The Key To the Kingdom (10 page)

In the darkened theatre, one lone movie attendee had no interest in the film whatsoever. Instead, this person’s attention was focused on scanning the scant crowd scattered across the spacious seating area. Looking once, then again, and one final time, the viewer concluded that Grayson Hawkes had somehow bypassed the movie undetected. The how, when, and why of the preacher’s actions escaped this person, who had been keeping the preacher under surveillance without the slightest notice.

Hawk realized there was no escape from inside the attraction unless he retraced his steps to the entrance. If he retraced his steps, he could exit through the doors that opened back onto Mickey Avenue. A voice somewhere in his head told him this was the best thing to do. Stepping lively, he headed that direction. Off to his right he once again looked into the office of Walt Disney. Abruptly he came to a halt and knew that he was going to have to find a way to get inside the office and look around.

Reversing his course, he heard the sounds of the exterior doors at the main entrance slamming shut. Hawk was certain there would be a cast member charged with doing a walk-through inspection of the attraction once it was closed and secure. He needed to find a place to hide. Moving deeper into the attraction he saw a cutout of Roy Disney and Mickey Mouse in front of a huge background photograph of Cinderella Castle. Getting closer he realized there was no way he could hide behind Roy and Mickey. They were securely fastened to the wall and there was very little room between.

On his right were the hands-on displays of how audio-animatronics worked. Seeing the three different interactive panels for guests to manipulate, Hawk jumped over the rail that held these in place. Now inside the display itself, he moved to an audio-animatronics control panel sitting atop a large red multi-drawer toolbox that stood over three feet high. This would be perfect! Disappearing behind it, Hawk breathlessly used the wheels on the base of the box to move it slightly to the left. Wedging the huge toolbox next to a rack of electronic computer components, he created a completely out of sight hiding place. The only way he could be seen was if someone actually stepped over the railing he had scaled and physically looked behind the box. He was safe for now.

As soon as he had hidden his body he broke out in a nervous sweat as he sat, waited, and listened. Hearing footsteps approach, he knew that he was now committed to what was going to be a criminal act no matter what rationale he used to explain it. He was hiding in the attraction to get into an area off limits to the general public. Hawk assumed the cast member approaching was doing a visual inspection to make sure all was clear inside. He stayed perfectly still and as silent as possible. In his ears his heart was beating ridiculously loud. His breath was coming in quick short bursts that he feared the employee might be able to hear. The anxious wait seemed to last an eternity before he heard the click of the emergency exit door open and then snap to a close. Though the cast member had now finished and moved on, Hawk dared not move for a few minutes, waiting for any unexpected activity in the area. He sat alone, hunkered down and hiding, trying to formulate the next move in his unfolding ad-libbed plan.

C
HAPTER
T
EN

Day Four Evening

H
AWK TRIED TO SLOW HIS BREATHING
as his legs began to cramp while he held his crouching-pastor, hidden-criminal position longer than he thought possible. Realizing he couldn’t remain hiding there much longer, he strained to hear any sounds that hinted of someone who might discover him. He’d dared not look at his watch or anything else since he ducked behind the toolbox. He had been there a long time; too long. Now it was time to create the next phase of his plan. Resting on his knees, he looked up to see if he could spot any security cameras. He saw them carefully placed at various spots of the attraction. He was sure that some of them were merely placed strategically so they could be seen by the guests. They probably did not work and were nothing more than a deterrent to anyone who might try to execute a plan like the one Hawk was now living. He was just as certain that some of the security cameras did work. The problem was he had no way of knowing which ones. If indeed there was an active camera pointing in his general direction, it was unmonitored or he had gotten extremely lucky. He decided it was a little of both.

The sudden click of a lock caused Hawk to tense with anticipation and dread. A cast member had opened a door with a keyed lock. He’d noticed that at the front and back of the attraction were two doors with no knobs, only locks
that required a key to open them. His assumption was that these doors opened up to a hallway or working area behind the exhibits. He also had assumed that getting through these doors was going to be the way he’d get into Walt’s office—he just hadn’t figured out how. Now the door was open. A maintenance man walked into the attraction and past the animatronics exhibit, toward the front. After the man’s footsteps passed, Hawk straightened up behind the toolbox. He didn’t see the maintenance man and he now moved quietly back over the rail of the exhibit to the guest side. Easing through the open door, he pulled it snugly closed and moved into the backstage area of the One Man’s Dream set. Gingerly he stepped down the hallway as he tried to get some perspective on where he was. The door in Walt’s office had to open into a backstage area. In a matter of seconds he found himself looking at a door next to a window that had floodlights aimed at it. These lights created the outdoor light effect behind the closed blinds of the office. The interior of Walt’s office had to be on the other side of the door. Reaching down and grasping the handle of the door, he pushed down and released it.

When the door opened, Hawk exhaled loudly. Once he entered the office, he could no longer hide; anyone walking by in the guest area of the attraction would see him. Resigned to the fact that it was now too late to worry about such things, he opened the door and stepped inside.

Standing inside Walt’s office, he reverently closed the door. He found himself staring out into the exhibit where he had stood moments before gazing in through the window. Knowing he had to get started, he boldly walked to Walt’s side of the desk. He gripped the black leather of the seat back and rolled the chair out of his way, then crouched, peering under the desk. Much to his disappointment, there was not a drawer there. Rales had told Hawk to do the same thing that Walt had done. He took a seat in the chair and rolled it back under the desk just as if he were getting ready to do some work. His eyes rapidly danced over the surface of the desk. There was nothing that required a key to open. Hawk looked across the desk to the far wall and saw the plans, notes, and photographs on display. Swiveling to his left, he remembered the wooden box he had spied perched on the credenza behind the desk. The box sat below a picture of Walt and Roy Disney. He studied the box closely and saw, on the front of the box, there was a keyhole. Hawk thrust his body forward to lunge toward the box. The chair rocked backward. The unexpected motion of the chair threw him off balance and he stumbled forward to one knee. This action sent the chair rolling backward and clunking into the credenza. The noise was not loud but in the quietness of the office it was deafening. Certain that the racket would alert someone to his presence, Hawk turned his attention away from the box and instead reclaimed the chair and attempted to place it back in its original position. Constantly looking back toward the window for any warning that someone might be approaching, he saw no one. The thought hit him that he had just sat in Walt Disney’s chair, behind Walt Disney’s desk, in Walt Disney’s office. Before he drifted too far away, his rational mind reminded him that he was going to go to jail if he got caught.

Ripping his attention back to the box, he pulled the key out of his pocket and placed it against the opening on the front side. He moved it forward, but
the key did not fit. He lifted the key in front of his face and examined it closely, then knelt and did the same to the keyhole. Repeating his attempt to insert the key into the lock, he felt the resistance of incompatibility. His key simply did not open the box. Looking to both sides of the credenza, he saw nothing else that held a lock. His mind raced, trying to figure out what to do next. He had his doubts that this was a wise thing to be doing, but those doubts had been eclipsed by the hope that an answer might be found inside this office.

The murmuring of distant voices shattered his concentration. Beginning softly and growing in volume, the sound told him people were approaching on the other side of the glass window. He was momentarily immobilized by the fear of being discovered. This hesitation stole his chance to get safely back out the door he had entered through. Impulsively he ran toward the window itself and then veered off to the left side of the office. Slamming himself into the corner of the office, he was now to the side of the viewing glass. Positive he could be seen if someone looked closely, he stood perfectly still. The angle of his hiding place drew him out of the direct line of sight; he hoped that would be enough. Posing like a statue flat against the wall, Hawk knew that the attention of most people would be on the desk in the center of the room. Hopefully whoever was coming by would not glance into the office too closely and see him. Now the voices that had started in the distance were right there at the window. Hawk studied the floor in front of the viewing window and saw the distinct shadows of more than one person. These people were looking in the window at Walt’s office! From the rapport of the conversation, Hawk could tell that they were not there looking for him. While that thought brought some relief, it also meant that they were likely to spend a few minutes searching the office details and in the process catch sight of him. As terrible as that thought was, there was another realization that hit Hawk as he tried to disappear into the wall. He recognized one of the voices. He distinctly heard the voice of Kiran. She was talking to the people who were standing there looking in at the office, her tone similar to the one she’d used on the tour when he first met her the day before. Earlier in the afternoon when he’d made an excuse not to join her for dinner tonight, he had assumed she was not working today. Now she was here, just a few feet away, and he was hiding inside the office of Walt Disney.

Seconds transformed into agonizing minutes as the group examined the office. Although unable to hear everything, Hawk found himself following Kiran’s voice as she pointed out some of the highlights of the office. While she spoke he imagined her saying, “Pay no attention to the idiot hiding in the corner!” Moments passed, Hawk heard laughter, and then the voices moved away from the window to explore further into the exhibit. He did not move. Unsure of how long to wait and uncertain who else might be in the area, he didn’t dare give up his hiding place yet.

He tried to think through his predicament. Kiran must be leading a tour for VIPs, since the Disney Hollywood Studios was officially closed for the day. After the tour group looked around the exhibit, it would eventually exit into the Walt Disney Theatre for a private showing of the film. If he could time it just right, this would be the opportune moment to make his escape. He had
found nothing and risked a lot. The risk was one he had been willing to take, but he found himself frustrated at the futility of his endeavor. Somewhere in the depths of his being, he’d thought he would find something to unlock the mystery of the key. Sadly, he had not taken the time to formulate a strategy for anything he was doing. He was now trapped inside the attraction. Failing to plan had been no plan at all.

Finally Hawk decided it was time to go. Moving away from the wall with a quick glance over his shoulder toward the viewing window, he stepped toward the door. The door handle moved. It clicked and he backed up as the door silently swung open. Kiran stood in the doorway, hands jammed on her hips, her feet shoulder width. It was apparent that she had no intention of allowing him to escape past her.

“Dr. Hawkes, step out of the office. Right now.”

Hawk tentatively moved toward the doorway, not sure how to step out of the office since she was blocking the door. Once he was close enough, she clamped her hand around his arm above his elbow. Roughly dragging him through the door, she wheeled him around and slammed him into the set wall behind them both with a thud. In one motion she closed the door to the office and stepped up in front of him. Eyes flashing with anger, she thrust a finger toward his chin.