by Jeff Dixon
In the early morning hours they had gathered very little attention from the night cast members as they went about their jobs. Hawk was a frequent visitor to the theme parks after hours. His reputation of dropping by, visiting with people working, checking on the progress of a project was expected. As a result, the odd hour of this visit was actually normal, if not expected. Most cast members had little factual details of the events of the previous day, so Hawk’s moving about the resort signaled business as usual for the night crew. The lighted pathways of the studios carried them to a corner of the park known as the Streets Of America. The hustle and bustle found in any large city in America is captured on these streets. In the darkness of the early morning, the lights in these recreated city sets were still blazing, and the sounds of traffic, streetcars, police whistles, and the routine of everyday life could be heard as the soundtrack of the city is pumped into the area. The ambient sounds were a detail most missed but Hawk always heard. He had discovered sometimes in the background noise you can hear some fascinating things. In life, things that most think are nothing but background noise can have a profound impact on you…Hawk’s ability to notice details was one of the skill sets that had made him so successful. Stepping off the curb and onto the street, the group was swallowed up in what sounded like an active cityscape, now was deserted except for them.
“So, why are we here?” Shep asked as he looked around at the buildings surrounding them.
Hawk slowly began making his way down the city block as his friends moved with him.
“You already know,” Hawk stopped and faced them. “We’re here to find the train that doesn’t exist.”
“But we’re in the middle of Big City America here.” Shep moved his arm in a sweeping motion toward the buildings around them.
“There isn’t a train here, is there?” Jonathan asked.
“Not really.” Hawk smiled.
“But you are saying there is a train here.” Juliette struggled to make the words make sense. “It just isn’t really here…right?”
“Exactly.” Hawk nodded, knowing they didn’t understand. “Where we’re standing are all sorts of tributes to New York City. Originally the entire area was called New York Street.” Hawk allowed his gaze to move across the buildings of the city. “So what do you expect to find everywhere in New York City that relates to trains?”
“A subway.” Juliette turned her head to look farther down the block.
“There’s a subway train under the Streets of America?” Shep followed Juliette’s gaze down the street.
“No,” Jonathan helped him. “But there is a subway station.”
“Right.” Hawk was pleased they were understanding him. “And if you’re going to catch a train in New York, the best place is in a subway station.”
Hawk now moved in the direction Juliette was looking. In front of him was an entrance to an underground subway station. Opening up onto the sidewalk was a gaping hole surrounded by black iron fencing. Fastened to the fencing was a sign indicating the subway station below.
18TH STREET STATION
DOWNTOWN AND BROOKLYN
UNDERPASS TO UPTOWN AND QUEENS
“There it is.” Hawk pointed to the sign as they arrived at the stairs leading down. “But there is no Eighteenth Street station on any of the subway lines in New York City. Years ago, in the late 1940s, there used to be an Eighteenth Street station on the East Side line, but it was closed. When the Imagineers built this, they wanted to make sure it was specific for this recreation of New York Street. The Studios were created to have a vintage classic look, so perhaps they added this station back into the set to remember a bygone era.” Hawk opened the electronic tablet and hit the power button. “But if you’re going to catch a train that doesn’t exist, you might as well try to do so at a station that doesn’t exist.”
Shep looked down into the entrance of the subway station and discovered what the rest of the group already knew. Like everything else in this area, this was merely a prop. It had a set of steps that went downward but stopped as soon as you would disappear below the sight line of people on the street.
“What about the line?” Juliette asked, pointing at the subway station sign.
The black sign featured two yellow circles, one filled with a bold, black capital W and the other with a D, indicating the subway lines that could be picked up at the station.
“Ah, you noticed.” Hawk tilted his head. “I did too, the first time I ever remember seeing this location. There are no W or D subway lines in New York City. So again, something else that doesn’t exist except right here. The W and D are a tribute to Walt Disney—and for trivia fans are a reminder of the man who started all of this. To me, it is never a surprise when Farren includes a clue that occasionally pays homage to his friend Walt.”
“The clue said, ‘Find the train that doesn’t exist and see where you go when Walt’s curiosity persists.’” Jonathan recalled the clue verbatim.
“Yes, so this is the only place I know to meet a train that doesn’t exist. There is no W or D subway line, no Eighteenth Street Station, and not a real place to catch a subway train except in your imagination because the train does not exist.” Hawk smiled as his own train of thought chugged into the station.
A soft, melodious ding rang out from the tablet, and once again a small red dot appeared on the lone icon on the screen. The golden key had a new update. Hawk glanced around and then nodded toward the entrance to the subway station. They descended the short flight of steps until they disappeared from view along the street, and then they sat down to study the tablet. When they were all gathered close enough to have a view of the screen, Hawk aligned the real key with the electronic key, which began to flash. The screen once again went to black, flickered, and a video window opened up in front of them. Hawk reached down and tapped the “play” arrow, and the video came to life.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Five Days Ago
Early Morning
Silent black-and-white footage taken outdoors on a bright day filled the screen. “The Cherry Plaza Welcomes Walt Disney” was printed on a banner that blew in the breeze. The distinct image of Walt Disney emerging from a limousine and waving at a crowd of people flickered in front of them. The footage, perhaps an old newsreel, continued as Walt Disney walked inside a building and was greeted by the large crowd of people apparently waiting for his arrival. The image on the screen shifted, and sound began to play.
The new image showed Walt and Roy Disney seated behind a table and a collection of microphones. Between Walt and Roy sat a man behind a sign that read Gov. Haydon Burns. The backdrop was a handmade sign: Florida Welcomes Walt Disney.
“I haven’t seen this in years,” Hawk whispered to them. “This is legendary footage. It’s the press conference from 1965 when Walt Disney and Governor Burns announced to the world the plans to build Disney World. This is the beginning of what they called Project Florida.”
The video continued to play, with the governor speaking and then turning the attention of the crowd to Walt. Over the next few minutes, he talked about the company he had created; about his brother, Roy, and their special partnership; about the story of Disneyland and their recent success at the World’s Fair.
“Why do we need to see this?” Shep scratched the back of his head. “I’ve seen clips from this a number of times.”
“I have too.” Hawk kept his eyes fixed on the screen. “But I’ve never seen the entire press conference before.”
“Shh…” Juliette hushed them.
The press conference continued, and Walt nervously and charmingly did all he could do to keep from giving any specific details about what they were planning as the press asked him questions. The governor began to speak about some of the concessions the State of Florida was going to give Disney, with many of the details yet to be worked out. Hawk tried to glean something new from what he was watching, but if there was a clue here, he wasn’t getting it. This footage, although he had neve
r seen it in its entirety, was well documented, and segments of the event had been shown for years.
As they watched the video, the press conference came to an end. Normally the cameras would be turned off now, but this time, the camera kept running. Walt, Roy, and Governor Burns got up to leave. Burns and Roy moved back from the table, but Walt did not. Hawk leaned in and watched closely. This was new footage to him. So often when you saw Walt on camera, he was living up to the image the world expected to see when they saw Walt Disney. Now Walt in this moment, captured on this film, was going off script. He was fascinated by something on the table in front of him. Roy and the Governor had turned to leave and were getting ready to take photographs, but Walt was fiddling with something on a microphone in front of him. He was curious, he was studying it, he reached down and messed with it momentarily. The press conference had ended and there was more to do on this day—but for Walt, in that moment, he was curious about why something was there in front of him.
“This is it,” Hawk said out loud, realizing that this must be what he was supposed to see.
Governor Burns turned back to retrieve Walt and encouraged him to move to the next stop of the event, and Walt said, “Virginia . . .” He then pointed back toward the microphone. “You see…it says the seal of Virginia.”
The screen went to black and the boxes flashed, asking, “Play again,” or “Delete?”
“I never knew there was an extended version of that press conference.” Hawk shook his head. “That was what we were supposed to see…‘and see where you go when Walt’s curiosity persists.’”
“So, Walt gets curious about something on a microphone at the press conference table.” Juliette mentally rewound what they had just seen. “He’s curious about why it is there and then tells the governor what he sees.”
“Right,” Hawk agreed. “And so now we have to go to . . .”
“Virginia?” Shep upturned his palms. “ We have to go to Virginia? I think Virginia is an awfully big place.”
“We’re not going to Virginia,” Jonathan corrected his friend, then hesitated. “Are we?”
“No, but that was the clue…Virginia.” Hawk pushed the delete button on the touch screen, and the video window disappeared. “Walt was curious about something that was connected to Virginia. My guess is that whatever I need to find next has some type of Virginia connection. And it’s someplace I have to go to.”
“Which is…?” Juliette leaned forward slightly.
“I don’t know”—Hawk shrugged—“yet.”
In the restless hours that followed, Hawk tried to unravel where you go when Walt’s curiosity persists and how you go to Virginia without going to Virginia. He had managed to get back to his apartment without being detected by the people protecting him, and the others had headed home without drawing attention to themselves, which in some ways made him very uncomfortable.
The night was restless, sleep constantly interrupted by Hawk’s overactive brain trying to connect the dots and make sense of the madness swirling around him. Occasionally fatigue would overrule his desire to keep thinking, and he would fade into the darkness of fitful slumber. Nightmare glimpses of a shattering window in a limousine, the distressed face of Farren Rales, the screaming of a train whistle, and gunshots erupting through the steam of a locomotive would jerk him back to reality. In the moments before dawn, Hawk finally sank into a deep sleep, only to be awakened by a hand on his shoulder, gently shaking him back into the familiar surroundings of his apartment bathed in the early morning sun beginning to streak though the windows.
“Good morning.” Kate smiled as she leaned over him. “Did you decide you were just too tired to make it into your bedroom?”
Hawk blinked away the cobwebs of sleepiness. Looking around, he realized he had made it only as far as the couch in his living room. This had been the train he had ridden through the night of darkened dreams on.
“Yeah,” he smiled at her. “What time is it?” His voice was still rough with sleepiness.
“About six.” She placed a hand gently on his cheek. “I am so sorry to wake you, but I’m on my way to the airport soon. The network is sending me back to New York.”
“Why?” He slowly sat up, making room for her to sit next to him on the sofa. “Am I no longer a big enough story for you to be covering?”
“Oh, no, you’re huge story. As a matter of fact, they’re sending an entire team down here to follow up on what’s going on. I’m heading back for a series of meetings to reassign our anchors across the country for some developing situations.”
“You lost me.” Hawk could feel his brain kicking into gear.
“It’s the usual stuff,” Kate leaned her head on his shoulder as Hawk put his arm around her. “There’s a huge storm churning toward the Caribbean, there’s a situation in the Middle East, we have a massive wildfire out west, and then of course…there’s someone trying to kill you.” She raised her head and looked into his eyes. “The network thinks I’m a bit too close to the story, and they aren’t convinced I’m going to report everything I know.”
“So they’re bringing you back to New York and then sending you where?”
“Not sure yet.”
“Like I told you before, I would feel better if you were somewhere safer than here.”
“Oh . . .” Kate kissed him and got to her feet. “Don’t think for a minute you’re getting rid of me that easily, Grayson Hawkes. I’ll be back here just as quickly as I can to keep you safe and out of trouble.” Placing her hands on her hips, she said, “Now get up and let’s go for a walk before I have to leave.”
After a quick stop to freshen up from the sleepless night, Hawk emerged in a white button-down shirt and a pressed pair of jeans. He slid his feet into a pair of Mickey Mouse Crocs and the two headed down the stairs of his apartment toward Main Street, U.S.A. At the bottom of the steps, Douglas Hall turned and watched them make their descent.
“I see you were able to wake him up,” Doug said to Kate.
“Yep, he was trying to sleep the day away.” She slid her arm inside of Hawk’s.
“Been a long night for you, hasn’t it, Doug?” Hawk stopped when they reached the bottom of the stairs. “When does the next shift arrive?”
“In about an hour. Until then, it’s my job to keep an eye on you.”
“Well, we’re going for a walk through the park before it opens.” Hawk nodded toward Main Street. “We’ll be fine.”
“I know you will, sir.” Doug cleared his throat. “And I’ll be watching, but you won’t even know I’m near you.”
“OK, do what you need to do.” Hawk smiled. Though he regularly bypassed his own security detail, he appreciated the work being done to help keep him safe. From past experiences, he knew that he never made it easy on those close to him. His curiosity and his inability to do nothing had created a number of complicated situations for him over the past few years.
Walking down Main Street, U.S.A. toward Cinderella Castle arm in arm with Kate, Hawk felt her tighten her grip. He followed her gaze as she looked back over her shoulder. Doug had fallen way back and trailed them down the street, giving them plenty of room to be alone.
“I want you to be safe,” she said softly, “and do what law enforcement tells you to do.”
“I will be fine,” he reassured her.
“No, you tend to track trouble like a kid hunts for Easter eggs. You are going to get hurt if you aren’t careful.”
Hawk thought about telling her about the discoveries he had made yesterday and what they had found last night. But if he did, she might try to figure out a way to stay, and he really did want her to be safe. Staying safe was easier for her right now if she was not in close proximity to him. He sighed. He knew she would be upset that he didn’t tell her, but he would deal with that later; her leaving town, even if for a short time, would help keep her safe.
“I am very aware of how serious this is.”
“OK, now tell me, how are you?” Sh
e stopped, turned toward him in front of the Partners statue, and gripped his hands.
The smiling Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse were glowing with a hint of brilliant yellow in the Florida morning sun. He stared at her, trying to read what she was really asking. Kate had been the first woman Hawk had allowed to tear down some of the walls he had built around his life and heart. They had not gotten off to the easiest beginning in their relationship. Kate had stormed into his life to do an investigative report. She had surprised him by discovering some of his past and how he had lost his family. But her arrival had also coincided with the mystery that George had created for him. Consumed by curiosity, she redirected her investigative report about Hawk into the Disney mystery. Along the way of their adventure, they had connected emotionally. He trusted her, he loved her…but he still wasn’t always willing to open up and share with her as quickly or as freely as she wanted.
“I’m…surviving.” He knew he’d given her a more honest answer than she had been expecting.
“All things considered, that is probably all you could be doing about now.” She tightened her hands around his. “Farren is gone, George Colmes is gone, and you’ve had three attempts on your life. Surviving at this point is good.”
“I’m not worried about me.” He looked toward the ground. “It’s the people around me I worry about.”
She pulled him in and hugged him. “The people around you love you and know what they’re getting into when they’re close to you.”
As she released the hug, they turned and faced the castle. Standing in silence for a few moments, Hawk pondered what she had just said. She was right. Getting close to him wasn’t easy, and although he tried to keep those around him safe, he was blessed to have some people in his life who loved him unconditionally. It was a gift he tried to be mindful of, but like so many things, he wasn’t as thankful as often as he should be.
“Like I said, I’m surviving and will survive this…” He paused. “We will survive this.”
