by Jeff Dixon
“I know.” Kate slid her hand into Hawk’s and interlocked her fingers with his. “I just want you to be safe, Hawk.”
He closed his hand tightly into hers.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Five Days Ago
Morning
Hawk finished breakfast in his Fire Station apartment after he had told Kate goodbye. His brain was replaying the phrase see where you go when Walt’s curiosity persists…and a place, Virginia, over and over again. In the past, as he was sent on these quests, some clues fell easily into place and some were far more difficult for him. His mental map was now searching for Virginia here at the Walt Disney World Resort. His thinking abruptly stopped with a knock at the door.
“Come in, it’s open,” Hawk called out.
The knob turned and Shep swung open the door, holding it so someone else could enter. Heather Gilbert walked in carrying an iPad and a stack of papers. As Hawk had fully embraced his role within the company, an entire staff of cast members had been added to handle the many facets of his responsibilities. Heather, in charge of running the office of the Chief Creative Architect, was at the helm of that team.
In his early days of his new job, he had tried to keep the infrastructure around him small. Nancy Alport had handled all the details of his office by herself. But she had betrayed him, set him up, and had worked with a group of people who tried to wrest control of the company from him. Although Hawk had been able to derail their plot, the win had come at great cost. These enemies had proven themselves willing to stop at nothing to take what they wanted. They had used threats, they had used force, they had used deceit, and now they had escalated their efforts and had crossed a line that in the past he had refused to believe they ever would. That was then; this was now. Nancy Alport had managed to disappear, all traces of her life evaporated. She had been a vital member of the plot to unravel Walt’s plan for the future and had worked to accomplish that goal for years. Originally, she had worked alongside Farren Rales, which is where Hawk met her and why he had trusted her as he had.
After she was thwarted, Hawk had made the decision to create an entirely new structure around his office, and Heather was the perfect choice to head that project up. She was a veteran cast member with a great working knowledge of the resort and a solid reputation among her coworkers. She was so organized that Hawk was free to spend very little time dealing with administrative details, which he didn’t enjoy and which bogged him down.
Heather placed the papers and the iPad on the table in front of Hawk and pressed the device’s power button. “I brought you some things that I think you need to look at.”
Shep took a seat on the sofa. “I found her heading into the park this morning and figured she was headed this way. I thought I might as well follow her and come check on you this morning.” He smiled.
“Oh, you did?” Hawk looked back toward Heather, who was now ready to run through her checklist with him.
“You’ll notice I have cleared your schedule almost completely for the next few days.” She pointed toward the printout on the top of the paperwork.
“Thanks.”
“Juliette told me there was nothing else to be added to the calendar until further notice. The only item I didn’t move is the appearance you’re making for Christmas Dreams. I know it’s your favorite charity and didn’t want to cancel it until I talked to you.”
“Leave the Christmas Dreams event on my schedule.”
“Are you certain?”
“Yes. They’re trying to raise funds and I promised to help them. It won’t take me long to make the presentation, and it took forever to get it scheduled. We can’t cancel it.”
“Sir, I’m sure that under the circumstance, people representing Christmas Dreams will understand.” Heather’s tone grew in intensity ever so slightly.
“I said leave it.”
“Very well.” She looked back at her notes. “Juliette also is interfacing with the media who are all still parked in the Epcot parking lot, so none of their inquiries are coming to us at your office.”
“Good, that’s—”
“I have included copies of some of the articles and reactions to your announcement that we’re building a new theme park. But as you can imagine, most of that news has been eclipsed by our current situation.” She slid her paperwork to the side so he could see what she had brought for him. Now referencing her iPad, which showed a massive, swirling cloud formation off the coast of Florida, she continued. “Just so you’re aware, there’s a tropical storm situation that we have begun tracking. Right now we’re fine, but if it shifts, we’re always ready to move into storm-preparedness mode. If the situation changes, I will let you know.”
“Great.” Hawk glanced at the papers she had placed on the table. As always, she was quick, efficient, and to the point. “I’ll look at these.”
“There’s nothing pressing. Do it as you have the time.” Heather checked her electronic notes. “That’s it. Again, I can handle anything that might come up, so you can take the time you need to take care of things. And sir, I am sorry…” She smiled sadly at Hawk.
“I appreciate it, thank you,” Hawk replied.
“I’ll miss Farren. And although I didn’t really know him, George was a legend. Is there anything I can do that would help you during this time of loss?”
“No, but again, I appreciate all you are doing…that is the help I need.”
“You have my sympathies.” And with a nod, she quickly moved through the apartment, out the door, and the sound of her footsteps faded as she headed down the stairs.
“I hear Kate had to leave,” Shep said after waiting until they could no longer hear her in the stairwell.
“She headed back to New York.”
“Did you tell her what we found last night?”
“No.” Hawk glanced out the window toward Main Street, U.S.A. “I wanted to, but figured it would be better to keep her safe and not let her know any more than I needed to just yet.”
Shep cocked his head to the side. “She won’t like it.”
Hawk nodded agreement but said nothing. He absently scanned the people now moving around Town Square. As his gaze moved past the central courtyard, someone caught his eye. A woman was seated next to Roy Disney and Minnie Mouse on their statue called Sharing the Magic. She was staring back at Hawk. He knew that through the sheer curtains she couldn’t see him, but still she stared right toward him. Something about her looked very familiar. Dressed as a tourist, wearing a snug-fitting Mickey Mouse T-Shirt, black stretch pants, and tennis shoes…this woman could easily have blended into the crowd. However, something had caused Hawk to notice her. It could have been the fact that she was staring so intently at the window he was looking out. She was attractive, but that was not it either. Her dark hair was pulled into a ponytail and she was wearing a Disney baseball cap.
Then he knew…it was her eyes. Despite the distance between them, it was her green eyes that seemed so familiar. Hawk always seemed to notice green eyes; it was one of the first things he had noticed about Kate when he met her. But these eyes did not belong to Kate, and Hawk’s mind reeled as he realized why they had caught his attention.
“No way.” Hawk abruptly stood, knocking the chair he had been seated in aside, and raced toward the door.
Shep, startled by the sudden motion managed to say, “What…?”
Hawk flung open the door and bolted through it. At the bottom of the stairs, he shoved past the security guard and a stunned Mitch Renner, who had been crossing Town Square toward Fire Station 71.
He heard Mitch cry out, “What’s wrong? Where are you going?” But Hawk did not have time to stop. The woman, once she noticed him, got up and instantly broke into a run headed down Main Street, U.S.A. in the direction of Cinderella Castle. Hawk knew she would be able to disappear in the crowd if he didn’t catch another glimpse of her quickly. Reaching the head of the street, he slowed and looked for any unusual motion as the crowd moved. He didn’t see
anything out of the ordinary. He feared she might have ducked into one of the shops lining both sides of the street, but if he guessed and followed in the wrong direction, he would have missed the chance to catch her. Sliding past a small clump of people who had stopped to stare at him after recognizing who he was, he ran through the door of the Emporium, the largest gift shop on Main Street, U.S.A.
Hawk scanned the masses of people moving across the shop and noticed a few people at the end of the shop scurrying to move away from some sort of disturbance. Breaking into a jog in that direction, Hawk caught a glimpse of the dark ponytail bouncing beneath the baseball cap as the woman ran through the store.
I guessed right, Hawk thought as he gave pursuit.
The Emporium covered the entire block of the street and then seamlessly connected to all of the stores contained in the next block as well. For the convenience of their guests, years ago Disney had made the entire side of the street one huge continuous shop. This allowed guests to browse and make their purchases all at one time. It also meant the square footage of the shop was massive, and in the scenario unfolding in front of Hawk, gave someone trying to hide many choices and opportunities. Hawk blasted his way past shoppers, reached the end of the shop, and veered off to his right into one of the areas featuring clothing. Slowing momentarily, he looked to see if he could spot the woman once again. He was vaguely aware of Mitch Renner continuing to call out after him, giving pursuit, along with a security guard. Hawk was too engaged in dodging guests, surveying the surroundings, trying to catch another look at the woman in the ball cap. It was then he saw her again. She had chosen to go left prior to Hawk’s going right, which had allowed her to put additional distance between them because of the layout of the store.
Hawk now ran out the door to his right, back onto Main Street, and right into Shep, who had chased him as well but had bypassed running through the crowded stores.
“What are you doing?” a surprised Shep asked him.
“Follow me.” Hawk motioned as he broke into a sprint and rounded Casey’s Corner, the hotdog restaurant at the end of Main Street. The piano player plunking the keys of the piano in the outdoor dining area quit playing as Hawk and Shep ran past. Once again, he caught a glimpse of the woman running in the black stretch pants as she crossed the bridge that ran in front of Adventureland back toward Liberty Square.
The informal train of people made for an unexpected parade streaming through the Magic Kingdom. Hawk and Shep chasing the woman in the cap. Renner and a security guard chasing Hawk and Shep, along with an additional two cast members from Disney security who had added themselves to the pursuit.
The woman ran into the back entrance of Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe, which Hawk knew was the beginning of the end. Like so many shops in the resort, there were multiple entrances and exits, and the possibility of guessing which direction she was headed in for a second time was not likely. Reaching the Christmas-themed shop, Hawk and Shep ran in and then straight through the exit on the other side, finding themselves in Liberty Square. Surrounded by the Liberty Bell, the Liberty Tree, and the Hall of Presidents, the CCA stopped and scanned the crowd. This time, as he feared, he saw people but not the one he was chasing. She had managed to disappear into the throngs streaming from all directions in Liberty Square.
“What are we doing?” Shep asked, trying to catch his breath.
“Looking,” said Hawk.
“For?”
“A woman.”
“Huh?” panted Shep.
Renner and the security guard at his side emerged from Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe and joined them by the Liberty Bell. Seeing Hawk looking through the crowd, Renner did the same, although he had no idea what or who he was looking for. Reaching out and placing a hand on Hawk’s arm, Renner spoke.
“Hawk, you doing OK here?”
“Fine.”
“What are you doing?”
“I saw someone I thought I recognized.” Hawk kept looking hopelessly over the crowds.
“Who?” Renner motioned for the security guard to step to the other side of Hawk allowing them to flank the preacher turned entertainment mogul.
“I might be wrong, but I thought I saw someone from my past.”
“I’m listening.”
“Her name is Kiran Roberts.”
“I know that name.” Renner’s grip tightened on his arm. “Let’s step back out of the traffic area.”
Hawk sensed Renner moving into higher alert, anxious to get Hawk out of the crowds.
Moving into an alcove behind the shop and behind the Liberty Tree Tavern, the four men stepped safely out of the flow of people. Renner noticed the additional security cast members who had arrived, and with a few whispered words effectively created a safe zone where they stood watch, protecting Hawk, Shep, and Renner from the gazes of passersby and gave them a minimal bit of privacy.
“That name, Kiran Roberts, is a part of your file that I have been studying,” Renner said calmly. “And you say you were chasing her?”
“I’m not sure…I think it was her.” Hawk shrugged. “But I didn’t get a real good look at her.”
“Why do you think it was her?” Renner inquired.
“Her eyes…she has, well…amazing green eyes,” Hawk responded.
“That’s right,” Shep added. “She has some killer green eyes.”
Hawk raised an eyebrow at his friend. “Seriously?”
“I didn’t mean killer in the real killer sense.” Shep blushed. “I’m sorry, poor choice of adjectives.”
“Kiran Roberts was an ex-girlfriend.” Renner started to recall.
Hawk stopped him. “She was not a girlfriend.”
“Sorry.” Renner nodded. “I got that impression from the case file. My bad… she was someone involved in attempting to take control of the company from you. She was involved in kidnapping Juliette Keaton and apparently disappeared a few years ago…and hasn’t been seen or heard of since. She is a part of that group headed up by Reginald Cambridge who had conspired against you. Reginald is currently serving his sentence and not up for parole for quite some time. Just so you know, we spoke to Cambridge this morning. He says he knows nothing of the attempt on your life or the shooting of Rales and Colmes. That probably doesn’t surprise you.” Renner slowed, thought for a moment, and summarized. “Kiran Roberts is a part of that group that conspired against you that we never found.”
“That would be her.” Hawk shook his head. “I was looking out my window and saw her—if it was her—staring up at my window, and there was something familiar about her eyes.”
“How far away was she when you saw her?” Renner was now taking notes.
“Too far away to be sure…maybe too far away to know for sure her eyes were even green. Maybe I just thought they were. She just looked familiar.” Hawk shook his head. “Maybe I’m just being paranoid.”
“Maybe…you might be.” Renner kept writing. “But a little bit of paranoia for you is understandable and might just be what you need to keep yourself alive.”
“I don’t know.” Hawk now was second-guessing himself. “I think I overreacted.”
“But we were chasing somebody,” Shep interjected. “And she was trying to get away from you.”
“Did you get a good look at her?” Renner asked Shep.
“No, I was just following Hawk’s lead,” Shep admitted. “I saw a dark-haired woman, wearing a ball cap, dressed in athletic apparel, running in front of us. But I didn’t get a good look.”
Hawk glanced around and momentarily allowed his gaze to fall on the back of the restaurant they had taken shelter behind. As Renner continued to talk with Shep, their voices disappeared into a hollow echo of background noise as Hawk’s mind tried to determine whether he had really seen Kiran Roberts or it was just someone who resembled her enough to cause him to react. He had a gnawing sense of dread that all of his experiences over the past few years and each of the moments when he had been able to turn back this group of enemies hadn’
t been as successful as he had believed. With an intensity and vengeance, they had unleashed a new attack on him and his friends. He didn’t have the luxury of overreacting or being paranoid. He needed to be sharp, smart, and wise.
Then his mind shifted out of the moment of self-reflection and again zeroed in on their surroundings as Renner addressed him.
“Hawk, I think it would be best if we could keep you out of sight as we have talked about. Out of crowds would be good.”
Hawk turned toward Renner. “Let’s do what it takes to figure this out. I have an event tomorrow that I promised to be at, but beyond that, I’ve cleared my schedule.” He nodded at Shep. “How about some lunch in a few hours? I think I can get us some reservations and some privacy in a restaurant.”
Shep wrinkled his forehead. “Sure, that’s fine.”
Renner watched the exchange between the two skeptically. “I will make sure you have protection, if you don’t mind.”
“Thanks.” Hawk smiled. “That would be perfect.”
Hawk knew Renner was worried he was going to get in the way of the investigation, get hurt, or get one of the people chosen to protect him hurt. However, Hawk appreciated Renner’s willingness to give him some breathing room. He assumed it was because of what he discovered about the elaborate attempts to wrest control of Disney away from Hawk in the past, or because Al Gann had run enough interference to get him some room to operate, or because Renner was counting on the information he was trying to find as essential in bringing an end to this chaos. No matter the reason, it made what he was trying to do easier.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Five Days Ago
Lunchtime
The white-columned Liberty Tree Tavern is a popular restaurant nestled in Liberty Square just yards away from a replica of the Liberty Bell, which was made from the original mold, and the Liberty Tree itself. Reservations are the best way to get a table at the colonial-themed dining stop where guests might be seated in one of the six themed dining rooms. Each room is dedicated to an individual who history recounts as foundational in the birth of America. The George Washington room, the Thomas Jefferson room, the John Paul Jones room, the Betsy Ross room, the Benjamin Franklin room, or even the Paul Revere room—complete with lanterns—would be filled throughout the day once the doors were opened.
