The Key To the Kingdom (41 page)

Peter Pan’s Flight was created in the image of the original. In 1955 the attraction had been built by Walt in Disneyland. He had desired to give his guests a chance to experience firsthand scenes from the 1953 film
Peter Pan
. The ride was a mainstay of the Magic Kingdom, and the wait time could exceed an hour. Since Hawk and Kiran were early there would be almost no wait at all for them to board the ride. Walking casually toward the entrance they both kept a sharp watch for anyone that seemed unusually interested in them. At the corner of the entrance Hawk remembered a moment from the previous night.

“Kiran, when I was here hiding last night, Pal Mickey gave me a message.”

“Right here?” She frowned at him, and he regretted not telling her before.

“Yes, I was hiding before I made it over to Sir Mickey’s. The message was, ‘You’re here too early, pal, it’s not time yet.’”

“It probably would have made the clue easier to figure out if you had remembered that,” she jokingly scolded.

“I guess in all the excitement, I forgot.”

“I hope it’s time now.”

“Me too.” His time to figure this puzzle out was running out.

Weaving their way through the queue line were three other groups waiting to board. The attraction’s operator waved them through as Hawk and Kiran took a seat in their own private flying ship. The ride wound them through the bedroom of the Darling children. Peter Pan beckoned them, and every other rider, to come with him to Never Land. With a quick sprinkling of pixie dust the boat, suspended on a track above them, lifted them through the bedroom window, over the Darlings’ backyard as their dog Nana barked, and through the nighttime sky of London.

Hawk recalled the first time he had ever flown in this attraction as a child. Surprised to see all of the scenes from the movie below him, he’d been nervous and excited. He hadn’t realized he would be flying above the action. Kiran nudged his arm and pointed at Big Ben. The clock was in front of them as they flew.

“See what time it is?”

“It’s 9:06—way past the bedtime of little children,” he confirmed.

The shaking of the stuffed tour guide on his hip was expected.

“Ha-ha!”

Hawk momentarily thought of the disaster it would be if he accidentally dropped the mouse out of the boat into the streets of London below. The nervous thought caused him to hold it just a little bit more tightly and in doing so activated the voice mechanism inside. Kiran and he both leaned in closely to hear the message, their faces side by side. Unexpectedly Kiran kissed him on the lips.

“For luck!” She smiled.

Smiling back at her he hoped she wouldn’t notice his blushing in the darkness of the ride. His face was warm and his mind swirled before Pal Mickey interrupted the moment.

“Hiya, Hawk! You’re fantastic! Now it’s time, this is your last clue. You know Walt Disney’s story but you don’t know the last chapter. That’s what you’re gonna have to get to the bottom of now. Hey, pal, thanks for being my partner. The best thing about being partners is you always have someone that will point you in the right direction.”

The message played out as they flew over Never Land. The boat passed over an island of mountains, flowers, and a volcano. An epic battle was now being waged as Peter Pan and Hook were dueling for the freedom and safety of the prisoners.

“Now we have the last clue,” Kiran finally spoke. “That’s a good thing, right?”

“Oh, it’s good . . . we just have to figure out what it means.” Hawk was trying unsuccessfully to shift his thoughts from Kiran’s kiss back to the puzzle.

“Help me, Mr. Smee, help me!” Captain Hook called to Smee from below as the pirate straddled the ticking crocodile’s menacing jaws. This signaled the ride was coming to an end and the flying boat would be landing momentarily.

Stepping off the boat, they moved through the exit back into the streets of Fantasyland toward the carousel. Blending in with the motion of the park guests, they moved back toward the castle. Hawk checked often that they weren’t being watched, and led them on the pathway around the castle to the right. Deciding it would be less noticeable than moving directly through the castle they made their way around the waterline near Liberty Square. Pausing about halfway down the path he guided Kiran to a bench that offered some protection behind surrounding trees and shrubs. They took a seat, looking about to see if they’d remained undetected. Seeing no one except park guests, Hawk leaned in to speak quietly to Kiran.

“We’re getting ready to be very visible.”

“So you know where we’re going?” Her excitement spilled into her voice.

“We’re going out to the hub in front of the castle.”

“Why?”

“The
Partners
statue is there.”

“I know the
Partners
statue is there. Remember I showed it to you when you took my tour?” Kiran paused and then her eyes widened. “But Mickey called you his partner, that’s why we’re going there.”

“Partially,” Hawk informed her. “But there’s more.”

“Are you going to tell me or not?”

“It is something that Walt said,” he said reluctantly.

“Walt—you mean Walt Disney?”

“Of course.” Hawk smiled reassuringly.

“You’re going to have to help me here, Hawk, because I don’t have this piece figured out yet.”

“Not only did Mickey call me his partner”—he paused longer than he intended—“but Walt called me his partner.”

“Walt Disney called you his partner?”

“Yes, he did.” He realized how odd that sounded when he said it aloud.

“You’ve spoken to Walt Disney?” Kiran’s tone became wary.

“Not actually spoken to him,” he corrected. She said nothing and it became obvious she was waiting for him to continue. “He sent me a message and told me that his brother, Roy, was his partner—and that I was his partner.”

“He did?” Kiran’s forehead wrinkled in puzzlement. “Hawk, Walt Disney is dead.” Her words were carefully measured. “He died December 15, 1966, and you know this fact. So how did he send you a message?”

“It was on a DVD.” He quickly added, “Obviously DVD technology wasn’t around in 1966, but he filmed a message for me. He didn’t know it would be me that would eventually see it. It was a message for whoever would end up with the key.”

He noticed her jaw had fallen, and he gently reached over to her face. Taking a finger and placing it tenderly below her chin, he applied enough pressure for her to close her mouth. The action caused her to snap back to the moment.

“Where did you get this DVD?”

“I found it in Tommy Kirk’s mailbox at the Studios. It was a bonus feature on
Old Yeller.”

“Do you know how insane what you just said sounds?”

He laughed at the disbelief in her voice. “I hadn’t thought about it.”

“On a copy of
Old Yeller
that you picked up in Tommy Kirk’s mailbox, Walt Disney left a message for you because one day, years after his death, you would have a key and be trying to solve a mystery,” Kiran scoffed.

“That pretty much covers it.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about this message?”

“I was afraid you would think I was crazy!”

“You’re kidding.”

“You have to admit, it’s hard to believe.”

“I have no trouble admitting it, but you didn’t tell me because you didn’t trust me . . . correct?”

“We have already been down this road.” He searched her face. “I didn’t tell you then, but I’ve told you now, haven’t I?”

She nodded. “Yes, you have. And I guess it should make sense. Preacher, if God talks to you, then I shouldn’t be surprised that Walt Disney can talk to you as well.”

“I’ve only heard from Walt Disney once,” he corrected. “I hear from God on a regular basis. I pay more attention to Him.”

“Then let’s go see your partner.”

C
HAPTER
F
ORTY
-T
HREE

Day Seven Mid-Morning

T
HE PLAZA IN FRONT
of Cinderella Castle served as the connection point where all of the various lands of the Magic Kingdom converged. The centerpiece of the hub was the statue known as
Partners
. The rendition of Mickey Mouse holding hands with Walt Disney was a favored picture spot of most guests to the park. Kiran and Hawk arrived as people had formed an informal line waiting to take a picture. Trying not to be in the way, they positioned themselves strategically to the right side of the life-sized statue, looking up at it.

“Is the clue the statue, something hidden beneath the statue, or something around the statue?” Kiran asked eagerly.

“There’s nothing different about the statue, is there?” Hawk asked.

“Not that I see.” She studied it more closely. “Do you think something has been changed?”

“No, but I just want to be sure.” Hawk was thinking aloud, trying to reason out the clue. “I would imagine the clue is something on the statue that could never be noticed without the information we have.”

“I’m not sure what the information is, Hawk.”

“Think through it with me,” he invited. “Mickey called me his partner, the statue is called
Partners
, Walt called me his partner in the message, and twice in his message he said that his brother Roy was his partner. The clue has to be right here.”

“Roy was Walt’s partner, Mickey is Walt’s partner, and now you’re Walt’s partner, and we’re right here with Walt and Mickey,” Kiran tried to reason out the solution.

“So all of Walt’s partners are here except—”

“Roy,” Kiran finished the thought. “There’s a statue of Roy in Town Square at the other end of Main Street USA, but we can’t move it. How else can we get Roy here?”

“I don’t think we’re supposed to move Roy’s statue. The clue has to be here.” Hawk continued to study the statue closely. “Kiran, what does STR mean?”

Hawk’s gaze had come to rest on the tie Walt Disney was wearing. The tiepin on the center of his tie was made up of three letters: STR. Although he had seen the statue on many different occasions he had never really noticed these letters. They seemed to stand out a little too much and perhaps were too noticeable. The creator of the statue wanted these letters to be clearly seen by those who viewed it.

“STR means Smoke Tree Ranch,” Kiran answered, her gaze following his to the letters on the tie. “Walt Disney had a cottage there in Palm Springs, California. When he moved in, the community wasn’t thrilled with a Hollywood type becoming their neighbor, so Walt spent a lot of time investing himself in the community. He loved his home there and would often be seen wearing the pin with the initials.”

“Smoke Tree Ranch,” Hawk repeated. “STR, Smoke Tree Ranch, STR, I wonder . . .”

“Wonder?”

“I wonder if it could mean something else.” He turned toward Kiran. “Doesn’t it seem odd that these three letters that very few people would identify with Walt Disney be featured as boldly as they are on this statue?”

“I suppose, but he did wear a pin like that one.”

“Sure, but whoever designed this statue made sure the three letter details really stand out. Maybe Disney did wear that kind of pin all the time, but I never remember seeing it in pictures of him, except one time.