Storming the Kingdom (25 page)

CHAPTER THIRTY - EIGHT

Two Days Ago
Afternoon

A
s Walt Disney flew over the undeveloped site in Central Florida, an island caught his eye. It made him smile as he looked through the window of the company jet, and he had the pilot take an extended path around it. The island became his reference point as he made the decision to start the development of the surrounding property that would eventually become the Walt Disney World Resort.

Hawk looked up from his laptop and allowed himself to smile as he sat at the table in his apartment on Main Street, U.S.A. The streets were isolated, a sight rarely seen on a bright and sunny afternoon. As so often happened in Florida during storm season, the day before the onslaught of the storm was bright and warm. The tropical breezes would be magnificent before they finally escalated into blasts of destruction in the storm bands of the hurricane. He was reading articles and cross-referencing the words
Raz
,
Riles
, and
Walt Disney
and had unlocked a treasure trove of information. Combing through it, he had put together a narrative of how those words were connected to Walt and Walt Disney World.

Back in the early 1900s in Central Florida, the island that Walt Disney had seen was owned by a family with the last name Raz. It was known simply as Raz Island. In a bit of unknown and seemingly unimportant Florida history, the state’s first disc jockey, Delmar Nicholson, had purchased the island in the 1930s and renamed it Idle Bay Isle. Eventually locals in Central Florida purchased it and had created a hunting retreat they named Riles Island. Walt had purchased Riles Island in 1965 with over twenty-eight thousand acres surrounding it. This bit of investigation had connected the two clues of Raz and Riles to Walt Disney.

Hawk continued his research, and scouring page after page of information, realized that the island had eventually become what was known as Disney’s Discovery Island. It sat in the middle of Bay Lake and could be seen from Disney’s Wilderness Resort, the Fort Wilderness Campground, and the Contemporary Resort. Disney had added fifty-five thousand cubic yards of soil, over five hundred tons of trees and boulders, and eventually had beefed up the island’s size to nearly twelve acres. It was a beautiful oasis by the time the creative teams at Disney were finished. The island had three elevated lagoons and footpaths that wound about throughout the trees, hills, and streams. It opened as Treasure Island in 1974. Hawk smiled again, as that was what connected the name Ben Gunn to the place. Disney had made a live action feature based on the book in 1950, so this was a themed playground that fit right into the Disney brand of storytelling.

His concentration was broken by the vibration of his cell phone sitting on the table. The vibration made the phone dance slightly, and the caller ID identified Shep as the person trying to reach him. Hawk reached for it, used his finger to slide down the answer bar on the touch screen, and greeted his friend. “Discovery Island, right?”

“I think so.”

Hawk set the phone to speaker mode and returned it to the table so he could keep using his computer.

“According to what I’ve found, years ago, the island was called Raz Island. Later the name was changed to Riles Island. That was the name of it when Walt bought it. It had caught his eye as he was looking for places to build the theme park. After the resort opened, it was named Treasure Island in 1974. How’d I do?”

“Good,” Shep said enthusiastically. “But you’re wrong.”

“What?”

“The great keeper of Disney history and information is wrong.” Shep’s voice wore a smile. “I am actually enjoying this rare moment.”

“What did I miss?” Hawk retraced the notes on his screen.

“You’re correct, almost.” Shep explained, “When Walt Disney World opened in 1971, the island was called Blackbeard’s Island. But remember that was in ’71. The island wasn’t even developed until 1974. After it was developed and officially opened to guests, it was called Treasure Island. It was cool, all the cast members were dressed as pirates, they had oil lamps lighting the trails on the island, and they themed it after the book and the movie. I would have loved to see it.”

“It sounds great.” Hawk asked, “So Treasure Island is the connection to Ben Gunn?”

“Exactly. I was doing some research, and I found something very cool in the Disney Archives.” The sound of tapped keys came through the phone receiver. “I have a brochure for Treasure Island. It includes a number of proposed attractions that were never fully developed, much less completed. There was to be a place called Spy Glass Hill that was a rock formation where you could discover the secrets of the island. Something was going to be called the Blockhouse, but I don’t really understand what the brochure is describing. There was going to be a place called Billy Bone’s Dilemma…but the one we’re interested in, I think, is an area called Ben Gunn’s Cave.”

“Ah, Ben Gunn’s Cave…that sounds like what we’re looking for.” Hawk leaned in toward the phone.

“Here’s the description.” Shep read the brochure. “Ben Gunn’s Cave—as mysterious as the strange hermit himself. Its exact location is unknown even today…but we know it is someplace on the island!”

“Seriously?” Hawk’s mouth was slightly ajar. “They built Ben Gunn’s Cave?”

“Well, no…actually, they didn’t ever build it. These were proposed attractions that guests never saw,” Shep reminded him. “The project lost steam, and they decided to create an island designed more for strolling than swashbuckling. Discovery Island was the new name, and it was accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association. It was a place noted for its birds, plants, and turtle populations. A place to make amazing discoveries. Discovery Island.”

“But they never built Ben Gunn’s cave?”

“No, but here’s another bit of information I ran across. On some of the early development documents, I did find the names of both Farren Rales and George Colmes.”

“OK, thanks…I have enough to go on.” Hawk closed his laptop. “Shep, you make sure you’re somewhere safe. Stay out of sight. I’ll call you when I get back.”

“Back? Back from where?”

“Discovery Island.”

“Hawk, Discovery Island has been closed to the public since 1999. Nothing has happened there at all. For the most part, it has been deserted and isolated. No one ever goes there, and the company has placed some serious restrictive rules—which I already know you don’t care about—on setting foot on the property.”

“Oh, so you mean there’s a company policy that makes the island off-limits, and if you go there, it could be grounds for termination?” Hawk already knew the answer to this because he had been given that information by a cast member once on a boat ride past the island.

“Well, yes, that…and…wait a minute.” Shep was working the screens in front of him again. “A few years ago, some guy swam out and took pictures of the place at night. Really spooky and weird stuff to be sure. He posted them on a blog, and the mystery of the island took on a conspiracy theory sort of legacy. The speculation of why they had just deserted the island. Stuff like that began to circulate. That guy, at least according to the rumors, was given a lifetime ban and hit with the threat of trespassing charges that were fairly serious.”

“So it sounds like there
is
something important on the island, then, doesn’t it?”

“Yes…” The smile had left Shep’s voice.

“Like I said, stay safe, I’ll call you when I get back.” He ended the call.

Hawk left his apartment and bounded down the stairs into the Magic Kingdom. There were two security officers at the bottom of the stairs.

The security officer named Leroy, according to his name tag, stepped up to him. “Sir? Are you going somewhere?”

“We’re supposed to accompany you,” the second officer, John, added.

“I’m going somewhere, but you stay here. Just make sure no one gets into my place.” Hawk kept moving past them.

“But sir.” John tried to get him to slow down for a moment and engage them in conversation.

“It’s fine. It’s my call. You stay here.” Hawk jogged across Main Street, U.S.A. and ducked into the backstage area on the opposite side.

The afternoon had grown late. There was now a steady breeze while the tropics were torn up as the storm moved across them. The disruptions in the weather patterns were now rippling across the state of Florida and up the East Coast of the US. Hurricanes were so massive, especially Hurricane Ginger, the weather was going to be impacted by the storm for a few days to be certain. Wind ruffling his hair, Hawk mapped out his route in his mind. He would move through the backstage area and exit on one of the service roads that would carry him across to the Contemporary Resort. From there, he would take one of the boats from the dock and cut over to Discovery Island. He had no idea what he would be looking for, but he would find it once he was there.

The dock area of the Contemporary was already closed for the day, and with the inclement weather, it would not be opened tomorrow. He had to place a few phone calls and get a cast member to help him grab one of the security water boats. These boats were used to keep guests safe on the water and out of danger during a normal operating day in the resorts. Although the offer had been made to transport Hawk to the island, the CCA had insisted the helpful cast member go back to work prepping for the storm. After a few quick instructions, Hawk was now captaining his own watercraft toward the island.

The water was choppy, and the wind was getting brisk as Hawk cut through Bay Lake toward the island. He slowed as he came upon a wrecked ship that was a part of the Discovery Island’s Shipwreck Beach. The beach was many years gone, and the shoreline was grown over with trees that extended out over the water. He circled the island and caught sight of the original docking area. Much of it was gone too, and he let the motor idle while he looked to see if this might be the best place to set ashore. He decided to keep looking, and around the edge of the island he saw an old dock, roughly maintained, next to a storage shed. The old building had a large front door with a sign that read Landscape Storage.

There was a rusted horseshoe mounted above it, and Hawk decided if he could get the boat close enough, he would dock here. He turned the boat to starboard, timed it, and then idled the engine as he pulled alongside the dock and placed a hand on the post attached to the dock. Holding on as the boat pitched in the rough water was harder than he had anticipated, and it took him longer than he would have liked to secure the craft to the dock and step out. As the sun began to fall from the sky, he cinched the rope hard enough to keep the boat safe from harm at the dock.

He stepped back onto the boat and grabbed the flashlight he’d noticed secured below the wheel. When he slid the switch, it lit up, and he flipped it over in his hand as once again he stepped out on the dock and got ready to explore Discovery Island and find Ben Gunn’s Cave.

CHAPTER THIRTY - NINE

Two Days Ago
Evening

I
mmediately after stepping away from the dock, Hawk realized exploring the island was not going to be easy. Overgrowth had waged war with the pathway and won. Foliage now grew without any restraint, and it was apparent that Discovery Island had been abandoned. Pushing back limbs, pulling away spider webs, and knocking back branches, Hawk slowly made his way deeper onto the island. Although abandoned, the island was teeming with life. The trees surrounding him were a symphony of noise. Through the darkness, the cries of thousands of birds made the island anything but silent. There was cawing and cooing in all directions, the bird sounds blending together like voices speaking to one another in conversation. With each snap of a branch, a group of birds would startle and take off all at once, causing the noise level to rise. The sudden sound and flutter of wings caused Hawk to jump, and his heart began to beat faster as he explored.

The path was nearly indistinguishable, and he pulled back a clump of large branches in front of him. Vines had grown up and through the branches, creating a nearly solid wall of forest. Barely able to open up enough room for himself, Hawk eased through the gap and found himself standing along a pathway lined with cages. He adjusted his light. At one time, they must have been veterinary cages with some additional storage areas constructed as well. They formed a long, narrow row of structures lining either side of a cracked concrete pathway. Hawk doubted this had been a guest area. Shining his light into each cage, he made his way through the gauntlet of wire, reinforced bars, and buildings. He was relieved at no longer having to dig his way through the grown-over paths, if only for a moment.

He was thinking back on the clue and wondering where Ben Gunn’s cave might have been located—if it had been built. He tried to orient himself, and once he did, realized that the beach area was on the opposite side of the island from where he was. Perhaps there was a cave just off what had once been the beach. He moved back into the thick brush of the island, shoving limbs out of his path, occasionally checking the ground to see if there might be any indicator he was following a trail. There was not. Hawk was sweating. The breeze was strong, the blowing of the trees all around him creating noise, loud rustling of branches, and yet…he was sweating. The combination of nerves, excitement, and hard work to cover the island had him wishing he might have waited until daylight to try this trip. However, the urgency that drove him could not wait; besides, he anticipated the storm would make exploring the island even more difficult.

A massive group of birds flew right over his head, causing him to duck. As a slight drizzle began to fall, Hawk saw a concrete building in the jungle. He battled through vines to the door and found it was open. The mustiness of being closed for a long period of time wafted out to meet him. Inside he found a light switch, and much to his amazement, the lights flickered to life. What he saw gave him the feel of a place where something had gone horribly wrong, a place that had been evacuated in a rush. The floor was littered with stuff that was here on the last day Discovery Island had remained open. Trash, snapshots of guests…and oddly, jars containing coiled-up snakes. A large wooden sign leaning against the wall read Welcome To Discovery Island.

He saw a guide map for the island, yellowed with age, and picked it up. Studying it, he surmised he must be in one of the three educational pavilions scattered across the island. If he was correct, the beach could be found by traveling along whatever remnants of a path he could find to a place called Flamingo Lagoon.

When he stepped back outside, the drizzle had become a steady downpour. The birds had grown silent, yielding to the sound of rain pounding against the foliage all around him. The island had been suspended in time. Wildlife now ruled here, and he was intruding on the ebb and flow of life. Squinting through the rain, he continued his pattern of dragging himself through the jungle growth. He knew the rain would come and go until the major storm arrived. This weather pattern would only get worse over the next few hours. Eventually he made it to what he believed was Flamingo Lagoon. A partial beach area still remained, although it was more undergrowth than beach all these years later. He used his flashlight to recheck his map. If he could travel along what was left of the beach, he could reach an area called Pelican Bay, which would allow him to travel to the edge of the island near the area called Shipwreck Beach. If there was a cave here, he thought it was most logical to find it near the wrecked ship, which seemed to be the last remnant of the days when the island was called Treasure Island.

The ground collapsed beneath him, and he slid down into the edge of a lagoon. Sinking chest deep, he kicked, trying to find the bottom. Grabbing a handhold, he used it to steady himself to get back out of the water. The bottom was soft sand that suctioned itself around his shoes, making it difficult to move. He climbed free from the water, and the rain stopped as suddenly as if someone had turned off a spigot. Weather was strange when a hurricane closed in to be certain. Shoes sloshing, he moved along whatever beach line he could find. Interrupted by natural barricades where he had to climb over tree limbs and then into dense underbrush, he wove his way in and out wherever there was enough beach to travel along. He became aware of a noise through the underbrush moving along with him. Since the rain had just stopped, the winged creatures calling the island home had not yet renewed filling the night sky with sounds, so the movement in the trees was something he could not now miss. What kind of animal was it? Hawk stopped and stood silently.

As he stopped, the noise from the trees stopped as well. He aimed his flashlight in the direction the sounds had come from. The beam illuminated the foliage near him and nothing more. Cautiously, he moved forward and continued heading toward the shipwreck. As he moved, the noise returned. He imagined some creature stalking him, waiting to pounce. He told himself he was being silly. Then he realized that he indeed might be stalked—not by an animal but by a person. All someone would have had to do was follow him to the island. But to get to the island would require a boat, and it had been difficult enough for him to secure one in this weather; it would have been impossible for someone else to have done so. Or so he hoped. Again, he stopped; and the sound stopped as well. He moved forward, and the noise moved forward at the same time. It was a spooky game, and he didn’t like it.

He shook his head as he made his way toward the wrecked ship. Trying to assure himself that the island was full of wildlife but nothing that would hurt him, he tried to ignore the unease he was carrying with him. He bullied his way through the trees and got to the remains of the ship. Crawling on top of it, he pulled himself into it and used his light to inspect it. There was nothing there. It would have been too easy if whatever he was looking for was there, but it would have been nice. Another burst of rain began to fall, and he crawled back over the side of the ship and grabbed a tree branch to steady himself. He looked down the length of the boat and noticed a slim opening in the trees. Hawk pushed himself into the leaves surrounding him and headed toward it. After what seemed like an eternity to traverse a mere twenty-five feet, he could see this was not just an opening in the trees; this was an opening into…a cave.

He jumped through the opening and played the beam of his light over the very small area he’d ducked inside of. The low-hanging roof forced him to his knees; the undergrowth from outside the cave had found a home inside as well. Ignoring the distraction of being wet, dirty, and tired from the journey to get to this spot, he rebooted his thinking into clue-seeking mode. Crawling to his left, he moved along the wall of the cave toward the back. Weeds, branches, limbs, and litter filled this long-forgotten, never-completed remnant of a bygone attraction. His hand hit something solid under the vines. It didn’t feel like a branch.

Using his hands to pull away the clinging branches around the rectangular object, he freed it and discovered a wooden chest. It was a foot long and about eight inches deep. He turned it around so he could inspect it closely and knew instantly it was what he was looking for. It had a lock mechanism that was unmistakable. It featured an oval with an outline of Mickey Mouse emblazoned on it. It was a MagicBand lock, much like the ones that guests would see when using their bands in the resort. This was the clue Farren had hidden for him. He realized with a sickening feeling that the MagicBand that he needed to open it was the one that had been ripped off his wrist in his fight in One Man’s Dream inside Hollywood Studios—the one that was on the wrist of Kiran Roberts.

Gripping the treasure chest, he crawled out of the cave. Once again, the rain had stopped. Standing up, he refocused on what he needed to do next, and he knew it was time to get off the island. The breeze had disappeared along with the rain, and there was an eerie stillness around him. He became aware of something moving near him. This time the movement was not from the trees; it was from the water. Grabbing his light, he aimed it across the lake. A boat was on the water, a hundred and fifty yards away, floating toward the Contemporary Resort. He groaned. Although he couldn’t be sure, he thought he recognized the boat.

His watercraft was now loose and floating away from him, stranding him on Discovery Island.

He quickly pushed back along the beach and then into the trees near the lagoon. Thrashing through the tangle of vines and branches, he tried to make his way around the edge of the island toward the dock where he had landed. He was sure he had secured the boat properly. He had been overcautious when fastening the ropes to the dock because he knew he would need a way off the island. The wind and the rain had been brisk, but not enough to break the boat loose. There was no way the boat could have come loose without help. Perhaps it
had
been a person following him through the trees, but if that were so, why untie his boat? The guy could have just taken the chest after Hawk found it…right?

He was still asking himself questions he had no answer for when he rounded the edge of the island, getting a clear view of the storage shed he had docked the boat next to. A driving rain pelted him and the surrounding jungle. Lightning flashed as thunder shook the trees. All of his questions floated away because he now knew for certain his boat was no longer there. He was marooned on Discovery Island.