by Jeff Dixon
“That is how you phrase it. Let’s just say some of my group are very loyal to me.”
“Of course they are.”
“We’ve been waiting a number of years to get to this moment. Long before you came into the picture, we were looking for answers. When you showed up, we decided to use you, see if you would help us, and you turned out to be much more than we bargained for. But with you or without you, we will find what we are looking for.” She leaned in close and whispered in his ear, “I just think it’s more fun with you.”
Hawk stood to his feet. His sudden movement surprised Kiran, who was standing too close to his chair. She stepped back awkwardly, almost losing her balance. In a seamless motion, Hawk reached out one arm to catch her and with his other arm grabbed her wrist. Now standing face-to-face with her, he kept the grip on her wrist and his fingers closed around it, covering the MagicBand she was wearing. He was taller than she was, and standing this close, he was now looking down at her. A smile broke across her face. If she was intimidated, she didn’t show it.
“I do like this new Grayson Hawkes.” She winked at him. “So what are you going to do now? Tear the MagicBand off my arm? Call the police?”
“Both,” he said.
“Ah, sweetie.” She patted his chest with her free hand. Then she pushed him back, creating a bit of separation between them. “You may be a little more rough-and-tumble than you used to be, but you’re a horrible liar. As a matter of fact, no matter how tough you are trying to act, you are just too good to be bad.”
“I’m not trying to be bad, I’m just doing what is right,” Hawk corrected her.
“But if you do what is right, by your definition of course, then you will lose the third Imagineer…forever.”
The standoff continued as silence enveloped them. Kiran’s clear green stare was riveted to his eyes as she waited for him to respond. Hawk was aware of how dangerous Kiran was. She had been involved in kidnapping Juliette once before, so it wasn’t a stretch to think that she really could have the third Imagineer somewhere. Years ago, she had convinced him to trust her, to let her help him, and she had been with him as he tried to figure out the mystery of the key when Farren originally gave it to him. She had betrayed him in every way. There was no way he could trust her.
She cleared her throat and with a slight tilt of her head communicated that she was waiting for him to do or say something. Her impatience amused him but didn’t move him. He couldn’t understand how she could know as much as she had just shared. Pieces of information were out there for her to pick up and put together, but she knew things that only a select handful of Hawk’s most trusted friends knew. Yet, Kiran had just thrown those tidbits of detail out like commonly known facts. The sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach signaled the regret of what he was about to say to her.
“Alright, Kiran.” He shook his head. “I’m listening. Tell me what your plan is.”
“Well,” Kiran said as she pulled her arm away from him. “You can start by letting go of my wrist.” She motioned for Hawk to once again be seated. Slowly, he eased back into his chair. Kiran slid into his chair on the other side of the desk. He didn’t like the way she seemed to take over his office. He would let her think she was in charge, for now. But he would not let her fool him again. She smirked as she took her place and crossed her legs. “I want you to know that I think you are making a very wise choice. My way really is the best way.”
“I know you think that.” Hawk slowed and measured his words. “I am listening to you because as you said, you have something I want. Maybe even something I need. But don’t fool yourself into thinking you are somehow in control here. That would be a mistake you would quickly regret.”
“Wow.” Her eyes opened wide in feigned surprise. “I know I said this earlier, but you really are much better at this now than you were when I first met you.” She tilted her head. “OK, listen up and let me tell you some things you don’t know.”
“Tell me.”
“The way we have dealt with you—”
“We? Who is we?”
“It’s not important.” She held up her hand in an effort to keep him from speaking. “It is not important to me that I tell you. Again, the way we have dealt with you has not been very effective. After you were given the kingdom key, your old buddy and former head of security, Reginald Cambridge, started calling the shots. He believed you would lead us to what we wanted to know, and you would get sloppy because you would be afraid. I tried to tell him you weren’t afraid, but he didn’t listen.
“So then his next plan was to get close to you, so close that you would trust him. Once you were loyal to him, he thought he could trick you into making mistakes. That didn’t work either, and as a result, he tried to force the issue and ended up in prison.”
“And according to you, I ended up with the key, the company, and Walt’s diaries…I think that is what you said.” Hawk nodded at her.
“Yes, you ended up with all of those things. And those things are valuable to be sure. But not really the most important thing to us.”
“You keep using the words we and us. How many people do you have in your army of Disney haters?” Hawk pressed.
“Disney haters?” Kiran licked her lips as though she liked the way the conversation was going. “My acquaintances are not Disney haters. Anything but, we are huge Disney fans. We just don’t like you…well, because you keep getting in the way.”
“But now that I am in charge of the company, your plans have unraveled. Right?”
“You being in charge of the company is just a nuisance. That’s why we went along with Cambridge’s plan to use you. But you weren’t as cooperative as we hoped. That is why the decision was made to change tactics, change direction, and that is when you became expendable. Not to me of course, as I told you. I think this whole assassination plan is unnecessary. There are far better ways to get you to cooperate. After all, aren’t we having a civilized conversation now, right here, just like very good old friends?” Kiran paused and before he could answer added, “By the way, how is Kate?”
“What?” Hawk flushed slightly at the additional question.
“I said, aren’t we having a civilized conversation?” Kiran shrugged. “You really need to pay attention. I am trying to tell you something of import.”
“You asked about Kate.” Hawk’s voice trembled as anger bubbled within him. “Why did you ask about Kate?”
“Oh, I was just wondering how she was. When is the last time you talked with her?”
Hawk suddenly remembered he had come back to his office to replace his phone. He wanted to stay connected to Kate, Shep, Juliette, and Jonathan, but he had kept Kate in the dark on some recent events to protect her.
“Have you done something to Kate?” Hawk felt himself getting warm as anger continued to percolate inside him.
“Of course not.” Kiran smiled pleasantly. “I just was being nice and asking about her. I don’t like her, in case you didn’t know. I guess it could be jealousy. We were talking about how important it is to be able to sit down and have a civilized conversation.”
“We were,” Hawk interrupted, “until you mentioned Kate. If you have done something to her or are…”
“I haven’t…we haven’t…and won’t. I’m sure you are going to keep her safe.” Kiran snapped her fingers. “Now can we get back on subject? I was saying that you being charge of the Disney company is just a nuisance. What we’re really after are the secrets.”
“The secrets?” Hawk knew Kiran was messing with him. A veiled threat on Kate, the mystery of the third Imagineer. She was playing him and reeling him into her scheme. He knew it—but he needed more information in order to thwart the plot against him.
“Yes, Hawk. The secrets. Walt Disney’s secrets! You know all about Walt and his life. Walt was a genius. He was an international superstar before the world really knew about superstars. He was a pioneer in animation, he revolutionized the film industry, he crossed over
into live action films, embraced television in a way no one else had done before, and he redesigned the concept of theme parks forever. He influenced the way people travel, the way you run a company, and the way you shape the way people think.” Kiran knew Hawk was getting ready to jump in and ask another question, and she raised a hand to cut him off.
“Walt went to war with labor unions, fought communism, testified before Congress, became part of the American war effort, revolutionized the Olympics—and the best thinkers and creative people from all over the world flocked to Walt for help, advice, and direction. Walt wasn’t just an entertainer, he was a connection point for people, he was a resource, he had friends and acquaintances…important ones…that is an historical who’s who of the movers and shakers in the world. Walt knew what they were doing. He helped some of them, he rescued some of them. They shared their secrets with Walt, and those secrets became his. We are after Walt’s secrets.”
“So, this is not about running a company?”
“No, it is about something far more important. It is about Walt Disney the man. Hawk, that is what you have been entrusted with. Taking care of and preserving Walt Disney the man.” Kiran wrinkled her forehead. “You thought this was about a theme park or a company?”
Hawk sat motionless. He had thought that for a long time. It had only been in the last few days that he had begun to sense more. It was what Farren was trying to tell him. It was what George had been trying to tell him. It was the quest he was now on.
Kiran threw her head back and laughed hard. He didn’t sense she was laughing at him, but he wasn’t sure.
“Hawk, over the course of their years, Walt and Roy accumulated secrets from all over the world. About anything, about everything. They were important secrets that, if they were known, had the potential to change the world. They couldn’t leave these secrets with their families. They wanted to protect their families…from people like me and my friends, who know how valuable those secrets can be. So, they protected their families just like they tried to protect the secrets…with a plan.
“They put a plan in place. They designed an elaborate plan, with the care and detail they used in every other of their lives. To make it happen, they had to recruit some of their most trusted and creative Imagineers. It was the greatest Disney story they ever wrote. This plan involved a key, Walt’s work, his thoughts, and his secrets.” She slowed and softened her voice. “Hawk, you are that plan.”
Hawk sat quietly. When she grew silent, he started to process what she had said. What she said made sense. He wondered how she could know all of these details about the Disney legacy, but somehow she did. What she was saying made sense, and it frightened him in some strange way. She knew more about what was going on than he did. Yet, he was convinced she could not be trusted. Deceit was what she excelled at. But before he could start sliding the impact of what she was saying into some sort of order, she spoke again.
“You really didn’t know this?” She laughed again. “Farren Rales really did keep you on a need-to-know basis. Now that he’s gone, you’re on your own.” She slumped in the chair, satisfied and folded her hands across her lap. “And the third Imagineer is the only hope you have of completely understanding it all. I have him.” She let the words hang in the air. “Like I said before, I have what you need more than anything in the world.”
Hawk realized she might be right. But Kiran had lied and schemed before. This could be just her latest attempt to confuse and manipulate him. He looked at her and realized she was done speaking. Now she was waiting for him, wanting him to respond.
“Kiran, that is a great story. You know I love good stories.” Hawk smiled, trying to sound confident. “How do I know you’re telling the truth?”
“Sorry to have thrown you off your game, Hawk.” She didn’t move but continued to intimidate him with her stare. “I told you earlier, you have no way of knowing whether I’m being honest with you. But you can’t risk it. You could have me arrested. You already know I would never say a word about the Imagineer or give away any information about our plans. I’m not the one who is trying to kill you, so they are still going to be after you…and as you have already figured out, painfully…they will hurt anyone close to you that gets in the way. You can ignore me, and you probably are trying to figure out how much of what I have just told you is true. That creates an even bigger problem for you, doesn’t it? Right now, I know more about you than you do. I know more about what is going on, I am connected to the people who want you dead, I run with the people who are trying to steal the secrets, and I know who you can or cannot trust.”
“What?” Hawk again felt his world shift of kilter when she mentioned the word trust. “What do you mean, you know who I can or can’t trust?”
“It doesn’t matter, Hawk. What you need to understand is that you are the plan. The plan that Walt and Roy put in place to protect their secrets, their families, and their friends. What you have been given is something you can’t find in the family museum. You can’t find it in the Archives. Disney historians don’t have enough information to connect the dots. These are the secrets Walt was given over his lifetime that he needed to give to someone he could trust when the time was right. That is you, Grayson Hawkes.”
“How do you know all of this information? Where did you get it?”
“It’s not important how I know, it’s important that I do know…and now you know. You’re trying to protect a secret, but you don’t have any idea what the secret is.”
He had heard that before. As much as it pained him to believe her, there was much about what she was saying that sounded true. If it was true, then he had to figure out what this mystery was and do so quickly. However, Kiran was just going to make it more complicated; and she probably enjoyed that.
“I don’t know what the secret is, but you do…right?” Hawk crossed his arms.
“I think I know.” She seemed to know what he was thinking once again. “And the people I work with think they know. And if we are even partially right, then you and everyone you are close to are liabilities and need to be eliminated if they get in the way. Hawk, you are the plan, and that is a very dangerous thing for you to be.”
Hawk once again was overwhelmed with the threat that those close to him were now under because of him. He was desperate to protect them.
“You have my attention. How do you suggest I proceed?”
Kiran eyed him. She had gotten her point across and he knew that she was pleased. He also knew that she was suspicious of him, and she had every reason to be; he knew her and didn’t trust her. So he waited for her to tell him what she was thinking. If it was reasonable, then it would raise his willingness to go with her plan. If it wasn’t, then he would call the sheriff and have her arrested. Hopefully calling her bluff, if indeed she was bluffing.
“I want you to do exactly what you’ve been doing,” she said.
“What?”
“I want you to keep trying to find whatever Farren has out there for you to find.” His face must have revealed his thoughts. “I know you’re surprised, but I want you to do what you do better than anyone else. Figure out the mystery. When you find what Rales has left you, give it to me, and I will give you the third Imagineer. It’s that simple.”
“And you’ll call off the hit squad? For me and my friends?”
“No, can’t do that.” She frowned. “As you put it, I’m going a bit rogue here. I’ll do my best to run some interference for you so you can accomplish our little task. But that is the best I can do.”
“You have to do better than that.”
“I can’t.” She looked sincere. “That is the best I can do. I am not in charge of this operation.”
“Who is?” Hawk felt his voice sharpen.
“Can’t tell you.”
“You mean won’t tell me.”
“I mean can’t and won’t.” Kiran stood to her feet. “Who is in charge doesn’t change one thing you need to be doing.” She began to move toward
the office door. She stopped and turned in the doorway. “At some point, this MagicBand I am wearing will become important. Like I said, it’s one of my insurance policies. You will need me to solve some sort of clue, and it gives me a chance to see where we are in our mystery. Until then, rest assured, I will be close…very close…closer than you will ever realize.”
She blew Hawk a kiss and exited down the hallway. He heard her footfalls on the stairs, and then…nothing, as she descended into the lower office.
CHAPTER TWENTY - SEVEN
Three Days Ago
Morning
Immediately after Kiran retreated from his office, Hawk went into action with a sense of urgency. He opened up his broken phone and discovered the SIM card was intact. He took it out of the old phone and slid it into the new one. All of his stored information, numbers, and apps transferred from one smart phone to the next.
His first call was a somewhat panicked call that awakened Kate in New York. Although he assured her that he was just calling to check in, after hearing her voice and realizing how much he was missing her, he proceeded to catch her up on the details of what he had been doing since she had been gone. Her first instinct was to race to his side to help him figure out this latest puzzle, then she shifted gears and voiced her concern for his safety and urged him to back off the search…then realizing how futile that advice was going to be, she returned to her plan of coming to help him. Hawk told her about Kiran’s return and how he sensed a veiled threat in her asking about Kate. Kate reassured him that she was fine. He told her not to underestimate Kiran and this group she was a part of. They had already seen what they were capable of.
Kate reiterated that she was safe, fine, and would continue to be. She laughingly told Hawk that she had always wanted to meet Kiran, so now that she was back, that was going to be a priority. According to Kate, there were a few things she wanted to discuss with Kiran. Hawk reminded her how dangerous and malicious Kiran was. Kate countered with the cautionary warning to Hawk, reminding him that this evil woman was back, had purposely placed herself in the middle of this mystery, and wasn’t afraid to let Hawk know she was there and very close to him…at all times. She ended her warning by turning it toward Hawk and telling him that he too needed to remember how dangerous and malicious Kiran could be.
