Storming the Kingdom (4 page)

CHAPTER SEVEN

Seven Days Ago
Night

S
o why don’t you tell me just what I’ve got?” Hawk crossed his arms as he leaned back against the cabin of the train engine.

“I have no idea.” George chuckled. “You have to figure that one out on your own.”

“How can you not know?”

“How
could
I know?”

“OK,” Hawk sighed. “I’m not playing word games with you, George. How can you not know what I have?”

“Because.” George furrowed his brow. “I was not the one who gave it to you.”

Hawk tilted his head, allowing what George had just said to sink in and process. As the train completed the loop around the Magic Kingdom, the Imagineer again made a minor adjustment to the controls, and the steam locomotive churned through the Main Street Station to begin another circle around the park.

“You already know how Walt and Roy’s plan was supposed to work. When they chose us as two of the three Imagineers, we were working for the separate company Walt had started for all the creative development projects he was doing. It was called WED—Walt used his initials to name the company. Later it was changed to Imag-ineering.” George was speaking slowly; he seemed to be double thinking each sentence before he said it out loud. “Each of the three of us was given a puzzle piece to give to the one person chosen to receive the key to the kingdom. That’s you.”

“Yes.” Hawk smiled. “I know that part of the story.”

“It was Farren’s job to decide who that person was and when to give them the key. If you were smart enough to know what to do with the key, and you were,”—the Imagineer tilted his head toward Hawk—“then the other two were supposed to make sure you were given the puzzle pieces. Walt and Roy wanted to protect us and their plan, so we never knew what the other person had to give you. We were told only to make sure we did everything we could to protect what we had and make sure the keeper of the key would always be able to find it. That’s why Farren and I used secrets and clues that a normal person would never figure out to make sure you were successful. So the only thing I know you have is Walt’s journal. That was my part of the puzzle.”

“So am I going to have to wait for the third Imagineer to tell me?”

“I don’t think so. Not if Farren said you don’t know what you
have
.” George paused, allowing Hawk to catch the emphasis. “If you already have it, then you don’t need someone else to give it to you.”

“So I have to figure out what I’ve got.”

“Exactly.” George Colmes grinned. “From what I’ve seen, you’re pretty good at solving mysteries.” Instantly the grin evaporated. “But this mystery has cost Farren his life. Someone has tried to kill you in the belief that what you have is much more valuable than just running an entertainment empire.”

Hawk recalled the words of the dark-haired assailant from the hospital earlier in the evening.
You have preached your last sermon, done your last press conference, taken your last picture, and solved your last mystery. Your usefulness to us is over. We’re done waiting on you to help us
. He knew George was right, Hawk had to figure out what he had…even though he had no idea what it might be. He replayed the words from earlier in the evening, and as he wandered back from being lost in thought, he noticed Colmes watching him.

“Hawk, I know you have no idea yet what Farren was trying to tell you. I don’t either. I wish I could help you more.” George adjusted the throttle and the train slowed its pace. The sound of the steam engine become the soundtrack for the finale of the Imagineer’s story. “Don’t ever fall into the trap of believing Walt Disney was only an entertainer. He was a studio executive and entrepreneur for certain. But he was far more than that. He was a dreamer, a visionary, and an innovator. If there was a new technology, Walt was the first to figure out how we might use it and leverage it. If there was a new idea, Walt wanted to know how it came about and what the future of it might become. After all, this is the man who wanted to build the city of tomorrow.”

George paused, closed his eyes in thought, then reopened them. “Walt Disney wanted to shape and mold the future. He didn’t just want to change the world, he wanted to help create tomorrow so people could experience a better life. Great thinkers, scientists, economists, politicians, and artists all wanted to know Walt. He was never just an entertainer. His legacy is greater than that…and you are the keeper and protector of that legacy.”

“I’ll do my best to protect it, George.” Hawk set his jaw. “I promise.”

“I know you will, Hawk.” George reached over and grabbed Hawk at the elbow and gave it a reassuring squeeze. His grip was solid for a man who looked so frail. “That is why Farren chose you. I knew that from the first time I met you.” The Imag-ineer released his hold on the CCA’s arm. “Are you wondering why I met you on this train?”

The change of subject caught Hawk off guard. The shifting gears in his brain took him back to the moment he had first seen George this evening. He had wondered why George was waiting for him on a train.

“I figured it was for dramatic effect,” Hawk said.

“I certainly am not above stooping to such effects to be sure. But there is a better reason than that.” George leaned against the control panel. “There are two reasons actually. The first is simple. We can talk up here, and there’s no way anyone can hear us. When privacy is essential, sometimes solutions can be found creatively. What better than the noise of a steam train?” George stretched out his arms for effect, pleased with himself.

“The other reason?”

“I want to help you.”

“But you just said you don’t know what I have either.”

“True.” Colmes adjusted his slight frame and checked the gauges on the control panel before repositioning himself against it. “But I do want to help you if I can.”

“I could use the help, it appears.”

“Are you familiar with the old Mining Train attraction at Disneyland?”

“Sure,” Hawk ran a hand through his hair. “That was the old ride through Rainbow Ridge. If I remember, when it first opened, it was one of two attractions in the theme park where the operators gave a live spiel.”

“Yes.” George nodded approvingly. “You do know your Disney trivia. The other attraction was…?”

“The Jungle Cruise.”

“Exactly. As a result, the cast members who worked the Mine Train and the Jungle Cruise were the elite attraction operators. The Mine Train was expanded and reopened in 1960. The original green trains were replaced with yellow trains. The original green train operators decided to band together since they were there before the expansion and before new ‘miners’ were hired to drive the trains. They began wearing red handkerchiefs around their necks. Like the ones worn by engineers on the Disneyland Railroad.”

“And like the one you are wearing now?” Hawk pointed toward the bandana tied around the Imagineer’s neck.

“Just like this one.” George touched it, almost reverently, before continuing. “Cast members have always liked to push the envelope and skirt the rules if they can. That hasn’t changed through the years. Supervisors were quick to point out that the red handkerchiefs were not part of the approved costumed items for cast members to wear on the attraction. So they were told to take them off.”

“Somehow, I think there’s more to the story,” Hawk interrupted. “They didn’t quit wearing them, did they?”

“No, they didn’t. The miners relocated the red cloth to the left rear pocket of their Levi’s. They would tuck it in and let it partially protrude over the edge of the pocket so others could see it. It was a red badge of status. Eventually, even some of the old-time management began to invite others to carry the red handkerchief for superior onstage performance and guest interaction. In 1964, an official certificate of membership in the Order of the Red Handkerchief was created and given out to the members. A secret society where membership could be achieved only by excellence was started.”

“I’ve never heard that story before,” Hawk admitted.

The world and history of Walt Disney were so deep and rich, he believed there was always something new to discover. Which is exactly what George had challenged him with earlier as he told him to remember who Walt really was.

“It has been a lot of years since the last train pulled out of the mining town of Rainbow Ridge. The Mine Train of old is long gone. But members of the Order of the Red Handkerchief included Disney legends, and Walt himself was a member. The reason I am telling you this is because I have something to give you.”

George reached into the pocket of his overalls and pulled out a folded red handkerchief and presented it to Hawk, who grasped it reverently. As he tried to take it, George held fast to the other end of the cloth.

“Dr. Grayson Hawkes, it is my pleasure to make you a member of the Order of the Red Handkerchief. The times have changed, the membership has changed, and right now this is all I can do to help you.”

George released the cloth and motioned for Hawk to put it in the back pocket of his pants. They both stood there as the motion of the engine jostled them back and forth. George turned back to the controls as the train neared the Frontierland Station. Hawk had lost count of how many loops they had made around the Magic Kingdom.

“Hawk, if you get in a tight spot…a jam…or find yourself in danger, pull that red handkerchief out and let it be seen over the top of your pocket. It will alert the Order that you are in some kind of trouble, and they will respond.”

“Seriously?” Hawk raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “The Order of the Red Handkerchief is going to help me if I get in trouble?”

“If they can.” George winked. “After all you have seen and found…is that really so hard to believe? An old Order that Walt himself was a part of still exists and might be helpful to you today. It seems very reasonable to me.” George laughed.

A new noise clashed with the sound of the steam engine. Hawk turned to see what it was. George heard it at the same time and also leaned out with him as the sound continued to grow louder. The
thump-thump
battling the air came from a helicopter that suddenly dropped out of the night sky to fly alongside the train. The helicopter was jet black with no markings and no running lights illuminated.

“What?” George asked as he leaned forward, straining to see the inky flying machine.

“Helicopters can’t be here,” Hawk heard himself saying. “Walt Disney World is restricted airspace.”

Warning alarms clanged in his head. At first, he’d thought the helicopter was a security measure Al Gann must have put into place. But as soon as he realized the aircraft had no marking and no lights, he knew it meant trouble. The door of the craft was open, and in the darkness Hawk thought he saw movement. He reached over to grab George as the first
ping-ping
of gunfire struck the metal of the train engine. Hawk felt George slip out of his grasp and watched as the older man lunged forward over the control panel with his hand firmly gripping the throttle. The train sped up at the action of the Imagineer, and the sudden change of speed and the jerking motion caused Hawk to tumble backward inside the engine compartment. Another
ping
danced off the metal right next to where Hawk landed, and he rolled behind the protection of the steel wall of the engine cabin.

Gunfire continued to echo through the train as Hawk refocused on George.

“George, get down!”

Hunched over the control panel of the locomotive, George did not move. Hawk slid forward, reached up and grabbed the Imagineer across his back to pull him down to the safety of the floor of the cabin. Offering no resistance, Colmes fell back into Hawk’s arms and slid down the control panel to the floor.

Hawk watched in horror as streaks of blood trailed after him.

Cradling George in his arms, he leaned him back to look into his face. His eyes were wide open and staring blankly at Hawk. Immediately Hawk reached down and placed his hand on George’s neck to check for a pulse. There was none. He gently shook the old man as if trying to awaken him from a deep sleep. A red stain spread across the man’s chest, and Hawk could see the overalls had been pierced with two holes over the left chest pocket. Again Hawk gently shook the man and rechecked for a pulse. George was not responding. There was no breath, no pulse, no life… George was gone.

The sting of tears burned the corner of Hawk’s eyes, and he slowly and calmly closed George’s eyelids as chaos ensued around him. Despite the sound of gunfire, the churning of the train engine, the panicked voices Hawk could now hear coming from the security detail riding in the passenger cars…all melted away, and for a moment Hawk’s world was silent as he prayed. The prayer was quick, less than a few heartbeats. He thanked God for the gift of the man whose life had just been taken away. He thanked God for the honor of knowing him and for the impact he had in the world. As he whispered amen, the silence evaporated and the world suddenly exploded with gunfire ringing against the speeding train.

Hawk rose cautiously and moved toward the controls. Using the panel as a barricade, he tilted his head and began to scan the night sky, trying to see the helicopter that continued to pursue him as he looped the Magic Kingdom.