The Key To the Kingdom (26 page)

“Well, Hawk my friend, you are in the middle of a pretty amazing adventure, aren’t you?” The faces in the room all registered their surprise that this message was personalized for Hawk himself. “The very fact that you are watching this lets me know you figured out that I not only gave you a key but a few clues to get you started. I also know you have been pretty successful because you have managed to actually find the clues you need along with this one. I am proud of you, son, I knew you could do it . . . and I knew you were the right choice.

“I would love to tell you the quest is over and you are done, but you have much left to do before you find out what the key really unlocks. However, I am confident that you will figure it all out.” Rales looked down and appeared to be studying his hands for a moment, contemplating what he would say next.

“If I were you I would be wondering why I just didn’t tell you what the great mystery was. All of the hidden clues, puzzles, and secret messages make it far more complicated, don’t they? I would come right out and tell you if it were as easy as that. But the story you are in the middle of is not that simple. The stakes are incredibly high, and part of being the keeper of the key to the kingdom hinges on your ability to figure it all out. I also have to be very cautious, just in case this little film project of mine should accidentally fall into the wrong hands. The circumstances don’t allow me to help you any more than I have been able to. You must admit, your Pal Mickey is a pretty amazing creation, isn’t it?” Rales beamed at the thought of his one-of-a kind creation.

“What I can tell you is this. Everything you have discovered up to this point is important. Think of each discovery as another piece of the bigger puzzle. Once you have the pieces, everything will come together in the end. I also have a feeling by now that some of the stuff you have been doing has probably caught the attention of a few folks. Just like any classic Walt Disney story, there are heroes and villains. It is up to you to figure out who is who and whom to trust. Be careful. While I can’t tell you what you are looking for, I can tell you this. The value and importance of what you are doing goes beyond what you can imagine. After all, Walt himself told you he is counting on you.” Rales again paused, and staring into the camera, chose his words carefully.

“You were not chosen by accident. You will understand if and when you unlock the mystery. I believe in you and know you can do this. Don’t allow anything to distract you and get you off course. Hawk, remember the things I have told you. If you run into a problem . . . you’ll figure it out.”

In the background there was a faint indistinguishable sound. Rales paused and jerked his head to his right in search of the unexpected noise. He strained to listen, allowing time to make sure it was safe for him to continue. The silence screamed with a tension that spilled over into the room where the church staff watched and listened. Finally, apparently satisfied that it was safe, Rales turned his attention back to the camera.

“Now your journey with the key to the kingdom takes you back to the kingdom. Hopefully you have already been to the mountain. If you haven’t, you need to get there. The next clue you need is a square; not just the square but what the square contains. You will solve it, you know how, just keep thinking. I wish I could help you more, but I can’t. I wish I could contact you, but that wouldn’t be right. So this was the only way for me to get you a message. I am proud of you, Hawk, and you would have made Walt proud also. You hold the key to keep his dreams on track. Bye!”

The ensuing silence was broken when once again the
Old Yeller
bonus features menu filled the screen. Shep turned the television set off. Eight eyes glanced between each other, blending a trace of wonder with loads of confusion. Jonathan stood and stepped in front of the television to face the group.

“Well?”

Shep turned to Hawk. “So what do you do now?”

Hawk sat with his head bowed. “I guess I’m heading back to the Magic Kingdom.” He raised his gaze to the group, his heartbeat quickening with a desire to tackle the challenge Walt Disney himself had placed before him.

Juliette stood. Walking across the room she retrieved Hawk’s phone.

“Didn’t Farren call you a little while ago?” she asked.

In all of the intrigue and excitement Hawk had forgotten the call that had come in just before his battery went dead. He took the phone from her and powered it up.

“Rales called you?” Jonathan asked with surprise.

“Uh-huh, when we were waiting downstairs for you to get checked in. Just as the call came in my battery died. I saw the number and picked it up and had nothing.”

While they talked Hawk punched back up his missed calls list and once again read the name Farren Rales. He held it out for all to see.

“We just heard him say he wouldn’t contact you,” Juliette reminded everyone.

“Maybe something changed,” Shep offered.

“Perhaps he decided to do something different after he made the film,” Jonathan added.

“Or maybe it wasn’t Farren Rales calling at all,” Juliette said. “It could be that someone has his phone.”

“Who would have his phone?” Hawk asked. “And how would someone have gotten it?”

Jonathan jumped in. “It could be someone who found it somewhere, could be the police, could be anyone.”

“Or it could be Farren Rales,” Shep insisted. “You won’t know until you call back.”

The three staff members looked toward their pastor, waiting for him to decide what to do next. He looked from one to the next and finally looked back to his phone. Pressing the green phone emblem, Hawk dialed Farren’s cell phone number. Anxiously they studied Hawk’s face as he listened to the receiver. The phone rang four times and then sent him into Rale’s voice mailbox. Hawk hung up without leaving a message. He snapped the cell closed and pushed it back into his pocket.

“No answer.” he informed them.

Hawk stalked across the floor and glanced out the window toward Bay Lake, the massive manmade body of water that stretched out along the resort. Silence smothered the room as his mind raced across the possibilities of what they should do next. He had already told the group his next stop was back at the Magic Kingdom, but now he was attempting to develop some tactic to strengthen his searching ability. Seconds became minutes before he finally turned back to face the team.

“What are your schedules for the day?”

This couldn’t be the first thing they expected their pastor to say. Still they quickly responded with their plans for the rest of the afternoon.

“I’m supposed to meet Tim in an hour,” Juliette began.

“I have to finish up my stuff to be ready for band rehearsal later tonight,” Jonathan said. “I can call everyone and cancel if I need to.”

“I had some running around to get done, but I can do it later.” Shep was the last to reply.

Hawk listened and allowed the last bit of the sketchy strategy to formulate. Turning his attention to Shep, he began to unfold his plan.

“Do you have your laptop?”

“Sure, it’s out in the car!” Shep eagerly stood up.

“Go get it,” Hawk instructed. “You’re going to get to spend the day here, if you don’t mind, at a luxury resort. That way I have Internet access through you if I need it.”

“Do you want me to cancel rehearsal tonight?” Jonathan inquired.

“No, go ahead and do what you need to get done. Both of you have some pressing things.” He nodded toward Juliette and Jonathan.

“Tim mentioned this morning that we might come out to one of the parks tonight for dinner, and the kids are at my sister’s,” Juliette said. “Maybe we can get out to the Magic Kingdom and see if we can help.”

“You think Tim would be up for it?” Hawk asked, already knowing the answer.

Tim Keaton, Juliette’s husband, had been a Disney animator who had been forced to form a graphic arts company when Disney shut down the Florida animation department. Hawk had instantly liked Tim and they had become the closest of friends.

“I think Tim would leave work right now if I told him what was going on.” Juliette smirked. “Is it okay if I tell him what you told us?”

“No problem. Maybe he will have some helpful insight.” Hawk trusted Tim and his judgment. He wouldn’t mind if Tim got involved in his search with him. “If you come out here tonight, give me a call.”

“I’ll think about it.” Juliette feigned disinterest. She quickly hugged her friends and moved toward Hawk last. Gripping both his shoulders and pulling him close, she whispered in his ear, “Be very careful!”

“I will,” Hawk said.

“I mean it.” Juliette stared at him sternly. “This is big. I don’t know what it is or what you’re looking for, but it is big. I mean, Walt Disney himself sent you a message. That sounds crazy! This is so big. Remember that, Hawk.”

He nodded understanding. She turned and was gone. Shep moved out of the room behind her to accompany her to the elevators. She would jump on board a monorail and head back to the Grand Floridian to get her car. Shep would hike across the paved parking lot to fish his laptop out of the messy ocean of junk in his trunk.

“You sure you don’t want me to cancel?” Jonathan asked, alone in the room with Hawk.

“No, meeting with the worship team is more important.”

“We can survive without the practice.”

“Call me later. Come back after practice if you can.” Hawk knew Jonathan badly wanted to stay and help. “After all, this room is on your dime. You can visit anytime you want.”

C
HAPTER
T
WENTY
-N
INE

Day Six Afternoon

A
FTER HELPING
S
HEP
set up their command center, Hawk left the Contemporary Resort for the Magic Kingdom entrance. Shep, the church’s technology expert, could find things online more efficiently and effectively than the rest of the staff combined. Armed with high-speed Internet access and awaiting Hawk’s call, his job was to cyber-seek any background information that Hawk might need on the next leg of his journey.

At the main gate he exchanged greetings with the cast member and slid his annual pass into the slot on the turnstile. The pass was whisked into the mechanism and he placed his index finger on the sensor. These sensors had created an outcry from many organizations when they were introduced in the Disney theme parks. Privacy issues were called into question by groups concerned that using your fingerprints as verification to enter a theme park was too personal and too private. Hawk, like other guests, didn’t think too much about the new system as it was introduced. Suddenly, the cast member moved forward and punched a few keys on the turnstile mechanism. A puzzled look came over her face.

“Everything OK?” he asked.

“Fine,” she responded. “I’m going to need you to reinsert your pass and place your finger back on the sensor.”

Hawk complied. Waiting with his index finger pressed against the blue glass bubble, he watched as his pass emerged on the other side of the mechanism. The electronic readout greeted him with a wish to have a nice day, and reclaiming his pass, he moved through the turnstile.

“Sometimes the sensor has trouble reading your print. Sorry for the inconvenience,” the young woman apologized.

“Not a problem at all.”

Stepping beyond the entrance gate, he casually strolled toward the floral garden below the train station.

The next clue you need is a square. Not just the square but what the square contains
. The most obvious square to Hawk was Town Square that began the journey down Main Street USA. That square was just on the other side of the train station through the tunnels. He had to figure out what in the square he needed and what the square contained, if solving the clue could be that simple. He allowed his gaze to drift up the pristine landscaping until it rested on the train that was currently loading passengers above him at the station. The one short whistle blasted by the train was the alert that let everyone know the train would be leaving the station shortly.