know anything, then how was he going to help you?” Kate caressed his arm gently.
Hawk hesitated and then looked to the face of each of his friends before responding. “He didn’t know; he was just willing to help.” Lowering his head, he continued softly. “He was willing to help because…I don’t know what I have.”
“Hey, boss?” Shep cleared his throat. “If you don’t know what you have, then how do you know you have it, or how will you know when you find it…whatever it is?”
The room again fell silent and Hawk felt the penetrating stare of his team seated around the table on him, waiting for a response.
“Actually . . .” The sound of Jonathan’s voice deflated the rising pressure of the silence. “I hate to admit it, but Shep asked a really great question…or series of questions. How in the world can you find something when you don’t know what you’re looking for?”
“Hasn’t that been the story of our lives around here the past few years?” Juliette answered before Hawk had the chance. “Hawk has never known what mystery he was getting caught up in. That is how we all ended up around this table right now.”
Juliette was right. The previous quests had been created by an innovative team of trusted allies to the Disney brothers. Once Hawk had been selected to become the keeper of that trust, he had lived on a need-to-know basis. Each time there had been something else he needed to be successful and move forward in his new role of leading the company, he had to go and find it. This time what made it different was that someone wanted whatever it was enough to kill him and anyone else close to him.
“I’m sorry I’ve put you all at risk.” Hawk smiled slightly. “Maybe it’s a good time for all of you to take a vacation, get away for a few days until I can get this figured out.”
“Vacation? Seriously?” Juliette stared across the table at Hawk. “ We are sitting in the one spot in the entire world everyone wants to see when they go on vacation. And you want us to go away and leave you here to do what?”
“Give me a chance to figure out what they’re looking for, what they want, why they want me dead.”
“And you think you can do that without us?” Kate crossed her arms in confusion.
“I just want you to be safe.”
“And what about you being safe?” Jonathan inquired. “It would seem to me that you aren’t going to be safe until you figure out what they want and what you don’t have. But I need to remind you that whoever is trying to kill you is now convinced you don’t need to be around to figure it out. You’re just in the way.”
Shep drummed his fingers on the table. “You, your knowledge, and your expertise have never been expendable…until now.”
Shep’s statement settled over the group for a moment.
“Or maybe, just maybe…” Kate shifted. “This time they’re afraid you’ll figure it out before they do…and they can’t risk that. Whatever they want is too big this time.”
“Hawk, you aren’t just trying to protect us by telling us you don’t know what they want, right?” Jonathan asked in earnest. “You really don’t know what it is?”
“No, I don’t.”
“So what do we do?” Shep tapped nervously on the table.
Juliette reached over with her hand and trapped his fingers on the table, silencing the annoying sound. “What do you want us to do?”
“I want you to go away and stay safe.” Hawk looked to all of his friends, hoping they would do what he said but knowing they wouldn’t.
“We aren’t going anywhere,” Jonathan said as though he’d become the spokesman for the group.
“Alright.” Hawk smiled. He was bothered they wouldn’t take his advice but relieved they were willing to stay. “If you’re going to help me, then meet me tonight at the Town Square Center on Main Street, U.S.A. I’ll hide out here most of the day, try t
o stay out of sight, try to accomplish a few things, and then we can get started around eleven o’clock.”
“I knew it.” Juliette smiled and shook her head. “You do know something, Grayson Hawkes. You just weren’t going to tell us to keep us safe.”
“I know a lot of things.” Hawk’s wry humor and arrogance drew smiles from everyone in the room. “What I don’t know is what this is about and what I supposedly have. But I do have a place to start looking. We start tonight.”
CHAPTER TEN
Six Days Ago
Night
The Magic Kingdom was still moving guests through its streets when the clock struck eleven. Though the park was officially closed, there still would be a number of people making final purchases in gifts shops, coming from each corner of the themed lands in the park, and all would stream down Main Street, U.S.A. to exit for the evening. Jonathan, Juliette, and Shep waited inside the lobby of Town Square Theater. When open, the theater is a popular meet-and-greet area where guests get the chance to take photographs, shake hands, and get hugs from Mickey Mouse. A camera center along with a variety of gifts can be found in the lobby. Shep was browsing a collection of collectible pins while they waited. Since Hawk had taken charge of the Disney Company, this area had gone through an extensive remodel. Originally known as the Town Square Exposition Hall, the building had been used for a number of things since the theme park opened in 1971. Once Hawk was at the helm, one of his first official acts had been to design this attraction that allowed guests always to have a place to meet Mickey Mouse; he also revamped and put to practical use the adjacent area, which had originally been the home of The Walt Disney Story attraction. Once the technology had been tested and perfected, he immediately authorized the Talking Mickey Mouse interactive experience. For the first time, guests could hear Mickey talk and were stunned to discover that each personalized visit was unique and unforgettable. Although the lines were long at times to see the beloved icon, there were no complaints; the attraction was worth the wait.
Many had suspected, because of his love for Walt, that Hawk would bring back a new version of the Walt Disney portion of the attraction. Instead, the results had been a surprising and satisfying redesign that left no remnant of the previous inhabitants of this area. Or so most people believed. Suddenly, the closed doors that led to the queue lines to the meet-and-greet area opened, and Grayson Hawkes emerged. His friends had been watching across the street toward his apartment above the Fire Station. At the base of the steps at the Fire Station, Douglas Hall stood sentry, preventing anyone from climbing the staircase toward the door of Hawk’s home. Hawk’s entrance from inside the attraction startled them all.
“We were expecting you to come from the apartment,” Juliette exclaimed.
Hawk pointed toward the window in the direction of his home. “I have a very serious security guard standing at the bottom of my steps. He is under strict orders and is very determined not to let me out of my apartment without an escort.”
“Considering you have people trying to shoot you, somehow that seems wise.” Jonathan nodded toward his friend. “So you did the unwise thing and snuck out?”
“Let’s just say I know things about the Magic Kingdom that he doesn’t. I used another way out.” Hawk motioned for his friends to join him. “Follow me.”
“Wait a minute.” Shep brought the group to a halt even before they began. “Where’s Kate?”
“She’s working.” Hawk shrugged. “We do have a crisis here that is making worldwide news. The network knows she has an inside track to sources of information. So she’s walking a very fine line as she covers the story from her unique perspective. Somehow she has to do that without giving away any off-the-record information. Hopefully she can catch up with us later. But I promise you, the exclusive you are about to see will be one she will be wishing she had been a part of.” He leaned back toward the doors he had just entered through. “Are you coming or not?”
The group moved past the crowd-control barriers and followed Hawk toward the door of the Mickey Mouse greeting area. Opening it, they all stepped through. They slowly made their way through a second door and down a hallway lined with stage doors through which guests would normally pass to spend some time with famous characters. Hawk silently led them to the end of the hallway. He inserted an old skeleton key into the lock of the last door and opened it. As they passed through, they all took a glance at the key in his hand. It was the kingdom key that he had been given by Farren Rales. Still saying nothing, Hawk closed the door behind them and again motioned for them to follow him through a storage area. At the back wall of the storage area, there was a closet; again Hawk used the kingdom key to open the door, and they all stepped inside. As he closed the door behind them, they were plunged into darkness.
He produced a flashlight that chased away the darkness with a yellow glow. They stood at the top of a staircase.
“I found this place three years ago. It’s a long story to explain how I found it, but considering all that’s going on, I felt like it was time for you to see something. There are three stories down to the bottom, no lights but the one I have, and no other doors except the one we entered and the one we are going to now. Ready?”
The friends nodded silently, and he could sense their intrigue and excitement. Hawk had told them many of the details of his journey to become the CCA of the Company, many of the clues and secrets Farren Rales had shown him and given him along the way, but there were some things…perhaps many chapters of this saga he had yet to unveil for them. Steadily they made their way to the bottom of the stairwell. The end of their path was an oversized door. It contained a lever instead of a knob. Hawk grabbed the lever and with a bit of muscle leaned on it. A muffled click echoed in the stairway and he swung the heavy door on its hinges.
They stepped through into a very tight landing. Once they were all inside, the huge door closed behind them. The next barrier in front of them was a stainless steel door. Eight feet high and four feet wide, it caught the flashlight beam and sent splinters of light dancing around them. The door had no handle, only a shoe box–sized locking mechanism unlike anything the group had ever seen. Hawk gave them a moment to study it. Like the door itself, this mechanism was stainless steel. It featured a keypad with six rows of six keys: one for each letter of the alphabet along with numeric keys from 0 to 9. Above the keypad was a narrow display screen. Below the keypad were two rows of slots measuring an inch wide. Two slots in each of those rows surrounded a more classic keyhole nestled in the center of the four slots. A red light blinked at the base of the mechanism.
Shep whistled. “That is what I would call some kind of lock.”
Hawk placed the kingdom key in the keyhole. “Everything I found three years ago brought me to this place, to this lock, just like we are now.” The blinking light sped up its cadence. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a shiny silver box. He opened it to reveal four silver bars. Measuring four inches long and one inch in width, each bar had been discovered and collected on the treasure hunt designed by Farren. Each bar bore a quote from Walt Disney himself.
The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing
Having read the quote and let his friends see it briefly, he then turned the bar sideways and inserted it into opening of the upper left slot.
All of our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them
This second metallic bar was turned on its side and placed into the opening on the right side, opposite the first silver bar. They heard a sharp click as it locked into place.
It’s kind of fun to do the impossible
He inserted the third bar into the mechanism.
If you can dream it you can do it
The last of the bars slid into place and the red light began to blink even more rapidly. Hawk crouched down to get a better look at the thirty-six-key pad. He found and pressed the letter N. The letter immediately lit up in place on the display screen. Then he pressed the numbers
2, 3, 4 in sequence. They also appeared on the screen pad. His friends leaned in and watched as he pressed the last two letters, M, M, instantly causing them to appear on the screen. The light went out and then flashed green as the door released and automatically swung open. Hawk motioned for them to enter; and as they did, he removed the four silver bars, returning them to their case, and the key. All of them disappeared into his pocket, and the door closed behind them.
“After I originally solved the puzzle, I did what we just did right now. And I probably felt like you are feeling right now. I was wondering where I was and what was going to happen next.”
“So each of those silver bars were hidden for you to find, and they’re part of a lock?” Jonathan clarified.
“And the N234MM is the code you needed?” Juliette added. “Which is the tail number of Walt Disney’s personal airplane, right?”
“Yep.” Hawk smiled at his friends and their growing excitement.
“So, this is what people have been trying to steal from you the past few years?” Jonathan wondered.
“Yes, and the journal of Walt’s that George Colmes had hid for me to find,” Hawk answered. “But what the pieces together were for is something only Farren and I knew about, until just now, when I showed you. So, it goes without saying that this is something you can’t tell anyone else about. Agreed?”
His friends all nodded their agreement, which Hawk had known they would do. He trusted them completely, which is why he had taken them into his confidence with these secrets. They now stood in a reception area with plush carpet with a single oversized chair sitting in the middle of the room facing an enormous glass wall. The attention of the group turned toward that wall as the lights slowly began to brighten the room and shadows were chased away, lighting a familiar figure seated behind a desk, staring at them. Juliette, Jonathan, and Shep all watched in stunned silence as the man rose to his feet, placed his hands on his desk, leaned toward them, and said, “Glad you made it.”
